DORSET’S only five-star hotel is showing its support for the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing events through the Bring on the Games campaign.

The Summer Lodge, which is based in the rural location of Evershot, has pledged not to put up the rates of its 24 rooms and suites including private cottages ‘dotted around the garden’ during the Games.

High profile guests who have been known to stay at the boutique hotel include Princess Anne.

Director of sales Kevin Reid said: “This is the only five star hotel in the whole of Dorset.

“We haven’t put our rates up at all and we’re very flexible – if you’ve only got a ticket for one day of sailing you don’t want to stay for five nights.”

Mr Reid praised the work being undertaken at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy to enable thousands of Dorset schoolchildren to go sailing for £5.

He said the Summer Lodge was also a big supporter of the Bring on the Games campaign, run by the Dorset Echo, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, borough Chamber of Commerce and the NHS Dorset Team Dorset Challenge to celebrate local support for the prestigious event.

Mr Reid added: “I’m so proud of the Olympics coming to Dorset – it’s a fantastic opportunity to show off what Dorset has to offer.

“It is vitally important we achieve a legacy.”

Summer Lodge, which has been awarded the title of ‘Dorset Restaurant of the Year’ three times in the last five years, boasts a wealth of top internationally-trained staff but prides itself on sourcing food locally.

Earlier this year, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) released rooms at the Summer Lodge which it had initially thought it would need for officials at Games time.

As part of the bid to stage the London 2012 Games, agreements were struck with hotels in 2005 to provide more than 40,000 hotel rooms, representing more than 600,000 room nights, for the world’s media, International Sport Federations, the International Olympic Committee, people working at the Games and sponsors.

The Summer Lodge was among more than 200 hotels to have 120,000 room nights released by LOCOG but Mr Reid said other properties owned by the Red Carnation Hotel Collection were still booked out by LOCOG.

He said: “LOCOG aren’t taking up the entire allocation they originally thought they might, so we’re open for business.

“Thousands of people will be coming to Dorset for the London 2012 sailing events.

“We’re all hugely positive about it here, everybody’s excited and looking forward to it.”