2017 Australian Hotel Awards: The Finalists

BEST MINIBAR

They’re so often treated as an afterthought, so it’s a relief to check into a room and find a minibar that’s been assembled with care and attention to detail. Locally produced beers, wines, spirits and snacks are always a great start – they give guests a taste of the place they’ve come to visit. Even better, of course, when the contents are on the house.

FINALISTS

Como The Treasury, 1 Cathedral Avenue, Perth, WA, comohotels.com/thetreasury

Ovolo Woolloomooloo, 6 Cowper Wharf, Sydney, NSW, ovolohotels.com.au/ovolowoolloomooloo

QT Hotels & Resorts (pictured), qthotelsandresorts.com

**BEST CLUB SANDWICH*

We are, as far as we know, the only media outlet or industry body that performs an annual audit of the nation’s club sandwiches. Wherever they’re on the menu, it is our reviewers’ solemn duty to call room service and test the club. At Gourmet Traveller, we take our triple-deckers seriously.

FINALISTS

Halcyon House (pictured), 21 Cypress Crescent, Cabarita Beach, NSW, halcyonhouse.com.au

The Johnson, 477 Boundary Street, Brisbane, QLD, artserieshotels.com.au/johnson

The Louise , Corner Seppeltsfield and Stonewell Roads, Barossa Valley, SA, thelouise.com.au

BEST BAR

For a country that increasingly likes its bars to be small, hidden and laneway, it’s worth remembering that some of Australia’s most memorable drinking holes are found in hotels. Some have the edge for their views, some for the vibe, some for the strength of their cellar. But only a select few hotel bars tick all the boxes at once.

FINALISTS

TWR at Crown Towers Perth, Great Eastern Highway, WA, crownhotels.com.au/crown-towers-perth

Hennessy Rooftop Bar at Mayfair Hotel (pictured), 45 King William Street, Adelaide, SA, mayfairhotel.com.au

Rooftop at QT, QT Melbourne, 133 Russell Street, Melbourne, Vic, qthotelsandresorts.com/melbourne

BEST POOL

Hotel pools are one of the great consolations of an itinerant life. They’re sanctuaries from the stresses of work, places to relax and recharge. We don’t really mind if the pool is indoor or outdoor, saltwater or fresh, practical or showpiece. We love all of the above but when it comes to hotel pools – we must confess – the bigger the better in our book.

FINALISTS

Crown Towers Perth, Great Eastern Highway, Perth, WA, crownhotels.com.au/crown-towers-perth

The Johnson, 477 Boundary Street, Brisbane, QLD, artserieshotels.com.au/johnson

Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Gold Coast (pictured) , 71 Sea World Drive, Gold Coast, QLD, sheratongrandmiragegoldcoast.com

BEST BREAKFAST

Breakfast can make or break a hotel stay. When we’re paying to be pampered, how we’re treated first thing in the morning is very important. It’s a measure of a hotel’s innate sense of hospitality. What we’re looking for is the buffet of our dreams or an à la carte menu that opens our eyes wide. And great coffee, obviously.

FINALISTS

Como The Treasury, 1 Cathedral Avenue, Perth, WA, comohotels.com/thetreasury

Grand Hyatt Melbourne, 123 Collins Street, Melbourne, Vic, melbourne.grand.hyatt.com

Hotel Hotel (pictured), NewActon Nishi, 25 Edinburgh Avenue, ACT, hotel-hotel.com.au

BEST SERVICE

Forget the white gloves. The best service in Australian hotels is unpretentious but intuitive – we love staff who seem to know what we desire even before we’ve thought of it ourselves. Service is the critical ingredient of a hotel stay, but sometimes even the top hotels can get it wrong. Which is why it’s so important to applaud those who get it right.

FINALISTS

Crown Towers (pictured), 8 Whiteman Street, Melbourne, Vic, crownhotels.com.au/crown-towers-melbourne

Halcyon House, 21 Cypress Crescent, Cabarita Beach, NSW, halcyonhouse.com.au

The Old Clare Hotel, 1 Kensington Street, Sydney, NSW, theoldclarehotel.com.au

**REGIONAL HOTEL OF THE YEAR*

In a country as vast as ours, where distances can be measured in days rather than hours, there’s a particular joy reserved for finding an exceptional inn at the end of the road. The best regional hotels become destinations in themselves – reasons to load up the car, or get on the plane and transport yourself somewhere special.

FINALISTS

Halcyon House, 21 Cypress Crescent, Cabarita Beach, NSW, halcyonhouse.com.au

Jackalope (pictured), 166 Balnarring Road, Mornington Peninsula, Vic, jackalopehotels.com

Lake House, King Street, Daylesford, Vic, lakehouse.com.au

BOUTIQUE HOTEL OF THE YEAR

Small is beautiful, but it can also be a challenge. How do you please everyone all of the time when you have only a fraction of the resources of the big hotels? Easy. You turn on the small-hotel charm, delivering guests a highly personalised service, a distinctive character and sense of place, and a welcome that is warm and genuine.

FINALISTS

Hotel Hotel, NewActon Nishi, 25 Edinburgh Avenue, ACT, hotel-hotel.com.au

The Langham Sydney (pictured), 89-113 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW, langhamhotels.com/en/the-langham/sydney

The Old Clare Hotel, 1 Kensington Street, Sydney, NSW, theoldclarehotel.com.au*

LARGE HOTEL OF THE YEAR

The most successful large hotels must operate like a well-oiled machine. With more than 100 rooms to attend to, restaurants and bars to run, huge staffs to manage, vast facilities to maintain and – most importantly – all those myriad guest expectations to manage, it’s no easy task winning a nomination for our Large Hotel of the Year award.

FINALISTS

Crown Towers Perth (pictured), Great Eastern Highway, Perth, WA, crownhotels.com.au/crown-towers-perth

Grand Hyatt Melbourne, 123 Collins Street, Melbourne, Vic, melbourne.grand.hyatt.com

QT Melbourne, 133 Russell Street, Melbourne, Vic, qthotelsandresorts.com/melbourne

NEW HOTEL OF THE YEAR

Thanks to the current boom in Australian hotel building, we’ve been spoilt for choice when it comes to naming the 2017 Gourmet Traveller Australian Hotel Guide‘s New Hotel of the Year. This year’s guide features a handful of properties making a dazzling début on the Australian accommodation scene.

FINALISTS

Jackalope, 166 Balnarring Road, Mornington Peninsula, Vic, jackalopehotels.com

The Johnson

477 Boundary Street, Brisbane, QLD, artserieshotels.com.au/johnson*

QT Melbourne (pictured), 133 Russell Street, Melbourne, Vic, qtmelbourne.com

HOTEL OF THE YEAR

Of all the hotels we’ve reviewed around Australia in the past 12 months, which one impressed us most? It could be a new address or an established one; it could be sprawling or small, located in the city, by the beach or in the country. There’s only one real criterion: our hotel of the year has to be the very best of the top 50 hotels we’ve checked into.

FINALISTS

Como The Treasury (pictured), 1 Cathedral Avenue, Perth, WA,_ _comohotels.com/thetreasury

Halcyon House, 21 Cypress Crescent, Cabarita Beach, NSW, halcyonhouse.com.au

Jackalope, 166 Balnarring Road, Mornington Peninsula, Vic, jackalopehotels.com