VenueVerdict Awards and Accreditations 2014

33 venues strike Gold!

January 2015

BVA BDRC, the UK’s meetings sector research specialist, has announced the list of venues achieving VenueVerdict Accreditations for 2014.  Based entirely on genuine, verified customer feedback, these accolades reflect the cream of the nation’s meetings providers.

33 venues and hotels achieved a VenueVerdict Gold Standard accreditation, the highest tier available.  To be designated a Gold Standard venue, a property must achieve a Net Promoter Score of +70 or above from more than 40 customer responses across a twelve month period.  Typically dominated by ‘specialist’ conference venues (such as those operated by Sundial, the IET, the EEF and suchlike), branded hotels nonetheless continue to be well represented, with properties from Macdonald, Park Plaza, Novotel, Holiday Inn and QHotels making the grade at the year-end assessment.

Below those are the “Highly Commended” (53 venues) and “Commended” (39 venues) tiers.  The threshold for the latter is set at around the level of the national average score, meaning any property carrying one of those three badges is delivering a level of customer service to meetings and events above and beyond the norm.

As well as the Accredited Venues, BVA BDRC has also announced its annual award winners for 2014.  QHotels, again, swooped the No.1 Large Group Award, while Park Plaza picked up the accolade for Mid-Sized groups.  EEF Venues was named “No.1 Small Group” as well as “Best Value for Money Venue Group”.

Group Awards

Given to the groups that record the highest overall scores in each size category

No.1 Small Group (3-5 properties)
Winner: EEF Venues

No.1 Mid-Sized Group (6-19 properties)
Winner: Park Plaza

No.1 Large Group (20+ properties)
Winner: QHotels

Gold Standard Group Award
Given to the group with the highest number of venues achieving VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation
Winner: QHotels

Best Value for Money Venue Group
Given to the group achieving the highest score for “Overall Value for Money”
Winner: EEF Venues

Venue Awards

No.1 Specialist Venue
Winner: Engineers House (EEF Venues)

No.1 Hotel
Winner: Ashford International Hotel (QHotels)

No.1 Sporting Venue
Winner: Lord’s Cricket Ground

No.1 Venue Overall
Winner: Engineers House (EEF Venues)

VenueVerdict Gold Standard

• Ashford International Hotel (QHotels)
• Ashridge House
• Barnett Hill (Sundial Venues)
• Broadway House (EEF Venues)
• Church House Conference Centre
• Crewe Hall (QHotels)
• Engineers' House (EEF Venues)
• Farncombe
• Forest Pines (QHotels)
• Highgate House (Sundial Venues)
• Holiday Inn Lancaster (Kew Green Hotels)
• Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury (IHG Managed Estate)
• Holiday Inn Stratford upon Avon (Valor Hospitality Europe)
• Holiday Inn York (Kew Green Hotels)
• IET Birmingham: Austin Court (IET Venues)
• imago at Holywell Park
• Lord's
• Macdonald Burlington Hotel
• Macdonald Manchester
• Nottingham Conference Centre
• Novotel Cardiff
• Novotel London City South
• Park Plaza Cardiff
• The Beardmore Hotel & Conference Centre
• The Cambridge Belfry (QHotels)
• The Hampshire Court Hotel (QHotels)
• The Midland (QHotels)
• The Møller Centre
• The Oxford Belfry (QHotels)
• The Stratford (QHotels)
• The Westerwood Hotel and Golf Resort (QHotels)
• Woodland Grange (EEF Venues)
• Woodside (Sundial Venues)

VenueVerdict Highly Commended

• Amba Charing Cross Hotel
• BMA House
• Center Parcs Elveden Forest
• Center Parcs Sherwood Forest
• Chesford Grange
• Coombe Abbey Hotel
• Crowne Plaza Birmingham N.E.C
• Crowne Plaza London Gatwick Airport
• Crowne Plaza Manchester Airport
• Holiday Inn Barnsley
• Holiday Inn Basingstoke
• Holiday Inn Birmingham M6 Jct 7 (Kew Green Hotels)
• Holiday Inn Colchester (Kew Green Hotels)
• Holiday Inn Edinburgh
• Holiday Inn Haydock M6 Jct 23 (Kew Green Hotels)
• Holiday Inn Leeds - Wakefield M1 Jct 40
• Holiday Inn London – Brent Cross (IHG Managed Estate)
• Holiday Inn London - Gatwick Airport
• Holiday Inn London - Heathrow M4 Jct.4
• Holiday Inn London - Kensington Forum
• Holiday Inn London Mayfair (IHG Managed Estate)
• Holiday Inn Peterborough West
• Holiday Inn Rugby/Northampton M1 J18 (Kew Green Hotels)
• Holiday Inn Southend
• Holiday Inn Swindon (Kew Green Hotels)
• IET Glasgow: Teacher Building
• imago @ Burleigh Court
• Lane End Conference Centre
• Lensbury
• Macdonald Botley Park Hotel, Golf & Spa
• Macdonald Houstoun House
• Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel & Spa
• Novotel Southampton
• Royal College of Physicians
• Scarman Training and Conference Centre
• Stirling Court Hotel
• Stratford Manor
• Sunderland AFC
• The Brewery
• The Cheltenham Chase Hotel
• The Landmark
• The Nottingham Belfry
• The Queens
• Thistle Brighton
• Thistle East Midlands Airport
• Thistle Marble Arch
• Thistle Middlesbrough
• Thistle The Grand, Bristol
• Thistle The Parc, Cardiff
• Village Urban Resorts Dudley
• Village Urban Resorts Manchester Bury
• Village Urban Resorts Swindon
• Warren House
• Wyboston Lakes Executive Centre

VenueVerdict Commended

• Alton Towers Resort
• Ashorne Hill
• Carden Park Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa
• Crowne Plaza Leeds
• Crowne Plaza London The City (IHG UK Managed)
• Eynsham Hall
• Hawkwell House Hotel
• Holiday Inn Basildon
• Holiday Inn Bristol - Filton
• Holiday Inn Cambridge
• Holiday Inn Cardiff City Centre
• Holiday Inn Glasgow Airport (IHG Managed Estate)
• Holiday Inn Guildford
• Holiday Inn Hull Marina (IHG Managed Estate)
• Holiday Inn Leeds/Brighouse
• Holiday Inn London - Heathrow Ariel (IHG Managed Estate)
• Holiday Inn London - Regent's Park
• Holiday Inn Reading South
• Holiday Inn Walsall M6 J10 (Kew Green Hotels)
• Holiday Inn Washington (Kew Green Hotels)
• Holiday Inn Woking
• Macdonald Randolph Hotel
• Macdonald Tickled Trout Hotel, Preston
• Mercure Bristol Holland House Hotel & Spa
• Mercure Cardiff Holland House Hotel & Spa
• Mercure Windsor Castle Hotel
• Norton Park
• Park Plaza Riverbank, London
• Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London
• Rockliffe Hall
• Royal Berkshire Hotel
• The Manor House
• The Park Royal
• The Royal Horseguards Hotel
• Thistle Aberdeen Airport
• Thistle Haydock
• Thistle The Rougemont, Exeter
• Village Urban Resorts Leeds South
• Village Urban Resorts Swansea