Ryder Cup venue completes memorable 2010 with another top award
(NEWPORT, Wales) — The Celtic Manor Resort — host of golf’s 2010 Ryder Cup and premier luxury retreat less than two hours outside London — announces it’s been voted Europe’s “Golf Resort of the Year” by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO).
Hailed as hosting the “greatest ever” Ryder Cup in October, Celtic Manor picked up its latest accolade at the 2010 International Golf Travel Market in Valencia, Spain.
The award was voted on by IAGTO’s 345 members — golf tour operators from no fewer than 51 different countries — and recognizes the excellence of the service and facilities at the five-star resort in Wales.
“This is a great honor for The Celtic Manor Resort and it is wonderful to be recognized in this way by the world’s golf travel specialists,” says Dylan Matthews, Chief Executive of Celtic Manor. “It is very pleasing that in a year when we hosted one of the world’s biggest golf tournaments, we also more than matched the expectations of the tour operators who bring so many golfers to our resort and its three championship golf courses.”
In winning the award, Celtic Manor joins illustrious company including Open Championship venue Turnberry, Portugal’s San Lorenzo and Ireland’s Carton House and Doonbeg.
Golf tour operators cast their votes on criteria which included customer satisfaction, quality of golf courses and accommodations, value for money, accessibility to tee times and quality of service.
IAGTO Chief Executive Peter Walton adds: “Winning this award is recognition of the hard work and effort that Celtic Manor has gone to in developing relations with golf tour operators around the world and the positive reaction that operators have received from their clients who have stayed there and enjoyed the golf experience. Hosting of the Ryder Cup has also driven new enquiries for Wales and for Celtic Manor to IAGTO member operators.”
Set in 1,400 acres of wooded parkland in the scenic Usk Valley, Celtic Manor Resort boasts two luxurious spas and health clubs, tennis courts, shooting, fishing and the choice of no fewer than six restaurants, as well as its three championship courses.
Ideally located on the M4 motorway just two hours from London, the resort was also voted the UK’s Top Conference Hotel for the fourth year in a row this autumn by Conference & Incentive Travel magazine.
Masters champion Phil Mickelson described the Twenty Ten Course as “a wonderful golf course” and a “great venue for match play” while European Captain Colin Montgomerie called the facilities “seven-star.”
As well as the Twenty Ten, which was purpose built for the Ryder Cup, golfers can choose between two other championship courses — Roman Road, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. and host of the Celtic Manor Wales Open from 2005 to 2007, and The Montgomerie, laid out by the Ryder Cup Captain.
The resort is also home to a state-of-the-art Golf Academy which was appointed the Wales National Centre of Excellence in 2009 when a new all-weather short game practice area and indoor putting green was added to the covered driving range and teaching studios.
With some exceptional stay-and-play packages, Celtic Manor can tailor golf trips for individuals and groups. Celebrated links courses like Royal Porthcawl, Southerndown and Pennard are all within easy reach for an extended stay in Wales.
For more information, email Reservations at bookings@celtic-manor.com; call 866.789.5779 (U.S.) / 877.354.2003 (Canada) and ask for Golf Sales Manager Sean Clancy (sclancy@celtic-manor.com); or visit www.celtic-manor.com.
About Celtic Manor Resort
Located less than two hours outside London, Celtic Manor Resort hosted golf’s 2010 Ryder Cup and is the UK’s foremost luxury retreat. Featuring 1,400-plus acres of panoramic parkland and wooded hills, it is recognized as the “Gateway to Wales.”
A popular destination among business and leisure travelers, golf-tour operators and corporate incentive agents, five-star Celtic Manor offers myriad amenities. These include three championship golf courses (the Twenty Ten, Roman Road and Montgomerie), two lavish hotels (the majestic, 330-room Resort Hotel and historic, 70-room Manor House), charming country inn (Newbridge on Usk), six savory restaurants, two tranquil spas and state-of-the-art health clubs, a golf academy and miles of hiking trails. A convention center, exhibition hall, array of well-appointed suites, meeting rooms and large ballrooms are also available to host groups up to 1,500 for conferences, weddings and other special events.
Celtic Manor is privately owned by founder Sir Terry Matthews, the Ottawa, Canada-based telecommunications entrepreneur who was born on the Celtic Manor site when the original Manor House was a maternity hospital.
Getting There: Celtic Manor is 45 minutes from Bristol International Airport (BRS) and Cardiff International Airport (CWL). Daily, non-stop flights are available from Newark, New Jersey (EWR) to Bristol on Continental. Daily, one-stop flights are available from New York to Cardiff on KLM via Amsterdam; and from New York, Chicago, Boston and Orlando on Aer Lingus via Dublin. London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is a two-hour shuttle drive, with rail service from Paddington Station (London) to Newport, Wales also available.
Contact:
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Communications
703.891.3509
sreynolds@buffalocommunications.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
www.twitter.com/buffalocomm
David Wood
Buffalo Communications
703.635.0577
dwood@buffalocommunications.com
