Awards Won By

Hillcrest Mountain View Retreat

Crystal Creek via Murwillumbah, Tweed Coast Hinterland
Northern NSW, Australia

Affordable Luxury, Relaxation & Privacy for Couples

Over the years we have been fortunate enough to win many Tourism Awards for Hillcrest. Originally for Hillcrest Bed & Breakfast and then a few years later, when we built Mountain View Cottage and changed our name to Hillcrest Mountain View Retreat, for the operation as a whole.

This page explains what some of the logos and Awards symbols you see displayed on the Hillcrest website actually mean for you the guest ~ the most important part of our operation.

Tourism Industry Council Accredited:

A business is only allowed to display this logo if they have undergone the Accreditation process by the National Tourism Industry Council. The Accreditation process is initially by submission, which is extremely involved and outlines all the business practices, from customer service, relevant industry   approvals   and   insurances,   staff training, occupational health & safety and operational procedures as well as marketing and customer service. All claims made in the submission must be backed up by documented proof.

After initial approval there is an annual site inspection by independent adjudicators from outside the area. This ensures standards are maintained after the initial process. If standards slip, you lose your Accreditation and are no longer entitled to display the logo.

If you stay with an Accredited Tourism Business you know that they not only run in a professional manner, but they have all relevant licences and insurance in place and are trained in the health and safety of themselves and their guests.

Hillcrest Was First Accredited by the TIC in October 2004

BBFANSW:

This means your chosen accommodation is a member of the Bed & Breakfast and Farmstay Association of NSW, the peak industry body for the Bed & Breakfasts and Farmstays sector in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

Members agree to maintain certain minimum standards, to provide proof of their local Council Approval to operate as a Tourism Business and annual proof of  their industry insurance cover. From June 2005 any member not inspected and rated by AAAT (see below) must pay for an inspection to ensure that they adhere to the minimum standards as claimed.

Hillcrest has been a member of BBCFA NSW since opening

Regional Tourism Awards:

Northern Rivers Tourism (NRT) the official Tourism Organisation for the whole of the Northern Rivers region of NSW, runs annual Tourism Awards for all businesses in the Northern Rivers region which incorporates the Ballina Shire, Lismore, Grafton, Byron Shire & Tweed Shire. An area that runs from the NSW/QLD border inland and down the coast to just North of Coffs Harbour.

Entry is by submission and anonymous site inspection. The submission follows the NSW Tourism State Awards outline, sometimes just part of it, and sometimes the whole thing. For the hosted accommodation section the judges stay as guests ~ all we know is the approximate 4 week period in which they will stay, we never find out who they were.

Although finalists are announced, they are listed alphabetically with no category listed, so it's hard to tell how many finalists there are in each section ~ we estimate that there are usually two.

To win the Northern Rivers Regional Tourism Awards and be judged the best in your region, automatically places you at finalist level in the State Awards. However in recent years the State Awards finalists have been announced before the Regional Awards have taken place, so we know that Hillcrest has gained State Finals level independently of our Regional wins.

Three consecutive wins in any one category means you are inducted into the Hall of Fame for 3 years and asked not to enter the Awards for this period.

Hillcrest Won Northern Rivers Regional Tourism Awards in
2000, 2001, 2003, 2004 & 2005

Hillcrest was Inducted into the Northern Rivers Regional Hall of Fame in 2005 for the Period
2005 to 2008

State Tourism Awards:

NSW Tourism, the official NSW State Tourism Organisation, runs annual State Tourism Awards for the industry. These are the most important Awards on the State calendar as winners go forward to the National Awards. There is no way a business can directly enter the National Tourism Awards - they MUST first win the NSW Tourism State Awards.

Other Awards are run on a State-wide basis by such operations as the Hotel & Motel Association, however winners of other Awards are not entitled to enter the National Tourism Awards.

Entry is by submission and independent site inspection. The submission is long, 40 pages with another 50 pages of supporting information, and covers the areas of customer service, customer satisfaction, facilities, best practice, eco friendliness, risk management, staff training,  local commitment and commitment to the industry as a whole.

When you stay at a business that has been judged as one of the top 5 in the State in the NSW Tourism Awards you can be assured that not only do we have superb facilities, but our customer service and satisfaction levels have been proven to be - well one of the best 5 in the whole State. As you might expect when the best of the best compete, it is generally a very tightly fought race, Example: In 2003 only 1 point separated the top 3 in the finals - however there is only one Award i.e. no second or third place are announced.

Hillcrest Won the NSW Tourism Award of Excellence in 2004
Hillcrest Was a State Finalist in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008

Australia Post Small Business Awards: