Coventry venues are recognized for the highest standards of hospitality in the Best Bar None Awards – Coventry City Council

Turtle Bay, located in Coventry city centre, has been named the overall Best Bar None winner as 11 venues across the city have been awarded Best Bar None accreditation for 2024.

Best Bar None is an accreditation scheme supported by the Home Office and the drinks industry, which aims to improve standards in licensed premises.

Venues seeking accreditation commit significant time and resources to achieve the required standards, demonstrating a commitment to excellence in safety, training, management and customer experience.

It is the industry gold standard and is delivered to the city by Coventry Business Improvement District (BID) and Coventry City Council.

An awards ceremony was held at Drapers Hall to bring together venues and their teams from around Coventry to celebrate their achievements and work to improve safety and standards.

Venues to be recognized as Best Bar None Accredited this year include Club Heat, Turtle Bay, The Red Lion, The Flying Standard (JD Wetherspoon), The Four Provinces, The City Arms (JD Wetherspoon), hmv Empire, The Yard, The Spon Gate (JD Wetherspoon), Mr Shenanigans and The Earl of Mercia (JD Wetherspoon).

As well as Turtle Bay winning the overall award, four category awards were presented on the night.

Flying Standard and The Spon Gate won the Venue Management category, with Mr Shenanigans taking home the prize for staff training and care.

The Yard won the Customer Experience and Community category and the Red Lion won the Customer Safety and Wellbeing award.

Hospitality venues heard on the evening from BID Coventry manager Joanne Glover and Sylvia Oates, national coordinator of Best Bar None, both recognizing the dedication, time and effort venues have put in to achieve the coveted accreditation.

It also marked the last public event for District Inspector Simon Finney, who is due to retire this year. Constable Finney gave a speech and received a round of applause in appreciation of the support given to downtown businesses.

The Yard provided the entertainment for the evening and Diageo provided welcome drinks for guests.

Coventry BID Manager Joanne Glover said the evening was a great opportunity for Coventry’s hospitality sector to come together and celebrate its successes.

“The awards ceremony at Drapers Hall marked the culmination of months of hard work from venues across the city to achieve what is truly the gold standard in health, safety, safeguarding and welfare,” Joanne said.

“We have a thriving hospitality community in Coventry which is dedicated to maintaining high standards and contributing to a safer and more vibrant city centre.

“We’d like to thank everyone who joined us on the evening to celebrate the venues that have gone above and beyond to achieve Best Bar None accreditation for 2024.”

Cllr Abdul Salam Khan, Cabinet Member for Policing and Equality and Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council, added:

“This is an important event as it is about recognizing high standards in the hospitality sector and I am delighted with the efforts companies are making to put safety at the heart of their services. Well done especially to those residents who receive accreditation.

“I would also like to thank all the agencies involved for their hard work supporting local pubs and clubs. They do an excellent job and it all means that visitors – both local and new to the city – can enjoy a great experience in Coventry.”