Count down to awards celebration

IN A little more than a week’s time we will be celebrating the very best of South Devon’s tourism industry at the most prestigious awards night of the year.

And you could be there to join us!

Tickets are on sale for the event, at which the pick of the facilities and services of the area’s multi-million-pound tourism industry will be celebrated.

November 29 is the date for the glittering final awards night for the 2018 Herald Express South Devon Tourism and Hospitality Awards, presented with our partners Wollen Michelmore.

You can join us on the night. For ticket details visit hetourismawards.co.uk

Our associate

editor Jim Parker and BBC Spotlight’s Victoria Graham will host the awards, which are presented in conjunction with our partners Wollen Michelmore, at the Riviera International Conference Centre in Torquay on November 29.

Guest speaker on the night will be Hilary Bradt MBE, the founder and director of Bradt Travel Guides, the award-winning publisher which has been championing unusual destinations since 1974. The company also has a series of Slow travel guides. which have become the fastest-growing series of local guide books in the UK.

Hilary is the author and co-author of three Devon guides, insisting that such a beautiful county deserved to be divided into regions. Hilary was awarded a MBE for ser- vices to tourism and charity.

This week we turn the spotlight on two more of the categories to be decided at the awards ceremony.

INCLUSIVE ACCESS

Below Decks is a beautiful seafood family dining restaurant on Beacon Quay, overlooking Torquay’s historic harbour. The full flavour of the fabulous harbour is available in a relaxed environment. It takes pride in being one of the most well-loved and visited fish restaurants and believes its staff makes the business great.

Haytor Hotel is an elegant detached 1835 villa in beautiful gardens, providing luxury accommodation in a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere. Its aim is to balance attentiveness with discretion, enabling guests to enjoy their stay, for leisure or business, with an emphasis on cleanliness, comfort, service and style. It has a passion for the historic nature of the property and is committed to preserving the original building as an example of English Riviera architecture.

Torre Abbey Museum is rapidly growing as the bay’s key cultural hub and Torre Abbey Museum is where world class exhibitions are shown side by side with creative work from local emerging talent. The abbey is a hive of activity which ranges from comedy nights to outdoor theatre and cinema set amongst stunning ruins. Specially curated exhibitions complement the museum’s permanent collection which includes regionally important art, with some nationally important works.

EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE

The Cary Arms & Spa ‘Inn on the Beach’ exudes charm, fun and all the values of a good English inn with the style and comfort of a boutique hotel. You will find the level of professional detail and refined charm unlike anywhere else. It offers residents the choice of dining in the traditional inn, the sea view conservatory, the Captain’s Table or the Pod, an individual glass sphere set on the side terrace with panoramic sea views. The Cary Arms & Spa aspires to represent Devon tourism at its best and is proud of what it does and the local area.

Lady's Mile Holiday Park prides itself in ensuring customers have a holiday to remember. As well as responding to all TripAdvisor, PitchUp and Facebook comments, it uses a variety of channels to reach out to customers and gain feedback.

Meat 59 restaurant is run with a relaxed casual dining approach. All of the staff are trained to provide the best level of customer service without being pretentious and being completely honest to each and every customer. As a family-run res- taurant its ethos is to ensure the customer service is always second to none, whether the customer is eating in or taking away.

The Palace Theatre at Paignton is committed to providing the highest levels of customer service and customer care to a varied customer base. This includes theatre audiences, tenants, visiting performers, business users and the staff. A night out at the theatre is a special event for everyone. The Palace Theatre makes sure the customer journey is as smooth as possible from finding out about the shows, to booking, to enjoying evening and to returning home.

Pennywell Farm is known as ‘Devon’s Friendliest Day Out’ and while the animals are the stars, the staff are mentioned in nearly every review. The hands-on experience with the animals is Pennywell’s selling point but the friendliness of the staff is commented on just as much. The staff induction focuses on visitor experience and customer service and recruiting people who are outgoing and people focused.