Awards make Hue a destination brand

Laguna Langco Golf Club was chosen by many tourists. Photo Nguyen Hung

Confirming quality

By the end of 2017, Hue won two sustainable tourism awards of ASEAN, including the title of ASEAN Clean Tourist City Award (for Hue city) and the ASEAN Green Hotel award (for Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort & Spa). These awards honored cities and hotels that meet the criteria for sustainable tourism development in the region.

At the award ceremony of Vietnam Tourism 2018 (July 2018), Hue was also honored with two awards: Vietnam’s Top 15 five-star hotel 2018, awarded to Indochine Palace Hotel; and Vietnam’s Top 10 Golf Courses 2018, awarded to Laguna Langco Golf Club. The Department of Tourism informed that this was the largest tourism award in Vietnam. For Hue, winning many awards annually confirmed its position and service quality on the country’s tourism’s map.

At the end of October, the 19th The Guide Awards co-organized by Vietnam Economic Times and The Guide Magazine, recognized enterprises for their remarkable contributions to Vietnam’s tourism sector in 2017 and 2018. Three enterprises from Hue received prestigious awards voted by tourism enterprises, including “The Excellent Performance of Services and products” awarded to La Residence Hotel, “The Outstanding Hotel of the Year” awarded to Saigon Morin Hue Hotel and “The Excellent Performance for Creating Local Experience in Hue with personalized services” awarded to Huế Của Ta Tourist JSC for its food service at the QHouse restaurant and on Long Quang Emperor Dragon Boat.

Mr. Tran Dinh Minh Duc, Head of Travel Management section of the Tourism Department, said that for The Guide Award, the quality criterion was considered the most important. Service quality is assessed through infrastructure and facilities; staff’s attitude and customer service; and green, clean and beautiful environment.

In addition, other criteria might also be evaluated, including promotion of national identity or exchanges to introduce the countries’ unique cultures; effective exploitation of geographical advantages, contributing to the preservation and building of natural landscape; positive contributions to the localities in particular and to the tourism sector in general through business results, environmental and social responsibilities.

As for La Residence Hotel, 2018 is its "big win" as it is ranked 14th in the Asia’s best hotels list honored by the famous American travel magazine - Condé Nast Traveler in its annual Readers’ Choice Awards in 2018.

Mr. Phan Trong Minh - CEO of the hotel, said that the quality of service has always been the most important goal of La Residence Hotel, including staff’s professional and thoughtful service manners with permanent friendly smiles, careful food selection... Most customers were very satisfied with the hotel.

Towards common quality

Mr. Phan Trong Minh also said that La Residence Hotel continued to repair and upgrade its infrastructure and change its facilities with an investment capital of $ 6 million. Over time, despite the hotel's facilities are still secure, improving their quality is very necessary with regards to increasing customers’ tendency and demands.

“Once upgraded, La Residence Hotel's service rate for a night will rise to around 30% and will be in the country’s top hotel list. The hotel is very confident because we always has a stable source of customers,” said Mr. Minh.

Mr. Le Huu Minh, acting Director of the Tourism Department, told that service quality would create a brand for each destination. Products are various but their quality is not “quintessential”. This would either lead to the lack of attractiveness or not receive high appreciation of visitors. Orientation of the tourism sector is to create products of high quality. With a recent “rain” of prestigious awards, awardee enterprises would be the pioneers contributing to promoting and improving the quality of tourism services for the province.

According to the leader of the Tourism Department, the department would enhance to disseminate, commend and reward examples of leading enterprises that has a focus on improving their service quality and contributing to the development of the provincial tourism. At the same time, the department would encourage other enterprises to actively improve their quality, focus on improving facility quality, provide regular training to improve skills, create a healthy working environment and increase staff quality control at the input stage.

Duc Quang