Rydges Wellington Wins the Trifecta at National Hospitality

Rydges Wellington Wins the Trifecta at National Hospitality Awards

Rydges Wellington has fended off challengers in the Hospitality New Zealand national awards for the third year running by winning a trifecta of awards less than a week ago.

The modern 280 room, Featherston Street property which includes upmarket steakhouse, Portlander Bar & Grill has achieved three awards; ‘Best Accommodation Hotel in New Zealand’, ‘Excellence in Customer Service’ and ‘Excellence in Marketing (Portlander Bar & Grill)’.

The secret behind the hotel operator’s success lies in consistent profitability, passionate leadership, impeccable service, innovative culture, sustainable business practices and unique marketing that pushes the boundaries.

Hospitality New Zealand judges were a hard panel to impress but the Rydges team did just that after entering several comprehensive submissions and attending ‘dragon den’ style interviews.

According to Bruce Robertson, CEO Hospitality New Zealand, the judges considered that Rydges consistent and dedicated approach to quality and putting the customer first, was a significant part of their success. What stood out he believed was “the whole team was empowered to do the right thing at the right time.”

Historically, the property has had a chequered history prior to the hotel owner, Graham Wilkinson from Beswick Holdings Limited choosing Rydges in March 2011 to turn around its fortunes. He believes Rydges’ performance based on excellent management, transparency and cost effectiveness, has well surpassed his expectations and “gone gang busters.”

This is a significant achievement in itself considering the property has the highest number of rooms to fill each night in Wellington. Clever marketing is a big component of the hotel’s success. The “you don’t have to sleep with us to eat with us” campaign is well known by locals and now part of the Wellingtonian vernacular.

General Manager, Simon White is proud of his team reaching such a pinnacle after two and a half years of dedicated work that they’ve put their heart and souls into. He says, “being acknowledged by our peers is humbling and solidifies what we already know and strive to continually improve on each and every day.”

This latest clutch of industry accolades follows the hotel’s General Manager being named the 2013 Lane Neave Lawyers Senior Hotel Executive of the Year.

ENDS

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