CHS Awards 2016 Finalists Announced
Alton Towers, Warwick Conferences, Coombe Abbey, Grand Hotel Brighton, Destinations Unlimited and Horizon Leeds are amongst the national hotels, venues and event suppliers shortlisted for this year’s CHS Awards.
The CHS Awards provide hotels and venues an opportunity to showcase their facilities by competing in 19 categories which are judged in two key stages by leading industry professionals and then by agency decision makers.
Emma Cartmell, managind director CHS Group said: “The CHS Awards offer venues and hotels the opportunity to celebrate and draw attention to their individuality and the specific quirks that make them stand out to event buyers. Our sincere congratulations to all of the finalists.”
The winners will be announced in a ceremony taking place on Wednesday 25 May 2016 at the Mecure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel.
The full list of finalists (with judges’ comments underneath each one) is below.
CHS Awards 2016 Finalist list:
Best Anticipated Launch
• Charingworth Manor
Charingworth do a great job with their marketing and the team offers a very professional hands on approach
• Hogarth’s Stone Manor
Combines a classic and contemporary feel and looks very inviting for client events in the Midlands region.
• Hyatt Regency Birmingham
The Hyatt offers good service across the board and their communication levels have been strong in reaching out to the market.
• The Royal York Hotel
The refurbishment has bought a new level of luxury to this grand old lady and the transformation has been a wonderful surprise. It really is a fabulous refurbishment.
• Trump Turnberry
Trump Turnberry have sold the launch of this potentially amazing venue very well and we are looking forward to seeing what the year ahead delivers
• Warwick Conferences
This new facility at Warwick has our clients thinking in a completely different way about their events as they are marketing a blank canvas. Exciting stuff!
Best Boardroom / Small Meeting Room
• Cedar Court Hotel
The décor of the meeting space is perfect and Cedar Court also have a great online booking tool. Further plans for the venue all look incredibly promising.
• Coniston Hotel Country Estate and Spa
This entry makes us want to book a meeting there. An incredible offering from Conniston making it an attractive venue for clients.
• Horizon Leeds
This is one of the best venues I have ever visited in terms of accessibility, with state of the art hearing loops, great AV & technology and excellent catering and service levels.
• INNSIDE Manchester by Melia
Creative space for the modern event professional, INNSIDE is a great venue with a spacious feel and outstanding service
• Newmarket Race Course
Newmarket Race Course is always well marketing and the added bonus of a private lift entrance for delegates - earns the venue additional points.
• Stoke Rochford
This is a venue with a very good delivery when it comes to RFP’s and their meeting packages are excellent value
• The Grand York Hotel
Well marketed and well known for excellent service, The Grand York is not only steeped in history but is in a great location for meeting and events.
• York Conferences
This is a superbly written entry from York Conferences and what a stunning looking building. The entry makes us want to book an event at this location.
Best Bedroom – Classical
• Coombe Abbey Hotel
Bedrooms are simply stunning and each one is truly unique at Coombe Abbey. Superb, grand and classic in every sense of the word, supported by great service.
• Hyatt Regency Birmingham
This is a great hotel and rivals any in London or Manchester, as one of the best in the county. It’s a wonderful asset to the Midlands with outstanding levels of service.
• Stoke Rochford
Steeped in history, the bedrooms at Stoke Rochford transport you back in time, with the added benefit of modern facilities.
• The Grand York Hotel
With a location that can’t be topped, The Grand York Hotel has some fabulous bedrooms including one that makes great use of the roof space. Wow!
• The Royal York Hotel
Following an incredible renovation, the Royal York offers superb amenities and the décor now looks truly fantastic. An excellent and well thought out refurbishment.
Best Bed Bedroom – Funky
• Camp Hill Estate
Everything about the Camp Hill Estate screams out fun and funky and the entry captures the essence of this great property well, as its very well presented.
• The Abbey Hotel
Smart TV, upmarket coffee machine and state of the art shower, add to the overall contemporary vibe.
• The Speech House
A funky take on the classic four poster bedroom. Lots of space in the bedroom too.
• Solent Forts - Amazing Venues
Solent Forts have a great design and they really have thought of everything. It’s not just funky, but packed with outlandish ideas making it fabulous!
Best Day Delegate – 24 Hour Rate
• Alton Towers
Alton Towers offer a great and well thought out package for delegates, which are both innovative and flexible. This unique setting has the added attraction of the theme park.
