Travel & Hospitality Awards | Africa 2020 | www.thawards.com

SERVICE
STYLE & DESIGN
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Criteria
Excellence in Service is an important category,
as customer service can often be responsible
for having guests return year after year. We
look for the hotels and tour operators that go
out of their way to please their guests, those
that provide a personal level of service and
take the time to get to know each visitor so
that they might anticipate their every need.
This can be something as simple as a 24-hour
concierge desk, a hotel manager who offers
a personal greeting or a tour guide who is
happy to create bespoke private tours – but
whatever it is, we are always pleased when we
encounter staff that have been trained in the
art of customer satisfaction.
It is no question that style and design plays
a big part in selecting our awards shortlist.
A guest will form an opinion about a hotel
as soon as they arrive so it is important to
us that all our winners make those first
impressions count. We’re certainly not partial
to a particular period of architecture – but
whether we’re judging a gothic castle or an
environmentally friendly lodge, the criteria
remains the same. We consider factors such
as architectural features, use of materials,
creation of spaces, décor and the overall
feel. We love it when we find a hotel that tells
a story though its design and construction,
or offers a design that is sympathetic to the
natural surroundings of its location.
Knowledge of the local area is essential for any
organization, be it a hotel or a tour operator. The
quality of services takes a great hit when the
quality of this element is not up to the mark.
Quite a few of our winners in this category
are because they have displayed excellent
knowledge about the surrounding areas. The
criteria for a hotel is slightly lenient compared
to a tour operator, as the latter is expected to
have thorough knowledge of the area in order
to provide good services.
Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya