Raymond Blanc > Blogs > Awards are funny things

Awards are funny things. We’ve won a few in the last couple of weeks and, of course, are mightily flattered and pleased. On 2 September, Condé Nast Traveller editor Sarah Miller and the very funny comedian Marcus Brigstocke handed me the magazine readers’ runner-up award in the UK Leisure Hotels category. This was great, because scores in the various categories are based on several months’ voting by over 80,000 readers and via the very popular CNTraveller.com website.

My team and I felt really honoured to receive this award from the readers of Condé Nast Traveller who have been my guests at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons over the years. Naturally, I am constantly searching for ways to improve every single facet of Le Manoir, which remains the jewel in the crown of the businesses I’m associated with. This 25th anniversary year has been one of incredible excitement, but my deepest desire is to ensure that we continue to evolve our idea of excellence. My biggest demon is that I don’t think it really is possible to achieve perfection but a source of great joy for me is the fact that I do believe that it is possible to come very, very close. And awards like this one reinforce this feeling.

Then on the 8th of September Tim and Nina Zagat, the American founders of the Zagat Survey, presented Philip Newman-Hall, our Director and General Manager of Le Manoir with the number one spot for service, during its annual event to laud all the very best in the hospitality industry. We also claimed the fourth position for food, with the same points as the top three restaurants and number two for décor, with the same points as the number one restaurant. Finally, our team were applauded for the quality and levels of service, which were judged as second to none. The Zagat guide aggregates surveys filled in by its readers; and though they’re of course self-selected, they all seem to be pretty passionate foodies. The 2010 Zagat London Restaurants survey includes ratings and reviews of 1,166 eateries in the city and surrounding areas as voted on by 5,562 passionate gourmands. The surveyors ate out on average 2.2 times per week, culminating in 630,000 meals over the course of the year. That sounds pretty well-qualified to me!

And surveys like these do have a relationship to that most important source of information, word-of-mouth. In these times of global financial uncertainty, it is even more vital to try and excel in all areas – and we’re fanatical when it comes to delivery of service. The terms luxury and quality have come to mean so many different things to so many different people, but the one thing that ensures standout in the hospitality industry (along with quality of offering) is the service that each and every guest receives. This, after all, is what they remember of the experience and what they tell their friends about.

On the same day, Le Manoir was voted number 4 (with equal points to number 3) in the Good Food Guide 2010 Top 50 restaurants in the country.

This praise is all wonderful; but I never work or create a business in search of stars and accolades. These are a by-product of the work that you put into your food and restaurant. While it is always agreeable to receive recognition, I would never make it an explicit goal. I have seen too many young restaurateurs opening a business for all the wrong reasons: striving for stars can be very misguiding; the only goals we should strive for are excellence and high standards. Both at Le Manoir or Brasserie Blanc we work to the best standards for their own sake!