Choice Australasia Honors Top Performers

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. October 14, 2008

SEPTEMBER 13, 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.