THE country house hotel of Tylney Hall is in winning form and staff are now waiting to see if they will be simply the best by scooping an industry Oscar.

Last week, the hotel threw a celebration lunch when it was one of seven establishments picked by the Southern Tourist Board as a regional winner in the Excellence in England Awards 2002, run by the English Tourism Council.

Henrik Muehle, deputy general manager of the Grade II-listed Rotherwick hotel, said: "In 1998, Tylney Hall finished in second place in England. We are really hoping we can top that and win next April."

He added: "For us it is fantastic and it's a great motivation for the staff."

Tylney Hall employs a 160-strong staff and is still recruiting as weekenders and businesses travel out to the Hampshire countryside from London.

Mr Muehle said: "We are picking up a lot of business from London and our weekends are fully booked."

Tylney Hall already holds the Four Red Star rating from the AA and this year won a Gold Ribbon from the RAC.

The 110-bedroom hotel is continuing to invest in the facilities offered on its 66-acre estate setting. A new health and beauty spa, including a gym, is under construction.

Two other Hampshire tourist attractions are also regional winners. They are the Lainston House Hotel in Winchester and the Hawk Conservancy in Andover.

Michael Green, chairman of the Southern Tourist Board, said: "I was extremely impressed with the high standard and quality of all the entries and I know that the judges found it difficult to choose the regional winners when the standards were so high."