Not only did Airedale Tours pick up the ‘Best Group Tour Operator (Large)’ award but we also won the award for ‘Best Overall Group Supplier’. This is the first time since 2001 that we’ve been awarded ‘Best Overall’ and it’s especially exciting because it means we polled the largest number of votes of any winner in any category!

The Group Travel Awards are run by Group Travel Organiser magazine and we place a lot of importance on them because the winners are actually chosen by Group Organisers. We’d like to say a big ‘thank you’ to all of our customers who nominated and voted for Airedale Tours. We were up against some stiff competition – including large national companies – and it’s fantastic that you think we deliver an unbeatable service to your groups.

You know that we pride ourselves in offering a personal and reliable service alongside high standards and lots of choice for groups. Many of you are kind enough to compliment us in person on the way we organise your group’s holidays. Winning these national awards is the icing on the cake and makes us even more determined to not only meet your expectations but exceed them wherever we can. Thank you for voting for us – we’ve now picked up 15 national awards in recent years. Winning these two top awards in 2010 makes our silver jubilee celebrations this year even more memorable. It’s also a wonderful tribute to our late colleague, David Kettell, who would have felt as proud and excited as all of us in the office today.

A lot of organisation took place to make the weekend run so smoothly, with generous hospitality everywhere including some very nice raffle prizes and the birthday cake to celebrate 25 years.

My best wishes to you all for another successful 25 years in the future.

More than 300 group organisers and friends joined us for a gala dinner during Airedale Tours’ biennial conference in February.  And, judging by your letters, a good time was had by all!

At the dinner, Airedale director, John Brain, cut a silver jubilee cake to celebrate our 25 years in the group travel business.  And we were very touched when you all joined in to sing “Happy Birthday” to Airedale Tours!

As it was such a special occasion we also gave away 25 bottles of champagne in a prize draw – one for every year that we’ve been organising holidays for our customers.

It was fantastic that so many of you were with us to make a night of it.  And it was very fitting that several of the group organisers at the gala dinner have been travelling with Airedale Tours since the very early days of the business.  Joyce Millsom has actually been with us since the company was formed in 1985 and her group has been on more than 70 holidays with Airedale!

Lots of you have told us how much you enjoyed the dinner and the rest of the conference which was held at Warners Corton Coastal Resort at Lowestoft.  Even the atrocious weather didn’t seem to dampen your enthusiasm.  Many of you have also written to us about the week-end.

A family affair. Jason Bracken (right) with his sister Lisa, parents Valerie and Peter and manager Nigel Walker (left)

Tell us about your hotel.
We’re right on the seafront at Morecambe so a number of the rooms have sea views.  We’ve enlarged and improved the hotel over the years and we now have 51 bedrooms and two rooms for coach drivers.  We’re in an ideal spot for touring the Lake District, North Yorkshire and the Blackpool coast.

How long has your family had the hotel?
My parents, Valerie and Peter, took over the hotel about 30 years ago.  I run the hotel now with my sister, Lisa, but our parents are still very much involved.  We also have a manager, Nigel Walker, who’s been with us for about eight years.

Why is your hotel so popular with groups?
I think it’s because we’re all friendly and approachable.  We’re there for people if they have any problems and we aim to iron them out as quickly as possible.  Customers who come here are really like part of the family – we greet them on the coach when they arrive and we’re always there to see them off at the end of their holiday.

How important is it to maintain standards at the hotel?
Hugely important.  We’re very hot on cleanliness and all of the rooms are double-checked after the chambermaids have been in.  We’re always updating the hotel to keep it looking fresh – we shut down for eight weeks in the winter for maintenance and decorating.

What about the food at the hotel?
We operate waiter service in our restaurant and we’ve got a good reputation for food.  It’s all home-made and traditional and guests have a choice.

Has The Auckland Hotel won any awards?
In the past ten years we’ve twice won the GTO Travel Award for ‘Best Individual Hotel’.  We’ve made it to the finals on a number of occasions and we’ve been runner-up three times.

