Ontario's Finest Inns WOW Award Winners

Goderich, Ontario……………..Spring 2008. More than 35 members of Ontario’s Finest Inns & Spas attended the Annual WOW Awards ceremony last week at the Benmiller Inn in Goderich, Ontario. Awards of excellence were presented by MPP Carol Mitchell and the Honourable Peter Fonseca, Minister of Tourism.

Eleven of the 35 member inns and spas received WOW awards in a number of categories. Ten inns received ‘Top Marks’. “Approximately 500 criteria are applied in the detailed evaluation process conducted by a secret shopper every 18 months.” says Kathy Nichol, Executive Director of Ontario’s Finest Inns & Spas.

The 2007 “WOW” winners are:

Gananoque Inn – beautiful grounds
Not a spider web or a geranium needing dead-heading to be found. The grounds and gardens are impeccably kept and beautifully presented.

Rosemount Inn –breakfast
The only place I’ve ever been offered an amuse-bouche for breakfast – and “good for you” chocolate at that! The breakfast service and presentation were impeccable and the food was delicious.

Vintage Goose Inn – cleanest Jacuzzi jets
It really can be done! This Jacuzzi is not new yet the jets were perfectly clean! Kudos to the hardworking housekeepers!

Rawley Resort –amenity offering
From powder puffs to luxurious body lotion. These amenities from London, England are over the top indulgent.

Idlewyld –F&B service
Never feeling rushed, having every question answered with grace, enjoying a sense of humour and barely noticing the attentive service – that makes any dining experience extra special.

Millcroft –dinner experience
The menu, the food, the presentation, the atmosphere, the service levels... this dining experience is second to none.

Shaw Club –‘over the top’ luxury
What every man needs – a television set discreetly into the mirror in the bathroom!

Harbour House –reception/hospitality
From the reservation to the check-in to every single interaction with staff to the wine tasting offered to guests, to the check-out; the service was warm, friendly and professional.

Rosemount Spa –service
Suzie is the epitome of the ideal service provider; genuine, warm, gentle and confident. And she builds excitement for the guests with her passion. She attends to all the little details that make a spa experience exceptional.

Elemental Embrace –treatment rooms
Beautiful pictures on the ceilings and motivating words on the walls. What a treat for guests to have something pleasant to look at while they wait for the service provider to return.

Elemental Embrace - Treatment
Shirodhara – warm medicated oil streams continuously on your forehead (third eye) while two service providers massage your whole body in unison. The state of being this creates is euphoric.

Water Spa at Sir Sam’s – Unique spa amenity
This waterspa features sensory stimulation from tiny bubbles to jets to waterfalls, with underwater music, tonal rhythms, lights and selected projections to sustain you in a dream-like state as you float in body temperature salinized waters.
The ten‘Top Mark’ properties can be viewed at the Ontario’s Finest Inns and Spas.

Ontario’s Finest Inns & Spas started in 1991 and initiated their first WOW awards in 2007. They have grown from an initial group of 10 Inns to 43 inns and 20 spas. Membership criteria is based on providing the distinct character and the finest hospitality in the Province of Ontario through the rigorous annual quality assurance program.

Additional Information on Ontario’s Finest Inns & Spas can be found at www.OntariosFinestInns.com or by calling 1-800.340.4667.