Hospitality visionary and Newcastle local, Ricci-Lee Wheeler has been awarded Australia’s Hotel Industry Rising Star of 2021 at the National AHA Awards for Excellence.
The Awards were hosted on 7 February in Hobart, Tasmania. This award honours the achievements of its receiver’s skills for a variety of components including accommodation, dining, entertainment, digital marketing, and community building.
Ricci-Lee has set high precedence having received an accolade of the same name three times. Igniting her long history of hospitality and hotel excellence, she first received a Rising Star Scholarship with Crowne Plaza followed by being awarded NSW Rising Star with the AHA in 2019.
Now, with this third ode to her stardom under her belt, Ricci-Lee is nationally recognised as an industry powerhouse.
As the Operations Manager and Marketing Director of Hunt Hospitality International, alongside this accolade, she also scored the group Top 3 Most Innovative Companies in the Hospitality, Tourism, Retail and Entertainment Sector in 2021 from the Australian Financial Review.
Hunt Hospitality Managing Director, Stephen Hunt said Ricci-lee has been instrumental in the growth and success of the company and inspires the team everyday with her work ethic.
“Ricci-lee has shown up every day to ignite Hunt Hospitality’s mission, vision, and values to create a sustainable company culture that oozes excellence left, right, and centre,” he said.
Recently awarded Business NSW’s Outstanding Business Leader of 2021, both Stephen Hunt and Ricci-lee are exemplifying hospitality excellence in Australia’s incredibly competitive climate.
“Ricci-lee is a constant mentor to her team and has illustrated this repeatedly through her efforts in strategic planning, campaign execution, and leadership skills which showcase her ability to boost the profitability of our venues tenfold,” Stephen continued.
“The National AHA Awards for Excellence is the flagship for recognising Australia’s leaders in the hospitality industry. I am honoured to be among the list of hard-working Australians who continue to strive to make people’s days through these truly challenging times,” Ricci-lee said.
“I am thrilled to have been awarded this prestigious title and believe it’s a huge recognition towards the efforts of our entire team.”
The global pandemic continues to affect both the tourism and hospitality industry across regional Australia. With an unpredictable and bumpy road ahead, Ricci-lee is determined to continue to make a pivotal impact on the Hunt Hospitality venues across regional New South Wales through safeguarding sustainable business practices and elevating her team.
IMAGE | Hunt Hospitality Operations Manager and Marketing Director, Ricci-Lee Wheeler.
