Spinnaker Tower and Whiteley spa among finalists at Beautiful South tourism awards

The Beautiful South Tourism Awards 2022 has selected Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth and Solent Hotel & Spa to join 64 finalists from across the region.

Spinnaker Tower finds itself up for the ‘Large Visitor Attraction of the Year’ award, while Solent Hotel & Spa – in Rookery Ave, Whiteley – could win the award for ‘Hotel of the Year’.

Also hoping to walk away with trophies at the awards night are MadHatters Tea Room & Gift Shop in Hayling Island, which is nominated for ‘Tearoom of the Year’, and the island’s Mill Rythe Coastal Village, which could become ‘Holiday Park of the Year’.

In West Sussex, Stubcroft Farm Campsite and the Weald & Downland Living Museum are up for a range of awards.

Winchester Science Centre, Winchester has been commended in Large Visitor Attraction of the Year, and the Shoe Inn at Exton is nominated as pub of the year.

Tony Sammut, General Manager at Spinnaker Tower, said he was ‘thrilled’ that his team’s hard work on recent renovations and projects have paid off.

He said: ‘I’m especially delighted for our team whose energy, enthusiasm and dedication provides outstanding experiences for our visitors every day.

‘We are proud to be an iconic, must-see icon of the South that attracts visitors from far and wide, as well as having a unique position in the heart of the Portsmouth community – demonstrated with our residents’ discounts and the recent launch of our £25 annual pass which enables visitors to enjoy our ever-changing views time and time again.

‘This honour also reflects our constant innovation and investment, as recently seen in improvements to our Café in the Clouds, the creation of our open-air Sky Garden, the redesign of our guest welcome area and accessibility improvements.’

A representative for Solent Hotel & Spa said the awards come as the venue works on ‘new projects in the pipeline’ for 2023.

The representative said: ‘After a few very difficult years it is fantastic to be able to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our wonderful team.’

The finalists will be invited to The Grand Brighton on December 13 for the grand award ceremony.