Along with providing top-notch customer service and offering University of Memphis students a practical learning environment, the Holiday Inn at The U of M has also been busy accepting awards.
For the third consecutive year, the hotel was honored as a top performer for its excellence in operational and customer satisfaction.
It was presented with the InterContinental Hotels Group 2005 Torchbearer Award, which recognizes the top Holiday Inn hotels around the country.
"We are extremely happy to have received this award," said Jennifer Grant, guest service manager for The Holiday Inn. "We take pride in the fact that we strive for customer service. This award was out of a lot of hotels and we feel honored to get it again this year."
The Torchbearer Award is based on a guest response report where guests rate their experience at the hotel in areas such as overall satisfaction, cleanliness and check-in and checkout operations.
Hotels receive these reports on a weekly basis and the Torchbearer Award is handed out based on the combination of these scores. The Holiday Inn at The U of M was one of 14 Holiday Inn hotels out of 1,200 around this country to have received this award.
"This award is not only wonderful recognition for the staff of the hotel but also great exposure for The University," said Tom Johnson, managing partner of the Wilson Conference Center Group LLC. "As owner of the hotel, The University gets just as much recognition as the hotel operation."
In 2003, the hotel's first year of operation, Holiday Inn received the Newcomer of the Year award and for the past two years it has received the Torchbearer Award for excellence.
"Even after all of this success we are always looking to make improvements," Grant said. "We have the most professional staff and we all take pride in our jobs and work as a team. We get our guest response reports on a weekly basis and if there is any area that is falling we concentrate on making those improvements."
The Holiday Inn at The U of M also works closely with the hotel management program at The University.
"We have several students from the hotel management program that are full time employees at the hotel," Johnson said. "But there is a big misconception that the students from The University run the hotel, which is not the case.
"The hotel operates with top professionals and tries to provide the most ideal situation for students to learn. It is somewhat of a living laboratory."
Students from the hotel management program also take tours of the hotel and get first-hand experience with how the staff works and what they do.
"The significance of this award is that it is based on comments from the guests," said Charles Lee, U of M vice president for business and finance. "The hotel has been in existence for three years now and each year they have won this award. That says a lot about what a high quality facility this hotel is and it also reflect well on The University."
