Travel & Hospitality Awards | European Winners 2019 | www.thawards.com

FACILITIES
Award-winning guest rooms come in all shapes and sizes,
but they all have one thing in common, a home away from
home feel. The comfort of the facilities on offer are of vital
importance; we look for luxurious linens, stylish bathrooms
and a coordinated colour scheme that work together to
create a cohesive sense of relaxation. Additional touches,
such as complimentary toiletries, free wi-fi or tea and coffee
making facilities are always a bonus in making us feel
welcome. We’re always impressed to find hotel rooms that
embrace technology and offer amenities like tablets or smart
thermostat systems, but this does not always necessarily
trump the traditional – four poster beds, ornate fireplaces
or antique furniture that can add a touch of decadence to
a hotel stay.
LOCATION
Location is one of the most important factors, but also
one of the most subjective, as the ‘ideal’ is very much
determined by the type of visitor and the type of hotel
itself. However, there are a few factors we take into
consideration when determining the winners of locationbased
awards. The first is convenience; that is, hotels that
are easy to travel to. Many of our winners in this category
are in convenient locations, such as, adjacent to airports,
close to beaches or found in the heart of easy-to-navigate
cities. We are always impressed when hotels go the extra
mile to take the hassle out of traveling and offer such
additional services as airport shuttles or car hire services.
However, we’re always excited to come across a hotel
that is, to use a familiar phrase, off-the-beaten-track. A
hotel that can offer something a little different, in terms of
natural surroundings, can make the difference between a
good holiday and an incredible one.
In today’s modern age, a hotel or tour operator cannot
rely on word of mouth to get their message out into the
world. As social media has become a vital part of everyday
life, we like to see companies that go the extra mile to
engage with their guests, both past and future. Attractive
and informative websites and engaging and honest
content are what we look for when judging a company’s
use of marketing; how well they display their services, how
up-to-date their content is, how well they get their brand
message across, and, most importantly, how well their
marketing can tempt us to go and see what they have to
offer for ourselves.
What better way is there to know about an organization
than by getting first hand reviews? Customers are the best
judges of any service out there as they are the ones who
experience them and can assess whether they were up to
the mark or not. Considering reviews from hundreds of
customers gives us a fair idea about the general pros and
cons of any organization and also gives us valuable inputs
for the other criteria as well.
MARKETING
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
Diversity is one important aspect that needs to be taken
into consideration in the travel and hospitality industry.
It is essential to have with varying diversity to ensure
that the organization can properly connect with their
guests. Diversity is taken into account in terms of gender,
nationality as well as languages spoken among other
factors. Not only do we take the diversity of the staff into
account but even that of the facilities and services offered;
a hotel or tour operator providing a better range of service
always catches our eye.
It is of prime importance that an organization has thorough
industry knowledge. Without knowing the minutiae of the
industry, it is difficult to flourish and provide services which
are a class apart. Before any organization ventures into
the industry, it is essential that they know how the industry
is moving and how they should make changes to their
methodologies in order to remain relevant and also be a
top-performing organization.
DIVERSITY
INDUSTRY
KNOWLEDGE
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