Diverse range of winners announced in 2012 Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence
A four–star hotel, an upmarket central-city restaurant, provincial dining and drinking establishments and several small
town pubs in rural locations, are all among the winners in this year’s Hospitality New Zealand Awards For Excellence.
Representing a true spread of New Zealand’s diverse hospitality sector, winners across the 16 categories stretched from
the Bay of Islands in Northland through to Invercargill in Southland.
The winners were presented with the accolades at the Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence dinner held in
Wellington tonight (September 26). The Supreme Champion award went to Rydges Hotel Wellington.
Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Bruce Robertson said the diverse geographic spread of winners at this year’s
awards reflected that while many businesses in the industry sector were finding it hard to continue trading profitably,
many other operations were in fact prospering and taking advantage of the discerning consumer dollar to build their
customer bases.
“There was no one real region which dominated the results – and in fact several smaller towns throughout New Zealand can
be particularly proud of what their local dining and drinking establishments achieved against stiff competition from the
big cities,” Mr Robertson said.
“The judges noted that a repeated theme in many of this year’s winning entries was a determination of their businesses
not to be stymied by a slower economy, and daring to be different in what some customers are seeing as a ‘vanilla’ or
homogenous marketplace.
“Those points of differences showcased by many of the winners include service offerings, delivering customers a totally
unexpected yet far superior experience to what they were anticipating, providing an ambience or atmosphere far removed
from the local competition, and embracing new technology.”
Mr Robertson said the judges also noted that many of the winning entries were increasingly reviving ‘old school’
hospitality practices – such as founding marketing strategies around strong local customer networks, engendering staff
loyalty, and offering amenities and ambience from throughout the generations of New Zealand’s heritage.
“The result is that the public are now seeing businesses with a balanced blend of old and new in an environment where
the two styles blend seamlessly to deliver an outstanding customer experience – whether that’s a night out for dinner, a
Sunday morning brunch, a few beers with the boys, or as a corporate guest in an upmarket hotel,” said Mr Robertson.
“The catalogue of winners across this year’s awards categories shows that New Zealand’s hospitality industry is well
positioned in all its niches to take full advantage of the wider economic recovery over the coming years.”
Entrants into the Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence are judged over a six 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, marketing and promotional activities, and the
demonstration of business growth.
The winners for the 2012 Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence are:
Supreme Award Winner
Rydges Wellington
Personality of the Year
Judith Tabron, Soul Bar and Bistro
Best New/Redeveloped Bar/Restaurant
The Thomas Green Public House and Dining Room, Gore, Southland
Best Country Hotel
The Duke of Marlborough Hotel, Russell, Bay of Islands
Excellence in Host Responsibility
Little Rock Bar and Nightclub, Nelson
Excellence in Training and Staff Development
Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland
Best Restaurant
Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland
Excellence in Gaming
Yardhouse, Hamilton
Best Accommodation Hotel
Rydges Wellington
Best Environmental, Sustainable and Ethical Practice
Fiordland Lodge, Te Anau, Southland
Best New/Redeveloped Accommodation Hotel
Tuakau Hotel, Tuakau, Counties
Excellence in Customer Service
Rydges Wellington
Best Café
The Batch, Invercargill
Best Bar
The Sprig and Fern Milton St, Nelson
Excellence in Marketing
Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco, Nelson
Best Music Entertainment Venue
Studio the Venue, Auckland
Best Beef Bar Meal
The Clare Inn, Auckland
Best Lamb Bar Meal
The Riverhead, North-West Auckland
ends