By Annette Shailer
The 18th annual Queensland Hotels Association (QHA) Awards for Excellence were held last week (Nov 9) bringing together hotel industry members and associates from across the state.
Owner of the iconic Story Bridge Hotel, Richard Deery, was awarded the top honour being named the winner of the QHA Awards for Excellence for Hotelier of the Year 2010.
A humble Richard Deery received the most prestigious award of the night in front of hundreds of industry peers at Jupiter’s Casino where the awards were held.
Following the lead of his father, the experienced publican is the third generation owner of one of Brisbane’s most famous hotels located under the pylons of its namesake bridge.
“The honour was certainly unexpected. But I share this with my incredible staff. Without them there would be no story to tell,” Deery said.
There were a number of other big winners on the night including the Calamvale Hotel which won the Judges Award – Best Overall Hotel, the Chalk Hotel which won Best Entertainment Venue and the Caxton Hotel which took out the Best Restaurant – General Division Award.
The QHA Awards for Excellence aim to recognise and commend those hotels that achieve excellence in their day-to-day business.
For a full list of the winners, click here.