Tara Crisafi from The Sebel Chatswood wins HM 2012 Rising Star of the Year Award
	Geoffrey York General Manager The Fairmont Resort MGallery accepts the 2012 HM Australia General Manager of the Year Award
	Accor Director of Finance, Steven Lake accepts the 2012 HM Hotel Chain of the Year Award for Accor
	Graeme Ham Accor General Manager HR New Zealand accepts the special HM Service to Industry Award on behalf of Tim Dearsley Ibis Christchurch General Mangaer

Accor celebrates 22 awards including 8 category wins at the leading awards for the accommodation industry across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific

The Accor hotel group is celebrating after receiving eight coveted awards plus a further 14 Highly Commended achievements at the 2012 HM Awards for Hotel and Accommodation Excellence held at Sydney Town Hall on Friday night.

A record 2300 entries were received for the HM Awards which celebrated its tenth year in 2012. A total of 46 awards were presented at the Friday 7 September gala dinner following a lengthy nomination and voting process involving a key judging panel of over 20 industry professionals.

Accor was one of the most triumphant hotel groups at the 2012 HM Awards ceremony, recognised across a variety of categories for outstanding hotel properties, departments and people.

In the ‘Major Awards’ categories, Accor Hotels won the HM Magazine Hotel Chain of the Year category for the second consecutive year, cementing its leadership position in the Australian, New Zealand and South Pacific markets.

Accor’s Chairman and Chief Operating Officer for Asia Pacific, Michael Issenberg was crowned HM Magazine Asia-Pacific Hotelier of the Year, while Simon McGrath Accor’s Chief Operating Officer Pacific received a well-respected Highly Commended  accolade in the category for Australasian Hotelier of the Year, with the Pullman Brand earning a Highly Commended for Best Hotel Brand.

It was a big week for General Manager of Ibis Christchurch Tim Dearsley as he not only re-opened the hotel two years after the quake devastated the city but won HM’s special 47th Award for Service to the Industry.

Sofitel Luxury Hotels continued Accor’s winning streak with a further seven accolades. Taking home top honours, the stunning Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa won Best New Zealand Hotel, while Sofitel Bora Bora Marara Beach and Private Island, French Polynesia confirmed Sofitel’s dominance in the Pacific region, with Best South Pacific Property and the Best Food and Beverage Associate nod going to Claude Stein of Sofitel Sydney Wentworth.

Several Accor staff made it to the winner’s podium in ‘people’ and ‘service’ categories including Tara Crisafi from The Sebel Residence Chatswood who won the highly anticipated Rising Star of the Year, while General Manager of The Fairmont Resort MGallery, Geoffrey York triumphed and took home the illustrious HM Australian General Manager of the Year Award.

Accor’s Chief Operating Officer Pacific, Simon McGrath said that Accor was thrilled to be recognised by our industry peers in a number of HM Award categories. “We are humbled to received such an array of awards at this year’s HM Awards and it is a fitting tribute to all our staff that we once again received Hotel Chain of the Year. To win this major award is a huge tribute to the amazing and collective efforts of our 12,000 employees right across the Pacific region.”  

The annual HM Awards serve to acknowledge, reward and celebrate the enormous achievements which exemplify excellence in performance and service within the hospitality industry.