• Coniston Hotel Country Estate and Spa
Well presented rate information.. Good facilities and a unique location, represent good value.
• Horizon Leeds
A recent client event demonstrated just how great the packages are from Horizon Leeds and not just in terms of value for money. With innovative extras and a flexible approach, it’s a great offering.
• Kettering Park
The team at Kettering Park are very proactive and always look after delegates extremely well, making this venue a bit of a hidden gem.
• The National Coal Mining Museum for England
With an unusual setting and unique backdrop, there are some great options available for delegates at the National Coal Mining Museum and a flexible approach is always available.
• Warwick Conferences
Warwick offer excellent value for money in their DDR packages and the service levels and attention to detail are second to none. The team are also very flexible and extremely helpful.
Best External Space
• Camp Hill Estate
It’s an all round excellent venue with great offerings and fantastic potential for a range of event activities
• Coniston Hotel Country Estate and Spa
This is a very professional set up and the conference team are full of enthusiasm. A lovely venue with great activities set in a country estate in an area of outstanding beauty.
• Stanbrook Abbey
Stanbroook offers a strong range of corporate options and they offer excellent service, and clearly understand the agency sector well.
• Stoke Rochford
This venue offers very imposing space with the wow factor and a range of great spaces to suit any event activity.
Best Welcome Guest Experience
• Coniston Hotel Country Estate and Spa
Offering a first class welcome, this is a great venue guaranteed to offer guests a warm welcome each and every time.
• Hyatt Regency Birmingham
The Hyatt really does everything that they boast about and guests will enjoy a welcome of welcomes at this hotel.
• The Orchard Hotel
A 5-star welcome awaits guests at this property and the reception is bright and airy as well as being a great venue for informal meetings.
• The Grand York Hotel
A stay at the Grand York Hotel, leaves with you that great feeling of being looked after by a team who have clearly gone that extra mile to make your stay enjoyable. One of the best welcome guest experiences ever encountered
• The Lowry Hotel
Achieve a 60% return rate based on high levels of service throughout. The welcome and service is sustained throughout the hotel.
• Thorpe Park
Having used Thorpe Park on many occasions, we’ve always been delighted by how well we are looked after and the welcome experience has been superb.
Best Onsite Leisure Facilities
• Coniston Hotel Country Estate and Spa
Magnificent Outdoor Pool area. Spa area caters well for non-outdoor activities
• The University of Leeds
With magnificent onsite facilities for a real fitness experience, Leeds University has a great range of amenities making it a bit of a hidden gem for clients
• Gleneagles Hotel
With so much to offer onsite, Gleneagles remains a high quality venue with an outstanding range of activities available.
• Hyatt Regency Birmingham
The spa, gym and Hamman provide something for everyone. Gym open 24/7 – good options for delegates.
• Thorpe Park
State of the Art Leisure Facilities – all abilities catered for. Nice added extras, fruit, consultations and hot drinks.
Best Unusual Event Space
• Alton Towers
Funky and inspiring for team events, Alton Towers remains a great space for client activities in a unique and unusual events
• Grosvenor Casino, Coventry
Massive with lots of flexible space. Well located for motorway connections.
• The National Coal Mining Museum for England
Totally unique – lends itself to many diverse events.
• Newmarket Racecourse
Excellent space for larger events and glorious location.
• St Mary’s Church
A bit of a hidden gem, St Mary’s offers a spectacular backdrop to any event and has great space available
• The Monastery Manchester
This amazing venue works well for so many different events and offers a really historic setting combined with modern elegance all in one great venue.
• The Studio Venue Company
Provides good contemporary facilities for training and meetings and central location.
• Victoria Warehouse
A versatile space for a range of client events, this venue really is a blank canvas that allows you to let your imagination run wild and create a great setting for clients.
Best Large Conference Exhibition Space/Exhibition Space
• Cedar Court Hotel
Good space with a lot of different options. Good team and excellent service.
• Event City
Great Space, good to work with and lots of versatility.
• Grand Hotel Brighton
This is a very versatile space with an excellent team of professionals on site to deliver good events.
• Hilton Brighton
The Hilton Brighton has a great space which is very large and works well for creative events.
• Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel
This is a great space supported by a professional team with a strong presence and a hands on approach to event delivery.
• National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham
The most central location in the UK. Huge variety of space – flexible solutions for all events.
• Warwick Conferences
This is a very well presented entry which mirrors the excellent service, response times and flexibility of the venue.
• Whittlebury Hall
Put simply, this is a really good space to work with and has great space for a range of client events.
Best UK Representation of International Venues/Destinations
• Activ Travel – (Moulden Marketing)
Providing finest quality Moroccan travel experiences for 10 years. Good for M.I.C.E. and special events.
• Cititravel – (Moulden Marketing)
Cititravel understand the needs of agents and always try to offer a good range of options for client enquiries.
• Destinations Unlimited
Excellent service combined with worldwide coverage.
• HL Adventure – (Moulden Marketing)
Providing unique experiences in Iceland, Greenland and Antarctica., The HL team have an impressive portfolio to offer M.I.C.E.
• Moulden Marketing
The team here really put the effort into connecting destinations with agents and they are also first rate at keeping the industry up to date.
• The Winners Group – (Moulden Marketing)
Winners have become well established for their top of the range incentive programmes in South Africa, and beyond.
• Sandals Resorts
Graeme is excellent at selling his company and his service is excellent.
Best UK Representation of UK Venues/Destinations
There were no nominations for this category
Best Group Brand
There were no nominations for this category
Best Green / Sustainable Venue
• Ashorne Hill
They have incorporated a Green Action Plan, set energy saving targets, improved staff awareness and continually strive to reduce their carbon footprint.
• University of Leeds
As well as reducing food-miles, the University composts food waste and waste oil is collected and converted to bio-diesel. Beehives, fruit trees and edible plants add to the overall aesthetic and raise green awareness.
• Lancaster Conference
This venue seems to understand that sustainability is about more than just recycling - their CSR agenda includes community scheme involvement which I liked.
• Manchester Met University
Birley at Manchester Met is a good example of a sustainable site that aspires to be zero rated for water, energy and waste
• Newcastle United
Newcastle are working towards minimising their carbon footprint to engage with the community and to protect the environment.
• University of Manchester
The University have introduced a vast range of incentives to reduce carbon footprint to create a greener environment.
Best Onsite AV
• Horizon Leeds
Top marks for Horizon Leeds as they really know their stuff and are great to work with when it comes to technology for events.
• IET Birmingham – Austin Court
Good tech. service and integrated systems. Excellent customer service.
• University of Manchester
In-house team of expert technicians for AV support at conferences and events. State of the Art technology and production facilities.
Best Independent Venue
• Ardencote Manor
Great meeting space and a team that are really good to work with, and clearly understand the needs of agents and clients. This venue has grown significantly in terms of its product offering and service levels, which are always pretty excellent.
• Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Good service and expertise. Events conducted in atmospheric surrounds in the heart of Birmingham with everything on your doorstep.
• Coniston Hotel Country Estate and Spa
The Coniston is a unique location with excellent facilities in an area of outstanding beauty.
• Coombe Abbey Hotel
Coombe Abbey really is both excellent and innovative and offers a completely unique experience and is a huge draw to the area. The team are great to work with and go that extra mile to ensure all clients needs are met.
• Emirates Old Trafford – LCC
Impressive event space with great outdoor terrace and lots of parking – vital for larger events
• Hogarths Hotel – Dorridge
The Hogarths Hotel is a property that has really transformed itself into a beautiful venue with décor and service levels to match.
• The Monastery Manchester
Great venue with a good reputation. Excellent marketing.
Best Outside Catering Company
• CGS Catering
CGS Catering make great use of local produce and offer a creative and tailor made service making their bespoke packages perfect for events.
• Dine Events
Having used Dine on many occasions, we have always been impressed and their entry using superb photography and elaborate descriptions makes potential dining experiences exciting.
Best Auditorium
• Birmingham Repertory Theatre
A strong well written and well represented entry from this venue, The Birmingham Repertory Theatre offers an excellent venue for clients, which is well thought out for a range of events.
• IET Birmingham, Austin Court
A great venue with flexible space and seating with good onsite facilities and their entry is well written and excellently presented.
• Lancaster Conferences
Lancaster Conferences is very well appointed and has great technical support making the venue ideal for a range of events.
• Robinson College
Robinson College is very well marketed and excellent to work with as well as being very proactive and incredibly knowledgeable. This is a fantastic facility with additional break out spaces all within easy reach for delegates and clients.
Best Venue Communication – Special Award
To be announced at the Awards’ Ceremony
Chairman’s Award
Presented by Richard John – Chair of the Judges