A Cotswolds Chapter

Three distinctive hotels. One extraordinary new destination for Hand Picked Hotels. Certain places in Britain have their own rhythm. Places where stone villages sit quietly among rolling hills, country lanes disappear between hedgerows, and an afternoon can be happily measured in walks, long lunches and simple pleasures. The Cotswolds is one of them.

So, it is with enormous pride that we share an exciting new chapter for Hand Picked Hotels as we prepare to welcome three distinctive country hotels into our wider collection: Buckland Manor, The Slaughters Country Inn and The Slaughters Manor House.

Each property has its own story, personality and strong connection to the surrounding landscape. These are beloved hotels that have shaped their local communities, hosting milestone special occasions and providing memories that last a lifetime. Together, they introduce Hand Picked Hotels to one of Britain’s most admired destinations and give our guests new places to discover, stay and return to. For Hand Picked Hotels, this feels like a natural evolution.

“Beautiful hotels are more than buildings. They are places where celebrations happen, traditions form and memories are made.”

For guests already familiar with Hand Picked Hotels, these are not simply new places to explore: they offer an entirely new landscape to experience.

The Cotswolds has long held a special place in the British imagination. Its appeal lies partly in its beauty, but perhaps equally in its simplicity and sense of place – and that matters enormously to us.

When a hotel joins the Hand Picked collection, we do not want to remove what makes it individual. We want to understand it, protect it and allow its strongest qualities to flourish. The hotels’ identities will remain familiar to guests as we undertake this transition thoughtfully and carefully. Our immediate focus will be on guests, colleagues and the communities around them. The character, heritage and individuality of these properties are precisely what make them such an exciting fit.

As our Chair Julia Hands explains, “Our collection has been thoughtfully built over many years, and these hotels are a natural fit, combining the heritage, individuality and quality that our guests value and expect.”

One word within this acquisition feels particularly poignant: custodianship. Beautiful hotels are more than buildings. They are places where celebrations happen, traditions form and memories are made. They are connected to the people who work within them and to the communities that surround them. Becoming their next custodian therefore carries both privilege and responsibility. The intention is not to rewrite their stories, but to become part of the next chapter.

For our guests, the result is rather simpler: it means three new reasons to stop, reconnect and enjoy being somewhere beautiful.

Our collection has never been about creating hotels that all look or feel the same: individuality is what makes a Hand Picked stay special. From historic country houses to coastal retreats, each property has its own architecture, surroundings and character.

What connects them is something less tangible: genuine hospitality, warmth, a sense of place and the belief that the best hotel experiences should always feel personal. This philosophy remains at the heart of the Hand Picked ethos, along with a passionate attention to detail that turns a visit into something guests remember long after they return home.

These three hotels bring all of that in abundance.

Buckland Manor

Set close to the much-loved village of Broadway, Buckland Manor is the very essence of a Cotswold country escape. The historic manor sits amid beautiful gardens and countryside, surrounded by the honey-coloured villages, rolling fields and quiet lanes that have made this part of England so enduringly appealing.

Broadway itself is only a short distance away, with independent shops, galleries and cafés making it ideal for a leisurely afternoon. Slightly further afield, Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford and some of the Cotswolds’ best-known villages offer plenty of reasons to extend a stay.

Buckland Manor encourages you not to rush. A morning might begin with a walk through the grounds, followed by a quiet coffee, while an afternoon might disappear into a long lunch before returning to the warmth of the house, away from the outside world. Every celebration here holds a special place in guests’ hearts and minds, and we feel immensely proud to carry those experiences on into the future.

Everything feels wonderfully removed, yet the Cotswolds are refreshingly accessible for a weekend away. A local train station connects directly with London Paddington, while Birmingham provides a similarly convenient gateway for guests travelling from further afield.

The Slaughters Manor House and The Slaughters Country Inn

A little deeper into the Cotswolds lies the beautiful village of Lower Slaughter, home to two of our other new additions. The River Eye runs through the village beneath small stone bridges, while traditional Cotswold houses line the water and walking routes lead gently out into the open countryside.

Here, The Slaughters Manor House and The Slaughters Country Inn sit almost side by side, yet each offers something distinctly its own.

The Manor House brings the elegance and prestige of a country house stay. Arriving here feels like an occasion, without formality overtaking comfort. It is a place to settle into, enjoy good food, slow down and allow the surroundings to become part of the stay.

“The River Eye runs through the village beneath small stone bridges, while traditional Cotswold houses line the water.”

Across the village, The Slaughters Country Inn, perched majestically on the River Eye, offers another interpretation of Cotswold life. More relaxed, easy-going and rooted in the feel of a traditional country inn, it is somewhere walking boots sit snugly by the fireside in winter while cherry blossoms bloom in abundance during the spring months. Together, they offer guests a lovely choice.

You might spend the morning walking between Lower and Upper Slaughter, continue towards Bourton-on-the-Water, or stay close to the village, watching the water pass under the bridges and letting the day unfold without too much planning.

Nearby Stow-on-the-Wold boasts antique shops, independent retailers and traditional inns, while Moreton-in-Marsh again provides a direct rail link with London.

We look forward to sharing much more with you as these beautiful hotels begin their next chapter and gradually become part of the family, bringing their own character, history and sense of place with them.

For now, we are delighted to be adding a trio of new chapters to the Hand Picked story.

Welcome to the Cotswolds.