For the third year running luxury Queenstown operator, The Rees Hotel Queenstown has been awarded both a Qualmark 5 Star Hotel Grade – Hotel Qualmark and Gold Sustainable Tourism Business Award.
Reaching Gold in the national tourism framework that audits quality assurance officially recognises how The Rees leads the way in New Zealand tourism through delivering exceptional customer experiences and sustainable tourism practices.
Attaining this level consecutively year-on-year in two categories is not easy according to the Tourism Business Advisor, Amanda Cushen who assessed the lakeside property.
“They have to really earn it as the benchmark levels are always lifting in the industry – excellence never stops,” Cushen says.
She believes one of the secrets to The Rees’ continued success is how it delivers on a collective kaupapa, called the ‘Tiaki Promise’ that’s become a key value widely adopted by the tourism industry.
“The Rees has shown its commitment to increasing capabilities across all areas of the business, Economic, Social and Environment – it enriches its business as well by using tools like the Tiaki Promise,” she says.
“It’s a Tourism New Zealand initiative – to care for people, place and culture while in New Zealand – and one that we’ve also embraced as it really fits with us and our tourism partners.”
Cushen says Tiaki is more than demonstrating a care for the environment; it’s about the care of the people – not just the guests but the staff too.“The care of The Rees people was my absolute highlight – it’s one of the secrets to their success.”
Praising his team, Director of Operations at The Rees, Roman Lee-Lo says “This award is a wonderful affirmation about what we do and how we drive initiatives and maintain them.”
He welcomed “another critical pair of eyes to look over what we’re doing”. Earning excellence for the third time was a real motivator given the need to continually meet Qualmark’s very high standards.
“While it means we continuously challenge each other about our green initiatives, Tiaki is an absolute cornerstone of what we do,” he says.
“I really believe New Zealand has to play its part in terms of honouring the cultural aspects of hospitality. It’s about ensuring we do our very best when hosting our guests in a way that connects and creates lasting memories of their holiday.”
Tiaki, mentioned on the hotel website is demonstrated in its various cultural initiatives ranging from Islamic prayer mats, culturally diverse breakfast and Halal food items through to honouring Aotearoa’s bi-cultural history through Te Reo Māori being spoken and signposted at the property.
“The Rees team are definitely leaders – not followers,” says Cushen.
“From what I observe is that there are lots of excellent tools and everyone is working together, The Rees is definitely not standing still; it keeps moving which is another secret to its success.”
In the past month The Rees has also been awarded a Certificate of Excellence in the Tripadvisor Hall of Fame 2019 based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from TripAdvisor travellers worldwide.
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