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We’re Shortlisted For An Award!
Hello, Rebecca here!
I’m sitting down to write (what I hope will be) a short post about our excitement at being shortlisted for a White Rose Award!
For those of you who don’t know, the White Rose Awards are Yorkshire’s version of the Oscars. Hosted by Welcome To Yorkshire (the Yorkshire tourist board), they celebrate Yorkshire’s finest businesses.
We are shortlisted in the “new business” category, and whilst we are very aware that we are still a work-in-progress, we think that being shortlisted shows that we are moving in the right direction. One day I hope to make it in to the “best hotel” or “best restaurant” category, but for now, we are delighted to have been recognised for our hard work so far – despite still having lots more plans for further improvements.
Now that we have been shortlisted, the next step is that we will be mystery shopped, and I will admit that I am slightly nervous of this. If you have read my other blog posts about our bedroom refurbishments, I have been very honest that there is a big difference between our refurbished rooms and the non-refurbished ones. I sell the rooms very candidly, with the better ones being called “refurbished”, and having downgraded the rooms that used to be called “superior” or “luxury” to “standard” and “superior” so as not to over-promise what the un-refurbished rooms offer. We also have a welcome pack for guests in every bedroom, which explains that we are in the process of making improvements. In the spirit of the category that we are shortlisted in, I hope that the mystery guest will book a refurbished room – fingers crossed!
I probably should note that some people really love the old rooms. When friends, relatives, or colleagues visit, they always seem pleasantly surprised, and so I think that I am probably too close to the product and am therefore overly critical about things that many people might not even notice. We also get many very kind comments and reviews from guests.
I am really proud of our little business. With the help of friend and colleague Stephanie Moon, we have transformed our menus, and our breakfasts are now awesome! Plus our team are friendly, funny, helpful and polite, so even if you do stay in a room which has yet to be redecorated the overwhelming feedback is that most people have really enjoyed their time at Galtres Lodge – this makes me smile!
We are shortlisted against some great new businesses, who have either opened a new shiny business, or have already completed their renovations – we are the only finalists who are still in the middle of improvements. I really hope that the person who mystery shops us can see the heart and intent, and can also see our vision of where we are heading. However, if not, what will be will be!
One of our competitors in the category is Storthes Hall – this is actually where Chris and I met! It used to be student accommodation, but it now seems to be a wedding and event venue. Chris and I lived in the same flat at Storthes Hall, so we have just had a fun time Googling what it looks like now, and finding our old building on the map (although Chris couldn’t remember where we lived – charming!).
Best of luck to all finalists!
Rebecca X