Two Irish hotels, both in County Laois, have been rated among the top one percent of hotels in the world by TripAdvisor.
Roundwood House and Ballyfin Demesne, both which have been voted into the top 10 of TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice ‘Top 25 Small Hotels in Ireland,’ have also been given spots among the top one percent of hotels in the world by the travel website.
Located in Mountrath, Co. Laois, near to the Slieve Bloom Mountains, Roundwood Country House B&B was built by Anthony Sharp, scion of a prosperous family of cloth makers, around 1741. It is one of Ireland’s finest mid-size houses of the Georgian period.
The five-star Ballyfin, voted the number one hotel in the 2016 Conde Nast Reader’s Choice Awards, was where Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West chose to stay for their honeymoon in May 2014.
The TripAdvisor awards are based on the millions of reviews shared this year from travelers around the globe, BreakingNews.ie reports.
"The hallmarks of Travellers’ Choice hotel winners are remarkable service, value and quality," says Barbara Messing, TripAdvisor's chief marketing officer.
"Laois is not typically a tourist destination for overseas travellers but such awards place the county firmly on the map and will undoubtedly lead to increased footfall from both national and international visitors," said Hannah Flynn of Roundwood House.
"Furthermore, the personal touch these houses provide, together with their history and quintessential Irishness, makes them the perfect ambassadors for our country.
"Warm hospitality and excellent food are the most prominent themes running through the reviews for both Roundwood House and Ballyfin Demesne.
"Both are open to dinner guests with advance booking so why not treat yourself and find out what the top 1% of properties in the world are all about."