September 2007 - Victoria�s Comfort Inn On Raglan in Warrnambool
and Queensland�s Clarion Hotel Mackay Marina have returned to the winners�
circle again this year by taking out the Comfort and Clarion Hotels divisions
in Choice Hotels Australasia�s (CHA) annual �Awards of Excellence� in Cairns
last night.
Claiming the award in the Quality Hotels division was New South Wales�
Quality Hotel Cambridge in Sydney, while the inaugural winner in the new
luxury Clarion Collection Hotel division was Queensland�s Rendezvous Hotel
Brisbane � Clarion Collection.
Held at the Cairns Convention Centre and presented by CHA Managing Director,
David Bayes, the awards provided a fitting finale to CHA�s Annual Conference.
Mr Bayes said more than 200 delegates from the group�s 265 properties
throughout Australasia attended the awards, adding �These finalists represent
the best of the best in terms of CHA�s values and commitment to service
and I am proud to lead such a dynamic, professional and successful group.�
Highly commended in the Comfort Hotels category were
Brisbane�s Comfort Inn & Suites Robertson Gardens, Wodonga�s Comfort
Inn & Suites Blazing Stump, Ballina�s Comfort Inn All Seasons (for
the second year running), Swan Hill�s Comfort Inn Campbell, Ballarat�s
Comfort Inn & Suites City Views and Launceston�s Comfort Inn Balmoral
on York.
Highly commended in the Quality category were Newcastle�s Quality
Hotel NOAH�S On the Beach (second year running), the Gold Coast�s Quality
Hotel Mermaid Waters, Albury�s Quality Hotel on Olive, Tamworth�s Quality
Hotel Powerhouse and the Quality Hotel Singapore in Singapore.
Highly commended in the Clarion Hotels division was Melbourne�s
Clarion Hotel on Canterbury in Forest Hill (second year running), while
this accolade in the new Clarion Collection division went to New Zealand�s
Edgewater Palms � A Clarion Collection Hotel, at Paihia in the beautiful
Bay of Islands.
Each of the winning hotels was judged on branding, marketing, in-room amenities,
cleanliness, franchisee relations, guest satisfaction, training and development.
.
Award winners left to right:
- David Bayes - Choice Hotels Australasia Managing Director
- Varia Mitchell and Graeme Connor - Rendezvous Hotel
Brisbane, Clarion Collection (Winner Clarion Collection Franchisee of the
year)
- Karen Klein, Sandy Wockner, Shane Bowman and
Gitte Le Garde - Clarion Hotel Mackay Marina (Winner Clarion Franchisee
of the year)
- (Far back) Iain Gunn - Choice Hotels Australasia Franchise
Services Director
- Roger Whyte and Maryanne Owen - Comfort Inn On Raglan,
Warrnambool (Winner Comfort Franchisee of the year)
- Peter Hing - Quality Hotel Cambridge, Sydney (Winner Quality
Franchisee of the year)
- Aileen Cobern - Choice Hotels Australasia Senior Director
Sales & Marketing
- Steven Gargano - Quality Hotel Cambridge, Sydney |
.
In addition, �The Champion of Choice Awards� were presented to 20 outstanding
individuals from various Quality, Comfort and Clarion properties throughout
Australia and New Zealand. The award recognises exceptional service and
individual effort and commitment to building the CHA brand.
The 2007 Champion of Choice Award was presented
to:
Lance Kippin, Quality Hotel Sheridan Plaza
Qld (presented posthumously)
Steve Gargano and Subhuj Pradhan, Quality Hotel Cambridge,
NSW
Jo and Ralph Matthews, Comfort Inn All Seasons, NSW
Stuart Munro, Quality Hotel Sheridan Plaza, Qld
Claire Richards, Quality Hotel Cargills, NZ
Jodie Hammond, Comfort Resort Echuca Moama, Vic
Shane Bowman, Clarion Hotel Mackay Marina, Qld
Varia Mitchell, Rendezvous Hotel Brisbane, A Clarion Collection
Hotel, Qld
Sandy and Des Manuel, Comfort Inn Colonial, SA
Trevor Donaldson, Comfort Inn Balmoral On York, Tas |
Yann Duroselle, Quality Hotel Batman�s
Hill On Collins, Vic
Michael Howe, Quality Hotel Burke & Wills, Qld
Steve Ryan* and Michelle Allsop*, Comfort Inn & Suites
Robertson Gardens, Qld
Jye Segboer*, Quality Hotel Powerhouse, NSW
Trish Miles, Comfort Inn & Suites Newton 121, NZ
Tony Cakmar*, Clarion Suites Gateway, Vic
Anne Lawson*, Quality Inn West End, NZ
Fay Arnold*, Comfort Hotel Wellington, NZ
Roger Whyte*, Comfort Inn On Raglan, Vic
Ace Mathews*, Comfort Inn Parkes International, NSW
Len Smith*, Comfort Inn Albany, WA. |
* Champions for second year running.
Choice Hotels Australasia has more than 265 Comfort, Quality and Clarion
properties in its portfolio and is part of one of the world�s largest hotel
networks � Choice Hotels International.
Comfort�, Quality�, Clarion® and Choice Hotels are proprietary trademarks
of Choice Hotels International, Inc. Choice Hotels Australasia is
part of Choice Hotels International, which franchises more than 5000 hotels
worldwide including more than 265 in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New
Guinea, American Samoa, Singapore and New Caledonia. For bookings
and reservations contact 13 2400 in Australia and 0800 803 524 in New Zealand
or visit www.choicehotels.com.au or www.choicehotels.co.nz |