A hotel named the best in the south east is offering NHS workers free stays in its luxury rooms.

The Pig at Bridge Place is currently closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but on the first night it reopens it will host members of NHS staff in each of its 29 bedrooms.

The hotel, which opened last April following the £8 million refurbishment of an historic manor house near Canterbury, was recently declared the regional winner in The Sunday Times' prestigious Best Place to Stay list.

It is one of a growing number of boutique The Pig hotels across the south - renowned for their cosy furnishings and decor, and "homegrown" food.

The Pig at Bridge Place has seven rooms in the main house, 12 in the coach house, two family lodges and a rustic romantic two-storey hideaway in the old stables. There are also seven Kentish hop pickers’ huts on stilts which sit alongside the river in the grounds and feature double-bedrooms with fitted bathrooms and wood burning stove.

The sumptuous rooms start at £99 per night during the week and £130 at the weekend, while prices for its luxurious private lodges begin at £295 midweek and £415 at the weekend.

The hotel is also highly regarded among foodies for its special dining experience - with produce harvested from its own vegetable, fruit and herb cottage garden, and sourced from local suppliers.

But on the night it reopens, the fabulous hotel will be open exclusively to NHS staff living within a 25-mile radius.

Those selected will be treated to a fully inclusive overnight stay, with dinner and breakfast provided.

The offer comes as part of the #treatournhs initiative - a new campaign inviting holiday letting companies to give away stays to NHS workers once the threat of Covid-19 has lessened.

More than 150 holiday homes have already signed up, with The Pig the first hotel group to join.

Owners of the chain say they envisage the dedicated night will have an "NHS house party feel", and say they look forward to spoiling medics and carers.

Robin Hutson, chairman of The Pig Hotels said: "I think it’s true for most people in this country that in the past we have perhaps taken our NHS and care workers for granted. Not so now"

"At this time when we really need them, the whole country is showing their deep appreciation and respect in many ways for how they put their lives on the line every day to keep us all safe.

"To use our hotels to give some of them a treat when eventually we can re-open is really the least we can do."

The initiative is running across each of the hotel group's seven hotels, including its brand-new Cornwall site, the opening of which has been delayed due to the pandemic.

A page for nominating NHS members of staff will be launched on The Pig website in due course.

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