CAPTION: Team Outrigger Fiji with their Po’okela awards. Photos: SUPPLIED.
Outrigger on the Lagoon ∙ Fiji have won two awards at the Outrigger Enterprises Group Po’okela awards held annually in Hawaii to acknowledge and highlight the exceptional achievements of the Outrigger Resorts staff and teams.
Of the seven awards up for grabs, Outrigger on the Lagoon ∙ Fiji scooped the Outrigger Values Award and the Exceptional Achievement by a Team Award.
Outrigger on the Lagoon ∙ Fiji General Manager Peter Hopgood accepted the awards on behalf of the staff at a ceremony attended by over 300 Outrigger managers and staff in Hawaii.
Salote Bali, the Guest Services Manager won the Excellence in Demonstrating the Outrigger Values Hosts award.
Outrigger on the Lagoon ∙ Fiji General Manager Peter Hopgood.
Salote was recognized for her excellence in service, where she provides training, direction and support to her Outrigger on the Lagoon ∙ Fiji Front Desk team earning her praise and recognition. Her excellence in being a host is evident in the department’s Overall Guest Satisfaction score of 99.8 percent for 2012.
Her greatest contribution was during the April 2012 devastating floods and December cyclone when she took control of the guest information center and provided comfort and assurance to anxious guests, rearranging travel plans, transfers and accommodations whilst maintaining composure and professionalism for more than four days.
Guests flooded the resort with letters of thanks, posted responses on TripAdvisor and other sites, personally mentioning Salote’s efforts.
The Exceptional Achievement by Team Award was won by the resort’s and Fiji’s top fine dining restaurant, Ivi.
The Ivi Restaurant continues to raise the bar of excellence and serves as a role model for fine dining along Fiji’s Coral Coast. Executive Chef Shailesh Naidu is Fiji’s most awarded and renowned chef and the mastermind behind Ivi’s Silver Service experience. In 2012 he was named the National President of the Fiji Chefs Association. Ivi Sous Chef Priya Darshani was also named winner of the 2012 Fiji Culinaire Chefs competition.
Ivi Restaurant adheres to the overall policy of recycling and sustainability practiced throughout the resort by sourcing locally, reducing the transportation, processing and packaging of produce. It is engaged through local suppliers wherever possible and educates them on their standards.
The restaurant and the resort support the Coral Coast’s “No Plastic that’s Fantastic” initiative. All of these efforts have led to financial success as well. Yearly growth from 2011 to 2012 has seen a 7.6 percent increase spend per cover.
Outrigger on the Lagoon · Fiji General Manager Peter Hopgood stated the wins are testament to the high quality of staff employed at the resort.
“We are just so proud of these two achievements by Salote and Team Ivi! Their wins are a result of guest feedback on their high quality and standard of service”, Mr. Hopgood added. “We are excited to have been acknowledged amongst the over 100 finalists at the awards and this proves that our resort and our staff are up there with the best in the world”, he continued.
“This win stands as a massive encouragement for our other 640 staff to strive to continuously do their best to ensure our guests have an unforgettable Fijian holiday!” Mr. Hopgood said.
“I’d also like to congratulate Chef Priya Darshani, our 2012 Sous Chef of the Year for making it to the finals”, Mr. Hopgood concluded.
The annual Po‘okela Awards acknowledge the global company Outrigger has become in its 66th year since its founding in 1947.
The Po’okela awards are designed to take the time to gather as an ‘ohana (family) to say “thank you” for a job well done; to celebrate the spirit of The Outrigger Way – which is Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a in Hawai‘i, Mittrapab in Thailand, Mateship in Australia, Bula in Fiji, Tri Hita Karana in Bali and Inafa’maolek in Guam; and to honor excellence, irrespective of culture or creed.
Seven awards were celebrated at the event: The Outrigger Way Achievement Awards, the Outrigger Values Awards, Exceptional Achievement by an Individual Awards, Exceptional Achievement by a Team Awards, the Spirit of Outrigger Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Chairman’s Award.
Outrigger on the Lagoon · Fiji was recently recognized as the Best Deluxe Accommodation in Fiji at the 2012 AON Excellence in Tourism awards, as well as the Best Fine Dining Restaurant.
The resort prides itself on delivering all the luxury of a five star property with the unforgettable warmth only found in a traditional Fijian village.
Visit the Outrigger on the Lagoon ∙ Fiji website (www.outriggerfiji.com) to find out more about our premium services.
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