Jill and Clint Tauri's exceptional hospitality at their Edgewater Motel in Te Anau has earned them the prestigious 2009 AA Supreme Host of the Year Award. In conjunction with the Motel Association of New Zealand (MANZ), AA Tourism General Manager Peter Blackwell presented the award on Saturday night at the MANZ annual conference in Blenheim. "Jill and Clint are to be congratulated on their outstanding level of hospitality," said Mr Blackwell. "Staying at a motel is a real Kiwi experience and is often a home away from home for business travellers. The host's ability to have an impact on guests overall experience at a destination is enormous," he said. Motel Association of New Zealand Chief Executive, Michael Baines says the final result is fantastic and the Edgewater Motel was deserving of the award. "All finalists were visited by Qualmark mystery shoppers to independently assess each of the properties and the way in which staff treated their customers. The hospitality of the Edgewater Motel staff was truly outstanding. What was even more remarkable was the mystery shopping was carried out during the time of the major earthquake event and still staff were able to impress the Qualmark mystery shoppers," says Mr Baines. "The Motel Association is delighted to be involved in a programme that recognises and celebrates the best of the best. Hospitality is the essence of the tourism industry and the association is grateful to AA Tourism for supporting this by rewarding the most deserving," says Mr Baines.

Award finalists and winners are selected based on Qualmark Mystery Shopping results and comment cards sent in by guests.