Hotel Industry Awards

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:41): It is a great privilege today to rise and speak about the Australian Hotels Association 2022 SA Hotel Industry Awards for Excellence gala dinner that I was delighted to attend last night, 18 October 2022. The Australian Hotels Association (SA) was established in 1871 as a peak industry body, and their members range from small country pubs to five-star hotels and resorts. There are some 630 hotels in South Australia.

It was an absolute pleasure to attend the AHA(SA) gala dinner, and wonderful to join the leader of the Liberal Party, the Hon. David Speirs MP, shadow attorney-general Josh Teague, and shadow treasurer Matt Cowdrey to support South Australia's hotel industry. The Hotel Industry Awards celebrate the achievements of our state's best hoteliers and recognise and promote excellence in service, facilities and management.

I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to AHA(SA) President, David Basheer, the AHA(SA) Council, the AHA(SA) CEO, Ian Horne, and the executive team, especially Lucy Randall, the Manager—Events and Partnerships, for organising a spectacular 2022 Awards for Excellence gala dinner.

As shadow minister for tourism and hospitality, it is truly inspiring to witness the outstanding achievements of so many great local businesses and industry leaders who have been awarded. Heartfelt congratulations to all the nominees and the deserving winners of the awards for their success and contributions to the industry and our local economy. It is a fantastic recognition of the hard work, tenacity and dedication of the businesses and leaders in our dynamic and resilient hotel industry.

AHA(SA) Hotel Industry Awards this year is considered as one of the most anticipated awards in the hotel industry calendar. Some 900 people gathered at this premier event to discover who are the brightest and who deserves the ultimate accolades in the hotel industry. The Stirling Hotel won the title of Best Overall Hotel—Metropolitan. The Adelaide Hills hotel impressed the judges with its constant innovation and consistently high standard in dining, service and retail. The Stirling Hotel also took home the award for Best Bistro Casual Dining for the Outer Metropolitan region and Best Retail Outlet as well. The joint winner in that category was the Marion Hotel. The Loxton Hotel claimed the title of the Best Overall Hotel.

The Hon. N.J. Centofanti: Hear, hear!

The Hon. J.S. LEE: The Hon. Nicola Centofanti frequents that hotel as a patron. She will be very honoured also to know that the Loxton Hotel has also won the Best Bar Presentation and Experience in the country category as well the Best Redeveloped Hotel—Country in recognition of its stunning recent renovations and extremely high standards across all facets of the hotel.

Eos by SkyCity was awarded the honour of Best Overall Hotel—Accommodation Division, providing guests with a truly luxury experience and outstanding customer service. Eos by SkyCity also received the awards for Best Deluxe Hotel Accommodation and Best Outdoor non-enclosed Facility—Metropolitan (joint winner for that category was 2KW). Eos SkyCity also won the Best Environmental and Energy Efficiency Practice.

One of the very special and most memorable awards of the night was the W.T. Spurr AO Award for Tourism and Regional Promotion. This award was named in honour of the most respected industry icon, the late Bill Spurr AO, who, sadly, passed away this year. Those of us who had the pleasure to know Bill would have the fondest memories of this wonderful man. He had an illustrious career in tourism, entertainment and sport, which ultimately saw him appointed as Officer of the Order of Australia in 2015 for his distinguished service to industry.

We certainly thank CEO Ian Horne for his beautiful tribute to acknowledge the late Bill Spurr last night. Everyone was deeply appreciative that the AHA(SA) has named this important category to honour Bill's legacy. The recipient of this prestigious award was the Watervale Hotel, which has become a leader in Clare Valley tourism. Congratulations to all. It was an inspiring evening.