BEST LUXURY EXPERIENCE

This category opens Monday 17th March at 10:00am and closes Monday 28th April at 23:59pm

This award celebrates those businesses bringing luxury to the Scottish visitor experience. Luxury experiences are those bespoke offerings which showcase the best of Scotland and bring the ‘wow-factor’ to every step of the customer journey. This award recognises unique tour offerings or experience packages, with a focus on exclusivity and attention to detail.

Who Should Enter?
Scottish-based tour operators with bespoke luxury offerings, food and drink or accommodation providers offering specific luxury packages. We would encourage you to focus your entry on a specific luxury experience or package, rather than your business as a whole.

Entry Questions

Executive Summary
The purpose of the Executive Summary is to give judges a general overview and better understanding of your business. Although not an exhaustive list, some examples of the type of information judges will be looking for are listed below. This question is not scored and is for background information only.

Types of services on offer
Size and purpose of your business
How long you have been operating
Any other information you feel is relevant

1. Please tell us how your luxury experience or package stands out, providing a wow-factor for your guests.

Do you go above and beyond in unique and innovative ways to ensure your guests experience luxury during every moment? You should provide clear evidence of your commitment to quality and how you gather and implement feedback to ensure your full guest experience consistently delivers world class standards, within the time period 1^st May 2024 – 31^st March 2025.

Please cover any areas you think are relevant although you may wish to include aspects such as:

Examples of collaboration and partnership with other high-quality tourism providers to create a full luxury package for your visitors
How your staff recruitment and training methods ensure the highest standards of hospitality and service
The unique aspects of your experience on which your guests comment most positively
The ways in which you bring a sense of place to your experience (using local produce, working with local producers, craftspeople and suppliers) and the storytelling experience your customers receive
The attention to detail paid to all aspects of the guest experience – from pre-arrival (digital presence) through to post-visit
Any luxury accreditation awarded, such as VisitScotland Quality Assurance Star ratings

2. What steps are you currently taking to develop your experience? What do you hope to achieve and how are you measuring success?

You should provide clear evidence of current developments and how benefits will be monitored / measured, eg. through visitor feedback, accolades/achievements, target market statistics. Please cover any areas you think are relevant although you may wish to include aspects such as:

Intentionally benchmarking your provision against other businesses
Obtaining an external assessment of quality and experience (eg awards schemes, customer ratings)
Plans for new and innovative packages and way of keeping the experience fresh
New collaboration and/or partnership working

3. Our communities, natural and cultural heritage are what make Scotland so unique.    

Please cover any areas you think are relevant although you may wish to include aspects such as: 

Developing a climate action plan; achieving green awards; green champions within your business; promoting sustainable practices undertaken in your business; increasing energy efficiency; provision of electrical vehicle changing points; encouraging recycling; reducing food waste; reducing single-use plastic
Ensuring that you are providing for visitors with access requirements; creating and promoting an access guide on your website; employee training; catering to visitors with various dietary preferences
Engaging with your local community through community initiatives; hiring local staff; working with local businesses; use and promotion of local products and services
Promoting the local area, including nearby businesses and attractions; delivery of any relevant events and packages that specifically promote Scottish culture and nature; sharing the history of your business, community and local area.

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Scottish Thistle Awards
c/o VisitScotland
Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG
0131 472 2228
info@scottishthistleawards.co.uk