On the evening of Monday 29 March, more than 450 guests from Canberra’s hospitality and tourism industry, VIPs and media gathered to celebrate and enjoy dinner under the stars at Pialligo Estate for the Australian Hotels Association (ACT Branch) annual Hospitality and Tourism Awards.
The rigorous judging process takes place over several months and expert independent judges sifted through over 150 nominations across the various categories.
“These winners represent the most outstanding product, venues, service and personnel that the local hospitality and tourism industry has to offer,” said Anthony Brierley, General Manager of the Australian Hotels Association (ACT Branch).
Mr Brierley said that aside from celebrating the winners in each category, the event was a celebration of the industry’s resilience through the past 12 months.
“This Gala Dinner and Awards Night was a celebration of this industry’s perseverance and it’s dogged resilience. For 12 months in the face of crippling coronavirus restrictions, these venues and their employees have been single-minded in their pursuit of survival.
“More than any Award the AHA could provide, the industry’s survival through the past twelve months is testament to its excellence,” he said.
Otis Dining Hall was named Best Restaurant, 1882 Bar and Grill was named Best Casual Dining Venue and Grease Monkey took out the Best Burger title.
Mr Brierley encourages Canberrans to continue to support the local hospitality industry and the 13,000 jobs it provides.
“We also thank Tabcorp, Hostplus, Carlton United Breweries and CUB Premium Beverages for their ongoing support of the AHA ACT,” Mr Brierley said.
See the full list of awards, sponsors and winners below.
Featured image supplied via @otis_dininghall on Instagram.
Amelia Bidgood
Amelia is the Founder and Editor of Eat Canberra and the Founder and Managing Director of Eat Canberra Food Tours. She's a qualified journalist, presenter, freelance writer and also runs a boutique communications agency working with small business owners on all things social media, content creation and marketing. She's taught cheesemaking classes, judged hospitality and tourism awards, completed the WSET Level 1 Award In Wines, loves to cook and has travelled to 23 countries. She's also passionate about mental health and has recently started studying to become a Counsellor.