Hospitality Business Magazine

Marlborough hotel gains Qualmark award

Chateau Marlborough Hotel has been recognised as one of the country’s leading tourism operators by Qualmark – achieving Gold in the Sustainable Tourism Business Criteria.

To achieve the prestigious Qualmark award, the Chateau Marlborough underwent a comprehensive on-site evaluation conducted by an experienced tourism assessor.

As a result of this independent evaluation, Chateau Marlborough was also awarded a five star grade.

This achievement required the business to be independently reviewed against specific standards of best practice, including health & safety, general business practices and their environmental and social performance.

General Manager, Lynley Mckinnon says the team is excited to have attained this prestigious achievement.

“We are very proud to have been awarded Gold 5 star under the stringent criteria of the new standards. Chateau Marlborough Hotel is the only such hotel in the top of the South Island to have achieved this grading. The Gold 5 Star grading is the highest level of award given by Qualmark.”

The Award completes a busy year for the hotel following its multimillion dollar expansion from 45 to 80 acccommodation rooms along with new enlarged restaurant and bar facilities.

Congratulating the hotel on its achievement, Qualmark General Manager Cameron Lawerence said any tourism business that has achieved a Gold Sustainable Tourism Business Award has demonstrated that all aspects of a sustainable tourism business are well developed and integral in the operations, communications, and guest experience delivered.

“This will be evident in a customer centric culture, with staff reflecting this in their actions and service delivery, but the business will also have very clear leadership that values all aspects of sustainability equally.”

Qualmark quality assurance is a holistic quality programme for the New Zealand tourism industry. Around 2,000 tourism businesses throughout New Zealand participate in the evaluation process, with the criteria having been recently refreshed to ensure tourism operators are actively protecting what makes New Zealand a unique destination.