Awards

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  • Famous Wild Boar Chef in for outstanding customer service award

    Marc Sanders pancake flipping Marc Sanders has been shortlisted for Cumbria Tourism’s most outstanding customer service award.
    Marc has been Head Chef at The Famous Wild Boar for over 15 years now and has personally brought much recognition and built up a reputation for quality, hearty portions and consistency in this traditional coaching inn restaurant. He has set always set a high standard, and this has already recently been rewarded when he received the “Michael Berry Award”in February. English Lakes Hotels’ own internal recognition of the employee who has made the most significant contribution to the success of the company, over the past year. Marc’s positive and proactive attitude combined with his dry sense of humour makes him a favourable role model for younger staff and to those who are in training. His enthusiasm in his work and the company’s success is infectious, he has aided the creation and ideas of many a PR opportunity at the hotel, ranging from the “Squirrel Pancake” coverage after the hotel featured on last years “Wild Gourmets”. Marc prepared the canapés for the programme and developed some dishes to continue the push for the conservation issues regarding the plight for the Red Squirrels in England culminating in several national and international newspaper articles and radio and T.V appearances. CT Awards to be held 13th May.


  • Low Wood deputy GM wins regional tourism award

    Michelle Croukamp with Windermere and the Langdale Pikes as a backdrop Michelle Croukamp, deputy general manager at the Low Wood was awarded the ‘most exceptional young tourism manager' in Cumbria Tourism's skills & business awards on Wednesday 2nd May.
    The oscar style ceremony held at Castle Green Hotel in Kendal was presented by popular ITV Border news front man Tim Backshall. Michelle’s husband Dawid who had won the same award 2 years ago in his position of conference & banqueting manager was with her at the ceremony to congratulate her success. Michelle said “ Dawid has teased me ever since he won it 2 years ago as we were both nominated that time but it is great now to be able to say you are only as good as your last award”.
    Group marketing manager Colin Fox who also attended the awards added “Michelle has always been a very valuable member of the Low Wood team and was an exceptional personnel and training manager but her recent promotion to the deputy GM position of a hotel with Low Wood’s prominence at only 28 shows how professional, enthusiastic and dedicated she is and I know she is also held in the highest regard by everybody who works with her".



  • Lancaster House celebrates success in tourism skills awards

    Michael Weston-Cole and Jim Bunter Lancaster House is celebrating after its staff won two prestigious skills awards.

    Michael Weston-Cole won the award for Lancashire Chef of the Year and Jim Bunter won the award for the Most Outstanding Young Tourism Manager at the Lancashire Excellence in Tourism Awards.

    The awards are organised by the Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Board to give employers the opportunity to recognise and reward the people who make a difference to their business, a gesture of recognition and appreciation for indiviudals abilities and achievements.





  • Low Wood wins top award for Business Tourism

    Nevil Jeffery and Colin Fox receiving award from Alison Nesbitt of Haymarket Publishing Low Wood has won the top award for Business Tourism at the annual England’s Northwest Tourism Awards.

    The judges said “The Low Wood is a very focused family-run business with a strong emphasis on its staff. Service is a priority for the business market and the Low Wood stays ahead of the competition and invests in an excellent staff training programme with impressive level of repeat business, a true barometer of customer satisfaction.”

    The Low Wood Hotel has a range of top quality facilities for meetings and events involving up to 340 people. The last year has seen the hotel play host to the Annual General Meeting of the Society of Editors, SES Astra, Royal Preston Hospital and the BBC.

    The Low Wood Hotel will now have the opportunity to represent the Northwest in the national Enjoy England Awards for Excellence, organised by VisitBritain in April 2007.


  • Further Recognition for Excellence

    The new Langdale Lounge at Low Wood For the second year running three of our hotels have won their respective categories in the Enjoy England Tourism Awards. Both Lancaster House and Low Wood were awarded Business Tourism Hotel of the Year in their respective Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism and Cumbria Tourism awards. The award comes as Low Wood had just completed a major £700,000 project including new marina and redevelopment of the entire hotel ground floor.

    In addition The Waterhead received Large Hotel of the Year. The hotel won small hotel of the year last year and we were delighted that, because of a crossover in entry criteria, we were able to enter and win the large hotel category this year!

