By Vanessa Cavasinni, editor Australian Hotelier
The Queensland Hotels Association (QHA) Awards were held last week, with pubs and operators from across the state recognised for their excellence within the hotel industry.
Bernie Hogan, QHA’s CEO said that the quality of the state’s pubs were contributing significantly to the state.
“Queensland’s hospitality industry is playing a major role in keeping the state’s economy moving, and this is nowhere more apparent than in our pubs, accommodation hotels and the professionals who run them.”
The winner of the major award of the night, Hotel of the Year, was The Prince Alfred Hotel in Ipswich. The hotel also took out Best Redeveloped Licensed Premises up to $2 Million.
“The quality of the hotel really stood out. Owners Clive and Maryanne Johnson have done a tremendous job of transforming the venue into a world-class establishment,” said Hogan.
The Johnsons were very happy with the win, and wanted to congratulate their staff on the collective effort.
“With our recent renovation complete, it is exciting for our hard-working team to be recognised as one of the premier hotels in Queensland. We'd like to thank our hard working team and everyone who has supported us in the industry over the last 29 years.”
In the individual awards, John Fitzgibbon of Fitzy’s, Toowoomba, was the major winner, taking out Publican of the Year. Fitzgibbon has operated the pub for over 15 years. Sandy McDonald of the Manly Hotel was inducted as a Life Member at the awards ceremony, having served as a QHA committee member of the QHA and industry representative for decades.
Comiskey Group was also a big winner on the night, with its two venues taking out five awards collectively. Sandstone Point Hotel took out Best Entertainment Venue and Best Keno Venue, while Eatons Hill Hotel was awarded Best On-Premise Liquor Outlet, Best PubTAB Venue and Best Environmental Practice.
Director Robert Comiskey was ecstatic with the acknowledgments.
"Our family and team work very hard so to get this level of recognition is fantastic.”
Speaking specifically about the wins for Sandstone Point Hotel, he added: “We are proud of the new opportunities we are offering the Moreton Bay Region and knowing that our community events and music concerts have been recognised as the best in the state is very exciting.”
With winners ranging from across Queensland, Hogan wanted to acknowledge pubs and operators from the whole state for their hard work.
“A lot of long hours and dedication go into keeping the lights on and the good times flowing. Queensland hoteliers from Cape York to Coolangatta, Birdsville, Mount Isa and everywhere in between are constantly raising the bar and outdoing themselves.”