What is it like working with Airedale Tours?
We’ve been working with them since they set up 25 years ago.  They’re a very good company – very professional and efficient.  For instance, if guests have any special requests, these are all sorted out in advance of their stay.

Is there anything new on the horizon for the future?
We already hold a themed break called ‘Back to the 40s’ which is very popular with groups.  In April we’ll be introducing a ‘60s Mania’ break.  Our annual ‘turkey and tinsel’ breaks are also a big hit with groups and we’ll be carrying on with those.  We’re also looking forward to developing new ground floor bedrooms and improving the public rooms in the next year or two – alongside the continuous updating of the rest of the hotel.

In another first, the Airedale Tours brochure also features a wide range of garden-themed holidays including a group tour to the ‘Bundesgarten’ show at Koblenz on the Rhine in 2011.
 
Marketing Manager at Airedale Tours, Amani Claughton, said: “We’ve gone big on garden tours in the brochure because we’re experiencing so much demand for them.  The beauty of these tours is that they have such a wide appeal and can be tied in with other excursions in some great holiday destinations.

“By featuring themed tours in the brochure we’re also getting across the message that we specialise in tailor-made holidays and can organise breaks to suit a variety of group interests – from art appreciation to steam trains.”

The Airedale Tours 2011 brochure features an extended section on the North West of England including new suggestions for group touring bases at Manchester, Preston and Leigh – ideal for exploring the Lake District and the coast.  Bowness-on-Windermere is another new destination in the heart of the Lake District.

Other new destinations across Britain featured in the brochure include the inland cathedral cities of Lincoln and Durham and, in Scotland, Nethy Bridge at Speyside which makes a perfect touring base for the ‘whisky trail’. 

Group organisers can request a free copy of the Airedale Tours 2011 brochure by calling Airedale on FREEPHONE  0808 161 1660.

The annual Group Travel Awards – run by Group Travel Organiser magazine – are regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the group travel industry.  The travelling public nominate and vote for what they consider to be the top-performing companies in the business.  Over the past 14 years Airedale Tours has featured highly at the Group Travel Awards and has now picked up a total of 15 top awards

Marketing Manager of Airedale Tours, Amani Claughton, said: “Airedale Tours is celebrating its silver jubilee this year and to win these two top awards is the icing on the cake.  It’s a great achievement and a credit to the entire Airedale team.  Group travellers from all over the UK have voted for us and it’s a huge endorsement of our expertise and high standards of customer service.”

Originally from Sheffield, Glen has travelled extensively and spent three years working in the USA before returning to the UK to build a successful IT company.  After selling his business in 2003, he lectured in business part-time and was Managing Director of Connect Yorkshire for four years.  Glen was a close friend of David Kettell for more than 25 years and knows the Airedale Tours business well.

Commenting on his appointment as Managing Director, Glen said: “I am looking forward to working with the Airedale team and ensuring that our business meets the high expectations of our customers across the UK.  I have joined Airedale Tours in sad circumstances but am determined that we will continue to offer the same personal service and high standards of which David was so proud.”

After a year-long battle with cancer, David passed away on Monday 5 April 2010 at home aged 51 years.  

Many of you will have met David personally. He was a great boss, good friend and passionate about travel.  He will be much missed by the Airedale ‘family’ and we will continue to uphold his high standards providing excellent service and care to all our customers.

For anyone wishing to attend, David’s funeral will take place on Friday 23 April 2010, 1.30pm at All Saints Church, Barwick-in-Elmet, Leeds LS15 4JQ.  The family kindly requests no flowers and, instead, suggest that those who wish to can make a donation to Cancer Research.

If anyone wishes to send cards or messages to the family please send them c/o Airedale Tours and we will pass them on.

Please note that our office will be closed on Friday 23 April 2010 in order that staff can attend David’s funeral.

From All at Airedale Tours