nov8 old courseaward

The Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa at St Andrews has received yet another accolade for excellence and named Golf Resort of the Year 2007 by Golf Tourism Scotland.

The latest honour comes only a month after the World Travel Awards, regarded as the “Oscars” of the travel industry, voted the St Andrews complex Scotland’s Leading Golf Resort as well as Scotland’s Leading Spa Resort for the second year running.

More than 110,000 travel agencies from 200 countries voted the Old Course Hotel. Golf Resort and Spa their unanimous choice for the World Travel Awards against formidable opposition from other established Scottish resorts.

And now this massive popularity has been underlined by the Golf Tourism Scotland award by a panel of experts that included 70 tour operators as well as representatives from other resorts, hotels and golf course operations.

The awards voting criteria is based on overall service, quality of facilities and general ambience as soon as the guest steps over the threshold. What sets the Old Course Hotel part is a guiding philosophy that anticipates guests’ needs “before they even realise they want something.”

Another major factor that has made St Andrews a market leader in service and quality is the substantial American reinvestment in the resort itself as well as the town and local area. By common consent this strategy has “raised the bar” in attracting global business particularly from the United States and Japan.

Special mention in the Golf Tourism Scotland Awards was made of the transformation and improvements to The Duke’s course that is the designated venue for the Scottish Open Stroke Play Championship in May 2008.

The guiding principle has been to highlight the unique nature of The Duke’s as the only heathland course in St Andrews and to emphasise that fact, more work is being carried out on five greens in preparation for the 2008 championship.