Geraldton’s The Geraldton Apartment Hotel and Bob’s Boutique Bar nominated as finalists in AHA awards

A Geraldton hotel has been rewarded with a swathe of industry award nominations, against competition of the likes of Crown hotels and the Ritz-Carlton. The 4.5-star Gerald Apartment Hotel and its Bob’s Boutique Bar are finalists in six categories for the 2023 Australian Hotel Association Perth Airport Accommodation Awards for Excellence. The Gerald is nominated in the all abilities hotel category, as well as being in the running for the superior accommodation award and WA’s best regional accommodation award. Bob’s Boutique Bar is up for the hotel bar award. The hotel was chosen next to some of Perth’s most deluxe hotel stays including the InterContinental, The Westin, Crown Towers, The Ritz-Carlton and more. The Gerald Apartment Hotel’s head of housecleaning Sheryll Giba is a finalist in the hotel housekeeping award, while general manager Gemma Clark is in the running for the executive level manager award. Ms Giba has been an asset to the hotel since it was established in 2018 and prides herself on a high standard of cleaning and customer service. Ms Clark said she was honoured the premium hotel — made up of hotel accommodation, a conference centre, a rooftop bar and a boutique bar — was nominated among fierce Perth competition and took her hat off to the employees for their hard work. “We like to pride ourselves on excellent service even though we’re in a regional town, excellent amenities and our staff go above and beyond for our guests,” she said. “It’s not a franchise, it’s personable. We like to have a lot of value-adds and just keep adding those nice little touches and create memorable experiences for everyone.” Ms Clark said Bob’s Bar, refurbished from a previous restaurant in 2020, offered something unique for Geraldton with 70 gins on the menu, quality cocktails and share-plate tapas-style food. “It’s a nice intimate space, people enjoy coming in here, it’s a more quieter venue. We have table service which most bars now don’t have and the nice fixtures and fittings — you don’t feel like you’re in Geraldton,” she said. Ms Clark said it was nice for the staff to be recognised for their efforts and hoped there was an award to add to their resume when the winners were announced. That will happen at the Devil’s Lair Gala Ball at Crown Perth on Monday, April 3.