Last week, Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones, had the opportunity to visit the St. Brides Spa Hotel which has been successful in being included in the Visit Wales Gold Award List of accommodation for 2008/09. The St. Brides Spa Hotel, Saundersfoot. is a new addition to the list and joins six other hotels and 21 guest accommodation businesses which have made it to the top.
The aim of the Gold Award is to recognise and reward outstanding quality, exceptional comfort and hospitality in the serviced accommodation sector in Wales.
The Heritage Minister congratulated the tourism businesses which have been listed, saying: "The gold award businesses exceed customer expectation and are first class products in all respects. These businesses are making an exceptional contribution to the quality of the Welsh tourism product and they are to be commended for their efforts. The introduction of this award signifies that Wales is serious about raising the quality of its tourism product."
Managing director of the St. Brides Spa Hotel, Andrew Evans, said: "This is a great reward for our team at St. Brides Spa Hotel. It recognises all the hard work and commitment needed to consistently reach the high standards we have set ourselves."
Businesses were not able to apply to be on the list, all businesses graded by Visit Wales were considered. Those who achieved a sufficiently high quality score at their most recent grading assessment were selected for mystery shopper testing.
In addition to delivering a high standard to the mystery customer, they were also asked to demonstrate their commitment to training and accessibility.
The Gold Award is an additional award, exclusively for businesses already part of Visit Wales' star grading schemes.
Local guest accommodation to receive the award, meanwhile, includes: Canaston Oaks, Canaston Bridge, Narberth; Coedllys Country House, Llangynin, St. Clears; and Stoney Bridge, Moreton, Saundersfoot
Business will receive a plaque signifying their achievement along with artwork for use in their own marketing activity. All Gold winners will be listed on a dedicated page in the Visit Wales 'Where to Stay' publications, with a similar arrangement on the Visit Wales website. The Gold Award is valid for one year only, and will be re-assessed annually.