Friday, 25 May 2012

Ongoing Woodland Grange investments secure 4* VisitEngland reaccreditation

VisitEngland has commended Woodland Grange Conference Centre in Warwickshire for its continued provision of ‘comfortable, well-maintained accommodation, mainly for the commercial market’. 

Re-accrediting the residential centre with its four-star rating, awarding an overall guest accommodation score of 77%, VisitEngland used its report to highlight the positive impact to the customer experience of recent investments into décor, including new carpets throughout landings and an extensive refurbishment of the Lawns Restaurant. 

‘The restaurant has been fully refurbished and decorated this year and really presents very well indeed, for which the management is to be commended,’ reads the assessor’s report. Bedrooms are ‘decorated very much with the property’s core business market in mind’, continues the report, and bathrooms are furnished with ‘modern style sanitary wares and fittings’ and a ‘very good range of well-presented towels and toiletries’. ‘Extensive well-tended grounds show care and attention, enhancing overall first impressions to arriving guests. [There’s] ample well-presented parking along with very effective directional signage. Guests also benefit from an excellent range of facilities including coffee lounges, gym and spa, which are sure to be popular with a variety of guests,’ continued the report. 

Speaking of the reaccreditation, EEF Venues director David Vaughton said: “We’re thrilled to have retained our four-star VisitEngland Quality in Tourism accreditation. It’s an important benchmark of the excellent quality and service you can expect when you stay at our flagship venue. We specialise in conferencing and meetings and our on-site accommodation has proved a real bonus for groups wishing to take advantage of our location and facilities to host residential conferences, away days and training programmes with an overnight option. When demand allows, we’re also able to encourage a competitive bed and breakfast service for non-corporate guests wishing to escape to the peaceful Warwickshire countryside.” 

Woodland Grange’s location, nestled in leafy 16-acre grounds, offers access to Royal Leamington Spa and its railway station in less than 10 minutes, to Birmingham International Airport in 30 minutes and to the major motorway network (M40, M42, M6 and M69). 

Businesses from near and far find Woodland Grange a perfect fit for conferences, training courses, team building sessions or corporate events. From the outside it is a building flooded with English country house character, yet on strolling into the spacious, bright reception and neighbouring coffee lounge, you’ll be met by slick architecture, etched glass panelling and bold colours. Its 26 conference and meeting rooms can be arranged to suit your requirements, with the largest suite accommodating up to 200 people. Within these rooms, air conditioning, soundproofing, natural daylight and blackout facilities meet free WiFi access, convenient laptop connections, in-room computers and audio-visual equipment, with technical support always on hand. 

Guests can relish in a restful night’s sleep in the 114 homely ensuite bedrooms on site, some with idyllic countryside views. They come complete with double beds as standard, complimentary WiFi, toiletries, a 26” flat screen television with Freeview, data points, telephone, ironing facilities and coffee/tea provision. Woodland Grange also has a well-equipped fitness room, with sauna and Jacuzzi, for use by any customer.

To book the venue contact The Hotline today on 0845 230 1414 or info@cceonline.co.uk

Conference Centre named best in the country

(left to right): Penelope, Viscountess Cobham, Chairman of VisitEngland, with the team from Cotswold Conference Centre: Rachael Buttery, Mandy Morrison, Debbie Sarjant and Lesley Stretch. Far right: James Berresford, Chief Executive, VisitEngland. 

Cotswold Conference Centre has been named as the country’s best business tourism venue by industry experts VisitEngland. 

The conference, training and teambuilding centre, on the Farncombe Estate near Broadway, won Gold in the Business Tourism category of the prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2012. The national awards celebrate the best tourism venues, businesses and visitor attractions in the country and this year saw a record 392 applications. Winners were selected for their use of best practice, quality and innovation throughout the business and for helping raise standards across the industry. 

Cotswold Conference Centre topped a Business Tourism Award short-list which included Ribby Hall Business & Conference Suite in Preston, Manchester’s Lowry Hotel and Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The awards ceremony was held at the Athena in Leicester on Tuesday and the success marks the fourth Gold award that Cotswold Conference Centre has won so far in 2012. 

Richard Howdle, Operations Manager of Cotswold Conference Centre, said: “We’ve won regional awards, customer service awards and environmental business awards this year but there’s no doubt that this national recognition tops it all. “It isn’t just that we were short-listed alongside some great venues which makes winning so special, but also the fact that it comes from VisitEngland makes it very satisfying. “To have an organisation that works with so many great venues across the country choose us as the winner is a fantastic reflection of our performance and a wonderful boost for the whole team.” 

Cotswold Conference Centre’s other awards so far this year are the VenueVerdict Gold Award for customer service in January, the Cotswold Tourism Gold Award for best conference centre in March and Gold in the Green Tourism Business Scheme, in April. 

Cotswold Conference Centre is a modern venue based on the 370-acre Farncombe Estate, five minutes from the picturesque town of Broadway and just half-an-hour from Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Spring offer at Chicheley Hall

Spring is a wonderful time at Chicheley Hall with the garden in bloom and longer, brighter days.

