Canberra’s newest and most popular licensed bars, restaurants, nightclubs and accommodation hotels have been celebrated at the 2017 Australian Hotels Association (AHA) ACT Hospitality Awards.
Following a record number of entries more than 35 sponsored Awards were presented including Best Deluxe (5-star) Hotel, Best Cocktail Bar and Best Restaurant as well as a number of new Awards including Best use of Local Produce and Best Beer (Draft or Craft).
AHA ACT General Manager Jo Broad said this year’s event once again celebrated innovative newcomers in new entertainment precincts as well as well-established venues.
“From a popular new Casey gastro-pub to a unique, five-star hotel and a world-class wildlife retreat, this year’s winners showcased innovation and progression across the ACT’s hospitality sector,” Broad said.
“Competition was incredibly tough this year, particularly given the sheer number of entries, which indicates how much the industry has grown and developed over the last few years.”
The Duxton at O’Connor (pictured) claimed three awards: Best New/Redeveloped Hotel, Best TAB Licensed Venue and Best Local. General Manager David Quinn was understandably delighted to collect the awards.
“While nominated for 11 awards this year the three awards we won, plus the Cocktail of the Year winner Riley Berry were the ones we were most proud to win,” Quinn told TheShout.
“Over the past 12 months there has been a lot of hard work, sweat and tears to create the venue you now see, this was recognised by winning the Best Redeveloped Venue.
“Winning the Best Local certainly was the pinnacle as we have been in the industry for a number of years, servicing an area of Canberra with such a diverse demographic. We are proud to say by offering a destination for our patrons to go to as opposed to just a place to have a drink.
“Our patrons are comfortable joining us in suits or in thongs for any type of occasion. Our menus have something for everyone any time of day. We can design functions for a small group of 20 or a large group of up 300. Our functions can range from a low-key 40th to a beautiful wedding.
“Our biggest attribute to our win was our staff, our commitment to diversity and support of the local market.”