World-class facilities Bisham Abbey (below) and Lilleshall (above) National Sports Centres have been granted ‘Premier’ status by Hospitality Assured, the hospitality industry’s professional body.
Both Centres achieved over 75% for service and business excellence in hospitality, exceeding the average achieved by other companies operating in the sector. The two historic listed buildings, Bisham Abbey in Buckinghamshire and Lilleshall in Shropshire specialise in providing a world class service to Britain’s leading sports men and women and additionally also provide meeting, conferencing and teambuilding facilities for many national and local businesses across the country.
Excellence in all areas of service
Throughout the intensive assessment, the Centres demonstrated their real guest focus, staff enthusiasm and team working ethos as well as their commitment to excellence in all areas of the service. The assessors were particularly impressed by the huge levels of investment at both Centres. Over the last 2 years, work has taken place to upgrade the meeting rooms, develop state of the art conferencing facilities and improve the range and quality of food available. A further £16m is being invested in improving the accommodation, sports centre and football pitches at Bisham Abbey along with the residents bar at Lilleshall.
“We are delighted that the facilities provided at Bisham Abbey and Lilleshall National Sports Centres have achieved ‘Premier Status’. This is an accreditation which highlights the Centres’ commitment to fulfilling and exceeding client expectations. The Hospitality Assured standard provides a framework that drives up customer satisfaction and business reputation as well as a measurable third party assessment of performance”
Steve Nelson, Partnership Manager for the National Sports Centres said, “We are really proud of the result and have worked hard over the last 12 months to achieve our Premier status. As well as extensive redevelopment of our buildings and conferencing equipment, the team has specifically focused on increasing the catering options available, adding new communication channels including social media to receive enquiries, and issuing e-surveys to pick up feedback for us to action going forward.”
About Lilleshall and Bisham Abbey National Sports Centres
Sport England’s Lilleshall National Sports and Conferencing Centre and Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre are world-leading sports facilities that support performance and community sport. They offer both an outstanding training environment for emerging athletes from a wide range of sports to develop their potential, and for elite athletes to prepare for Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games. They also provide excellent amenities and services for the local community to play and enjoy sport. They are also key sites for the English Institute of Sport who support 1700 elite athletes and the home of several NGB’s and sporting associations.