The Region’s Top Properties Recognised at the 2006 HM Awards

Over 320 people gathered at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney for the fourth annual HM Awards, which was hosted and presented by leading industry magazine HM - Hotel & Accommodation Management.

Thirty-five HM Awards were presented on the night, including eight majors, and recognised excellence over a range of categories, from people and departments to properties and chains.

The biggest HM Award on the night, Australian Hotel Manager of the Year, was presented to Katie Benson from The Langham Hotel, Melbourne; while InterContinental Sydney won Overall Accommodation Property; TOGA Hospitality won Accommodation Chain; and Small Luxury Hotels of the World won the inaugural Hotel Brand Management Company award.

“These were some of the highlights on a night that was all about recognising excellence in the accommodation industry,” said James Wilkinson, editor of HM - Hotel & Accommodation Management magazine.

“In so many awards ceremonies, it’s all about the hotel itself. But the HM Awards are really about the oft-forgotten fact that the industry is so much more than just bricks, mortar, king size beds and goose-down pillows. It’s the people that make hotels what they are and that’s why we believe they should receive the most recognition,” he said.

Along with the majors, other key HM Awards on the night included: Hilton Sydney for Best New Hotel; Palazzo Versace for 5-Star Property of the Year; Cape Lodge for top Regional Property; Hyatt Hotel Canberra for Business Hotel; Crown Promenade for Conference and Meetings Hotel; The Lyall Hotel & Spa for Boutique Hotel; Sofitel Queenstown for New Zealand City Hotel; Huka Lodge for New Zealand Regional Property; Royal Davui for Fijian Property; and St Regis Bora Bora (French Polynesia) for South Pacific Property.

“I’m incredibly pleased to say that this year we had the largest industry involvement ever in the history of the HM Awards. So, for properties and people to have been finalists was a fantastic achievement in itself,” Wilkinson said.

Nominations in the 2006 HM Awards were open to hotels and staff at properties across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

“This year, our record number of entries resulted in over 600 different properties being nominated. After a lengthy voting process by a key judging panel involving 50 industry professionals and travel media, the finalists and winners were then decided,” he said.

HM magazine was the host of the 2006 HM Awards, while co-hosts of the event included HMAA, Hirum, ahs Hospitality, AAA Tourism and the Blue Mountains Hotel School.

*****2006 HM AWARDS WINNERS*****

1. Serviced Apartment Property
Presented by: HMAA
Winner: Quay Grand Suites Sydney, NSW

2. Accommodation under 3.5 Stars
Presented by: AAA Tourism
Winner: Travelodge Southbank Melbourne, VIC

3. Accommodation under 4.5 Stars
Presented by: ahs Hospitality
Winner: Voyages Cradle Mountain Lodge, TAS

4. Accommodation 5 Stars
Presented by: Blue Mountains Hotel School
Winner: Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast, QLD

5. Business Hotel
Presented by: Maginet
Winner: Hyatt Hotel Canberra, ACT

6. Resort
Presented by: Hirum
Winner: Sea Temple Resort & Spa Palm Cove, QLD

7. Boutique Hotel
Presented by: Concept Amenities
Winner: The Lyall Hotel & Spa, South Yarra, VIC

8. Unique Accommodation
Presented by: Sealy
Winner: Voyages Longitude 131º, NT

9. Best New Hotel
Presented by: Horwath Asia-Pacific
Winner: Hilton Sydney, NSW

10. Alpine Accommodation
Presented by: Hirum
Winner: Hotel Pension Grimus, Mt Buller, VIC

11. Meetings & Conference Property
Presented by: The Quorum magazine
Winner: Crown Promenade Hotel Melbourne, VIC

12. Regional Property
Presented by: HMAA
Winner: Cape Lodge, Margaret River, WA

13. Hotel Day Spa
Presented by: Concept Amenities
Winner: Angsana Resort & Spa Great Barrier Reef, Palm Cove, QLD

14. Hotel Bar
Presented by: Fosters Group
Winner: Blu Horizon at Shangri-La Sydney, NSW

15. Hotel Restaurant
Presented by: FIJI Water
Winner: Darley’s, Lilianfels Blue Mountains, NSW

16. Hi-Tech Hotel
Presented by: Rooms On-Line
Winner: Hilton Sydney, NSW

17. New Zealand City Hotel
Presented by: Pacific International Hotel Management School
Winner: Sofitel Queenstown, NZ

18. New Zealand Regional Property
Presented by: Pacific International Hotel Management School
Winner: Huka Lodge, Taupo, NZ

19. Fijian Property
Presented by: AAA Tourism
Winner: Royal Davui Fiji

20. South Pacific Property
Presented by: Brown Brothers wines
Winner: St. Regis Bora Bora, French Polynesia

PEOPLE AWARDS

21. Concierge
Presented by: Charles Heidsieck Champagne
Winner: Simon Rose, InterContinental Sydney, NSW

22. Executive Chef
Presented by: Le Cordon Bleu
Winner: Cheong Liew, The Grange at Hilton Adelaide, SA

23. Hotel Bartender
Presented by: Pro-Flow
Winner: Julian Serna, Hemmesphere at Establishment Sydney, NSW

24. Human Resources department member
Presented by: ahs Hospitality
Winner: Micheline Kazzi, The Observatory Hotel Sydney, NSW

25. Sales, Marketing & Communications department member
Presented by: Vacations & Travel magazine
Winner: Linda Sweeney, Mirvac Hotels and Resorts

26. Front Office department member
Presented by: Hirum
Winner: Sharon Nicholas, Surfers Paradise Marriott, QLD

27. Rooms Division department member
Presented by: ahs Hospitality
Winner: Leonie Hunter, Sofitel Gold Coast, QLD

MAJOR AWARDS

28. Marketing Campaign
Presented by: Hirum
Winner: Vibe, TOGA Hospitality

29. Service to the Community
Presented by: Blue Mountains Hotel School
Winner: Accor - ‘Cycle for CanTeen’

30. Accommodation Chain
Presented by: ahs Hospitality
Winner: TOGA Hospitality

31. Hotel Brand Management Company
Presented by: Blue Mountains Hotel School
Winner: Small Luxury Hotels of the World

32. Overall Accommodation Property
Presented by: AAA Tourism
Winner: InterContinental Sydney, NSW

33. South Pacific Hotel Manager
Presented by: HM Magazine
Winner: Paul Hughes, Outrigger on the Lagoon, Fiji

34. New Zealand Hotel Manager
Presented by: HM Magazine
Winner: David Shackleton, InterContinental Wellington, NZ

35. Australian Hotel Manager
Presented by: HM Magazine
Winner: Katie Benson, The Langham Hotel Melbourne, VIC