Success for country hotel

CARDRONA Hotel scooped up two prestigious awards last week at the Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence gala dinner held in Queenstown on Thursday night.

It began the night by winning its category award for best country hotel and finished it off by securing the supreme award across all categories.

Publican Cade Thornton said the win came as a total shock to himself and his team.

‘‘We were honoured to even be a finalist among such great establishments and we were totally stoked when we won the best country hotel award. The overall supreme award wasn’t even on our radar.’’

The judges commented on Cardrona Hotel’s friendly service, even during its busiest times.

They also noted the excellent food, thoughtful use of layout and unique atmosphere.

Overall they said the hotel provided the complete experience.

The award meant a lot to Mr Thornton and his Cardrona Hotel team.

‘‘Owning and running a Kiwi icon is a lot of work,’’ he said.

‘‘I couldn’t do this job without the support of my family, business partner, and an incredibly strong, hardworking team behind me.’’

Fellow Wanaka business Erik’s Fish and Chips won the award for excellence in marketing and was named winner of the people’s choice award.