WHEN a blaze broke out in a hotel guest room, she bravely rushed to the rescue.

Roadchef Days Inn Hotel receptionist Katarzyna Mikietinska was praised by fire crews when she set off the fire alarms and evacuated the hotel, at the Rownhams service station off the M27, near Southampton.

Now the 21-year-old, from Shirley, Southampton, has been crowned Roadchef’s Hero of the Year, while also achieving the leadership, communication and speed and decision and action awards.

Katarzyna was praised for the way she quickly and calmly followed the company’s guidelines after the fire broke out when a guest left a towel on an electric heater last December.

Mark Densley, site director at Rownhams, said: “Katarzyna executed the company guidelines perfectly, her calm demeanour and efficiency in such a challenging situation truly was award-worthy and the team at the Rownhams site is extremely proud of her achievements.”

Roadchef CEO Simon Turl said: “We’re very proud that a ‘Heroine of the Year’ has been crowned at this year’s ceremony. Katarzyna has been recognised as the real ‘best of the best’ at Roadchef for her exceptional management and leadership skills.”

The award, which was presented at a glittering annual ceremony, recognises the work of Roadchef’s employees across its 28 UK motorway service areas.