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Birmingham’s Radisson SAS Hotel has become the first business in the whole of the West Midlands to be awarded two Quality at Heart honours – both of them gold.

The First Class international hotel picked up Gold Standards for its high level of service and its staff development at a presentation ceremony this week at the Draycote Hotel near Coventry.

Quality at Heart is a regional recognition scheme for tourism, hospitality and leisure businesses. It acknowledges businesses that have excellent practices in dealing with both guests and staff.

The double gold award is the latest in a string of accolades for the Radisson SAS Hotel, Birmingham, which opened in Beetham Tower less than two years ago. Last month, its contemporary Italian restaurant, Filini, was presented with a Gold Standard Italian Restaurant Award 2007 by the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association for its “outstanding” authentic cuisine and dining experience.

Kathrine Ohm Thomas, the hotel’s General Manager, said of the Quality at Heart awards: “We are all extremely proud to receive two such prestigious awards that recognise the work we do, especially as we are the first business in the West Midlands to be awarded two Quality at Heart Gold Standards. We have an international team of professionals that is committed both to serving our guests and developing their own careers: it’s a winning combination that results in a successful hotel.”

This project was taken on by two members of staff who were both ambitious and interested in moving their careers forward. Darius Juskenas and Liz Mannion became a team dedicated to achieving Quality at Heart awards and since being successful have both been promoted within the company. Darius has been promoted to Operations Manager at a new property in Rostov, Russia and Liz has developed into Human Resources Service Manager at the Birmingham hotel.

Rob Gardiner from Quality at Heart West Midlands said: “I am very pleased the Radisson SAS Hotel, Birmingham has achieved not one but two Gold accreditations. It is a great achievement by the Radisson, being so new to Birmingham, to also become the first hotel in the region to have achieved these awards.”

The Radisson SAS Hotel, Birmingham, takes up the first 18 floors of the 400ft Beetham Tower on Holloway Circus and includes a plush 18th-floor Presidential Suite, gym, Obsession Salon & Spa and two floors of meetings and events rooms.

Kathrine added: “We have quickly gained a reputation for offering the best when it comes to a modern hotel. In just under two years we have helped put Birmingham firmly on the international map and raised its game as a major player in the conference and exhibition market.”