GUEST ACCOMMODATION

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1. Who Can Enter?

This award covers all types of Guest Accommodation including farmhouses, B&Bs, guesthouses and other types of Guest Accommodation.

As an accommodation business you need to have committed to the Welcome to Yorkshire Y Quality Charter as required by the Welcome to Yorkshire membership scheme.

Judges will be looking for evidence of the following:

The overall quality of the guest experience

Quality of accommodation and facilities

Quality and range of choice and use of local produce at breakfast

Comfort

Location

Service generally

Warmth of welcome and check out

Yorkshire distinctiveness

All applicants must be members of Welcome to Yorkshire

Please state which months of the year, if any, your property is closed:

Applicants Name:

Name of Business/Organisation:

Date the Business was Established:

Address:

Telephone:

Email of the business:

Email of the person to contact for requests:

(if different from Email of the business)

Name and email address of business owner:

Website:

The answers to the following questions form the basis of your submission to the White Rose Awards 2017. Supporting documentation is helpful to illustrate your answers and may include visitor feedback, extract from promotional material, sample leaflet, quality images etc. IMPORTANT – please restrict your supporting documentation to 6 carefully selected pieces and include them in separate plastic inserts at the back of your application form. By inserting them back to back you will effectively be showing 12 pieces

PLEASE STATE IN NO MORE THAN 150 WORDS WHY YOU THINK YOUR BUSINESS SHOULD WIN THIS AWARD

We believe that our business should win this award ………

2. Commitment to Excellence

Accommodation - Please demonstrate your commitment to high standards throughout the business. . The judges will be looking for stylish décor, high quality furnishings and fittings and high standards of overall maintenance.

Customer Service – Please highlight any customer service training you or your staff have received during the last three years.

Judges will be looking for evidence of high levels of customer service and it will help your entry to highlight examples of where staff have ‘gone the extra mile’ to ‘wow’ your guests.

1. Give a brief history of your business, including number of rooms, guest facilities etc.

Answer: (strictly max 200 words - any words above this limit will not be considered)

2. Please give details of your room occupancy for the previous 12 months - please answer below giving estimates if necessary rather than leaving blank

3. Briefly describe how you give excellent customer service from the initial enquiry through to guest’s departure, including your methods for handling complaints both during or after the stay. Specific and relevant examples will help the judges. Please also give examples of how you ‘wow’ your guests

Answer: (strictly max 200 words - any words above this limit will not be considered)

4.  Describe in detail what makes your breakfast special (and evening meal if provided). How do you ensure high levels of customer satisfaction?

Answer: (strictly max 200 words, any words above this limit will not be considered)

3. Investment in Staff Training and Development

Staff should have completed customer service training courses or the establishment should have participated in awards for good practice. Please identify in your answer any schemes or awards for either the establishment or individuals. The judges will be looking for examples of how the training has been put into practice and how it has improved services to customers. Investment in training must have taken place within the last three years. Investment is defined as investment of money and/or time.

1.  What investment has been made in staff training and development? This investment must have been made within the last three years. How has this improved the services provided to guests?

Answer: (strictly max 200 words, any words above this limit will not be considered)

4. Creative & Effective Marketing

The judges will be looking for initiatives and fresh ideas which have attracted new or repeat business. Information should be included on the success of these initiatives. Marketing information and websites should be of a professional standard with detailed, accurate, clear and up-to-date information.

1.Briefly explain how you attract new and repeat business, including any effective marketing campaigns eg working in partnership with others, imaginative PR, added value etc.

Answer: (strictly max 250 words, any words above this limit will not be considered)

2. List the specific improvements that you have made to your business to enhance your

guests’ experience. These improvements should have been made within the last two years. What impact did this have on your business? For example, increase in business, increase in positive customer comments. Please give examples.

Answer: (strictly max 200 words, any words above this limit will not be considered)

5.Judging Process

Please read thoroughly

Your entry will be judged on the clarity and relevance of your answers to the questions in this application form. We only require 6 relevant pieces of supporting documentation to support and enhance your answers. Please bear in mind, the judges have approximately 200 applications to read through and to assist them it is imperative that you do the following:

1.  Use a lightweight plastic A4 ring binder file (not a lever arch file).

2.  Put your 6 pieces of supporting documentation after the individual pages of the application form in separate plastic file inserts.

3.  Make your application easy to read. Place the individual pages of the application form and supporting documentation into separate plastic inserts as this prevents the judges from having to remove information when they assess your entry. The Judges will also look at your website and social media to help to get a feel for your business.

4.  Remember – write your answers with the same PASSION you feel for your business!

Please note: the judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the outcome of the final awards decision.

If you are unsure about any aspect of the WRA process, please email Claudine Shaw on