Travel & Hospitality Awards | Travel Innovation, Design & Technology 2020 | www.thawards.com

CUSTOMER SERVICE
STYLE & DESIGN
MENU & DISHES
MARKETING & BRANDING
DIVERSITY
LOCATION CUSTOMER REVIEWS VALUES & APPROACH
Excellence in Service is an important
category, as customer service can
often responsible for repeat diners.
We look for restaurants where
staff go out of their way to please
their guests, those that provide a
It is no question that style and
design is key factor in selecting
our award winners. A guest will
form an opinion about a restaurant
as soon as they arrive, so it is
important to us that all our winners
personal level of service and take make those first impressions
the time to get to know each visitor
so that they might anticipate their
every need. This can be something
as simple as a friendly conversation,
a manager who offers a personal
greeting or a chef who is happy to
adjust based on dietary needs –
but whatever it is, we are always
pleased when we encounter staff
that have been trained in the art of
customer satisfaction.
count. We’re certainly not partial
to a specific period of architecture
– but whether we’re judging a
gothic castle or an environmentally
friendly lodge, the criteria remains
the same. We consider factors
such as architectural features, use
of materials, creation of spaces,
décor and the overall feel. We love
it when we find a restaurant that
tells a story though its interior and
exterior features or offers a design
that is sympathetic to the natural
Criteria
surroundings of its location.
While the ambience and services
of a restaurant are important, what
really defines it is its menu and the
dishes in it. We pay special attention
to the courses that are available in
the menu and even look into how
it’s set up. Balance of the menu is
especially important. A restaurant
that serves multiple dishes that
balance each other out to give
the customers a perfect meal
experience is seen as an authority.
The cuisine options are taken into
consideration too; be it a local
cuisine or an international one. The
sourcing of the ingredients is an
important factor as well.
In today’s modern age, a restaurant
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 customers,
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-todate
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.
Diversity is one important aspect
that needs to be taken into
consideration when in the travel and
hospitality industry. It is essential to
have staff that has 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
services is preferred over those that
do not.
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 restaurant
itself. However, there are a few
factors we take into consideration
when determining the winners of
location-based awards. The first
is convenience; that is, restaurants
that are easy to travel to. Many of
our winners in this category are
in convenient locations, such as
adjacent to popular attractions,
close to beaches or found in the
heart of easy-to-navigate cities.
We’re always excited to come
across a restaurant that is, to use
a familiar phrase, off-the-beatentrack.
A restaurant that can offer
something a little different, in
terms of natural surroundings,
can make the difference between
a good dining experience and an
incredible one.
What better way is there to know
about an organization than
by getting first hand reviews?
Customers are the best judges of
any service 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 over a
set period gives us a fair idea about
the general pros and cons of any
organization while also giving us
valuable inputs for the other criteria
as well.
The approach taken by the
restaurant whether it be Innovative,
traditional or anything else are
considered when deciding winners.
Values and approach illustrate
the dedication of the restaurant to
deliver a specific type of experience
for their diners. This is evident in the
food, source menu, presentation,
the staff and
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