Jurys Inn meetings business secures AIM accreditation for all UK venues

09-May-2012 - Last updated on 22-Apr-2024 at 14:35 GMT

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Jurys Inn has become the first international hotel group to receive AIM accreditation for the meetings offering in all its UK venues

Jurys Inn has become the first international hotel group to secure AIM accreditation from the Meetings Industry Association (MIA) for all its UK venues and is the latest hotel operator to announce its ambitions in the meetings sector.

The operator has recently relaunched its meetings offering under the branding Jurys Meetings in order to ensure each venue offers the same service for its corporate events guests.

The relaunch follows an internal survey it carried out of its corporate guests that found more than two-thirds felt price was the biggest reason for choosing a meetings venue. Location was also crucial according to nearly 67 per cent of guests while just under half valued service as the biggest influencer.

As part of the relaunch, the mid-scale hotelier has introduced a 12-point service promise including no hidden extras, a detailed breakdown of the event details 72 working hours before arrival and speedy debriefs and billing.

If the hotel fails to reach the standards to the client's satisfaction 2 per cent will be deducted from the bill for each point missed, up to 20 per cent.

Innovative

The MIA has confirmed all of the UK Jurys Inn venues have now received entry-level AIM accreditation, the 'kitemark' for the meetings, conference and events industry.

Jane Longhurst, MIA chief executive, said becoming the first international hotel operator to reach this level was down to the refocus by Jurys Inn. "The innovative new meetings offering from Jurys Inn is an example of the group's commitment to raising standards, and this has been palpable throughout the group's AIM accreditation process."

Hotel meetings

The Dublin-based company welcomed the AIM accreditation and said it believed it was a vindication of its meetings business as it claims more than 97 per cent of clients would book again or recommend the service. A spokesperson for the company confirmed to BigHospitality that Jurys Inn would now be looking to achieve Silver, and possibly Gold, accreditation for its venues.

The accreditation and relaunch is the latest development in a pattern of hotels increasingly looking to the meetings sector for a boost to business. In February Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) revealed it was keen to establish it's managed estate Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza brands as market leaders in the meetings industry.

Jurys Inn, which has undergone a process which chief executive John Brennan described as a reinvention, was earlier this year named among the winners of the latest Business Travel Awards.