Tuesday 20 December 2011

Record response to BC&M annual guest survey

As part of the Belmore Court & Motel commitment to our customers & Vision of becoming the leading independent accommodation base in Northern Ireland we sent out our annual guest survey a couple of months ago.

Almost 10% of the surveys were returned with some really helpful and useful information; 93% thought that we were achieving our Vision.


It is fantastic to read that more than 99% of respondents found the booking process to be Excellent or Very Good. Comments include; Professional and Competent staff, Staff extremely helpful, Michelle was so friendly, Staff were quick to respond, Lena friendly as always, & Very helpful. Online comments; One click and done, clear and easy to use & Missed special offer online, but rang and was able to book


It was a credit to the reception team that no one felt that the welcome was poor and that 99% thought the 1st impressions, welcome, service and booking accuracy were either very good or excellent. This is reflected in the comments; All first class, reception area is always clean and tidy, staff are efficient & approachable and outstanding service as always.


It is also a credit to the housekeeping department that 99% or guests found the cleanliness of the room to be very good or excellent. And that 97% found the maintenance with a similar breakdown of scores. 2 responses showed the facilities to be poor. Both these guests stayed in the Motel Standard Rooms.

Comments included; Couldn’t fault a thing, facilities excellent when room price taken into account and the room was as good as I would expect from a 3 or 4 star hotel.

Not all comments were positive and these give us opportunity to improve; TV and wireless tend to drop out when least expecting it, no WiFi available, Poor WiFi at times - unstable connection,  in winter it just seemed so cold in the motel rooms and Apartment was a bit musty.


Overall almost 98% of people felt that we offered value for money – with 46.5 stating our accommodation was Excellent value for money. Comments from very reasonable to relative expensive. Prepay option was excellent.


The vast majority of people found the Friendliness, Quality and Choice to be very good or excellent – 93%, 86% & 77% respectively. Only 3% thought he choice could be improved. Comments; pleasantly surprised by the quality of food and selection, Varied buffet, fresh and plentiful, Gluten-Free bread was supplied for me, It is a good healthy option, Excellent food and healthy and delicious and plenty of variety.

Negative comments included; What can you say about toast & cereal?, selection wasn't great, breakfast room was a bit hectic, choice for the breakfast could be improved, cooked breakfast could also be offered, Hot breakfast would be more appealing, perhaps having boiled eggs on offer for a hot breakfast and cooked breakfast option would be nice.

Describe you experience at the Belmore Court & Motel in 1 sentence;
A great response from this open ended question; Flawless, perfect service and no issues whatsoever, Superb location, professional service, good value, Friendly, comfortable and great value for money, Convenient location at a reasonable price, I left the hotel satisfied and willing to return, Great rooms,  friendly and helpful staff, Top class facilities for whoever!!, We felt as if our custom mattered, thank you, Home away from home but more relaxing, Relaxing environment where I get a good sleep, A very enjoyable stay, made by your friendly staff, perfect as a base to visit surrounding area, First Class accommodation with welcoming staff and accommodation to suit all people and pockets.

Improvements: following the Annual Guest Survey
  • New Wifi system offering Free Wifi to every customer for the first 30 minutes. £5 per 24hour period after. Executive rooms and longer term corporate clients will receive complimentary Wifi all the time.
  • New heaters are being installed in the older building housing the Motel Standard Rooms providing a better, more efficient heat which is controllable by the guest and aesthetically more pleasing.
  • 32in LCD Digital TVs are also being installed in the Motel Standard Rooms improving the quality of the stay - better picture and more channels.
  • It is hoped in the new year we can paint and redecorate the Standard Rooms with the laying of a new carpet.
Congratulations to Mr Andrew McMurray who won the 2 night break in our Executive Suite. Thanks to all who took part in the survey.

Sunday 18 December 2011

1st WallPod installed in Northern Ireland at Belmore Court


The no-nonsense pro-active charity Zero Carbon World (ZCW) is dedicated to undertaking projects that reduce carbon emissions in the UK today.

To support the development of a national charging infrastructure and encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, ZCW are donating 1000 Electric Vehicle (EV) ‘WallPod’ Charging Stations to businesses around the UK.

Today ZCW announce the donation of two more WallPods to The Belmore Court & Motel inEnniskillen. Belmore is the first business in Northern Ireland to join Zero Carbon World.

Each WallPod is simple, robust and reliable. Supporting both a 13-Amp socket and 32-Amp connector they enable all EV drivers to recharge overnight or ‘top up’ their vehicles as required.

“There are no restrictions to use our network. You don’t need to be a member, subscribe, pay in advance or use a smart card to access electricity. Wherever EV drivers are, they can recharge while eating, sleeping, working or simply relaxing “ said Kevin Sharpe Founder of ZCW and Chair of the Trustees. “We are extremely proud to be creating the UK’s only Open Charging Station Network”. 

Terry McCartney, owner of Belmore and The High Sherriff of Fermanagh stated: “Installing a WallPod reconfirms our commitment to reducing pollution as part of our Green Policy and is visible evidence that we support green travel.” He continued: “We are also opening our business to a relatively new market of electric vehicle owners giving them the option of an overnight charge. I am delighted that I am the first in the area to attract EV drivers to local businesses.”

Growing rapidly with 66 donations to date, ZCW is on track to install 1000 WallPod’s in the UK by the end of June 2012.

Wednesday 7 December 2011

What a Christmas Present!

It's now the second week in December and we are all gearing up for Christmas. At the Belmore Court we have the Christmas tree and decorations up, the festive music is playing in the background and the staff are ready to go carol singing around Enniskillen (only joking about the carols).

Although it has continued to be very busy we now have time to reflect over our last 12 months. Our year started on a Green note when we achieved the Green Tourism Business Scheme Silver Award; this awards reflects our commitment to sustainable tourism by reducing waste, congestion and pollution, supporting the local businesses and enhancing the natural environment. We also retained out AA 4 Star Guest Accommodation status.

 

By the time Easter came around our Reception Team and Housekeeping Team had entered their respective Northern Ireland Hotels Federation competitions. The Reception team came runner up in the over 60 bedrooms category while the Housekeeping team won the over 60 bedrooms category beating the Killyhevlin and the Merchant Hotel. This was a fantastic achievement.


For the second year running we were commended in the Northern Ireland Tourist Board annual awards for Serviced Accommodation and we trained all our staff in Welcome Host thus becoming a Welcome Host Gold Employer. Our breakfast room and kitchen were awarded 5 stars in the Fermanagh District Council Food Safe programme.



After the Summer our marketing plan was commended in the Tourism & Hospitality section of the Chartered Institute of Ireland Marketing Excellence Awards. In the inaugural Digital Advertising Northern Ireland awards our online strategy won best in Northern Ireland while one of our viral adverts and our mobile web app received commendations.

This is where the icing on the cake arrives. As if the year had not been fantastic enough already, following a change in NITB classification and certification the Belmore Court & Motel was confirmed as 4 Star Guest Accommodation after a mystery shopper visit in December and we achieved Investors in People - Bronze award.

The IIP awards shows our commitment to oyur staff. They are an integral part of the running of our business. Without good people we wouldn't have a good business. December also seen a milestone with one of our receptionists, Arlene, being employed with me for 10 years and another employee reaching aht 5 year mark. Not bad for a relatively young business.

It's been a great year already and I hope that even in these difficult financial circumstances that we can continue to prosper and grow.   

Merry Christmas everyone.