Two top awards thrill Lodge owners

The votes are in and it's official - Dawson Falls Mountain Lodge is a great place to visit, whether it is for a quick coffee in the cafe, a sumptuous meal at the restaurant or an overnight stay in the lodge itself.

Owners Sera and Markus Hojdelewicz say they are thrilled to have received two international awards recognising excellence in the hospitality field.

It is the best seal of approval to be recognised by our our customers, it tells us we are getting it right, that the service we pride ourselves on is being well-received.

Markus Hojdelewicz

The couple say the important thing with both awards, from booking.com and tripadvisor, is that they are based on reviews from customers, not specific judges.

"So it is the shared opinion of so many people, not just one or two judges who came at a specific time and ate one thing."

The booking.com Award of Excellence gives businesses a total score out of ten. With the average score amongst properties receiving the award being 8.7, Sera and Markus are understandably delighted with their score of 9.4.

"We are the highest on the mountain," laughs Markus, who adds that the scores come from guest review scores, which can only be given by people who have actually booked through the booking.com website and therefore have definitely stayed at the property. "There is no risk of someone leaving a review when they haven't actually stayed, each review is authentic, so to score so highly really makes us feel proud of the service we provide here."

The Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is only given to establishments that consistently receive fantastic reviews on the Tripadvisor website. To qualify a business must maintain an overall rating of at least 4 out of 5.

The most recent review of the lodge on Tripadvisor states, "out of all our stays in New Zealand it is the only one we hope to stay at again" and the ones below it are just as positive and enthusiastic.

We use Tripadvisor ourselves when we travel, so we really appreciate the award as it tells us we are meeting and exceeding our guests expectations.

Sera Hojdelewicz

Sera says websites such as Tripadvisor are great as they provide feedback and give them direction as to what guests are looking for.

"We have had some feedback from guests that they would appreciate a cooked breakfast option as well as the continental one on offer, so we are now looking into that as an option for the future."

Having owners who live on the property and therefore directly deal with all their guests is a great advantage when it comes to providing excellent hospitality, says Sera.

"We answer the phone and take your booking and we show you to your room when you arrive. We serve your meal, we answer your questions about walks in the area and we are here to help with any query or request you have. We aren't some faceless owners living elsewhere, we are here and we love the area we live in, something our guests notice and appreciate."

With two awards already on the wall in under two years of running the lodge, Sera and Markus say they are now focused on maintaining the quality of service they have already become known for.

We are looking forward to welcoming many more dinner and overnight guests, and will continue to work hard to give them an experience that matches the amazing scenery we are lucky enough to live by.