Nurse is Hotelier's unsung hospital-ity hero

Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi hotel nurse Ivy Dela Cruz picked up the crowd's favourite - Unsung Hero of the Year award.

Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi hotel nurse Ivy Dela Cruz picked up the old favourite Unsung Hero of the Year award, sponsored by fino International, at last night’s Hotelier Middle East Awards 2009.

Cruz was presented the award by fino International operations manager Hana Tirawi.

An unanimous choice of judges, she was recognised for bringing her skills to the forefront by helping out in HR and IT departments and proving to be a real team player.

Having also demonstrated the importance of her own position, Cruz had decreased sick leave by 10%, saved the lives of two hotel guests and on one occasion, organised blood donations to help victims of a tragic accident in Abu Dhabi.

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In spite of her achievements, winning the award came as a total surprise to Cruz, who revealed the hotel had kept her nomination secret.

“I've been with the hotel for three years and want to thank the whole team for making me feel so welcome,” she said.

The standard of nominations for Hotelier’s Unsung Hero Award was so high 10 nominees made it onto the shortlist, with two candidates being Highly Commended.

Jumeirah Beach Hotel babysitter Suja Kuriakose, known as ‘Mummy Suja’ to colleagues, was recognised for displaying an exceptional level of service, which meant she was booked up to nine months in advance.

The second Highly Commended winner was Doha Marriott Hotel steward Rishi Ram Giri, whose story pulled the heart string of judges as his dedication to Doha Mariott and passion for his role helped hom to overcome the tragic loss of his family in Nepal.