A Cheltenham hotel has won a coveted industry award for an innovative training academy, less than a year after it launched.

The Greenway Hotel and Spa, based off Shurdington Road, scooped the award for Best Training Programme at the finals of the prestigious 2023 Springboard Awards for Excellence in London.

The boutique hotel was recognised for its in-house Thrive academy, which launched last September and develops the next generation of leaders by equipping them with the necessary skillset to take on managerial roles.

The scheme was praised for its work in helping to combat the national skills shortage, fostering talent within the business and offering clear career progression paths in the hospitality sector.

The hotel was also shortlisted in the Best Employer award and Employee Health and Wellbeing award.

Mark Chambers, managing director, said: "Our shortlisting across three categories, including the prestigious Best Employer award, is testament to our continued development over the past 18 months as a business.

"At a time of national recruitment challenges in the hospitality sector, it is important to show our team that we want to invest in them to help them to become the best they can be.

"Thrive is the latest in a number of initiatives we have launched to maximise training, retention and development of our staff. For it to be recognised nationally so soon after launching is fantastic news."

Lisa Redding, group head of HR, said: "The launch of our leadership programmes are integral to enabling us to develop talent within the business, helping our staff grow as they progress through their hospitality careers.

"We proudly nurture our own talent and can already boast a number of promotions since this cohort began last September. This award is a testament to our continued commitment to our team's development."

Nine staff took part in the first cohort of the Thrive programme. The scheme provides pathways to progression through workshops, webinars and mentoring to enhance staff's leadership and management abilities.

The one-year training course covers areas including leadership, personal development, effective management and communication, recruitment, employment law, marketing and health and safety.