The luxury chalet beat Queenstown’s Azur Luxury Lodge, Porters Alpine Lodge and fellow Wanaka nominees Riverrun, Wanaka Villas, and Distinction Wanaka Serviced Apartments.
Lodge owner Martyn Myer said the award ‘‘came out of left field’’.
‘‘It’s nice to be recognised by the industry. We weren’t actually aware we had been nominated, so it really was a surprise,’’ Mr Myer said.
The chalet was built in 2004 on the north side of Dragonfly Peak and sits at an elevation of 1750m with views of both Mt Aspiring and Mt Cook. It can be accessed only by helicopter.
While some environmental groups complained at the time it was built, Mr Myer said it had helped the environment rather than detracted from it, as it had shown visitors the beauty of New Zealand’s landscape.
Mr Myer believed the chalet was unique for a variety of reasons, notably its mountain location as well as its architectural design.
The chalet has large windows and reinforced steel in order to withstand strong winds of up to 300kmh as well as a 2m snow pack on the roof.
Launched in 2013, the World Ski Awards aim to drive up standards within the ski industry by rewarding organisations that are leaders in their field.
Other New Zealand award winners were Mt Hutt Ski Field (New Zealand’s Best Ski Resort), and Queenstown hotels The Rees (New Zealand’s Best Ski Hotel) and Eichardt’s (New Zealand’s Best Ski Boutique Hotel).
- Sean Nugent
