Earning Tripadvisor’s coveted Travellers’ Choice Award

^{Switch Management Ltd’s flagship hotel, Park Regis Birmingham, has received a Travellers’ Choice Award from leading travel website Tripadvisor, following a consistent string of outstanding reviews from its guests.}

At Switch, we are guided by excellence, integrity, agility and collaboration. This ensures that our services are delivered by the best and most skilled people, who continually go the extra mile for clients.

Celebrating the highest standards in the travel industry, Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Award is presented to hotels that receive a high volume of “above and beyond” reviews from its global community.

Since becoming hotel manager of our flagship site, Park Regis Birmingham, in January this year, Kirstie Orton has had a steadfast focus on increasing its presence on the platform, with the goal of receiving this coveted recognition.

The team’s hard work has resulted in a roster of consistently excellent reviews over the last 12 months, and we are proud recipients of the Travellers’ Choice Award 2024. Park Regis has also risen eight positions against other hotels in the region and is now listed among the top 10% of hotels worldwide.

With this stamp of approval from Tripadvisor, guests have the assurance that they have chosen a hotel with an impeccable reputation.

Kirstie believes that the service provided is key to Park Regis’ success and the team will always make this a priority. She notes: “We have had more and more guests mentioning that they have seen the good reviews online and that they have not been disappointed or let down with their own experiences.”

Going for gold

Together, Kirstie and the hotel’s guest relations manager, Bahman Abbasiyan, have been the driving forces behind the receipt of the award, with a clear strategy and focus on providing an outstanding service at the forefront of their minds.

This has included:

• ‍Enjoying every experience. A warm welcome isn’t exclusive to the lobby. Staff are genuinely delighted to see guests through every part of the hotel.
• Improving every day. The team have various ways of obtaining feedback from guests. From courtesy calls after check-in, to a friendly chat in the lobby at check-out, we have regular touchpoints with guests to make sure each process is running smoothly and we can resolve any issues at the earliest opportunity.
• Taking action. We carefully analyse any negative feedback that we do receive and take note of the common themes that are coming through. The team evaluate the improvements that can be made to our service and implement positive changes to make it better next time.
• Keeping it real. Ensuring the guests' expectations are clear and correct from the point of check in so that the guest knows what they have booked and what to expect out of their stay.
• Consistency is key. Our professional team focuses on the service they are providing to everyone - regardless of the rate a guest is paying, they are each treated the same.
• Enhancing experience all round. Whether it’s the aesthetics of the hotel, a unique item on the breakfast menu or the music playing in the lobby, the Park Regis team are constantly finding ways to make guest experiences as best as possible.

Bahman’s role in particular has been vital in achieving the hotel’s new status. He prides himself on building a personal rapport with guests – no matter how long their stay – to ensure they are each enjoying a warm, welcoming and comfortable experience, and takes a proactive approach to ensure his team is always adding value.

This involves continuously looking ahead to future arrivals and communicating any individual requests from guests, or occasions like birthdays and anniversaries, to the rest of the hotel. By checking rooms ahead of guests’ arrival, the team can ensure everything is up to the Switch gold standard, and this is another opportunity to add any finishing touches to create an extra-special feel.

Through cross-departmental collaboration, Bahman and Kirstie are also able to leverage the skills of all our teams to find creative ways that achieve a common goal, without the need to outsource. For example, working with Marketing to create additional printed collateral, so that it’s as easy as possible for guests to post a review and share their Park Regis experience.

These personal touches have enabled the hotel to become a favourite among travellers, and the Traveller’ Choice Awards recognises our commitment to hospitality excellence.

Bahman commented: “To receive this Tripadvisor award is a huge milestone for us as a hotel. We’re delighted to be recognised for our exceptional customer service and guest experience.”

John Angus, managing director of Switch Management Ltd, added: “Park Regis continues to deliver an outstanding level of service from a hard-working and dedicated team of staff, who make every guest experience memorable. I’m exceptionally proud of the Park Regis team for achieving this important recognition.”