Katherine is a great place for hospitality services, if the recent Australian Hotels Association awards are anything to go by.
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The Katherine Club and Knotts Crossing employee Norma Craft each received recognition at the NT branch’s premier event, the Aristocrat Technologies Awards for Excellence, held in Darwin.
“It does make you feel good,” Katherine Club manager Alison Vincent said of the award for best club bar presentation and service. “I think it’s a combination of a lot of things – the atmosphere, the food and service, and our patrons and members.”
The club boasts consistent food standards, using wild-caught barramundi when it’s available, no mean feat in the tourist season when they are serving 200-plus meals a night in the restaurant.
It has a membership list in the vicinity of 1300 people, from Darwin and Pine Creek areas as well as local members.
“We offer a lot – pokies, TAB, 8-ball and darts – plus a jumping pillow for the kids, that’s a big drawcard,” said Alison. “Our beer garden has been done up too and it’s popular for functions.”
Knotts Crossing manager Jo Pace said it was no surprise to her that Norma Craft had taken out the Excellence in Service award for housekeeping.
“She’s been really valuable in the 14 or 15 years that she’s been here. I’d describe her as dedicated, loyal and reliable.”
There’s not many things more important in a hospitality business than freshness, and Norma ensures the linen side of that is top quality, supervising the laundering of sheets, pillowcases and towels for up to 126 rooms a day, as well as all the table linen, tea towels and napkins used by the catering side.
In addition, the laundry handles the needs of Nitmiluk and Cicada Lodge, Beswick and Mataranka Roadhouse.
“At certain times of the year, this is a very high volume,” Jo said. “Norma gets in at 6am and knocks off somewhere between 2 and 4pm, six days a week.
“She’s been a local lady in Katherine a long time and this award is a credit to her.”
Jo added that Knotts Crossing had won AHA awards in the restaurant section before but this was its first in the service area.
Over 400 nominations were received across 37 award categories from hospitality venues throughout the Territory.
Both awardees will now compete in the national finals, to be announced in Sydney in September.