The AHA NSW Awards for Excellence will take place in Sydney next month and finalists for the prestigious Metro and Regional Hotel of the Year awards have been named.
Eighteen city pubs and 17 regional venues have been named for each award, with the winner to be named on Monday 24 October at The Cutaway, Barangaroo.
AHA NSW CEO John Whelan said it was great to see a record number of finalists as an industry hard hit by COVID comes together to celebrate once more.
“The Awards for Excellence is the pinnacle of our events calendar and celebrates the hard work and achievements of those in our industry,” Whelan said.
“It’s something we have not been able to do since 2019, so there has never been a better time to get together and recognise the resilience and innovation of our incredible industry.
“This stand-out list of finalists is proof that despite the adversity and impacts of COVID our pubs are still the best in the world.”
This year’s awards include a new category, the People’s Choice Award, which will allow the community to vote for the chance to win a prize and elevate their local pub to award-winning status. Voting for the People’s Choice Award is now open, with full details on the AHA NSW Awards website.
“We know communities are passionate about their local pub, and this new category gives patrons a chance to have their voice heard,” Whelan added.
“We encourage people to take a few minutes to vote for their local and play a role in letting all of NSW know their pub is the best in the state.”
The list of metropolitan finalists includes nominees in 35 categories including Metropolitan Hotel of the Year, Best Live Music Venue, Best Late Night Venue and Best Metropolitan Local.
Finalists for Metropolitan Hotel of the Year are:
- Bangor Tavern, Bangor
- Bella Vista Hotel, Bella Vista
- Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee
- Harbord Hotel, Freshwater
- Harbour View Hotel Dawes Point
- Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill
- Longueville Hotel, Lane Cove
- Opera Bar, Sydney
- Robin Hood Hotel, Waverley
- Rose of Australia, Erskineville
- Royal Hotel Randwick, Randwick
- Sarino’s, Mullane’s Hotel, Norwest
- Shell House, Sydney
- The Buena Vista Hotel, Mosman
- The Duke of Dural, Dural
- The Oaks, Neutral Bay
- The Richmond Inn, Richmond
- Woollahra Hotel, Woollahra
Finalists for Regional Hotel of the Year are:
- Beachcomber Hotel & Resort, Toukley
- Camden Valley Inn, Cawdor
- Courthouse Hotel Tamworth, Tamworth
- Elanora Hotel, East Gosford
- Hotel Gosford, Gosford
- Oriental Hotel Mudgee, Mudgee
- Paragon Hotel, Mudgee
- Public House Albury, Albury
- Settlers Inn Hotel, Port Macquarie
- The Gem Hotel, Griffith
- The Illawarra, Wollongong
- The Nags Hotel ,Adamstown
- The Prince of Merewether, Merewether
- The Warilla Hotel, Warilla
- The Windsor Castle Hotel, East Maitland
- Towradgi Beach Hotel, Towradgi
- Woolpack Hotel, Mudgee