Coogee Bay Hotel and Exchange Hotel Townsville

take out top honours

21 August 2011: Sydney’s iconic Coogee Bay Hotel and the refurbished Exchange Hotel Townsville have taken out the top honours at the Australian Hotels Association’s National Awards for Excellence tonight (Sunday).

The awards for Best Overall Hotel – Metropolitan (Coogee Bay Hotel) and Best Overall Hotel – Regional (Exchange Hotel) are two of the industry’s most sought-after awards, recognising excellence across a number of hotel operations including bar presentation and service, dining, live entertainment, gaming, retail and community service.

AHA National CEO Des Crowe paid tribute to the winners.  “The Coogee Bay Hotel is an industry icon, and a worthy winner of this prestigious award.  Offering outstanding facilities and a commendable dedication to its local community, the CBH is a great example of the central roles played by pubs in Australian society.

“Featuring live entertainment, an impressive bistro menu, world-class design and furnishings incorporating modern technology, function facilities, the Exchange Hotel caters to Townsville’s wide demographic of patrons while the service from its attentive staff is first class.”

One off the highlights of the evening was the emotional induction into the AHA’s Johnnie Walker Hall of Fame of South Australian hotelier brothers Guy and Tony Matthews.  In giving the induction speech, AHA National President Peter Hurley paid tribute to the Matthews family’s seventy-year history of hotel ownership in South Australia, including many of the states iconic hotels.

“Guy and Tony Matthews were born into the hotel industry, and have a long history of industry leadership and innovation over seven decades and dozens of hotels.  Tony and Guy have also assisted the AHA in various roles over many years, and have cemented their legacy through their children who are all active in the industry in their own right.”

The AHA recognised the efforts of hotels to support their local communities with a special presentation of finalists in the Outstanding Community Service & Achievement award.  The award was shared by Wisdom Café & Bar (NT) and the Flowerdale Hotel (Vic).

Mr Crowe also paid tributes to other winners, saying “the AHA National Awards are contested by the winners of awards from every state and territory, so there is tough competition in all categories.  Sydney’s Ivy Bar and Brisbane’s Cloudland Bar were both multiple winners and together have set a new standard for design in the industry.

“The Walkers Arms Hotel in Adelaide has shown the benefits of an $11.7 million rebuild after being devastated by fire in 2007, winning the awards for Best Environmental Practice and Best Outdoor/Non-enclosed facility.“

2011 AHA National Award Winners

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