TripAdvisor^®, the world’s largest travel site*, today announced the winners of its inaugural Exceptional Service Awards. TripAdvisor launched the awards first to U.K. and US travellers asking them to nominate hospitality professionals who went above and beyond to deliver outstanding service in the past twelve months. After receiving more than 3,500 nominations in October 2014, TripAdvisor selected 40 winners across 21 countries worldwide.

“Everyone who travels knows that the service you receive can elevate any trip to a memorable one,” said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. “A recent TripAdvisor survey revealed that more than two thirds of respondents didn’t think hospitality professionals receive sufficient recognition for their efforts. Through the Exceptional Service Awards, we’re trying to change that by acknowledging stars of the hospitality industry who made a difference by going the extra mile for their guests and clearly made a lasting impression on the TripAdvisor community.”

Winning hospitality professionals will receive a certificate and will be featured on TripAdvisor.

A selection of award-winning exceptional service stories can be found below. To read all of the award-winning exceptional service stories, go to: www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ExceptionalServiceAwards.

Stories of Exceptional Service in the UK:

Tony Jackson, Owner of Hillside B&B, Durness, Scotland

Some guests of Tony’s were travelling to the B&B for three nights when about three miles away, they got a puncture in their tyre. The guests called Tony to let him know that it would be two hours before the car rescue service could arrive and they would have to tow the car to be repaired. After hearing this news Tony drove out to them with coffee and biscuits while they waited. He then piled all of their luggage into his car and took them back to the B&B. The following day Tony went back to the breakdown site with a bigger vehicle to retrieve their bikes that they had padlocked to the fence.

Given that there is only one bus per week from the B&B to the place where the car was being repaired, it wasn’t easy for the guests to get there. They offered to cycle but Tony insisted on taking them even when he was due to take his daughter to a hospital appointment which meant her was cutting it very fine. The nominatings TripAdvisor member said, “Tony is known by everyone who seem to have as high an opinion of him as we do.”

Vikki Gudge, Dispatcher, at Virgin Atlantic, Heathrow Airport, London

When Vikki Gudge was stopped by a panicked passenger of another airline who told her that they had left their new mobile phone in a taxi on the way to the airport, she immediately jumped to their aid. Vikki got straight on the phone to the taxi service and managed to locate the driver who confirmed that they had the missing phone. Within seconds Vikki took off running for the shuttle to a different terminal to go and meet the driver and retrieve the missing phone. Twenty-five minutes later, out of breath, Vikki returned back to the passenger to reunite them with their phone and with minutes to spare, they made their flight. Nominating TripAdvisor member, Carol Austin, said, “Vicki went above and beyond the call of duty to help a total stranger. She is my Virgin Angel!”