Belmore Court & Motel cleans up at the NI Housekeeping Awards

The winners of the Hotel & Guesthouse Housekeeping Awards 2011 were announced at a gala evening in the Wellington Park Hotel on 9th March 2011. The awards were hosted by Pamela Ballantine and supported for the second year by the Bunzl Group and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. The competition, which is organised by the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation, was launched last year to recognise and reward housekeeping staff and to raise the profile of their important role in the industry.

The winner of the under-60 rooms category was the Clandeboye Lodge Hotel from Bangor. Delighted housekeepers, Giarcarla Giovannoli and Janice Boyce, scooped the top prize with judges commenting on the exceptional standards at the hotel.

The top prize in the over-60 rooms category went to the Belmore Court & Motel in Enniskillen. The property has undergone a major refurbishment including the opening of 30 new bedrooms and the judges particularly noted the superb bed making skills of Romana Sinekovaite and Diana Kalukanova.

Eugene McKeever, President of the NIHF said, “This is the second year of this venture and it has been a real success for the Federation. It has been very well supported by our members throughout the Province, and it is great to see two such worthy winners. We felt it was important to recognise the vital role of housekeeping within the hotel industry and reward those at the top of their game. The support of our key sponsors ensures the continued success of this event and their valued partnership allows the Federation to run initiatives like this on an annual basis.”

The competition involved a team assessment day followed by a surprise on-site inspection for the ten shortlisted finalists. The judges were looking for cleanliness, attention to detail and overall guest impression. One of the objectives of the competition is to raise standards in the industry whilst recognising the superb job that housekeepers perform on a daily basis.