This article was written by Denise Smithson from Smithson Media and published in
the October edition of the Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry's
newsletter.
It is so awesome to be interviewed by journalists and see our name in print. We added our own photos.
Operated by Becki Shaver and Maggie van Santen,
HideAway Haven in Bayonet Head received a flood of nominations for the ACCI
Albany and Great Southern Weekender Customer Service Business of the Year
Award.
Take a step inside HideAway Haven and it is not
hard to see why their guests rave about their experience - everything has been
thought of to make their stay memorable.
"We believe we won because of our high
standards, our friendliness, and being able to anticipate what guests want but
also the fact we give more than this place," Maggie said. "We give an
overall experience so that our guests' stay in Albany is fantastic which is why
we go out and try restaurants, and experience tourist venues, blog about them
and write them up in our newsletter." "That is why when people leave
they think we've done a great job because they don't have to spend the first
two hours at the visitor centre looking for where to eat and places to
go."
According to Becki, HideAway Haven delivers what
they market - outstanding luxury accommodation. "When people go to our
website and then see their rooms when they arrive - they say the pictures don't
do them justice, and that they are more than what they expected," she
said. "I think that we provide the perfect environment, an atmosphere of
harmony through the use of colours and being surrounded by the bush."
Each of HideAway Haven's three bedrooms has
luxurious beds, ensuite and a private deck with views. In addition to room
amenities, HideAway Haven offers a common room with a fully equipped kitchen
with fridge/freezer. microwave and cookware.
But it is the Jacuzzi that sits on the common
deck under the open sky that separates HideAway Haven from its competition -
and that is clearly a hit with guests - just read some of their testimonials.
That combined with HideAway Haven's homemade
gourmet breakfasts using fresh, local produce and the availability of evening
meals utilising the culinary skills of Maggie and Becki, which top off the
experience for guests.
While acknowledging entering the ACCI business
awards was a lot of work, Maggie said it was an opportunity to revisit their
business plan. "We realised what we had done, and it gave us more ideas to
put into action," she said.
"It is a lot of work, running HideAway
Haven because we really are on-call 24/7 - so winning the award gave us a big
boost and incentive to keep the customer focus at the centre of what we
do," Maggie said.
"We get a buzz when we get beautiful
write-ups in our guest book or great feedback. That lets us know we are serving
a purpose and providing something positive that makes us feel it is all
worthwhile," Becki said.
"It is all positive reinforcement that we
are on our way-there is still more we can do and more challenges. We can always
get better and always get out there more. You get one customer service
award but to get the next one you have got to be even better. We will
continue to go the extra mile for our guests to ensure they have a wonderful
experience here," Maggie said.
