10 September 2012
New luxury hotel owners celebrate successful year
Owners of one of Queenstown’s most intimate and luxurious hotels are celebrating a hugely successful year on the award
winning front -- the most recent received at the New Zealand Travel Industry Awards last Saturday night (September 8).
The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel, located in the heart of Queenstown, was awarded second place in the ‘Best Hotel/Resort in New Zealand’ category at the
awards, held in Auckland. First place went to Quickenberry Lodge located near Methven.
The Dairy owners Matt Diack and Paul Cook, who took over the boutique property in April 2011, said they were “thrilled”
with the result.
“Since taking over the hotel we’ve concentrated on providing a unique small private hotel experience to all our guests,”
said Mr Diack.
“To be recognised for that effort by the judges is a real honour.
“It reinforces the feedback we’ve had from guests since we took over the property and is further proof that we’re
definitely on the right track.
“It would have been lovely to have taken out first place but winning isn’t everything and second is just fine by us.
“To be associated with and to be seen in the same league as other wonderful New Zealand accommodation providers such as
Quickenberry Lodge and Huka Lodge is fantastic and hugely rewarding when you’re a small hotel owner.
“It makes all our hard work worthwhile.”
Finalists for the awards were selected from entries that businesses submitted in May and then subsequently voted on by
industry peers. Those that received the most votes proceeded to the finalist stage where they were judged by seven
highly regarded judges in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Businesses were judged on specific criteria including consistent overall business performance and success, understanding
customer needs and expectations for an exceptional experience, and high levels of customer satisfaction, among a range
of other benchmarks.
Earlier this year The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel received two awards from the world’s largest travel site.
The property was awarded the TripAdvisor Travelers Choice Award for Best Service and also voted sixth best hotel in the
South Pacific from the top 25 hotels listed.
For the past six months, The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel has held Number One spot on the Queenstown hotel list on the
site, thanks to guests posting rave five-star reviews.
Mr Diack said the accolades had all contributed to a steady increase in occupancy over the past 12 months.
“As any small business owner will tell you, it’s hard work, however being in an industry such as ours is very rewarding
and we love it. We love seeing our guests leave knowing we’ve done everything we can to ensure they’ve had the best stay
possible.
“We’re becoming renowned for the high level of service we provide and pride ourselves on our attention to detail. All of
the work is definitely paying off. Perhaps next year first place will be ours!”
About The Dairy
The hotel has historic significance and dates back to the 1920s when it was a corner store. This store is now the warm
breakfast room and still has the original floorboards.
Just a one minute walk to Queenstown, The Dairy features 13 private ensuite bedrooms, all with wonderful views of
Queenstown and the surrounding area, a large lounge with an open fire, private library, delicious cooked breakfasts and
homemade afternoon teas, honesty bar, including a selection of local award winning wines, outdoor spa, outdoor courtyard
with open fireplace, secure luggage and ski storage.
In 2005 and 2007 The Dairy was judged top small/medium accommodation venue in the Queenstown Business Excellence Awards.
The business was judged on its customer service, quality management, leadership, strategic planning, environmental
policy and company philosophy.
ENDS