Travel & Hospitality Awards | Oceania 2019 | www.thawards.com

CRITERIA
Excellence in Service is an important category, as customer
service can often be responsible for having guests return
year after year. We look for the hotels and tour operators
that go out of their way to please their guests, those that
provide a personal level of service and take the time to
get to know each visitor so that they might anticipate their
every need. This can be something as simple as a 24-hour
concierge desk, a hotel manager who offers a personal
greeting or a tour guide who is happy to create bespoke
private tours – but whatever it is, we are always pleased
when we encounter staff that have been trained in the art
of customer satisfaction.
SERVICES
It is no question that style and design plays a big part in
selecting our awards shortlist. A guest will form an opinion
about a hotel as soon as they arrive so it is important
to us that all our winners make those first impressions
count. We’re certainly not partial to a particular period of
architecture – but whether we’re judging a gothic castle or
an environmentally friendly lodge, the criteria remains the
same. We consider factors such as architectural features,
use of materials, creation of spaces, décor and the overall
feel. We love it when we find a hotel that tells a story
through its design and construction, or offers a design that
embellishes the natural surroundings of its location.
STYLE & DESIGN
Knowledge of the local area is essential for any
organization, be it a hotel or a tour operator. The quality of
services takes a great hit when the quality of this element
is not up to the mark. Quite a few of our winners in this
category have displayed excellent knowledge about the
surrounding areas. The criteria for a hotel is slightly lenient
compared to a tour operator, as the latter is expected to
have thorough knowledge of the area in order to provide
good services.
Image by: Casey Horner
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
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