    All three hotels will now go forward to the glittering North West Regional Tourism Awards finals to be held on October 24th in Manchester.


  • English Lakes Hotels wins Coutts prize for Family Business

    Managing Director Simon Berry receiving award English Lakes Hotels was named ‘Best Family Business’in their category at the national final of the Coutts, Prize for Family Business Award held in London in June.

    John Drummond, Chairman of the Judging Committee, commented: “English Lakes Hotels was outstanding in its category. Its has clear objectives of creating a sustainable business that can be passed down to future generations.”

    Coutts & Co, which is the international private banking arm of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, this year launched this prize recognising the best run family businesses in England and Wales.





  • English Lakes Hotels wins award for ‘+1’ customer service

    Simon Berry, Jane Knowles, Colin Fox and Karen McGurk collecting award. English Lakes Hotels celebrated another success after scooping the prestigious Excellence Through People award at the national Business Excellence Awards for the tourism, hospitality and leisure industry.

    Simon Berry, Chairman and Managing Director, accepted the award for our +1 customer service scheme at a glittering ceremony held at the London Hilton on Park Lane. He said:

    “This is a great way to receive recognition for all the company’s efforts to deliver excellent customer service. It will be another boost to everybody and motivation to continue providing the very best guest experiences at every opportunity".


  • The Michael Berry Memorial Award

    Anne Cook and Simon Berry present Fred Milando with his award. The inaugural presentation of an annual award in memory of the late Michael Berry OBE, was held in January and celebrated the success of five shortlisted candidates in recognition of ‘The employee who has made the most significant contribution to the company over the past year’. Shortlisted candidates were Maria Walker, Fred Milando, Rachel Mather, Sarah Harker and Dave Dobson.

    Managing Director, Simon Berry, praised the candidates’ contributions and Anne Cook, Michael’s sister presented the winner, Fred Milando, with a certificate and prize of £1000.



  • New brochure receives prestigious award

    Colin Fox, Group Marketing Manager, receiving award for Best Hotel Brochure In December we celebrated success at the Hotel Marketing Association Awards held at the Savoy Hotel in London, scooping the prestigious ‘Best Hotel Brochure’ award.

    The judges, amongst other criteria, were looking for proof that the brochure is appropriately designed for the target market, accurately exemplifies the hotels and represents a wise investment for the organisation. They recognised not only the quality and design by local company Marker Wallace, but also the concept behind the brochure, which was launched alongside our new central reservations department a year ago with the aim of increasing sales revenue, brand awareness and cross promotion.


  • Lancaster House Hotel Receptionist Wins Customer Service Award

    Rebecca Beech holding her award for customer service Lancaster House Hotel receptionist Rebecca Beech won the Customer Service Newcomer of the Year at the national customer service awards held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London.

    Rebecca has excelled in her role as receptionist, encompassing the company's customer care +1 philosophy to win four +1 awards, which reward individuals whose spontaneous actions exceed the expectations of customers.

    The national awards recognised Rebecca's commitment to high standards of customer service, communication, problem solving and innovation. Rebecca was the only individual hotel representative in the awards and beat off competition from other shortlisted candidates on the night from Britainic Insurance, HSBC and the Royal Mail.


  • Three Awards for Excellence

    Lancaster House Hotel frontage Three of our hotels have recently won their respective categories in the Enjoy England Tourism Awards.In the Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards Lancaster House Hotel was awarded Large Hotel of the Year, while for Cumbria Low Wood Hotel won the same category and The Waterhead received Small Hotel of the Year. Judges considered the hotels’ commitment to quality, customer care, investment in staff training and development, innovative marketing and excellence in all areas of business practice. All three hotels will now go forward to the North West Regional Tourism Awards to be held later in the year.


  • Royal awards recognition to English Lakes Hotels for conservation efforts

    Simon Berry receiving certificate from Duke of Gloucester The Duke of Gloucester awarded Simon Berry a certificate during a cruise on Coniston Water aboard the steam yacht Gondola this June. The Queen's cousin was here to celebrate with the Tourism and Conservation Partnership who have raised a staggering £725,000 for Cumbrian conservation projects. He presented certificates to some of the partnership's key fund-raisers including English Lakes Hotels who have raised £51,000.