VisitScotland Regional Director Doug Wilson with Sheila Robson from Fauhope Country House B&B in Gattonside, Melrose
Edinburgh, Scotland, 2016-Oct-19 — /Travel PR News/ — A COUNTRY house offering B&B accommodation in the heart of the Scottish Borders has achieved VisitScotland’s Five Star Gold Quality Assurance Award in recognition of its exceptional standards.
Fauhope Country House B&B achieved the award, the highest possible in VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme, following their latest grading visit. Fauhope is one of only four B&Bs in the Scottish Borders to hold the coveted title.
Nestled on a hillside on the outskirts of Gattonside, near Melrose, Fauhope promises its guests a truly memorable experience, from the warm welcome and floral displays to the uniquely decorated bedrooms and the hearty breakfast. Guests at the three-bedroom bedroom boutique guesthouse can also make use of the on-site treatment room and receive a massage or facial to complete the relaxing experience.
Enjoying stunning views of the Eildon Hills across the River Tweed to Melrose, the B&B is ideally located for discovering the many historic abbeys in the Scottish Borders, visiting the home of Sir Walter Scott at Abbotsford House or making the most of the cycling and walking in abundance in the region.
The B&B also boasts a Taste Our Best award for its use of local and quality Scottish produce.
VisitScotland’s Five Star Gold Quality Assurance Award recognises serviced accommodation businesses which achieve the highest levels of excellence. Businesses that achieve the award excel in areas of customer care and hospitality, showing evidence of a real commitment to development and training.
Sheila Robson, owner of Fauhope Country House B&B, said:
“All of us at Fauhope are delighted to have been awarded the Five Star Gold Award from VisitScotland. We aim to give every guest the best possible experience of our home and indeed the Scottish Borders as a whole, from the friendliest welcome to the soundest sleep followed by the heartiest breakfast. Everything we do is with our guests’ comfort and relaxation in mind, and this award is a wonderful recognition of our efforts. It makes what we do feel very worthwhile and has given us a real boost, so I would like to personally thank VisitScotland on behalf of the Fauhope team. We look forward to living up to the award over the coming months and years.”
Doug Wilson, Regional Director of VisitScotland, said: “Congratulations to Fauhope Country House B&B on receiving this well-deserved accolade. The award is a welcome boost to the business as well as the region as a whole.
“Developed and improved for over 30 years, VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance schemes are world-leading and provide a trusted, independent and impartial source of information for visitors. They allow you to not just meet visitor expectations, but exceed them.
“Quality Assurance is about much more than just the ‘stars’ on your door – it’s about the entire visitor experience, it’s about investing in your business and making it as economically sustainable, and profitable, as it can possibly be.”
VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance schemes can open the door to new customers. It is a powerful marketing tool and works well with online review sites in using an independent perspective to measure visitor experience against tried and tested criteria, so visitors know exactly what to expect.
Launched in September 2013,Taste Our Best is a joint initiative between the national tourism organisation and the Scottish Government. Assessors rate the overall eating experience, the extent to which Scottish produce (at least 40%) is used and promoted, and staff knowledge of the produce on the menu and its provenance.
For more information, visit: www.fauhopehouse.com/
For more information on VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme, please visit www.visitscotland.org/quality_assurance.aspx
Notes to Editors
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- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
- Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
- Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
- Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
- Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
- Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP.
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2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design - 2016 will shine a spotlight on Scotland’s achievements in innovation, architecture and design through a wide-ranging, variety of new and existing activity.
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design started on 1 January 2016 and will end on 31 December 2016.It will build on the momentum generated by the 2015 Year of Food and Drink as well as previous years including Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
- Through a series of exciting events and activity, the year will showcase Scotland’s position as an “innovation nation”, its outstanding built heritage, and its thriving, internationally acclaimed creative industries sector.
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Creative Scotland, Architecture + Design Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design is supported by £570,000 of Scottish Government funding.
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
- Join the conversation at #IAD2016
PRESS CONTACT
Amelia Whittaker
Corporate Press Officer
South Region, Taste Our Best
Amelia.Whittaker@visitscotland.com
01750 723806
Out of hours – 0131 472 2324
Part time Monday, Wednesday, Friday
SOURCE: VisitScotland