Downing College was presented with the prize by Mayor Councillor Jeremy Benstead at a prestigious ceremony held at the Cambridge Union which recognised a range of Cambridge businesses for achieving the highest standards in their field.
All had been visited by an anonymous Mystery Shopper over the last few months who provided in-depth feedback on their experience.
Downing achieved an overall score of 90% from the Shopper who assessed the whole experience from arrival at the Porters’ Lodge through to checking out the next day.
Under the spotlight were: signage to the venue; standard of the room and bathroom including fixtures and fittings; how extra requests were dealt with; the choice and quality of food and drink at breakfast; and whether the staff were friendly, helpful and neatly dressed.
The Mystery Shopper highlighted the friendly welcome received: “Our key and information pack were ready, along with a map showing exactly where our room was and where breakfast would be served. The room was very clean and tidy and impressive in terms of size and quality of the fittings – the bathroom in particular was very nicely finished and exceptionally clean. Downing College has obviously gone to great lengths to ensure that guests enjoy their visit and manages to combine professionalism with a comfortable stay.”
Jacqui Cressey, Head of Conference Services said: “Winning this Special Recognition Award is a great accolade for us and testament to all the hard work put in by our team including Porters, Housekeeping, Catering and Grounds & Maintenance. Being assessed in this way is a fair reflection of the service received and we are proud to have delivered an outstanding experience for our Mystery Shopper. My thanks and congratulations to everyone who contributed to this achievement.”
Ian Sandison, Chairman of Cambridge BID added: “Excellent customer service is key to a business’s continuing success and I am delighted that so many businesses in Cambridge recognise this and are making such a commitment to their customers.”
The first round of mystery shopping involved 196 businesses which put themselves forward, followed by a second round during the Summer.
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