Top of the pops for tourism

Michael Hjort, whose acclaimed Melton's became York's first nationally recognised eating establishment, won the prestigious accolade at a showbiz "Oscars" ceremony today.

The York Tourism Awards, staged at York Racecourse, were a showcase of established figures from York's tourism scene along with newcomers who are making their mark.

Michael was among a diverse list of 13 winners, who picked up top awards such as best attraction, best shop, best eating place and best marketing campaign.

Owner of Melton's and Melton's Too, Michael is also the driving force behind the annual Food and Drink Festival, which attracts an extra 100,000 visitors to the city each September.

He secured praise for his long-running active involvement in tourism in York, and his motivation and enthusiasm in going that extra mile to promote the city.

Judges also commended his tireless work for the York Hospitality Association, his support of training and staff development, and for building the Awards for Excellence into a highlight of the tourism calendar.

An independent panel of judges looked at hundreds of individual letters of praise from visiting customers when choosing the winners for this year's event, which were sponsored by Leeds Bradford International and the low-cost airline Jet2.com. The BBC's Look North presenter Clare Frisby presented the awards, while Visit Britain's chief executive Tom Wright co-hosted the proceedings.

The Yorkshire Air Museum, at Elvington, scooped two awards, those of Best Website and Best Event, while relative newcomers to York's retail scene, Azendi, a contemporary jewellers in Colliergate, won Best Shop.

The Wheatlands Lodge Hotel, in Scarcroft Road, received a special award for going out of its way to look after a guest who suffered a heart attack, and then waiving his bill.

Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of York Tourism Bureau, said: "The awards recognise those businesses that offer their customers outstanding customer service. They reflect the high quality of customer care that is given to visitors - an essential ingredient for encouraging tourists to come back again and again."

She said York Tourism Bureau was delighted with the support from the sponsors, especially main sponsors Leeds Bradford International Airport and Jet2.com, whose representatives said: "We are happy to sponsor the York Tourism Awards which acknowledges excellence in tourism business in York and the surrounding area." The winners of the York Tourism Awards 2004, with a summary from the juges, were:

Guest House/Self Catering (sponsored by Coppergate Centre)

Winner - Monkbridge Court

The facilities were spotlessly clean and up-to-date and the owners have plans to reinvest in the establishment to maintain standards. They receive a high level of repeat business and make each stay individual for example with cards and sparkling wine for birthdays and mince pies at Christmas. As the self-catering market is a growing sector for York, judges felt Monkbridge Court gives other owners a good standard to aim for.

Hotel (sponsored by Morrell Middleton)

Winner - Middlethorpe Hall

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Middlethorpe Hall has secured scores of accolades, and judges confirmed it sets itself very high standards and achieves very high customer satisfaction. They praised the hotel's strenuous efforts to improve accessibility. Among the letters of praise, the Assistant Bishop of London thanked the team for "the wonderful hospitality" which he said "exceeded wildly even the most prestigious expectations I had of it". A grateful bride also commended the hotel on a fabulous hen weekend: "We were always greeted with the utmost courtesy. Every member of staff with whom we had contact was friendly and helpful - no request was too difficult".

Conference Venue (sponsored by Saville Audio Visual)

Winner - National Centre for Early Music

The judges praised the National Centre for Early Music as a superb and unusual venue with first-class facilities for conferences. The versatile space makes it an excellent choice of venue for conferences, meetings, product launches, functions and events. The centre, housed within the Grade I Listed medieval church of St Margaret's, combines an elegant, historic building with cutting edge technology, creating an unparalleled setting.

Shop (sponsored by Jespers)

Winner - Azendi

Judges commented on the excellent sales technique that was attentive without being oppressive, and on the great products about which the staff were very knowledgeable. Many grateful customers have written to the shop with their thanks, including a couple who visited York to celebrate their engagement and thanked staff for the "excellent service and attention when purchasing a beautiful engagement ring".

Eating Place (sponsored by Barry Crux and Company)

Winner - Sangthai

Restaurant The Sangthai offers a unique and exceptionally high-quality experience. The dcor, customer service and ambience created shows a great attention to detail as does the thought that has gone into communicating about Thai food on the menu.

Attraction (sponsored by GNER)

Winner - World of James Herriot

Judges felt the imaginative presentation of the veterinary museum and the many interactive opportunities for children (and adults), all done in the very compact premises that gave birth to the fame of James Herriot, are a credit to all concerned.

Festival/Entertainment (sponsored by Wallace Arnold Tours Ltd)

Winner- Yorkshire Air Museum

The '60 Years On' Festival highlighted the important anniversaries of the Allied campaigns that commenced in 1944 and led to the victory in Europe and Japan and the end of the Second World War. Events have taken place all year, attracting veterans and dignitaries from across the world, and will continue throughout 2005 with an even bigger programme of remembrance. They were launched with the unveiling of the museum's unique Halifax bomber which was painted in French markings in recognition of the two French squadrons at Elvington. This led to a message of congratulation from President Chirac.

Website (sponsored by University of York)

Winner - Yorkshire Air Museum for www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk

A panel of judges from the university's web department found www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk to be a highly informative site which is well presented with a military look and feel and provides the visitor with good functionality, including an easy to use navigation bar. The site also offers a good interactive part for the layout of the museum - click on a building and you can see its contents.

Marketing Campaign (sponsored by Biskit)

Winner - The National Railway Museum

The National Railway Museum consistently picks up awards at numerous ceremonies. Their campaign, 'Railfest', celebrated 200 years of rail travel from 1804 to 2004, from the Penydarren to the Eurostar. Railfest was a huge success attracting visitors from across the world.

Outstanding Customer Service (sponsored by the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce)

Winner - Steve Anderson, York Marriott

Steve has been praised as a truly outstanding individual who thrives on customer service. He has worked at the York Marriott for 13 years and is involved in all areas of the daily operation of the hotel, particularly its food and beverage outlets. As many letters of thanks confirm, Steve is most happy when he is 'wowing' Marriott guests. His input in increasing levels of guest satisfaction from 56 per cent to 83 per cent is summed up by Mr and Mrs Ryding, of Halifax, who wrote a special thank you to Steve for being so helpful. "He did everything with a smile and made us relaxed in the knowledge he had everything under control."

Travel Journalist (sponsored by First Stop York tourism partnership)

Winner - Emma Durdle, Arts Editor, Kentish Times

Quote from Emma's article: "Not only is it easy to get to, but York has a wealth of things to see and do....the York of today could compete with any major European city for shopping, restaurants and entertainment, but its rich heritage marks it out as true cultural gem."

Ambassador for York (sponsored by Leeds Bradford International Airport and Jet2.com)

Winner - Michael Hjort

Michael has been actively involved in tourism in York for more than ten years. His restaurant 'Melton's' was York's first nationally recognised eating establishment and is still widely acknowledged as one of the best restaurants in York.

It is his tireless work for both the York Hospitality Association and York Festival of Food and Drink that led judges to formally acknowledge all he does for the city.

A great advocate of training and staff development, he has been responsible for building the Awards for Excellence into another highlight of the tourism calendar.

Updated: 09:17 Thursday, November 11, 2004