A Stratford motel has been given top marks by Tourism New Zealand.
The Amity Court Motel recently received a Qualmark gold award, making it one of only five motels across New Zealand to achieve gold status. It is the only property in all categories of accommodation to achieve this in Taranaki to date.
Owned by Tourism New Zealand, Qualmark provides a guide to travel experiences through a star-grading system for accommodation providers and an endorsement programme for other tourism businesses.
Qualmark has recently revised and updated its criteria, basing it on sustainable tourism practices.
Amity Court Motel general manager Jason Kowalewski was thrilled to achieve gold status.
"It is a credit to our entire team and the work we've put in to not only achieve a profitable business, but to ensure we are responsible hosts and zeroing in on our social responsibilities."
Jason and his wife Kate have managed the motel for five years. Jason says it's reassuring to have somebody looking at the business from the outside and saying they were doing well.
"You pretty much open your books to them and they look at every aspect of your business to see if you are doing best practice. It just shows that everybody here is on the right track."