Three Nelson businesses have been named as finalists in the 2015 Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence.
The Playhouse Theatre is a finalist in the Best Entertainment/Music Venue section, The Jellyfish Cafe and Bar is a finalist in the Best Cafe while the Hampden Hotel in Murchison is s finalist in the Best Country Hotel section.
The broad spectrum of award finalists is spread across 15 separate categories, with a total of 50 entries making it through to the final judging stage.
Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Bruce Robertson says the quality of entries into the awards was of an extremely high standard, and those selected as finalists represented the very best in their specific fields.
“The awards have been designed to encapsulate all aspects of the hospitality industry – including the ‘back office’ disciplines of a business from an operational perspective, through to the ‘front of house’ attributes which customers are exposed to every day,” he says.
“The finalists in this year’s Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence reflect extremely high degrees of professionalism in their respective fields of trading. Some of that excellence is seen by the public, while some of it is just taken for granted. So these awards are a chance for those working within the industry as a whole to acknowledge their peers for achieving such high distinction.”
“It is also encouraging to see that there is a vast geographic spread to the category finalists – with no one city or region dominating the lists. This reflects that hospitality, as an economic business sector, has unlimited growth opportunities not confined by population.”
Entrants into the Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence are judged over a seven week period by a panel of independent industry professionals who assess every competitor on a range of commercial and operational criteria. These include staff training and human resources, customer service, food and beverages, marketing and promotional activities, and the demonstration of business growth.
Winners of the Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence will be announced at the organisation’s national conference being held in Nelson on October 8.
