Wivenhoe House, the new luxury hotel and home to the Edge Hotel school, has been awarded four stars by the AA and the fine dining restaurant Signatures has won two AA rosettes, putting the hotel among the best in East Anglia.

The AA inspector stayed at the hotel, on the Colchester Campus at the University of Essex, in December and commented that the “quality of the food offered throughout the visit comfortably exceeded expectations” and that the “stylish lounges, bars and day rooms presented to a very high standard”.

General Manager Stephen Mannock said: “I am immensely proud of all we have achieved since we opened last September. This high rating is a credit to all the staff and students.”

The Edge Hotel School, based at Wivenhoe House, is the first hotel school of its kind based in a commercial luxury hotel, a partnership between the University, its academic partner Kaplan and the Edge Foundation. Students working towards hotel management degrees combine their studies with work in Wivenhoe House, supervised by a team of highly professional and skilled hospitality staff.

Principal of the Edge Hotel School Alan Jenkins said: “This is great news for our students and supporters. A cornerstone aim of the Edge Hotel School is to have our students learning by doing in a quality environment. This rating by the AA is testament to the commitment of our students and professional colleagues at Wivenhoe House and will set our students on a fast track to success as future leaders of the hospitality industry.”

Overall  Wivenhoe House was awarded a merit score of 87% by the AA and the inspector reported: “I really enjoyed my stay, the property was very stylish with high quality furniture and furnishings and a lovely relaxed atmosphere.”

The ratings details are now up on the AA website (theaa.com) and the hotel will be featured in the 2014 printed guidebook.