THE Swan at Lavenham is hoping for a further boost to business after joining one of the most exclusive hotel marketing consortia in the UK.

The 15th century hotel has been accepted as the 44th member of the Pride of Britain collection of luxury, privately owned hotels.

Membership of the consortium, which was set up in 1982 to help independent hoteliers pool their resources to reach a wider audience, is limited to a maximum of 50 properties, with existing members being balloted on whether new applicants are suitable to join, following an anonymous inspection.

Ingo Wiangke, general manager at The Swan, said: “We are honoured to have been elected by Pride of Britain’s existing members and look forward to the many opportunities that membership offers.”

The Swan, which last month won the Large Hotel category at the Tourism in Suffolk Awards, organised by media group Archant, whose titles include the EADT, has recently completed a two year, multi-million pound refurbishment programme.

It has included the opening of a contemporary-style brasserie which, together with the AA two rosette Gallery Restaurant, now provides guests with a choice of dining experiences.

The judges of the Tourism in Suffolk Awards singled out the Swan for its support for local produce and its impressive customers service.