Top 5* star ratings have been awarded to seven Motorway Service Stations from across the country as part of VisitEngland’s Motorway Service Area Quality Scheme. Whether travelling for business or leisure, Service Stations provide important stopping points for people visiting an area and this experience can add to the overall enjoyment of the trip. As National Tourist Board for England, VisitEngland assesses the quality of service and customer experience at service stations across the country to help encourage a high quality experience for all travellers.
Five leading operators took part in this year’s quality scheme – Extra, Moto, Welcome Break, Roadchef and Westmorland, who collectively own 107 sites across England. A further 42 services will received a 4 Star rating and the remaining 58 services are rated as 3 Star.
As part of the Scheme, VisitEngland Assessor’s anonymously visited all the operators’ individual sites twice over the last 12 months and completed a thorough quality report. On each visit, the Assessor looks at the whole of the customer journey, from initial arrival right through to the use of facilities, retail and catering outlets, to departure. The sites service stations are assessed on the quality of catering, cleanliness, staff, food, forecourt, retail, service, toilet facilities and overall site– which can include anything from the baby changing, coach parking space or facilities for dogs.
Top 5* ratings have been awarded to the following Motorway Service stations:
| Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, Junction 2 of M40, Extra | Beaconsfield achieved an overall score of 90% which means that the services has now progressed from 4* to 5* in the last 12 months. The management has improved the levels of quality throughout the customer journey through new initiatives. The Assessor was particularly impressed with the quality of Beaconsfield’s coffee shops, food retail and its spacious forecourt area. |
| Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, Junction 64 off the M65, Extra | The standard of facilities, service, food, drink and merchandise provided by Costa Coffee and the Co-operative shop achieved a very high 5* scoring. Other aspects of the service area which also impressed include the Forecourt which displayed excellent quality standards across all its facilities from being spacious to having clear signs and pricing. Staff performed well across the site and levels of cleanliness were notably high. |
| Charnock Richard North, Lancashire, M6 between J27 and J28, Welcome Break | The standard of facilities, service, food, drink and merchandise provided by Starbucks, Waitrose and WH Smith was high with 5* scoring deservedly achieved. Other aspects of the service area performed well with Toilets, Staff and Forecourt sections also achieving 5 star standards. Individual highlights included the cleanliness and overall presentation of the Waitrose shop and the levels of service and knowledge experienced from most of the staff encountered during the visit. |
| Cobham, Surrey, M25 between J9 and J10, Extra | Excellent provision of key facilities, a well-presented and spacious site and an excellent range of food and retail outlets including WH Smith, Marks & Spencer’s, Starbucks and Eat In. |
| Gloucester, M5 inbound between J11a and J12, Westmoreland | This fabulous new Motorway Service station is operating at 5-star standards across the site. The quality of the facilities is to a very high standard in all areas and it has been designed and customers will be impressed by the extensive range and quality of the produce offered in the shop. The quality of the food served in the kitchen is also to a very high standard. |
| Tebay South, Cumbria, M6 between J38 and J39, Westmoreland | Tebay South was praised for its helpful and friendly staff in the shop and café area (soon be rebranded as the Farm Kitchen) which offers customers a wide range of easily accessible merchandise. The services also offer include a spacious lounge for families and an outside pond. |
| Tebay North, Cumbria, M6 between J38 and J39, Westmoreland | The quality of the produce on sale, both in the shop and in the Café and Kitchen at Tebay North are excellent and the services are in a wonderful location with far reaching views from the public seating and eating areas in the service station. The lounge provides a dining area for customers who may have made their purchases from Made To Go are much enjoyed by customers. Their high standards of cleanliness are to be commended. |
James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland said: “The quality of Motorway Services in England has improved dramatically over the last few years. A quality service for visitors makes an enormous difference to people taking a much needed break on their journey – whether their trip is for business or pleasure. There are some true examples of these businesses going above and beyond to meet the needs of customers. What’s also fantastic is that seven individual sites have now achieved the top 5* rating, with all of the services received a rating of 3 stars and up – a sure sign of their commitment to providing this first rate service in the years to come.”
