Hilton London Bankside is delighted to be named the winner of the 2016 Hilton Hotels & Resorts’ Award of Excellence. Judged across all Hilton properties in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Award of Excellence is given to the hotel who performed best overall for staff and customer experience. This achievement recognises the work of the hotel to create the best possible service for the customer as well as an enjoyable working environment for staff through dedicated programmes.
Speaking about the award Simon Vincent, Executive Vice President and President of EMEA, Hilton Worldwide said “A heartfelt congratulations to Hilton London Bankside on winning the Award of Excellence for 2016. The hotel’s Blue Energy Committee and entire team’s hard work and dedication represents the best in all aspects of excellence and pride for Hilton Hotels & Resorts in EMEA. From the outstanding feedback from guests, to the dedication to training, I am proud to recognise Hilton London Bankside as one of Hilton’s top performing hotels. Through the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton London Bankside has gained a remarkable reputation for excellence in the EMEA portfolio for 2016. I commend them on this award and may the success continue throughout 2017.”
Commenting on the achievement General Manager James Clarke stated “I couldn’t be prouder of my team and the hotel on winning this award. It not only recognises our high standard of service for guests but also celebrates the initiatives we have put in place to create a happy and productive working environment for staff. We are delighted that Hilton Hotels & Resorts EMEA have commended us and I want thank everyone who is part of this success, 2017 is looking to a fantastic year for Hilton London Bankside.”
Hilton London Bankside is dedicated to creating the best possible working environment for the staff. To achieve this the hotel uses a Blue Energy Committee which includes a representative from each department to make sure that staff needs are met throughout the hotel. To create a happy working environment the committee make sure that staff are included in marking special occasions or celebrating national events. An example of this is the hotel’s first anniversary in autumn last year where every member of staff was given a complimentary booking to experience the brunch at the OXBO restaurant to celebrate this occasion. The hotel also threw a royal themed party to mark The Queen’s 90th birthday last year and more recently each member of staff were given a chocolate heart to mark Valentine’s Day.
As part of creating a supportive working environment, Hilton London Bankside hold annual Team Member Awards. With eight categories in total such as Team Member of the Year, prizes include all-inclusive trips to New York, Dubai and Venice. This not only provides motivation for staff but also rewards and recognises those staff who have gone above and beyond in their role.
Positive customer feedback is a contributing factor in the achievement of the Award of Excellence. Satisfaction and Loyalty Tracking (SALT) is an internal Hilton rating system which allows hotels to be ranked according to feedback obtained through customer surveys. Satisfaction with staff continues to receive the highest ratings from guests. As a result, Hilton London Bankside enjoys an extremely high SALT rating and in January was ranked as the number two hotel in EMEA. In their latest Quality Assurance audit the Hilton London Bankside received an outstanding grading and a final score of 94.07%.
In addition to the brilliant customer service there are several initiatives the hotel put in place to achieve high levels of guest satisfaction. The first is through the Wellness MICE package which recognises that often delegates are given unhealthy food and beverage options during meetings and that little is done by the venue to create a mindful working environment. To combat this Executive Chef Paul Bates has put together a menu of brain boosting dishes and snacks for delegates so that they can achieve the best results during their meeting. As exercise is as beneficial to the mind as it is the body, the Wellness package allows guests to use the hotel’s pool, gym and spa resulting in a far healthier experience for the delegate.
Meetings Simplified is another initiative that Hilton London Bankside promotes to provide a seamless customer experience. The programme allows organisers looking to hold small meetings (up to 25 people) to have a running contract with the hotel with pre-agreed terms and conditions. This enables the guest to arrange meetings within a remarkably short lead time as the hotel doesn’t need to have a new contract signed and in place on each occasion.