Contact Alyson Rhind our Quality Assurance Advisor on 01539 822222
Accommodation Quality Schemes
Cumbria has some excellent quality accommodation and many of our accommodation providers are rightly proud of what they offer. But we need to make high quality accommodation the norm, not the exception and ensure it is at least as high, if not higher, than other UK tourist destinations to help us compete, attract visitors and exceed their expectations.
Good quality is just as important to, and valued by, visitors who stay in One Star or Five Star accommodation. We need to offer high-quality choices to suit all budgets, while ensuring Cumbria's uniqueness is retained.
There are two recognised quality assurance schemes in Cumbria which enable assessed businesses to advertise in Cumbria Tourism's and our partners' promotional literature and websites:
• National Quality Assurance Scheme (‘Stars')
• Quality Cumbria
Many accommodation guides and websites will only allow you to market your business if it has been quality assessed enabling you to increase your visibility in the market place. (You may have to take out such advertising opportunities separately.)
Why get assessed?
Many industries have now introduced quality assurance registration schemes and standards to ensure that the customer is well looked after and protected should a problem arise. Customers are familiar with CORGI, ABTA and similar quality assurance schemes, and TV programmes, such as "Watchdog", warn us against using companies that aren't recognised by a quality association.
A quality assessment offers objective advice and a ‘fresh pair of eyes'. The assessors are experienced professionals who understand the tourism industry, and the need to offer the customer a good, comfortable experience. The assessing standards are written to ensure that all reasonable requirements can be met across a wide range of tastes.
Your quality grading will give your customer the right messages:
- Trust - you will welcome and look after your customer
- Safe - you have met all the legal requirements to ensure your customer is safe
- Comfort -you have provided everything needed for your guest's comfort
- Quality - you meet the standards required to offer a good experience
- Reliable - you are consistent and professional
- Redress - you follow a code of conduct that deals with any problems
Your quality grading will give your business the edge:
- Marketing - allowing you to advertise in a much wider range of publications and websites. The higher your grading, the higher your profile
- Competition - enabling you to remain visible in the marketplace and keep up with or overtake the competition
- Compliance - ensures that you have everything in place to be operating legally
- Recognition - a recognised symbol that shows you are a conscientious business
- Awards - enabling you to enter skills and business awards and get further recognition for your business.
- Support - gives you access to advice and support from the awarding body and further information on good practices and changes in legislation.
