Hospitality Assured Business Excellence Award Winners announced

Professor Andrew Lockwood FIH and Ann Corrigan FIH, managing director of Hospitality Assured (HA) presented the winners with their awards. "The awards identify those organisations who have a commitment to business excellence and therefore to outstanding customer service. "These businesses can be endorsed wholeheartedly to any customer because of their ambition to constantly improve the service that they offer to their clients." This year's Champion of the Year went to Sandra Ward–Barber from Oxford Brookes University. Ward-Barber, senior accommodation officer at the University was described as a "Communications Champion whose total commitment to the value of the process and her tireless work in ensuring her enthusiasm and professionalism were always the standard expected of the team". She commented on scooping the award: "I was surprised but honoured to be told I had been nominated, and even more thrilled to have been chosen as the winner. Oxford Brookes University, and Hospitality Services are committed to providing excellent customer service, and achieving the accreditation was recognition for staff, colleagues and clients of our services and our commitment to this. "The accreditation was achieved due to the hard work, dedication and professionalism of all my colleagues and as a team effort. We are delighted to have achieved this accreditation and look forward to continued improvement of our service and commitment to our clients." Also walking away with an award were Dudley Catering and Client Services, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council who received the Team of the Year award for maintaining an "exceptional level of service throughout the past year. " Other organisations receiving awards were the Moller Centre of Cambridge who achieved the highest score for 2010, the highest scoring newcomer was the Kingsley by Thistle the boutique hotel in the heart of Bloomsbury and the Most Innovative Application 2010 was the Hamad Medical Corporation of Qatar.