By Andy Young
The Australian Hotels Association New South Wales has revealed the finalists in its 2016 Awards for Excellence.
This year the awards have 42 categories and the winners will be announced at a special gala ceremony at The Star, Sydney on Tuesday 29 November.
AHA NSW CEO John Whelan said the Awards for Excellence are about honouring the best in the business right across the state.
“Our hotels are world-class and that is acknowledged again this year in the high calibre of finalists in the running for the 2016 Awards for Excellence,” Whelan said.
“To put it simply, the finalists list is a ‘who’s who’ of the hotel industry in NSW – it honours the best in the business, as well as the hard work that goes into running a quality venue each and every day.
“Regional hotels are the heart and soul of their communities and it is great to see so many nominated in this year’s finalists list.
“All venues on the list have been assessed by a team of independent judges over the last few months. I wish all finalists all the best on the night.”
While the award categories cover a wide range for the industry, from best burger and best steak through to employee awards like best chef and industry rising star, the two big awards are for the hotel of the year – country and hotel of the year – city.
The 14 finalists for hotel of the year – country are:
- Central Hotel, Shellharbour
- Gregory Hills Hotel, Gregory Hills
- Kingscliff Beach Hotel, Kingscliff
- Kooringal Hotel, Wagga Wagga
- Moonee Beach Tavern, Moonee Beach
- Narellan Hotel, Narellan
- Oriental Hotel, Mudgee
- Oxford Hotel, Bathurst
- Sydney Junction Hotel, Hamilton
- The George Tavern, Greenhills
- Shoalhaven Heads Hotel, Shoalhaven Heads
- The Lakes Hotel, The Entrance
- The Lucky Hotel, Newcastle
- The Sunken Monkey Hotel, Erina
And the finalists for hotel of the year – city are:
- Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee
- Crows Nest, Crows Nest
- Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill
- The Bayview Hotel, Gladesville
- The Dolphin, Surry Hills
- The Glenmore, The Rocks
- The Oaks, Neutral Bay
- The Sackville, Rozelle
- The Sheaf, Double Bay
- Union Hotel, North Sydney
- Watson’s Bay Boutique Hotel, Watsons Bay
- Woollahra Hotel, Woollahra
The full list of all the AHA NSW Awards for Excellence finalists is available on the AHA NSW website.