Press release -
Historic hotel has a touch of gold
A family-run business in the heart of the central-belt has added to its rich array of tourism accolades with a Three Star Gold Award from VisitScotland.
The Robertson Arms Hotel, located in the village of Carnwath, was upgraded from three stars by the national tourism organisation’s Quality Assurance (QA) Scheme in recognition of its outstanding customer service. The Gold Award highlights establishments within the QA Scheme that strive to exceed customer expectations on an on-going basis, while taking an innovative and proactive approach to customer care.
In keeping with their strong focus on customer service, the business has also become part of an impressive network of VisitScotland Information Partners (VIPs) committed to providing local information to visitors.
Launched in May 2016, the VIP programme ties in with the national tourism organisation’s global Spirit of Scotland campaign and harnesses the local knowledge, warmth and enthusiasm of partners across the country to help visitors receive the warmest of welcomes and make the most of their trip to Scotland.
No stranger to awards, the hotel’s restaurant has VisitScotland Taste Our Best accreditation and the business is also a member of the national tourism organisation’s Cyclists, Bikers, Golfers and Walkers Welcome Schemes.
Originally built in 1823, the accommodation was purchased by Jan and Ray Henderson in 2005. Along with their son Ryan, the couple have carried out a number of renovations and improvements to bring The Robertson Arms into the 21st century while still retaining many of its original features. The family have added four rooms, made major infrastructure improvements and placed an emphasis on visitor service which has allowed them to harness that golden touch.
Jan Henderson, Owner of The Robertson Arms Hotel, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this award. It’s been the highlight of our summer and a testament to the hard work put in by the whole team. Customer service has always been a big focus for us so it’s great to receive this recognition. The help and support we have received from VisitScotland has been invaluable and we are delighted to work in partnership with them through the VIP programme.
Anne Massey, Industry Relationship Manager for VisitScotland, said: “Well done to everyone at The Robertson Arms Hotel. The Henderson family have done a wonderful job in creating a warm and friendly accommodation where visitors can expect a very high standard of service and local knowledge.
“Our Quality Assurance Scheme is world-leading and provides a trusted, independent and impartial source of information for visitors. It is about much more than just a star rating – it is about the entire visitor experience and investing in the business to make it as economically sustainable, and profitable, as it can be.”
“The VIP programme celebrates and supports tourism providers as they act as local ambassadors and help provide information, assistance and advice on all there is to see and do here. This follows a growing trend among consumers to use online resources to plan their trips and we now have partners throughout the country providing high quality information and advice to visitors with whom they interact.”
To find out more about The Robertson Arms Hotel, visit www.robertsonarmshotel.com
For more information on the Quality Assurance Scheme and VisitScotland Information Partner programme go to www.visitscotland.org
ENDS
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
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 seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
- Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
- Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
- Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
- Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
- Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
- To ensure everyone can safely enjoy Scotland’s amazing countryside and landscapes, VisitScotland encourages all visitors to fully respect their surroundings by behaving in a responsible and appropriate way.
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- 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
- The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information visit www.gov.scot or follow @scotgovESIF
- 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) 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology
- 2017 is the year to delve into the past and discover Scotland’s fascinating stories through a wide-ranging variety of new and existing activity to drive the nation’s tourism and events sector, boosting tourism across Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology begins on 1 January 2017 and will end on 31 December 2017. It will build on the momentum generated by previous themed years in Scotland including the 2015 Year of Food and Drink, Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Creative Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Built Environment Forum Scotland, Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums Galleries Scotland and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is supported by £570,000 of Scottish Government funding.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
- For more information visit visitscotland.com/HHA2017 or join the conversation at #HHA2017
