On 30 May, Hospitality NT held Aristocrat Technologies Awards For Excellence at the Mindil Beach Casino & Resort.
Alex Bruce, CEO of Hospitality NT, toasted the hard work of hospitality venues across the territory.
“From your friendly local hotel and club, through to 5-star accommodation properties, signature restaurants, bars and breweries and the vital network of wayside inns and roadhouses our venues work day and night to ensure Territorians and visitors enjoy their time with us.”
This year, 270 venues were nominated, with 47 category awards handed out, and five overall award winners, listed below:
- Best Overall Pub – Berry Springs Tavern
- Best Overall Large Club – Cazalys Palmerston Club
- Best Overall Regional Pub – Walkabout Lodge and Tavern
- Best Overall Small Club – Darwin Trailer Boat Club
- Best Overall Accommodation Hotel – Hilton Darwin.
Leah Sloan, owner of the Berry Springs Tavern, reacted to her venue’s win, and explained what she thinks gives the pub a cutting edge.
“It was a real surprise. It was a great win for the team. We have a real family environment within our team, so everyone was really excited about the win.
“For me the things that make our business stand out are quality, consistency and flair – which sounds simple, but it’s really difficult to do all of those three things well.When you talk about quality, for us it’s in the experience, in the product, in the environment, in the music, in everything you’re doing.
“Consistency is in your attitude and your approach, and the training of your team; then flair is the wow factor. So if you’re having a birthday celebration, we’ve decorated the table for you, and we’ll present your cake in a special way. It’s all of those little touches.
“That’s what we really push the team to do, to make it special for every person, because they’re spending their money with us and we want them to have a good experience,” Sloan concluded.
Bruce called upon tourists and residents of the Territory to visit the venues and assess for themselves.
“The Territory is chockers with great venues and I encourage people to sample them all and see if they agree with the judges’ picks,” he said.
There were ‘highly contested’ Employee Award Categories up for grabs, with Doreen Prasad from the Hilton Darwin winning the Service Excellence Front of House Accomodation category, while Declan Coffey from Hanky Panky picked up the award in the General Division.
The Marketing/Sales/Event Employee award went to Hayley Winn from Charlie’s of Darwin, and Hospitality Industry Rising Star Award was won by Dakota Bondareff from Willing Distillery.
“All of the staff nominated do an amazing job for our industry, many going the extra mile to ensure Territorians and tourists get a great experience,” Bruce said.
“Congratulations to all nominees and award recipients who last night proved the strength, resilience and excellence of our local industry.”
See the full list of winners below:
| Award Category | Winner |
| Outstanding Club Community Service & Achievement | Nightcliff Sport & Social Club |
| Outstanding Accommodation Hotel Community Service & Achievement | Hilton Darwin |
| Outstanding Pub/Tavern Community Service & Achievement | Noonamah Tavern |
| Best Tourism Initiative | Nitmiluk Tours |
| Service Excellence Front of House – Accommodation | Doreen Prasad – Hilton Darwin |
| Service Excellence Front of House – General | Declan Coffey – Hanky Panky Lounge |
| Best Marketing/Sales/Events Employee | Hayley Wynn – Charlie’s of Darwin |
| Hospitality Industry Rising Star Award | Dakota Bondareff – Willing Distillery |
| Sales Representative of the Year – Beverage | Brooke Bentley – LION |
| Sales Representative of the Year – Industry | Nathan Jury – Reward Hospitality |
| Outstanding Achievement in Training | Novotel & Mercure Darwin Airport |
| Best Pub/Tavern Gaming Venue | Walkabout Lodge & Tavern |
| Best Club Gaming Venue | Cazalys Palmerston Club |
| Best TAB Licensed Venue | Lasseters |
| Best NT Keno Venue | Cazalys Palmerston Club |
| Best Draught Beer Quality – Regional | Katherine Club |
| Best Draught Beer Quality – Metro | Breezes Bar & Bistro |
| Best Public Bar Presentation & Service | Hotel Darwin |
| Best Club Bar Presentation & Service | Casuarina All Sports Club |
| Best All Abilities Venue | Darwin Trailer Boat Club |
| Best Backpacker Accommodation | Daly Waters Pub |
| Best Pub Style Accommodation | The Cavenagh Hotel |
| Best Mid Range Accommodation | Contour Hotel Katherine |
| Best Superior Accommodation | Mindil Beach Casino Resort |
| Best Late Night Venue | Shenannigans |
| Best Outdoor Area – Club | Palmerston Golf & Country Club |
| Best Outdoor Area – General | Darwin FreeSpirit Resort |
| Best Live Music Venue | Mayberry |
| Best Family Friendly Venue – Club | Gillen Club |
| Best Family Friendly Venue – Pub/Tavern | Breezes Bar & Bistro |
| Best Sporting Entertainment Venue | Landmark @ Gateway |
| Best Redeveloped Pub/Tavern | The Midway Berrimah |
| Best Redeveloped Accommodation Hotel | Rydges Palmerston |
| Best Marketed Pub/Tavern | Berry Springs Tavern |
| Best Marketed Club | Darwin Trailer Boat Club |
| Best Marketed Accommodation Hotel | Crab Claw Island Resort |
| Best Retail Liquor Outlet | Cellarbrations Katherine Hotel |
| Best New Venue | Breezes Bar & Bistro |
| Best Craft Brewery | Alice Springs Brewing Co. |
| Best Craft Distillery | Darwin Distilling Co. |
| Best Small Bar | Hanky Panky Lounge |
| Best Wayside Inn | Adelaide River Inn |
| Best Overall Accommodation Hotel | Hilton Darwin |
| Best Overall Small Club | Darwin Trailer Boat Club |
| Best Overall Regional Pub/Tavern | Walkabout Lodge & Tavern |
| Best Overall Large Club | Cazalys Palmerston Club |
| Best Overall Pub/Tavern | Berry Springs Tavern |