Murray Edwards College was awarded the accolade from VisitEngland, the country’s national tourist board, for the facilities and services on offer in its bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as public areas such as Reception and the Dining Room.
The audit included assessment of a wide range of different aspects of the accommodation – from decorative order through to the choice of refreshments on offer.
This year’s Quality in Tourism report highlighted the College’s quiet location yet with excellent transport links to the city centre, its well-tended gardens with sculptures and the on-site parking which was considered a significant benefit given the high parking charges in Cambridge.
The assessor also mentioned positive first impressions created by unusual potted plants at the main front entrance, clear signage to the Porters’ Lodge reception and the new Pocket Guide, given to guests on arrival, which provides helpful College information as well as details of local attractions to see during your stay.
The resident New Hall Art Collection – the second largest collection of works by female artists in the world – continues to be a unique and impressive feature which guests have also identified as adding ‘significant value’ to their stay.
Freya Vaughan, Marketing & Events Officer said: “We were so pleased to receive our Three Star Campus Rating once again this year which is an important official endorsement of the high standard of our accommodation.
“Our repeated success reflects a number of enhancements we have made to our facilities since the last audit, including co-ordinated throws and cushions in our rooms and the addition of large New Hall Art Collection Posters featuring a selection of the artworks to create a more welcoming feel.
“One thing the assessor made clear was that cleanliness is the most crucial element of any audit and our excellent housekeeping department ensured we scored very highly here, with words such as ‘pristine’ and ‘immaculate’ used in the report.”
Quality in Tourism is the assessment service for VisitEngland. Its Campus Accreditation is specifically for university or college accommodation and ratings are awarded on a scale of One to Five Stars.
Image: Celebrating success at Murray Edwards College, left Chris Pope, General Manager Conferences, Catering and Residences with Freya Vaughan, Marketing & Events Officer.