A HOTEL group's national York-based call centre has won a European award for customer service.

Best Western GB was named winner of the Customer Experience Team of the Year in the European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards.

The ceremony at the Old Billingsgate in London, saw Best Western GB beat off competition from other organisations nominated for the same category, including Odeon, AXA, Lowell Group, NHS Business Services Activity and SquareTrade Limited.

Based at Best Western’s Central Reservations office in York, the customer service team is made up of local people.

Head of the contact centre Gail Heafield, who has worked with Best Western GB for 16 years, said: "Our recruitment isn’t just based on proficiency, it is largely founded on cultural fit and assimilation to business values such as ‘take joy in helping people and places become better than you found them."

Drew Jardine, quality and coaching manager at the Best Western GB Customer Service Centre and also a 16 year-long employee, encourages staff to turn every complainant into an ambassador for Best Western GB and, in turn, 98 per cent of complainants are convinced to consider another stay, with only two per cent of all complaints receiving cash compensation.

The judging process for the European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards involved several stages including Best Western GB customer services manager Louise Gofton, and customer services team leader Kirsty Beckett, presented to a panel of four senior leader industry leaders.