Carlisle hotel The Halston has become the first in the city to be awarded 'superior' status by Cumbria's county-wide tourism body.

The venue - in Warwick Road - received the prize from Cumbria Tourism's Quality Cumbria organisation, which monitors accommodation standards for visitors in the county.

There are only 14 other ‘superior’ rated venues in the county and The Halston is the latest to receive the award.

The Halston - which is described by its owners as an 'aparthotel' - first opened its doors in 2014 and has become one of the city’s most popular venues.

Last year plans for a five-storey extension beside the building were approved by Carlisle City Council with the aim of construction this year.

Dominique Harrison, co-owner of The Halston, said: “The team at The Halston work immensely hard to provide the luxury experience which customers have come to expect from a city centre stay. We aim to go above and beyond these expectations and we are very proud to be the only property in Carlisle to have received this ‘superior’ accolade.

"We now continue to expand our portfolio with the development of The Halston Townhouses on Warwick Road, opening this Summer and the expansion of the existing property into the former Lonsdale Cinema later in the year.”

Gaynor Anderson, business development assistant at Cumbria Tourism, said: “The superior quality award was introduced to reward the ‘best of the best’ and is given at the discretion of independent assessors who judge from the highest level of quality criteria.

"Those businesses who make the grade really do go the extra mile for their customers and the list of accommodation providers making the grade is quite prestigious.”