HOSPITALITY ASSURED
The Stena Explorer Crew proudly displaying their Hospitality Assured award.
SEPTEMBER 2007
Stena Line Retains Top Hospitality Award for Seventh Year
Stena Line (Irish Sea) has for the seventh consecutive year achieved Hospitality Assured.
The award was presented for service and business excellence in hospitality on Stena Line’s Irish Sea routes to Britain and to top this success, the company has also received its highest ever overall accreditation score, demonstrating its commitment to delivering ‘outstanding’ service and business excellence.
Since Stena Line initially achieved the Hospitality Assured standard in 2000, one of its five Irish Sea routes has been audited against the standard’s criteria in order to retain the annually re-assessed standard. This year, it was the turn of the central corridor route (Dun Laoghaire and Dublin Port to Holyhead).
Celebrating Stena Line’s Hospitality Assured re-assessment success, Vic Goodwin, Route Director for the central and southern corridor routes, said: “We are delighted to have achieved this accreditation for a seventh year in succession. It is a tremendous achievement for our staff and a reflection of their hard-work and drive to always provide our guests with the highest standards.
“The Hospitality Assured award represents a long-term commitment to our customers and we have found this accreditation to be the most challenging monitor for service. To compare favourably with other organisations known for their first class service levels is a real boost for all of us.”
Vic concluded: “As the only ferry operator with this standard on the Irish Sea, the award confirms Stena Line’s commitment to bringing passengers exceptional service while continuing to be the number one choice for ferry passengers.”
The Hospitality Assured accreditation was undertaken by an independent assessment team looking at the whole Stena Line operation on the central corridor route from customer research, business and operational planning through to customer satisfaction improvement.
Congratulating Stena Line on retaining the Hospitality Assured accreditation, Institute of Hospitality Chief Executive Philippe Rossiter FIH said: “Stena Line and all those involved on its Irish Sea routes are to be congratulated on gaining their highest ever overall Hospitality Assured assessment score, demonstrating that the company is delivering ‘outstanding’ service and business excellence.
“Indeed, Stena Line is currently one of the four highest scoring organisations ever to achieve the Standard, championed by the Institute of Hospitality. The other members of this elite band are the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), the Møller Centre, Cambridge and Wyboston Lakes Business and Leisure Village in Bedfordshire, so Stena Line is in good company.”
Over the past seven years, Stena Line has used the Hospitality Assured criteria – in conjunction with its customer service training and customer relationship strategies – to improve its service standards for its customers.
Stena Line is the market leader on the Irish Sea, offering the biggest fleet and the widest choice of routes from Ireland to Britain, including the Stranraer to Belfast, Fleetwood to Larne, Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire and Dublin Port, and Fishguard to Rosslare routes. The company carries over three million passengers on its Irish Sea routes each year, more than its rival ferry operators combined.