Trio of Sunderland hotel staff in line for prestigious hospitality awards
The awards recognise outstanding achievements of people working in hospitality across the region.
A trio of hotel staff who work across maintenance, housekeeping and reception are in line for prestigious hospitality awards.
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The colleagues, who all work at Hilton Garden Inn, all made it through to the final stages of the North East Hotels Association Excellence (NEHA) Awards, which recognises outstanding achievements of people working in hospitality across the region.
A member of the maintenance team, Ella-Louise Bodin, has been shortlisted in the Best Newcomer section, joining the hotel as an apprentice on placement through East Durham College.
Her nomination praised her willingness to step up to any challenge asked of her “showing maturity, initiative and an impressive ability to adapt under pressure,”along with supporting other departments when necessary.
Also shortlisted, in the Inspirational Leader category, is Sonia Kubala, who has worked at Hilton Garden Inn Sunderland for more than eight years.
From initially joining as a Breakfast Team Leader, she then moved into a housekeeping role, taking on the job as Head Housekeeper two years ago.
Sonia’s nomination outlined how she has driven “outstanding performances across the department,” getting high level scores and also having a positive commercial effect on the hotel.
“Her figures demonstrate a leader who not only drives quality but understands how to deliver sustainable business results,” said her nomination.
Receptionist Niamh Gallagher is also now in the finals of the Service Excellence category, recognised for driving the team to exceed the standards of Hilton Honors loyalty programme enrolments, along with delivering exceptional guest experiences.
All three will now have to wait until the NEHA awards dinner in October to see if they have taken the top honours.
Gareth Freeman, General Manager at Hilton Garden Inn Sunderland, is proud of their achievement in getting this far.
“We know that there is fierce competition even to get on to the shortlist of the NEHA awards, so to have even made it to this stage is testament to the fantastic job they do,” said Gareth.
“All of them are dedicated members of our team who will go the extra mile for our guests, and the fact that this is being recognised by their peers is an honour they all deserve.”