Press release -
Seeing stars at the Steadings
A family-run self catering property is celebrating after achieving a 5-star grading from VisitScotland on the very first attempt.
Williamstone Farm Steadings, located on the edge of North Berwick, received five stars from the national tourism organisation’s Quality Assurance (QA) Scheme in recognition of its exceptional standards. The QA Scheme is a benchmark for quality across the tourism industry and operates across accommodation, visitor attractions and food sectors.
Once a derelict set of buildings, Stephanie and Ryan Lothian bought the property in 2016 and took on the mammoth task of transforming the Barn, Byre and Bothy to their former glory, while also giving them a contemporary edge. After a lot of hard work, they were left with three beautiful properties, each offering their own individual luxury experience.
A perfect choice for visitors looking for top quality comfort and style, the accommodation is set within four acres of scenic East Lothian farmland.
Each property has three spacious, en-suite bedrooms, a well-equipped kitchen/dining room with high quality appliances, a welcoming sitting room and scenic views.
Developed and improved for over 30 years, VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance Schemes are world-leading and provide a trusted, independent and impartial source of information for visitors. They allow businesses not just to meet visitor expectations, but to exceed them.
Stephanie Lothian, Owner of Williamstone Farm Steadings said: “We started consulting with VisitScotland very early during the renovations. VisitScotland’s advice and guidance was invaluable throughout the renovation process and it ensured we designed our holiday accommodation to the highest standard.
“This award allows our guests to immediately recognise the standard of our accommodation and provides assurance in quality during the booking process. Our association with VisitScotland is a key part of our business strategy as we move forward through 2018 and into 2019.”
Manuela Calchini, VisitScotland said: “It is fantastic to see that Williamstone Farm Steadings has achieved a 5-star grading. My sincere congratulations go to Stephanie and Ryan on this outstanding achievement and I wish them and their stunning properties continued success for the future.”
“Our Quality Assurance scheme helps businesses to reach their full potential and truly shine. The scheme is about more than just the ‘stars’ on the door - it’s about the entire visitor experience, about investing in your business and making it as sustainable as it can possibly be.”
For more information about the property visit: williamstonefarmsteadings.com
For more information on Quality Assurance visit: visitscotland.org
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- quality assurance
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
2018 Year of Young People
- The Year of Young People 2018 will be the next of the Scottish Government’s series of themed years, following the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017.
- The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
- Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
- Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
- The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
- oParticipation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
- oEducation – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
- oHealth and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
- oEquality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
- oEnterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
- oCulture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
- Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.
