By Dongyun Kwon
Balgownie Estate Yarra Valley in Yarra Glen was awarded Resort Style Accommodation of the Year at the 2024 Victorian Accommodation Awards for Excellence.
Accommodation Australia (Victoria) recognised excellence across Victoria’s regulated commercial accommodation sector and celebrated the breadth and diversity of accommodation offerings across the state.
Hoteliers, suppliers to industry and broader Victorian hospitality and tourism sector industry stakeholders came together to acknowledge Victoria’s best accommodation providers and their teams, whose efforts continue to position Victoria as a pre-eminent business and leisure ‘destination of choice’ for domestic and international travellers.
Accommodation Australia National chair David Mansfield lauded the establishments and individuals who have set new benchmarks in service and innovation and always strive to deliver a great experience for guests.
“In the last year alone, Victoria has welcomed nearly 90 million visitors and delivered over 143 million nights of accommodation. It’s numbers like these that show how the efforts of our industry, and the extraordinary individuals who work within it, are so vital to this state,” he said.
“While these awards are about reflecting on the incredible work that has been done over the past year, they are also about inspiring us to continue to evolve our industry for the better.”
Balgownie Estate Yarra Valley has 70 rooms along with other amenities including an indoor swimming pool, gymnasium and endota spa.
Balgownie Estate Yarra Valley hotel manager Lauren Hall said it was a great honour to win the award.
“It shows how hard all of our team worked, especially after everything that the tourism industry and our property have been through after the fire in 2020 and Covid as well as rebuilding and renovating our accommodation,” she said.
It’s about to finish the last block of renovation of new rooms designed to provide a different experience in October.
Ms Hall said Balgownie’s service is the secret of getting good recognition.
“Balgownie service highlights within every single department that we provide a standard of service that exceeds our guests’ expectation every single time they come back,” she said.
“All departments carry the value that working here is a special opportunity, and we all hold that very closely.
“I’d like to highlight the recognition to every department that we work at Balgownie. We have all come together amazingly to get this award.”
