Freeman on Ford, Beechworth’s only 5 Star Bed and Breakfast came home with a bronze award from the Accommodation Association of Australia’s (AAA) National Accommodation Industry Awards for Excellence in Sydney on Friday night.
Owners Heidi Freeman and Jim Didolis were pleased to be recognised among the top providers of 5 Star Hosted Accommodation in Australia.
Ms Freeman was also one of 11 industry personalities nominated for the Association’s ACES Awards. These awards are presented to people living the values of Attitude, Commitment, Enthusiasm and Service (ACES) in the tourism industry.
“It was a great night and to come effectively third in the country behind two wonderful 5 Star experiences, was a real honor. The gold in this category went to a luxury bed and breakfast from Marysville which was obviously affected by the bushfires in 2009 and silver went to a West Australian business,” Ms Freeman said.
“We are always delighted to represent Beechworth on the national stage and this was another great opportunity,” she said.
Ms Freeman said the AAA awards differ from others in that the judging is shared equally between a written submission and an assessment by a mystery guest.
“Writing the submission is a major project as the information required by the Association is comprehensive. The mystery guest also provides an extensive report on maintenance, housekeeping, food, and the check-in and check-out experience,” she said.
Chief Executive of the Accommodation Association of Australia, Lorraine Duffy said there were 138 finalists across the award categories.
“The businesses and people who won these awards overcame many worthy finalists and their success is a tribute to their commitment to excellence in every facet of what they do and in this case to the tourism industry in north east Victoria,” Ms Duffy said.
Freeman on Ford offers luxury accommodation with four Victorian era upstairs guest rooms and two 1930s elegant guest rooms downstairs overlooking a private swimming pool and spa in landscaped gardens.
