Welcome to Excellence

What Welcome to Excellence does

Welcome to Excellence is a UK-based private limited company (registered in England No. 1345038) that provides interactive, accredited customer service training courses to organisations in service-facing industries. Its curriculum spans foundational programmes such as Welcome Host and Welcome Host Gold, vertical-specific courses including Exceeding Visitor Expectations (VisitEngland-accredited for attractions), Welcome Afloat (developed with British Marine for the marine sector), and Delivering Service Excellence with a health and social care variant, alongside leadership, sales, accessibility, and sustainability modules. Training is delivered by accredited associate trainers either via Zoom or face-to-face at client premises, with a typical one-day format capped at 16 participants and offering City and Guilds Level 2 certification pathways.

The company operates three revenue streams: open publicly scheduled courses at hotels and visitor attractions (pay-as-you-go), bespoke in-house training customised to client needs (also pay-as-you-go), and a Trainer Licensing / Franchise model that trains client staff to deliver courses internally under multi-year contracts and supports regional franchise partners across the UK. The franchise network covers eleven UK regions including Scotland and Wales, with Tourism South East functioning as the primary regional delivery partner and franchise holder.

Its customer base is broadly distributed across visitor attractions (Gatwick Airport, intu Trafford Centre, Tyne and Wear Museums, English Heritage, Brunel's SS Great Britain, Bletchley Park), hospitality (Bourne Leisure/Haven, Cotswold Inns and Hotels, Shepherd Neame, Centre Island Hotels), transport (Metrobus), healthcare (Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital), retail (West Quay Shopping Centre), and universities (University of Exeter, University of Chichester). Welcome to Excellence is strategically differentiated through VisitEngland accreditation and City and Guilds qualification alignment, positioning the business as a quality-assured, credentialing-led training provider rather than a general-purpose training supplier.

Name

Welcome to Excellence

Legal name

Welcome to Excellence Ltd

Website

https://welcometoexcellence.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Welcome to Excellence is a UK-based customer service training provider serving tourism, hospitality, heritage, healthcare, transport, retail, and education organisations through accredited open courses, in-house programmes, trainer licensing, and a nationwide franchise network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Customer Service Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospitality & Food Service (EDABALAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Navigation, Seamanship & Offshore Operations (EDAOANAE), Project, Process & Quality Certification Prep (PMP, PRINCE2, Lean Six Sigma, ITIL) (EDANAIAE), Assessment, Certification & Qualifications Frameworks (BPADAKAL)

Keywords

• Customer service training
• Hospitality training courses
• Tourism training programs
• City and Guilds accreditation
• Leadership development training

Headquarters

HQ city

Eastleigh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Open Training Courses: Publicly scheduled one-day training courses held at hotels or visitor attractions. Price includes trainer, venue, course materials, and certification.
2. In-house / On-site Training: Training delivered at the client's premises, customised to their needs. Price includes trainer, materials, and certification for up to 16 people.
3. Trainer Licensing & Franchise: Organisations can become licensed to deliver Welcome to Excellence courses internally, and regional franchise partners deliver programmes across the UK in exchange for franchise fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Welcome to Excellence is a UK-based customer service training provider delivering interactive one-day training courses for service industry frontline staff. Courses cover customer service, leadership, sales, and specialist topics (disability awareness, marine sector, green tourism) and are delivered through open courses at hotels/attractions, in-house at client premises (face-to-face or via Zoom), or via a licensed internal trainer programme. Training leads to City and Guilds Level 2 accreditation and is aligned to VisitEngland quality schemes.

Product overview

Welcome to Excellence is a UK-based customer service training provider offering a suite of interactive training courses delivered through open courses, in-house training, and trainer licensing programmes. The core portfolio includes Welcome Host Gold and Welcome Host (foundational courses), Exceeding Visitor Expectations (VisitEngland-accredited for attractions), Delivering Service Excellence (with health sector variant), Welcoming All Customers (disability awareness), Welcome Management (leadership), Lead Motivate & Succeed, Successful Selling, Welcome Afloat (marine sector), and Green Edge (sustainable tourism). Add-on offerings include Customised Destination/Company Programmes for bespoke organizational training and trainer licensing. All courses are delivered by accredited associate trainers and offer City and Guilds certification options. Training is delivered via Zoom or at client premises, either face-to-face or virtually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Welcome Host Gold

Quantifiable outcome

• Gatwick Airport: compliments doubled and complaints fell by 70% following training
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers37 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered key account, core, specialist, supporting and regional.

