Millbrook Resort named a ‘Stellar Stay’ by HotelsCombined

May 20 2014

Millbrook Resort named a ‘Stellar Stay’ in Australia and New Zealand by leading travel website HotelsCombined

The world’s leading hotel price comparison website, HotelsCombined, has named Queenstown’s Millbrook Resort one of the best properties in Australia and New Zealand in its second annual ‘Stellar Stays’ awards.

The award judges singled out just 13 outstanding properties across Australia and New Zealand based on a stringent set of criteria specifically around the large number of exceptional guest reviews received across many travel sites.

The winning properties’ environmental, sustainable tourism and community initiatives were also a key aspect and each property had to have won at least three major other awards in the last 12 months to be considered.

HotelsCombined global PR and content manager Alycia Simons said the strict award criteria “ensures the calibre of the winning properties remains very high”.

“Responsible tourism is very important to HotelsCombined and the ‘Stellar Stays’ Awards aim to encourage and highlight the benefits of sustainable tourism practices,” said Ms Simons.

“Each of the awarded hotels has contributed significantly to the local community or environment in some way. This may be through the implementation of international best practice standards and procedures or via an ongoing commitment to community programs and initiatives.”

The reviews on HotelsCombined are aggregated from over 38 million reviews from multiple travel and review sites with a potential maximum score of 10. All winners rated 9.0 or higher and had a minimum of 250 customer reviews on the HotelsCombined site.

The award adds to the five star resort’s already impressive trophy cabinet and continues a formidable run of positive feedback, guest reviews and fantastic coverage as co-host of the New Zealand Golf Open for the first time earlier this year.

Within the last 12 months alone Millbrook Resort has been voted the Best Golf Resort in Australasia at the World Travel Awards for the third year running, Best Luxury Wellness Spa for Australasia & Oceania in the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2013, and No 1 Hotel in New Zealand Trip Advisor Travellers' Choice Awards in 2013 and 2014.

Millbrook Resort head of operations Brian Howie said the latest award was unique as it centred on multiple factors that contribute to the success of a world-class hotel.

“This accolade is based not only on the incredible guest reviews we’ve received across multiple websites and our previous award wins, but it also recognises the importance of operating a five-star resort in an environmentally-responsible manner while also maintaining world-class standards,” he said.

“Sustainability and protecting our environment for future generations is of the utmost importance to us and we’ve undergone some noticeable alterations in our processes to ensure we not only meet but exceed our commitments to the environment.”

“As a five- star Qualmark and Enviro Gold rated property we endeavour to ensure our guests enjoy a world-class experience while also doing our bit for the environment.”

One area of interest is Millbrook Resort’s pioneering use of EM Technology (EM™) to help reduce waste across the resort.

“We’re leading the way in this area, ensuring the resort is as environmentally-friendly as it can be. With over 500 acres to tend to, including established grounds and wetlands which are home to an abundance of wildlife, our task isn’t small.”

EM™ (Effective Microorganisms) is a natural and probiotic technology developed 28 years ago that is made up of beneficial and highly efficient organisms, which are not harmful, non-pathogenic, and not genetically modified or chemically synthesized.

“The win adds to our already impressive array of awards, accolades and consistently good guest feedback we receive daily. It’s an encouraging nod to the hard work of the team who go above and beyond to ensure guests who visit Millbrook leave feeling relaxed and truly wowed by our stunning environment.”

“Our world-class standards are unrivalled and awards such as this reflect that.”

About Millbrook Resort
Millbrook is one of the world’s most celebrated hotels and resorts and was voted the Best Golf Resort in Australasia at the World Travel Awards in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and the Best Resort in New Zealand for 2011 and 2012 and 2013. It also won the title of Best Luxury Wellness Spa Australasia and Oceania in 2013.

Millbrook Resort received the Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice Award for Top Hotel in New Zealand in 2013 and 2014 and also received the #15 Top Hotel in South Pacific, #22 for romance hotels in New Zealand, and #23 for luxury hotels in New Zealand in the 2014 awards.

Set in a natural, alpine amphitheatre against a backdrop of snow-capped mountain ranges on the outskirts of world-renowned tourism destination Queenstown, Millbrook was formerly a wheat farm with a 150-year history.

Many of the resort’s heritage features remain today including the original Millhouse, rustic buildings and a majestic avenue of trees, over 150 years old.

Millbrook, which celebrated its 20th Birthday last year, is a multi award-winning resort that features various levels of five-star accommodation, world class dining, the Spa at Millbrook (ranked among the Top Ten in the World by Conde Naste), a fully-equipped health and fitness centre, a championship 27-hole golf course, covered driving range, swimming pool, outdoor spa pools, tennis courts and kilometres of biking and walking trails.

Nearby you can enjoy the gold rush era village of Arrowtown with its many restaurants, cafes, museum and boutique shops. Queenstown is a year-round paradise with attractions including world-class wineries, five ski areas, great nightlife, multiple golf courses and award-winning restaurants and bars.

Millbrook Resort will once again play co-host to the 2015 NZ Open golf tournament, along with The Hills Golf Course in Arrowtown, from March 12 to 15 2015.

About EM™
EM™ is a natural and probiotic technology developed 28 years ago in Japan by Dr.Teruo Higa, who is the author of the famous book series “An EARTH Saving Revolution”.

EM™ means “Effective Microorganisms™” and it is made up of beneficial and highly efficient organisms. These microorganisms are not harmful, non-pathogenic, not genetically modified, nor chemically synthesized.

Originally, it was developed as alternative for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, however, the use of EM technology™ in the last two decades, has expanded from agriculture to effluent and waste water treatments, control of foul odours, farms and animal health, human health and innumerable industrial treatments.

At present, EM™ is used in more than 120 countries and there are over 54 manufacturers in the world. More than 30 research centres, across various countries, create and analyse new alternatives daily to increase and expand the range of this technology.

About HotelsCombined
HotelsCombined is the world’s leading hotel price comparison site, allowing travellers to find the best prices from all the best travel sites in one search. More than 300 million people every year use HotelsCombined.com to find the best prices for 800,000 properties in 120,000 destinations worldwide.

HotelsCombined is available in over 40 languages and delivers prices in 120 currencies. Established in Australia in 2005, HotelsCombined is Australian-owned and employs more than 200 people. www.hotelscombined.com

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