Esprit And Santa’s Lapland Win Awards At The Family Traveller Excellence Awards 2019
Sister companies, Esprit Ski and Santa’s Lapland, which offer unforgettable winter holiday experiences for families, were both proud winners at the newly-formatted Family Traveller Excellence Awards 2019. The prestigious accolade for each brand was collected at the awards ceremony, hosted at the Natural History Museum Ice Rink Bar by renowned singer songwriter and mum of five boys, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, on Wednesday 13th November 2019, by Sara Aworth, Marketing Manager, and Frankie Gibson, PR Manager.
With over 35 years’ experience, Esprit covers every angle for the skiing family with dedicated, flexible childcare services for children aged from several months to 12 years. Esprit won an Excellence Award in the On Your Marks Active – the best sports academies and activities for families category, for its unrivalled Ski Rangers. Whilst Esprit has always provided outstanding childcare services, the dedicated Ski Ranger role was introduced last winter (2018/19 ski season) to delight and entertain children and ensure parents have an easy-to-reach and helpful point of contact throughout. Ski Rangers go above and beyond to help make the holiday a truly hassle-free and memorable experience for both the kids and the parents! They escort children to and from ski lessons, singing songs and keeping them safe and entertained on the way, they help build kids’ confidence in their ski skills as they progress throughout the week, and they reassure parents that their kids are getting the attention they deserve, are having fun and getting the best out of their lessons.
Santa’s Lapland won an Excellence Award in the Pure Fun – ingenious ideas for creating magical moments and big smiles all round category. The Santa’s Aurora Package in particular was introduced last winter (2018) to add even more magic to this once-in-a-lifetime family holiday. In addition to the pre-departure personal letter that every child can send to Santa Claus (which is magically revealed at a private family meeting with the “real” Santa Claus, on their three- or four- day break in Northern Lapland), the included husky sledding and reindeer sleigh ride, guests on the Santa’s Aurora programme will also stay in the very special Star Arctic Hotel, which is the perfect base for spotting the Northern Lights when they come out to dance across the night sky. And will also enjoy a unique Aurora Wilderness Dinner and Igloo experience, set in a remote woodland (tuck into a delicious dinner in a cosy log cabin, followed by some enchanting stories of Sami myths and the Northern Lights, in sparkling ice igloos).
After the awards ceremony, Paul Carter, Chief Operating Officer, said, "We’re over the moon that our two specialist family travel brands have both been awarded a prestigious Family Traveller Excellence Award, for their going above and beyond for families. It’s such an honour for Esprit and Santa’s Lapland to be recognised by the leading magazine for family travel inspiration, as voted for by the public. We thank everyone who chose us in this years’ awards, and I take this opportunity to also personally thank our dedicated and passionate childcare and behind-the-scenes teams for both brands, who really work hard to put our guests first and ensure that all kids and their parents truly have the most magical experiences with us.”
The Family Traveller Excellence Awards were created to recognise the industry’s most innovative brands, unique initiatives and star products and services within the family travel space. The 2019 awards adopted a new approach, to highlight initiatives which go above and beyond for families, moving away from the traditional set categories such as Best Destination and Best Kids Club, to adapt to the emerging and changing travel trends. The shortlist of nominees received over 110,000 public votes cast by Family Traveller readers, followed by a further stage judged by a panel of experts including, for the first time ever, children, who of course sit at the very heart of family travel.
The two awards will be on display at Inghams HQ
