New Forest Escapes: We’re Celebrating a Double Award Win!
Keen to treat yourself and your family to a New Forest escape?
At Balmer Lawn Hotel, we love welcoming guests through our doors - whether that’s a busy delegate embarking on a business trip, or a family of four enjoying a relaxing break away.
This month, at Balmer Lawn Hotel, we’re delighted to announce that we’re celebrating a double awards win.
Competing against some of the region’s leading hospitality venues, we were delighted to scoop two accolades in the Southampton Hospitality Awards 2022.
New Forest Escapes: Improving the Guest Experience
Our team has worked incredibly hard to achieve this - particularly Michael, our general manager, who has been crowned ‘Lockdown Hero of the Year’ following his incredible efforts during the pandemic.
Despite the effects of the pandemic, Michael played a major role in helping our hotel increase its turnover in 2021. When it became evident that closing the hotel was our only option, Michael (together with Alison and Chris Wilson, our owners) created The Lodge - a COVID-secure outside bar and kitchen, built specifically to welcome guests safely during the pandemic. We were delighted to be joined by over 7,000 people in the first five weeks following its launch.
Our assistant hotel manager, Lucy Whittington, also went above and beyond for our guests - and has subsequently taken home the ‘Rising Star of the Year’ accolade.
Lucy has helped boost our guest service to an impressive standard, and has also facilitated the provision of safe work practice training for the return of staff from the national lockdown. Following this development, our hotel was accredited with an ‘AA COVID-secure’ and V.E ‘Good to Go’ scheme on the day of re-opening.
Lucy’s kindness stretched even further during the pandemic; she volunteered to live at our hotel for four months during the first lockdown, where she oversaw security and staff welfare. She also enjoyed a key role in arranging education and community days with Bournemouth University, where she promoted career possibilities to young adults.
New Forest Escapes: Our New Shortlisting
Our owner, Alison Wilson, proudly received a special mention in the Lifetime Achievement Award. Since taking over in 1997, Alison has been integral in our transformation from a three-star to a four-star venue, allowing us to achieve four silver stars for our facilities, two AA rosettes for catering, and become a leading destination for weddings and corporate conferences.
As a relaxing New Forest escape for families and couples alike, we were thrilled to learn of our shortlisting in the Beautiful South Tourism Awards 2022, which seeks to highlight and champion excellence across the UK’s tourism industry. We’re delighted to have been listed as a finalist in the Resilience and Innovation category following the commissioning and opening of The Lodge Kitchen & Bar.
Beautiful South Tourism Awards: Winner Announcements
Judging will be carried out by an independent panel of past winners, industry leaders and experts in their field, selected for their impartiality, experience and suitability for each category. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Monday, April 25th.
Speaking of our awards successes, Michael said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have won in two of the three categories we were shortlisted in at the Southampton Hospitality Awards 2022 - getting a special mention in the lifetime achievement award was a bonus!
“We are also immensely proud to also be shortlisted as a finalist in the Beautiful South Awards. The Lodge Kitchen & Bar has been a great success and we look forward to seeing it go from strength to strength. On behalf of Balmer, I also want to take this opportunity to say how proud we are of Lucy, who has underpinned a career in hospitality with a meticulous focus on development and welfare. She is a real superstar in the making!”
If you’d like to find out more about the Southampton Hospitality Awards 2022, just visit the website.
Alternatively, to find out more about our services, or to book your New Forest escape, please do browse our website or contact a member of our team.
Why not take a look at our previous blog to meet Andrew, our executive head chef?
