Sodexo Scotland awarded Hospitality Assured

Sodexo, a leading food and facilities management services provider, has been awarded the Institute of Hospitality’s Hospitality Assured (HA) accreditation for all of its sites and services in Scotland.

With a score of 71.2%, Sodexo ranked in the upper quartile of all organisations in the UK achieving the nationally recognised standard for service and business excellence in the hospitality industry this year.

Sodexo – also an Institute of Hospitality Company Patron – has been awarded HA accreditation in previous years for a selection of its sites in Scotland, however, it is the first time the company has succeeded in attaining accreditation for its entire operations in the country.

Endorsed by both the British Quality Foundation and Quality Scotland Foundation as meeting the criteria in the European Foundation for Quality Management Business Excellence Model, the HA accreditation demonstrates that an organisation has made not only a resounding commitment to customer service but also improvements to its business performance and competitiveness.

Any organisation wishing to gain the prestigious accreditation must first undertake a comprehensive self-assessment before submitting to a series of external assessments from the independent auditing body Marketing Quality Assurance (MQA).

To ensure its managers and supervisors were fully educated in understanding the ten steps required to achieve the standard, Sodexo appointed HA ‘champions’ who held a series of best practice workshops across the country.

In their report, MQA assessors were particularly impressed with Sodexo’s business retention strategy 'Clients for Life' – a programme that enables its operational teams to fully understand their clients' needs and expectations.

Ann Corrigan FIH, managing director of Hospitality Assured, said: "By achieving The Hospitality Assured accreditation Sodexo has proven that it is not just talking about service excellence but actually has processes and procedures in place to ensure that this happens on a consistent basis.  I am delighted to congratulate the teams on their fine achievement in gaining such an outstanding overall Hospitality Assured score.”

Ian Griffith, managing director, MQA, added: "Sodexo Scotland is an extremely well run organisation that is absolutely committed to providing its clients and customers with world-class service. Its ‘Clients for Life’ process is an excellent example of client relationship management, demonstrating the care and attention it pays to understanding its clients' needs and expectations."

Graham Box, managing director, Sodexo Scotland, welcomed the award: “I am delighted to announce we have achieved such an important accolade in Scotland. To gain external recognition for all of our sites and services is a fantastic accomplishment and reflects the second-to-none standards of service we are committed to providing.”

Sodexo joins an elite group of companies including, Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Marks and Spencer and HSBC, which have also received HA accreditation this year.

Press Contacts:

Piers Zangana / Clare Collins

Sodexo

Tel: 020 7535 7400

E-mail: press.office@sodexo.com

Ann Corrigan

Managing Director, Hospitality Assured

Tel: 020 8661 4921

E-mail: ann.corrigan@instituteofhospitality.org

About Hospitality Assured

Hospitality Assured is the Institute of Hospitality’s standard for service and business excellence. It is a leading service sector specification that provides an effective framework that can be used by all sorts of businesses to create a service culture that delights customers and supports business sustainability.

The Hospitality Assured framework can help businesses to: Understand consumer expectation; plan your service delivery; communicate the nature and rationale of your service; develop service ideals, values and principles that support a culture of excellence and instigate a process of improvement.

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