Belmore Court & Motel - Cleans Up

Housekeepers from throughout Northern Ireland gathered at the Clandeboye Lodge Hotel last night (12th March 2014) to discover who had cleaned up in this year’s Hotel & Guesthouse Housekeeping Awards. The event, which was hosted by UTV’s Pamela Ballantine, saw the Belmore Court & Motel, Enniskillen win the Under 90 Rooms category and the Hilton Belfast awarded first place in the 90 Rooms and Over category.

The awards, organised by the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation, are held on an annual basis and have been designed to showcase the important role of housekeeping and reward the excellence achieved by housekeeping staff. This is the fifth year they have taken place.

Mandy Patrick MBE, President of the NIHF commented, “This competition is really about giving recognition to and rewarding the often unsung heroes & heroines of the accommodation industry - the housekeeping teams. I know that I rely heavily upon my own team and without them our guests would not have the excellent stay they currently experience.” 

“This event has been greatly supported by our industry partners and we see this as a key element in its own going success. The Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Bunzl Rafferty Hospitality Products, Gilchrist and Soames along with Ecolab have sponsored this event since its inception five years ago. Their support is testament to their commitment to the industry and ensuring recognition for the housekeeping staff within the sector.”

The 2014 competition included a team assessment day with 56 housekeepers undertaking a range of tasks evaluating the skills they use everyday. This was followed by a surprise on-site inspection for the nine shortlisted finalists. The judges were looking for cleanliness, attention to detail and a good overall guest impression. The objective of the competition is to raise standards in the industry whilst recognising the superb job that housekeepers perform on a daily basis.

The results of the competition.

Under 90 Rooms

WINNER

Belmore Court & Motel, Enniskillen

RUNNER-UP

Galgorm Resort & Spa, Ballymena

90 Rooms and Over

WINNER

Hilton Belfast

RUNNER-UP

Holiday Inn Express, Belfast

The Hotel & Guesthouse Housekeeping Awards are organised by the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation. The event is in its fifth year. The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. It was founded in 1999 to represent the interests of the hotel and guesthouse industry. It lobbies Government, provides a range of services to Members and strives to ensure that everyone in Northern Ireland gains from the tremendous economic and social benefits of a growing tourism sector.