The Balmoral Wins Two Awards
EDINBURGH, Scotland, May 9, 2006. occo Forte's The Balmoral in Edinburgh has won two national Business Excellence Awards in the leisure, travel and tourism industry, at the recent Gala Awards Dinner held in London.
The Balmoral was awarded the overall winner of the Hotels category, beating off UK-wide competition from leading hotel brands including The Maybourne Hotel Group which owns Claridge's, The Berkeley and The Connaught in London. The Balmoral also came top of its company category - hotels with a turnover of more than lb1 million.
The Best Practice Forum's Business Excellence Awards are among the most prestigious and highly coveted in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industry. They are awarded to UK businesses that have demonstrated their willingness to adopt or adapt best practice in all aspects of their operation - so raising their efficiency and their profitability. They show how innovative business practice can achieve outstanding success.
The Balmoral was the only Scottish hotel to feature on the final shortlist, and was judged alongside world-famous hotels. The judging process was very stringent and included an inspection of the hotel and an interview with Debbie Taylor, General Manager of The Balmoral. A panel of judges finally selected The Balmoral on the grounds of its application of management skills, knowledge, achievement of project objectives, realisation of benefits and its quality of customer service and client relationships.
As overall winner of the Hotels Business Sector Category, an employee of The Balmoral will receive a one-week summer business school programme - sponsored by the Savoy Educational Trust - at an esteemed Hotel Management School such as the Ecole H^oteli`ere de Lausanne in Switzerland.
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