Make the most of this season by holding your event with us during the next 6 weeks. 


If you book an event with us in May or June we’ll provide a complimentary upgrade to a Chicheley Hall cream tea for the afternoon break. 

For more details call the Hotline on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Thursday, 24 May 2012

Eight is great as Beardmore triumphs at hotel ‘Oscars’

The Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre was the big winner at the Scottish Hotel Awards last night (Sunday 20 May 2012). 

The Clydebank hotel, which has been recognised at the Scottish Hotel Awards every year since its launch nine years ago, walked away with eight titles on the night, including five individual awards for staff. 

Staff attending the glittering ceremony – dubbed the ‘Scottish Hotel Oscars’ were delighted as the prizes kept on coming, culminating in the hotel being crowned Conference Hotel of the Year for the second year in a row. 

The awards presented to the Beardmore are: 

• Scottish Conference Hotel of the Year 
• Green Hotel of the Year (Medium) 
• Business Performance Gold Medal, for the Beardmore Sales Team
• Management Excellence Gold Medal, for Director Bronagh Bell 
• Dame of Hospitality in Honour of Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality, for General Manager Eileen Newman 
• Food and Beverage Hospitality Gold Medal, for Food and Beverage Assistant Gregory Gibson 
• Reception Excellence Gold Medal, for Heather Cosgrove 
• Restaurant Manager of the Year, for Terry McQuade 

The winners are selected following inspections, interviews, consumer feedback and nominations, industry intelligence and critic analysis. 

The awards were presented on Sunday 20 May 2012 in a ceremony that was attended by hotel teams from across Scotland. 

Jill Young, Chief Executive, congratulated the team on their achievements. She said: “This result is outstanding and so very well deserved by the Beardmore team. We believe it is because our staff focus on every little detail to ensure that guests have the best leisure stay, conference, wedding or dining experience. “We have known for a long time that we have a high quality hotel with fantastic staff to match. It feels even better when external accreditation reinforces this, so well done to all of our staff who absolutely embody excellence in health, hospitality and learning.”

Warwick Conferences AIMs Higher with Gold Hat-trick

Warwick Conferences has cause for celebration after announcing today that all three of its conference and training venues have been awarded the prestigious Gold AIM Accreditation from the Meetings Industry Association (MIA). 

Endorsed by the likes of Visit Britain, Visit England and the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers, the Gold AIM Accreditation is awarded to venues that have met or exceeded 50 criteria including customer service, quality of facilities, compliance with codes of conduct and corporate social responsibility. J

Jane Longhurst, chief executive of the MIA said: “AIM is the meeting industry’s national standard and AIM Gold is the highest level a venue can achieve. Meeting the criteria, following stringent assessment by independent assessors, demonstrates exceptional levels of service and facilities. “For buyers considering using Warwick Conferences, AIM Gold is an assurance of excellence beyond expectation, and I believe all involved in this achievement should be commended for the competitive advantage they have created for their business.” 

Alan Robinson, Director of Warwick Conferences’ comments: “We are beyond thrilled that our Radcliffe, Scarman and Arden venues have all been awarded the coveted Gold AIM Accreditation. “There are 382 venues at entry level of the scheme and now only 14 are at the Gold standard so this is a real achievement indeed. “It was a hugely intensive process spent gathering significant information over a very long time - as well as completing a portfolio of excellence and undergoing rigorous assessments - so I would like to say a huge thank you to the project team involved in making this happen. “These awards are testament to the exceptional facilities and outstanding customer service that we pride ourselves on delivering and further cement Warwick Conferences’ position as a world-class venue.” 

Warwick Conferences has also recently been awarded Gold Standard in the BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict and scooped up two gold awards and a silver award at this year’s M&IT Awards.

EEF Venues 3 day flash sale


For 3 days only, claim exclusive and generously discounted day delegate rates when you book any JUNE 2012 event at an EEF Venue.

We have 4 acclaimed venues in 4 top UK business destinations:


WOODLAND GRANGE, Warwickshire
FLASH SALE DDR: £35.00
Maximum room capacity: 200

ENGINEERS' HOUSE, Bristol
FLASH SALE DDR: £24.50
Maximum room capacity: 170

BROADWAY HOUSE, Westminster
FLASH SALE DDR: £42.00
Maximum room capacity: 120

BROOMGROVE, Sheffield
FLASH SALE DDR: £25.00
Maximum room capacity: 90

Sale begins: 9:00am, Wednesday 23rd May
Sale closes: 5:00pm, Friday 25th May

To book your event contact the Hotline today on 0845 230 1414 or info@cceonline.co.uk

Eynsham Hall invests in new website

Exciting times ahead at Eynsham Hall, Oxfordshire with the launch of its new website: www.eynshamhall.com.  

This new website allows customers to have all the information they need as well as appreciate the images of the stunning venue. 

With the website proving very popular in the first few hours of its launch, Eynsham Hall urge you to keep an eye on offers and features regularly appearing on the website.

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