This award follows a number of changes at the hotel. In May 2004, Langham Hotel, London – formerly The Langham Hilton – reverted to its original name and became the flagship of Langham Hotels International, a new 5-star hotel company with hotels in Hong Kong , North America and Europe .
Duncan Palmer (formerly with The Connaught and The Savoy) was appointed Managing Director, and is currently overseeing a substantial schedule of change and renovation - including a new restaurant, two new bars and a new spa - which will take place over the next two years. The first stage of these changes is the Infinity Suite, which was launched at the end of January 2005 and billed as being amongst the largest in London .
Diana Banks, Director of Sales & Marketing for Langham Hotel, London said: "We are really thrilled with this award. It is our first award as the flagship of Langham Hotels International, and it is a compliment to the staff that serve the inbound market. This is a key market for us, and we are particularly pleased to be recognized by the industry for our efforts."
On presenting the award, Angela Shanley, UKinbound Chairman, said: “It is not always easy to manage a London hotel, with its hugely diverse customer base. The team have proved adept at not only dealing with our visitors, but also in continuing to be innovative in the service and the product it provides. This award is thoroughly deserved.”
UKinbound Attraction of the Year :
Winner: British Airways London Eye
The award was presented to Jo Berrington, Head of Marketing.
The award comes just before the British Airways London Eye celebrates its fifth birthday in March, and soon after announcing 3.7million visitors for 2004, bringing the total number of visitors to the attraction to 18million people since opening. With the number of overseas visitors continuing to rise each year, the attraction now hosts Discovery flights in several languages – French, German and Spanish – and is adding additional languages to its London Eye River Cruise Experience including Russian, Dutch and Italian.
On receiving the award, Jo Berrington, Head of Marketing, British Airways London Eye, said: “The team at British Airways London Eye are delighted to receive this award. It means a tremendous amount to us and is a reflection of the fantastic support we receive from our colleagues at UKinbound.”
Angela Shanley, UKinbound Chairman, said: “This award recognises the tremendous work the British Airways London Eye team have done to attract visitors to the UK and London . They have made the London Eye an iconic tourist attraction.”
UKinbound Tour Operator of the Year :
Winner: All European Travel
The award was presented to Emil Siminovitch, Managing Director.
The award comes following a very successful 2004 for the company – especially from emerging markets including Russia , a market that All European Travel believes has ongoing potential for continued growth.
Emil Siminovitch, Managing Director, All European Travel Ltd, said: "We are delighted to receive this award from UKinbound and for the company to be recognised by its peers. We deal with literally thousands of suppliers from theatres to sightseeing tours, attractions and hotels to name just a few and, in an industry that is constantly changing, we are always adapting the way we operate to meet the needs of our clients. We are confident we will do well in 2005 and encourage even more visitors to the UK . We are also actively involved in promoting the quality and standards in Britain 's inbound tourism industry and will continue to do our best to make every visit to the UK as successful as possible."
Angela Shanley, UKinbound Chairman, said: “All European Travel offers a diverse range of tours to its clients and is very focused on customer care, be it individual or group tours. This is a very well deserved reward and I wish them continuing success for 2005 with their endeavours.” |
