A very diverse range of businesses were recognised for their outstanding customer service and business excellence at the Hospitality Assured Awards Ceremony which took place at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel on 8 June 2015.
The winners and those short-listed illustrate the enormous variety of organisations that use Hospitality Assured (HA) as their chosen method for achieving continuous improvement. HA is a quality standard created by the Institute of Hospitality and supported by the British Hospitality Association.
The winners received their trophies from Ufi Ibrahim FIH, chief executive of the BHA and Peter Ducker FIH, chief executive of the Institute of Hospitality, and include universities, a conference centre, an NHS Trust, an airport, a hotel, a private hospital, a local authority and a care home.
Peter Duckersaid: “The services sector is massively important to the UK economy, representing a whopping 79% of total GDP. All customer-facing businesses, whether public or private, can learn from best practice within the hospitality industry. We are delighted to see the Hospitality Assured standard being embraced by such a wide range of organisations.”
The 2015 Hospitality Assured Award Winners
Edinburgh International Conference Centre
This venue has recently doubled the size of its event space and keeps going from strength to strength. It has achieved the highest ever Hospitality Assured score.
Harper Adams University
The UK’s leading provider of higher education for the agriculture-food chain and rural sector has a strong commitment to sustainability. In their first assessment, the team really stepped up to the mark.
University College Birmingham
The assessor noted the energised, loyal and adaptable team spirit throughout University College Birmingham, and a considerable commitment to partnership working.
Sue Gladman, ISS Food & Hospitality at the Open University
Sue’s leadership style is open and trusting, resulting in loyalty and a good team spirit. Her belief is that customer excellence is driven by the team and if the team are developed and happy, then excellence follows.
Hotel Services Team at Tees, Esk & Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
The team place the customer at the core of all that they undertake, supported by an impressive quality management system based on the Virginia Mason Production System, a by-product of the Toyota Production System.
Shortlisted
City Catering Southampton – Management Team
ISS Open University – ISS Food & Hospitality Team
St Monica Trust – Senior Leadership Team
The Capital Hotel, London
Princess Grace Hospital, London
Callum Smith, airport duty manager, Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd
George Heir MIH, interim head of residential services, University of Portsmouth
Hospitality Assured (HA) is the quality standard for business and service excellence created by the Institute of Hospitality. The HA process encourages businesses to look at their operation from the customer’s perspective and see where improvements can be made. There are nine steps to achieving accreditation which cover key areas of business planning and service delivery. Hospitality Assured is widely used in the UK. Through a partnership with the Caribbean Tourism Organization, it is also implemented by more than 50 tourism and hospitality businesses across the Caribbean.
The Institute of Hospitality is the professional body for individual managers and aspiring managers working and studying in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry. It has been the industry’s leading network for more than 75 years. The Institute promotes the highest professional standards of management and education and its membership spans more than 100 countries worldwide.
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