The Perfect Getaway: Select Registry Celebrates Record-Breaking Year With 2010 Quality Inspections
MARSHALL, Mich. (Dec.1, 2010) – Select RegistryTM, Distinguished Inns of North America is pleased to announce that three members have achieved perfect scores in their 2010 quality assurance inspections. In the organization’s 40-year history, this is the first time ever that a trio of inns have aced this inspection in a single year.
Select Registry’s 2010 perfect-scoring properties are: The Honor Mansion in Sonoma Wine Country, CA; Rabbit Hill Inn of Lower Waterford, VT; and Historic Jacob Hill Inn in Providence, RI.
Established in the early 1970s, Select Registry’s inspections are the inn-keeping industry’s longest running and most comprehensive quality assurance program. To gain admission to this “best-of-the-best” collection, inns must undergo rigorous evaluations on an ongoing basis. Of the 20,000 inns and bed and breakfasts in North America, only 400 have qualified to join this elite portfolio.
“We are delighted to recognize Rabbit Hill Inn, Honor Mansion and Jacob Hill Inn for their commitment to excellence,” says Will Carlson, Select Registry’s executive director. “In the entire history of our organization, no more than 10 properties have ever achieved perfect scores. That makes us particularly proud of the unique accomplishments of these three exemplary inns.
“Our quality assurance program is exacting, to say the least,” Carlson continues. “It is designed to give travelers the confidence that each inn or B&B they visit has met the very highest standards.”
For objectivity, Select Registry inspections are performed by an independent hospitality consulting firm, Quality Consultants, Inc., based in Rhode Island. Under the Select Registry system, an inspector with years of industry experience checks into the inn anonymously, spends the night and conducts a meticulous assessment. The evaluation covers the full gamut, from appearance, ambiance and hospitality down to minute details of the grounds, common areas, check-in, guestrooms, dining, service and check-out. Are the gardens well tended, the check-in friendly, the bedding plush, faucets gleaming, breakfast freshly baked and served right out of the oven? Is the staff friendly and well informed? Can the innkeepers recommend excellent restaurants within a 15-minute drive?
Each inn is evaluated on a 200-point system, which translates into a pass/fail grade for the property. To gain admission to Select Registry and retain that membership, each inn must pass periodic inspections with a grade of 86% or higher. With an eye ever focused on the enhanced guest experience, Select Registry recently raised the bar, voting to increase its minimum passing grade to 88% effective 2011.
“Our stringent membership requirements and periodic evaluations assure every Select Registry inn is exceptional,” Carlson explains.
“This year’s quality inspections set new records in a couple ways,” he adds, “including the fact that Honor Mansion and Rabbit Hill are each celebrating perfect scores for the second consecutive time. This is truly a remarkable achievement.”
Inn-spired
“Honor Mansion is one of the best properties we have ever visited,” the inspector reported. “Our guestroom suite was superb, with a comfortable bed and an outdoor private Jacuzzi, among other amenities. Breakfast was great, with special touches, such as mimosas. It was a very hard setting to leave after only one night, and I would certainly make every effort to return.”
Located in the heart of Northern California wine country, Honor Mansion garnered top marks for its elegant setting and exceptional amenities: a solar-heated lap pool and spa pavilion, PGA putting green, jogging trails, walking gardens, tennis courts and quarter-acre of Zinfandel vines. The AAA Four Diamond property sits at the confluence of the world-renowned wine growing appellations of Dry Creek, Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley, which host more than 100 world-class wineries and tasting rooms. Nestled on four landscaped acres, the 13-room resort inn is an easy walk to the historic Healdsburg town plaza, with lively shops, galleries, bakeries and restaurants.
“Rabbit Hill is a spectacularly maintained and appointed property!” the inspector said about his inspection of this 19-room lodging in pristine Northeastern Vermont. “(Innkeepers) Brian and Leslie make guest satisfaction their priority, providing dinner and breakfast options of the highest quality and appointing guestrooms to a degree that makes guests feel supremely relaxed and pampered.”
This romantic hideaway was among just three country inns recognized in Travel + Leisure’s 2009 World’s Best Hotels list. Rabbit Hill occupies a refurbished house and tavern, both more than 200 years old. Guestrooms feature fireplaces, double whirlpool tubs, and private porches, offering spectacular views of the White Mountains. Among the other comforts: free Wi-Fi and in-room massage service. The award-winning gourmet restaurant serves seasonal, “pasture-to-plate” fare from local farms, all in an elegant and intimate setting.
“A few inns excel in virtually all categories of the evaluation process,” said the inspector after his visit to Historic Jacob Hill Inn. “Usually the one outstanding differential quality of these inns is their hospitality. Jacob Hill Inn is a perfect example of this concept. Building and grounds were well maintained, guestrooms were in excellent condition, breakfast was delightful and hospitality was over-the-top.”
Situated on a country estate just 10 minutes from downtown Providence, Historic Jacob Hill Inn houses 12 guestrooms and suites, many with canopy beds and gleaming wood floors that reflect flames from the property’s original fireplaces dating from 1722. Breakfast in the main dining room is warm and elegant. With a culinary program that goes above and beyond, Jacob Hill’s Fun For Foodies Vacations Packages offer hands-on cooking classes featuring celebrated chefs from Johnson & Wales College of Culinary Arts.
To find out more about Select Registry’s exceptional inns across North America, visit www.selectregistry.com.
Media Contacts
Christie Gregovich, Ypartnership Public Relations, 407-838-1822, christie.gregovich@ypartnership.com
Sharlet Brennan, Ypartnership Public Relations, 407-838-1707, sharlet.brennan@ypartnership.com
About Select Registry
Select Registry is a collection of North America’s most distinctive inns. Member properties must pass rigorous, ongoing quality inspections to gain admission to this unique portfolio. Many are recipients of coveted industry awards for both service and ambiance, including: Best Small Hotels in the U.S., Top Ten Romantic Inns, Best Breakfast in America, Best Places To Watch the Sun Set, and World’s Best Adventure Lodges. Only 400 of the 20,000 inns and bed and breakfasts in North America have qualified to join this “best-of-the-best” collection. To explore Select Registry inns across North America, visit www.selectregistry.com.
Tags:
