AND THE AWARD GOES TO…
“How was your overall experience at the hotel” is the one question asked to guests staying at a Hampton Inn & Suites property. For one Knoxville location, Hampton Inn & Suites - Papermill, the positive answers have won them the National Lighthouse Award.
The prestigious Lighthouse Award was created in the mid-90s by the Hilton brand of hotels to recognize properties that go above and beyond and set the bar for hospitality and service.
On winning the award, GM Adrian Zarczynski explains how important the award is, “It is huge! It is a way to share with our guests that we are recognized by the brand for customer service, cleanliness, and quality of the product.”
Winning the Lighthouse Award is not an easy task. The award is granted to the property that has the highest Total Quality Score (TQS). The TQS is calculated through a combination of the yearly quality assurance inspections and surveys received by guests ranking their experience at the hotel. To help ensure fairness across the board, that question is sent to guests after their stay by a third-party company - Medallia Co. Guests are given the option to rate the property on a scale of 1 - 10 and points do not come easily. Positive marks are only awarded for the questions that are ranked a nine or a ten.
“Each property is ranked among every state and city, it solidifies the quality of the hotel we have in Knoxville and Knoxville has some of the best hotels. I think the culture of hospitality in the area definitely helps. The competition in the area is stiff and requires us to constantly perform at our best,” explains Zarczynski.
Zarczynski is very humbled by the award and attributes the win to the team at the Hampton Inn & Suites - Papermill which consists of a staff of 23, proving that a small team can create big results. Results that not only shine positively on the brand and property but on the city of Knoxville as a whole and helps light the pathway for potential guests to visit and enjoy the city.
# # # # #
