Cowra motel
owners ‘over
the moon’ at
state award
“DELIGHTED, stoked and over the moon,” was the reaction of Wendy-Jane Saywaker of the Vineyard Motel at Cowra when she learned the motel had been announced the New South Wales winner in the TakeABreak.com.au Best Places to Stay Awards, announced in late 2009.
The Vineyard Motel, a homestead-style building with just six rooms set among the vineyards on Chardonnay Rd, is owned and operated by Ms Saywaker and her husband Ken.
It is homely, welcoming and quiet, says Ms Saywaker. Guests like to relax on the verandas and enjoy the vistas over the Lachlan Valley.
“We get many guests staying longer than they originally intended and then returning again and again,” she says.
Husband and wife say they thoroughly enjoy having guests stay and take great delight in looking after guests’ needs because “it gives us pleasure to be hospitable, helpful and friendly”.
Eighteen categories were judged in total with the Vineyard Motel being named the state winner in the Hotel/Motel/Holiday Accommodation category. It was also a state finalist in three more categories including Romantic Holiday Accommodation, Pet Friendly Holiday, and Group 10+ Accommodation. The awards, run by Australia’s only independent boutique accommodation travel site, TakeABreak.com.au, recognise outstanding service in specialist segment categories. The best part of these awards is that the results are determined by guests who have actually stayed at each property, Ms Saywaker says. TakeABreak evaluates each holiday property on a range of criteria, including guest comments, ratings and reviews by guests who have visited the accommodation. This means the awards will go to the properties where guests have the best experiences and get the best service.
Joint CEO of TakeABreak.com.au, Penny Parsons, says: “We hold these awards to showcase accommodation providers who consistently do an outstanding job in meeting and exceeding their guests’ expectations. We felt there was a huge gap in the market for recognition in these specialist categories of boutique accommodation by the travelling public.
“By holding these awards and nominating the ‘best of the best’ it gives visitors to our site the confidence that they will find a range of truly outstanding accommodation in whatever category they are searching.”
The Saywakers have expressed their thanks to the people who nominated them and to the businesses and individuals in Cowra who have recommended the Vineyard Motel to family and friends.
“We really appreciate your support and recommendations,” Ms Saywaker says.
TOWN & DISTRICT