• Marketing Lancashirekey accountGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2014Marketing Lancashire partnered with Welcome to Excellence to launch the Welcome to Morecambe Bay programme, a bespoke customer service training programme encompassing local destination knowledge.
• Cumbria Tourismkey accountGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2014Cumbria Tourism partnered with Welcome to Excellence and Marketing Lancashire to deliver the Welcome to Morecambe Bay initiative as part of the 700 Days to Transform The Bay programme.
• Morecambe Bay Partnershipkey accountGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2014Morecambe Bay Partnership was a joint initiative partner with Marketing Lancashire and Cumbria Tourism in the Welcome to Morecambe Bay programme, aiming to enhance Morecambe Bay as a world-class visitor destination.
• VisitEnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWelcome to Excellence courses (including Exceeding Visitor Expectations) are developed in association with VisitEngland and aligned to the VisitEngland Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS). VisitEngland co-launched the Tourism Superstar Award with the Daily Mirror.
• City and GuildscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWelcome to Excellence courses offer City and Guilds Level 2 accredited awards in customer service delivery. Participants can earn nationally recognised qualifications through assessments.
• Tourism South EastcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTourism South East is the main regional delivery partner and franchise holder for Welcome to Excellence, managing the South East region and providing trainer support, accreditation, and corporate governance. Sue Gill is Training Services Director at Tourism South East and Welcome to Excellence.
• British MarinespecialistStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritish Marine led the development of the Welcome Afloat course for the leisure marine sector, combining Welcome to Excellence's customer service expertise with British Marine's industry-specific knowledge.
• Welcome to Yorkshirekey accountGTM or Marketing PartnerWelcome to Yorkshire selected Welcome Host Gold as part of the overall welcome strategy for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in Yorkshire, providing training to businesses across the county.
• Calderdale CollegesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerWelcome to Yorkshire secured funding from the Skills Enhancement Fund via Calderdale College, enabling a 70% training subsidy for businesses attending Welcome Host Gold courses.
• Via PartnershipregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Via Partnership delivers Welcome to Morecambe Bay courses and other Welcome to Excellence programmes in the Lancashire area, providing professional development training.
• Destination StaffordshireregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDestination Staffordshire, the region's DMO, partnered with Welcome to Excellence to deliver the Staffordshire Ambassador programme, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
• Metrobuskey accountStrategic or Co-development PartnerWelcome to Excellence worked with Metrobus to develop a customised customer service programme called 'Going the Extra Mile', tailored to Metrobus's branding, service offer, and specific operational challenges.
• English Heritagekey accountStrategic or Co-development PartnerWelcome to Excellence worked with English Heritage to formulate a Disability Equality Scheme and deliver Welcome All training across their hospitality division to raise accessibility awareness.
• Gatwick Airportkey accountStrategic or Co-development PartnerWelcome to Excellence worked with Gatwick Airport to develop a customised version of Welcome Host Gold, branded 'Delivering Excellent Customer Service', incorporating Gatwick's branding, service offer and customer values.
• Purple Cloud ConsultancyregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPurple Cloud Consultancy holds the Welcome to Excellence franchise in the South West and organised and delivered Exceeding Visitor Expectations training for Brunel's SS Great Britain.
• Hammerson plckey accountStrategic or Co-development PartnerHammerson plc, a FTSE 100 company and owner of West Quay Shopping Centre, has accessibility as a corporate priority and partnered with Welcome to Excellence to deliver Welcome All training for all centre staff.
• Cumbria TourismregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCumbria Tourism is a regional franchise partner for Welcome to Excellence covering Cumbria, delivering courses and managing local customer relationships.
• HUB62regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHUB62 is a regional franchise partner for Welcome to Excellence covering the North West (Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside).
• Willow Business Support LtdregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWillow Business Support Ltd is a regional franchise partner for Welcome to Excellence covering Yorkshire.
• TSE Training and SkillsregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTSE Training and Skills is a regional delivery partner for Welcome to Excellence, delivering courses in the South West (including Brooklands Museum case study).

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• VisitEngland: National tourism agency and accreditation partner; an enabler/ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor — already co-develops the Exceeding Visitor Expectations course with Welcome to Excellence.
• City & Guilds: UK awarding body whose Level 2 Customer Service qualification underpins Welcome to Excellence's certified courses; an enabling infrastructure provider rather than a direct competitor but central to the credential stack.

Direct peers

• Springboard UK: UK hospitality, leisure and tourism charity focused on workforce development, training and careers; comparable mission and audience for customer-service upskilling programmes.
• People 1st: UK hospitality-sector skills and training charity; directly comparable as another UK-focused provider of customer service and workforce training for hospitality, leisure and tourism employers.
• CPL Training: Specialist training provider for the hospitality, retail and healthcare sectors across Ireland and the UK; comparable customer-service and front-line workforce courses, though Ireland-led.
• WorldHost: Internationally recognised customer service training programme originally developed in Canada and adopted in tourism/hospitality markets; closest direct competitor in branded customer service training for visitor-facing industries.

Broad incumbents

• Institute of Customer Service: UK's professional body for customer service with its own training, accreditation and awards programme; overlapping authority but broader remit across all sectors rather than tourism/hospitality specialisation.
• Disney Institute: Premium global customer service and leadership training brand for hospitality, attractions and consumer-facing businesses; comparable content franchise though at a much larger scale and US-centric.

Emerging players

• Highfield Qualifications: UK awarding organisation offering vocational and customer-service qualifications across multiple sectors; an indirect competitor and potential partner to accreditation programmes like Welcome to Excellence.
• BIIAB (British Institute of Innkeeping Awarding Body): UK awarding body offering hospitality and customer-service qualifications; competes in the same regulated-qualification space as Welcome to Excellence's City & Guilds-aligned courses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WTExcellence
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/welcome-to-excellence

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Welcome to Excellence