Cargo Gantley’s Pub & Cafe of Queenstown has won the Supreme Award at the 2022 Lion Hospitality Awards for Excellence.
The awards, held for the 24th time, were announced at a black-tie dinner at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Auckland on July 27 – the final night of the two-day New Zealand hospitality conference.
The awards celebrate the success, achievements and resilience of the hospitality and accommodation sector, where the best of the best are recognised. They were hosted by Hospitality New Zealand in partnership with principal sponsor Lion New Zealand and industry partners, with a record 260 entries.
Cargo Gantley’s Pub & Cafe won the Best New/Redeveloped Food & Beverage category before being chosen for the top award from winners of the other categories.
The People’s Choice Award, voted on by the public, was won by Hanmer Springs TOP 10 Holiday Park.
The awards featured five finalists for each of the 24 awards, including from over 200 venues, a record number of venues and entries. More than 20 venues entered the categories of Best Bar, Best Local, Best Destination Venue, Best Restaurant and more.
Hospitality NZ Chief Executive Julie White said Cargo Gantley’s Pub & Cafe was a very worthy winner from a top field of category winners.
“They are well-deserved winners, and Hospitality New Zealand congratulates Cody Hughes and his team. They did a fantastic job under another year of the most trying circumstances, as did every other category winner and finalist. For many businesses and operators, just being able to enter was a small miracle in itself after the tough year they’ve had,” she said.
“Every hospitality and accommodation business and every worker out there deserved their own medal for the guts and perseverance they showed.”
Lion’s Country Director, Craig Baldie, added his congratulations to all the winners, saying his company remained in awe at how the hospitality industry has performed in the face of the huge challenges of the past year, and they were delighted to be able to continue to support it.”
There were four new awards this year to celebrate the leaders who helped the industry through the past two years.
The Leader of the Year in Hospitality was Jamie Freeman from Joylab, Leader of the Year in Accommodation was Jacqui Cheal from Ramada by Wyndham Albany, Future Leader of the Year was Ashleigh Gee from Miss Gee’s Bar & Eatery, and Chef of the Year was Jiwon Do from QT Museum Wellington.
Stacie Warren of Century Park Motor Lodge was awarded the Lynn Braddock Memorial trophy and experienced hotel industry operator, Peter Norrie was inducted into the Hospitality Hall of Fame.
Category winners and finalists
Best Bar/Pub
Finalists: Kaiser Brew Garden, Christchurch; Little Blackwood, Queenstown; Market ST, Napier; Thistle Inn, Wellington; Tipsy Oyster Tapas & Bar, Paihia.
Winner: Little Blackwood, Queenstown
Best Café
Finalists: 11th Avenue by Frank’s, Queenstown; Bonobo Café, Christchurch; Fusee Rouge Café, Cromwell; Rusty Radiator Diner Café, Halcombe; The Wholemeal Café, Takaka
Winner: Fusee Rouge Café, Cromwell
Best Destination Venue
Finalists: Fable Terrace Downs Resort, Windwhistle; Lake Taupo Holiday Resort, Taupo; Milford Sound Lodge, Milford Sound; Owen River Lodge, Murchison; Theatre Royal Hotel, Kumara.
Winner: Lake Taupo Holiday Resort, Taupo
Best Hotel
Finalists: Bolton Hotel, Wellington; Escape to Picton Boutique Hotel, Picton; Fable Dunedin, Dunedin; Ramada Suites by Wyndham Manukau, Auckland; The Hotel Britomart, Auckland.
Winner: Fable Dunedin, Dunedin
Best Luxury Hotel
Finalists: Fable Dunedin, Dunedin; QT Auckland, Auckland; QT Queenstown, Queenstown;
The Hotel Britomart, Auckland; The Grand by SkyCity, Auckland.
Winner: The Hotel Britomart, Auckland
Best Luxury Accommodation
Finalists: Adrift in Golden Bay, Parapara; Craggy Range Vineyards, Havelock North; Fable Auckland, Auckland; Hotel Fitzroy curated by Fable, Auckland; QT Wellington, Wellington.
Winner: QT Museum Wellington, Wellington
Best Brand Experience
Finalists: Heyday Beer Co, Wellington; Naumi Studio Wellington, Wellington; The Hotel Britomart, Auckland; The Monteith’s Brewery Experience, Greymouth; Toastie New Zealand, Picton.
Winner: Heyday Beer Co., Wellington
Best Motel
Finalists: Baycrest Thermal Lodge, Taupo; One88 on Commerce, Whakatane; Palazzo Motor Lodge, Nelson; The St James, Hanmer Springs; Whangaparaoa Lodge, Auckland.
Winner: Palazzo Motor Lodge, Nelson
Best Accommodation (other)
Finalists: Hanmer Springs TOP 10 Holiday Park, Hanmer Springs; Lake Taupo Holiday Resort, Taupo; Ohope Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park, Ohope; Podium Lodge, Cambridge; Sojourn Apartment Hotel, Wellington.
Winner: Podium Lodge, Cambridge
Best Local
Finalists: Smith & McKenzie Steak House, Hamilton; The Elmwood Trading Company, Christchurch; The Frankton Arm Tavern, Queenstown; The Greytown Hotel – The Top Pub, Greytown; The Keg Room, Hamilton.
Winner: The Elmwood Trading Company, Christchurch
Best Environmental/Sustainable Business
Finalists: Awaroa Lodge, Abel Tasman National Park; Boulcott Suites, Wellington; Edgewater Resort Hotel, Wanaka; Owen River Lodge, Murchison; The Hotel Britomart, Auckland.
Winner: Owen River Lodge, Murchison
Best New/Redeveloped Business – Accommodation
Finalists: Eliza’s Manor, Christchurch; Fable Dunedin , Dunedin; Holiday Inn Queenstown Remarkables Park, Queenstown; Sojourn Apartment Hotel, Wellington; The Central Private Hotel, Queenstown.
Winner: Eliza’s Manor, Christchurch
Best New/Redeveloped Business – Food & Beverage
Finalists: Cargo Gantley’s Pub & Café, Queenstown; Margo’s, Queenstown; Lola Rouge at Naumi Studio Wellington , Wellington; Esther Restaurant at QT Auckland, Auckland; Queenstown Ice Bar, Queenstown.
Winner: Cargo Cantley’s Pub & Café, Queenstown
Best Restaurant
Finalists: MASU by Nic Watt at SkyCity, Auckland; Miro, Christchurch; Tantalus Estate, Waiheke Island; Kingi at The Hotel Britomart, Auckland; White and Wong’s, Queenstown.
Winner: kingi, Auckland
Best Live Entertainment Venue
Finalists: Miss Gee’s Bar and Eatery, Tauranga; SkyCity Hamilton, Hamilton; Smash Palace, Gisborne; The Playhouse Theatre, Nelson; University of Canterbury Students Association, Christchurch.
Winner: University of Canterbury Students Association, Christchurch
Excellence in Gaming
Finalists: Botany Commons, Auckland; Five Stags Leamington, Leamington; Four Kings, Wellington; The Elmwood Trading Company, Christchurch; Woodbourne Tavern & Motel, Renwick.
Winner: The Elmwood Trading Company, Christchurch
Excellence in Marketing
Finalists: Bolton Hotel, Wellington; Edgewater, Wanaka; Fable Hotels and Resorts, New Zealand; SkyCity Hotels Group, Auckland; Toastie New Zealand, Picton.
Winner: Fable Hotels and Resorts, New Zealand
Excellence in People & Culture
Finalists: Future Hospitality Group, Queenstown; Miro, Christchurch; Republic Hospitality Group, Queenstown; The Riverhead, Riverhead; University of Canterbury Students Association, Christchurch; Event Hotels NZ Ltd, New Zealand.
Winner: Future Hospitality Group, Queenstown
