Back in 2015, the eviivo team dusted off their finest suits and gowns to welcome 190 customers to the Science Museum in London to enjoy a night of exciting acts, a three-course meal and celebration.
The theme was reinventing hospitality, which was reflected in the venue choice and experiments aplenty. The venue was very special for two of our customers. The world-famous museum houses a Bell telephone from 1877, and Hedgefield House near Newcastle was the first home in Britain to have a telephone installed. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, made the first telephone call in the country from Hedgefield House to the local coal mine. Another eviivo property associated with an exhibit at the Science Musuem was Burnhopeside Hall in Lanchester, County Durham. This Grade II* listed home is now a B&B but in the 19th Century it was home to the engineer William Hedley, who in 1814 designed Puffing Billy, the world’s oldest surviving steam locomotive, which has been on display at the Science Museum since 1862.
So, here were our 2015 eviivo Award winners:
Most Beautifully Presented (presented by Mark Wright, The Apprentice winner)
Tavistock House Hotel, Tavistock, Devon
Outstanding Service (presented by David Weston, CEO of the B&B Association)
The Langbury, Blue Anchor, Minehead, Somerset
Best Overall Performer (presented by Jill Walker, Director of Distribution & Revenue Management)
Most Original (presented by Eric White, eviivo CTO was collected on the propery’s behalf by Alex Fisher, Editor of Coast Magazine)
Cardigan Castle, Cardigan, Ceredigion
Best Budget Accommodation (presented by Thomas Messett, eviivo’s Digital Director)
In 2015, we introduced a new award category, Best Budget Accommodation, which celebrates those many, many hotels who provide a great service, clean rooms and wonderful experiences at a low price. No mean feat and something our industry should celebrate more.
The Wheldale Hotel, Castleford, W Yorks
AA Award Winners (presented by Simon Numphud, Head of AA Hotel Services)
Charlton Twenty Eight, Chichester
LateRooms Hidden Gem Awards (presented by Jesper With-Fogstrup, CEO of LateRooms)
For Scotland – The Commercial Hotel, Aboyne
For England – No21, York
For Wales – Bryn Derwen Guest House, Conwy
For Northern Ireland – Charlemont Arms Hotel, Armagh
Expedia Insider Awards (presented by Daniel Sacerdoti, Director of Distribution Accounts at Expedia)
The Holcombe Inn, Holcombe, Bath, Somerset
The Bridge Inn, Ratho, Edinburgh
Victoria Guest House, Cambridge
Geminian Guest House, Harrogate
The Marsham Arms Coaching Inn, Norwich
And Michele Fitzpatrick, our CEO, introduced two exciting new features for eviivo suite users. The first was eviivo marketplace which can save you thousands of pounds through exclusive deals that are specifically selected for the B&B and hotel industry. She also introduced our ask eviivo service that gives our property owners instant access to our customer service agents online for rapid resolution of help requests.
Congratulations to all the winners!