Strand Palace first UK hotel to receive WorldHost Recognised Business status
WorldHost is a world-class customer service training programme developed by People 1st with the support of VisitEngland. It has been used to train nearly one million people worldwide including 40,000 volunteers and tourism staff during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
The London Olympics
The programme has also been given the London 2012 Olympics LOCOG Inspire Mark, in recognition of its contribution to the development of staff ahead of next year’s Games. It is recommended as one of the legacy training programmes for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Sharon Glancy, director of the People 1st Training Company, said: “We are delighted the Strand Palace Hotel is the first WorldHost Recognised Business. They have truly embraced the ethos of WorldHost and with the London 2012 Olympics. I urge more organisations to get involved.
“WorldHost is a modern and energetic training programme that can be used across a variety of industries where the quality of front-line customer service is key to the success of the business.”
Upon receiving the news that Strand Palace hotel was the first to be awarded the status, the hotel’s human resources manager Nadia Simmonds said: “It is outstanding service that sets businesses apart from the competition and gets customers returning time and again.
Customer service specialists
“The London 2012 Olympics offer a big business opportunity but we’re on a longer-term mission at Strand Palace. We want our staff to become customer service specialists so our reputation with customers is one of offering a warm and helpful service and we become their hotel of choice every time they stay in London.”
The WorldHost Recognition Certificate is valid for two years and is renewable on completion of a refresher course. In order to preserve the value of the Worldhost Recognition, the programme may be monitored through impromptu mystery shopper visits.
Simmonds concluded: “Business is not easy for anyone in the hospitality sector right now, people are cutting back on their personal spending and so it’s essential to have that competitive edge.
“Offering consistently excellent customer service will retain loyal customers and attract new ones. In today’s economic climate this couldn’t be more critical."
