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Hotel boss believes Worcestershire is "perfect" for continuing UK staycation boom - and family fun

A hotel boss is hoping Worcestershire will benefit from the continuing staycation boom in the school holidays this summer – and believes the region is “perfect” for family fun. With transport disruption at airports, reports indicate a spike in the number Britons opting to holiday at home as requests and late bookings for domestic breaks increase.

And Craig Routledge, general manager of Brockencote Hotel in rural Kidderminster, believes Worcestershire is the perfect place for a family staycation in the UK. The region often falls under-the-radar but boasts a number of beauty spots, tourist destinations and visitor attractions for families, couples and children.

Craig said: “We’ve certainly had a much bigger contingent of domestic hotel visitors over the years and we have lots coming from further afield who are surprised by what’s on our doorstep, especially at this time of the year.

“Our region has astounding spots of natural beauty to explore like the Malvern Hills, but also some brilliant visitor attractions to impress the kids right on our doorstep. “It would be great to see more people visiting this part of the country.

“It’s perfect for family summer staycations and as a region it’s something we should be shouting about a lot more than we do.”

The region boasts attractions such as Churchfields Farm in Droitwich, which is a fifth-generation family farm off the beaten track in the beautiful Worcestershire countryside, producing its own ice-cream, Droitwich Salt and beef.

Nearby is one of the UK’s last remaining inland, open-air salt water swimming pools - Droitwich Spa Lido.

A short drive away are family-friendly attractions such as Legoland, Cadbury’s World, the Sealife Centre and ThinkTank Science Museum in Birmingham.

Craig added: “We’ve got some great days out right here in Kidderminster too with West Midlands Safari Park and Go Ape, as well as Severn Valley Railway which has themed Summer of Sport activities to tie-in with the upcoming Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.”

Outdoor activity centres range from Bear Grylls Adventure at the NEC to Wyre Forest Discovery Centre.

In Stourbridge there is Boing Zone Trampoline Park and go-karting at Full Throttle Raceway; while Worcester boasts Redpoint Indoor Climbing, Worcester Bowl and the Cyber Q Escape Rooms.

Blackwell Adventure in Bromsgrove offers zip wire and tree treks in 50 acres of rural parkland, plus there’s water and land-based activities on a 20-acre lake at Aztec Adventure, Upton Warren.

Children who are animal lovers will also be spoilt for choice with Attwell Farm Park, Redditch, Dudley Zoo and Hatton Adventure World, Warwick being an easy commute.

Brockencote Hall Hotel has this year seen the transformation of its original 19th century Gate House into a stunning three-bedroom guest lodge. Proving popular with wedding parties and families, the new Brockencote Lodge can be booked on a self-catering basis or enjoy a tailored food delivery service from the four-star hotel. The 21-bedroom Victorian country manor house hotel and award-winning 3 AA Rosette restaurant, The Chaddesley, is surrounded by 70 acres of scenic parkland and part of the boutique Eden Hotel Collection.

Earlier this summer just under 40 percent of Britons said they were more likely to choose a domestic holiday over a holiday abroad than before the pandemic, according to polls taken in mid-June and published by VisitBritain, the British tourist office.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .