Provincial country pubs, upmarket metropolitan gastro bars, plush multi-million dollar hotels and neighbourhood cafés are among the finalists announced today in the 2015 Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence.
The broad spectrum of award finalists is spread across 15 separate categories, with a total of 50 entries making it through to the final judging stage. The finalists in this year’s Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence are:
Best Accommodation
Art Deco Masonic Hotel, Napier
Bolton Hotel, Wellington
Best Bar
El Horno, Wellington
Good Neighbour, Hamilton
The Occidental, Auckland
Vinyl Bar, Wellington
Best Beverage List
Delaware North Wellington Airport, Wellington
Indigo Restaurant, Napier
Pilkingtons, Auckland
West Coast Wine Company, Hokitika
Best Cafe
Jellyfish Café and Bar, Mapua, Nelson
Route 6 Café and Bar, Lumsden
Spruce Goose, Wellington
Best Country Hotel
Hampden Hotel, Murchison
Sawyers Arms, Waipawa, Hawke’s Bay
Theatre Royal Hotel, Kumara
Tuakau Hotel, Tuakau
Best Music Entertainment Venue
Dux Live, Christchurch
Playhouse Theatre, Richmond, Nelson
Stampede Bar and Grill, Papakura, Auckland
Best New / Redeveloped Bar / Restaurant
35 Degrees South and Alongside, Paihia
Bootleg BBQ Company, Christchurch
Pilkingtons, Auckland
The Hideaway Bar, Wellington
Best Restaurant
Dux Dine, Christchurch
Francesca’s Italian Kitchen, Wanaka
Portlander Bar and Grill, Wellington
Smith and McKenzie Chophouse, Hamilton
Best Dish Under $25
Bolton Hotel, Wellington
Smith and McKenzie Chophouse, Hamilton
Stations Inn, Hokitika, West Coast
Sugarhorse Bar and Eatery, Christchurch
Best Dish Over $25
Bolton Hotel, Wellington
Pilkingtons, Auckland
Stations Inn, Hokitika, West Coast
Tuakau Hotel, Tuakau
Best Retail Off-Licence
Super Liquor Remarkables Park, Queenstown
West Liquor Westgate Centre, Massey, Auckland
Excellence in Customer Service
Art Deco Masonic Hotel, Napier
Bolton Hotel, Wellington
Smith and McKenzie Chophouse, Hamilton
Thistle Inn, Wellington
Excellence in Gaming
Five Stags Leamington, Cambridge
Yardhouse, Hamilton
Excellence in Host Responsibility
Boo Radley’s, Christchurch
Christchurch Casino
El Horno, Wellington
Stampede Bar and Grill, Papakura, Auckland
Excellence in Training & Staff Development
Delaware North Wellington Airport, Wellington
Regatta Bar and Eatery, Takapuna, Auckland
Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Bruce Robertson said the quality of entries into the awards was of an extremely high standard, and those selected as finalists represented the very best in their specific fields.
“The awards have been designed to encapsulate all aspects of the hospitality industry – including the ‘back office’ disciplines of a business from an operational perspective, through to the ‘front of house’ attributes which customers are exposed to every day,” Mr Robertson said.
“The finalists in this year’s Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence reflect extremely high degrees of professionalism in their respective fields of trading. Some of that excellence is seen by the public, while some of it is just taken for granted. So these awards are a chance for those working within the industry as a whole to acknowledge their peers for achieving such high distinction.”
“It is also encouraging to see that there is a vast geographic spread to the category finalists – with no one city or region dominating the lists. This reflects that hospitality, as an economic business sector, has unlimited growth opportunities not confined by population.”
“While some of the finalists draw substantial revenues from both the domestic and international tourism markets, other finalists are heavily reliant on repeat business from their ‘locals’ and have demonstrated outstanding business strategies to ensure strong customer loyalty in that regard.”
Entrants into the Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence are judged over a seven week period by a panel of independent industry professionals who assess every competitor on a range of commercial and operational criteria – including staff training and human resources, customer service, food and beverages, marketing and promotional activities, and the demonstration of business growth.
Winners of the Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence will be announced at the organisation’s national conference being held in Nelson on October 8.
