The winners of the 2019 Australian Hotels Association (Victoria) State Awards for Excellence were announced at a gala dinner held on Tuesday, 19 November at The Palladium at Crown.
Overall Hotel of the Year (Metropolitan) went to Hotel Esplanade, St Kilda while Grovedale Hotel took out The Ian Larkin Overall Hotel of the Year (Regional). Lorne Hotel — Movida claimed Best Pub Restaurant (Regional), with Best Pub Restaurant (Metropolitan) awarded to the Malvern Hotel. The Grovedale also won Best Casual Dining (Regional), with Mr McCracken (Essendon Fields) winning Best Casual Dining (Metropolitan).
Dylan Kemp from Australian Venue Co won Chef of the Year , whilst David Gearing from Zagame’s Boronia was recognised for his Excellence in Service.
Oska Jarvis-White from Hotel Esplanade, St Kilda was acknowledged as the Emerging Leader of the Year. As the winner, Oska was also awarded the Peter Burnett AM Scholarship for Hospitality Excellence — a joint Victorian Government and AHA (Vic) initiative — providing $10,000 for industry training and experience.
San Remo Hotel Motel won People’s Choice Award, which was open to all nominees.
Established in 1997 in memory of Nick Nikakis, The Nikakis Award “recognises an individual or organisation who by their sustained performance and commitment serve as an inspiration to all in the industry.” The 2019 recipient is Bob O’Kane from the All Nations Hotel, Richmond.
Image: The Grovedale Hotel team