The Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards has unveiled its list of nominees for its 18th annual showing and two West Coast favourites are in the running.
Tofino’s Long Beach Lodge Resort and Ucluelet’s Norwood’s Restaurant are among 88 finalists for this year’s awards. The winners will be announced at Victoria’s Delta Ocean Pointe Resort on Jan. 25.
Long Beach Lodge’s Director of Sales and Marketing Megan Hall told the Westerly News she and her team were delighted to be recognized.
“We definitely make sure we have a great staff culture and we take pride in supporting various community organizations and participate in sustainability initiatives around the community as well,” she said.
“We have a huge commitment to our staff, the guests and the community and also the environment and we continue to update, add and maintain the resort to ensure a top quality experience for our guests.”
She said Lodge representatives are pleased to attend the Jan. 25 awards celebration.
“We’re looking forward to the evening,” she said. “It’s very humbling, important and exciting to be nominated.”
Hall pointed to the Lodge’s efforts to nurture and sustain a motivating and caring staff environment as a key reason for the business’ success.
“We definitely attribute part of the success of the business, and our guest satisfaction and loyalty, to investing in our staff culture,” she said. “We make sure that our staff are happy and they’re being treated really well”
She said 2017 was “a really great year, again, for the Lodge and for Tofino in general,” and added the resort launched new offerings, including live music on Wednesdays, from 3-6 p.m.
“It’s great to see a lot of locals in the Great Room enjoying that,” she said adding locals also enjoy the resort’s hot-pool and sauna facilities.
“Tofino being a small community, we love to have locals in the Lodge and give back to the community and put on things that not only our guests, but locals can enjoy as well,” she said. “Whenever we reference guests, we include both locals and travellers in that. The Lodge strives on treating its staff, guests and locals equally. Every one of them is just as vital to the organization as the other.”
Ucluelet’s Norwood’s Restaurant is closed for the season and the Westerly News was unable to reach owner Richard Norwood by presstime. The popular dining spot will reopen on Feb. 10.
“The Owner/Chef Richard Norwood is one of the best and most talented Chef’s I’ve ever run across,” wrote James Robson in a recent TripAdvisor review. “He once cooked me the ultimate Halibut Dinner and, for past 20 years, I have gone out of my way just to eat at his place. Pure quality.”
Black Press is a Platinum Sponsor of the Business Excellence Awards.