Hospitality award for hotel

A Dunedin hotel has won a prestigious national award less than a year after opening.

The St Clair Beach Resort won the Hospitality Association of New Zealand Award for Excellence for the country's best new or redeveloped accommodation hotel award in Auckland last night.

The $14 million, 26-room boutique hotel opened on the St Clair Esplanade last December.

"It's really good for Dunedin. I'm pleased for everyone involved, from the designers, builders and architects Baker Garden, to the staff," Dunedin developer Stephen Chittock, who owns the hotel in partnership with Calder Stewart, said when contacted yesterday.

"My brief to the architects was that it had to be like standing on a ship. That area has so much to offer. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best beach in New Zealand, apart from the water temperature. You've got a long, white sandy beach, great surf, a salt water pool and the public can easily get to it. It's only 10 minutes from the centre of town."

Hospitality Association of New Zealand chief executive officer Bruce Robertson said the Dunedin hotel had topped a dozen other four and five-star accommodation providers.

"It was a tough category and the judges really struggled, but the owners and operators of St Clair Beach Resort have been very innovative, creative and courageous," he said yesterday.

"Despite opening and operating in economically challenging times, they have shown an unrivalled passion and commitment for pursuing excellence.

"With customer revenues becoming harder to sustain over the past 18 months, the temptation for many businesses has been to cut corners and make compromises. Not so for the St Clair Beach Resort, which instead chose to invest in the businesses, marketing, and staff."

The Hospitality Association Awards for Excellence are judged on marketing strategies, employment practices, profitability, operational policies and customer service.

- nigel.benson@odt.co.nz