Tourism News

TAP INN SCORES A “HOLE IN ONE” AT HOTEL AWARDS

The Tap Inn – one of the most innovative hotel redevelopments in Australia – has been recognised with a “buggy full” of honours at the 2006 Hotel Industry Awards for Excellence.

The most notable was the Tap Inn being named South Australia’s Hotel of the Year for 2006 at last month’s awards gala dinner at the Adelaide Convention Centre, which was attended by more than 700 people.

The hotel was handed the top honour after collecting four other awards:
Best Hotel Development/Redevelopment (Metropolitan); Best Themed Pub; Best Bar Presentation and Service (joint winner with the Avoca Hotel, Clarence Gardens); and Best Hotel Restrooms.

Formerly the Kent Town Hotel, the Tap Inn is a golf-themed venue, which claims to have the world’s first indoor driving range attached to the hotel.

It also boasts unique toilet facilities – customers in one restroom can experience the sensation of golf balls from the driving range coming straight at them (but in total safety), while the restaurant toilets are unisex and cubicle doors are made from liquid crystal display glass (they become opaque when engaged).

The Tap Inn is the brainchild of well-known hotel industry entrepreneur Tom Hannah, who has previously redeveloped other properties, including the Bombay Bicycle Club, the Seacliff Beach Hotel and the Earl of Leicester Hotel.

Five other hotels were recognised with multiple honours at the awards, including two from the Limestone Coast: Mount Gambier Hotel (Best Bar Presentation and Service – country, Best Pub Style Accommodation); Victoria Hotel, Port MacDonnell (Best Hotel Development/Redevelopment – country, Best Bistro Dining – country, joint winner with the Naracoorte Hotel-Motel); Highlander Hotel Motel, Gilles Plains (Best Live Music Pub, Best Entertainment Venue – Nightclub); Hilton Adelaide (Best Prestigious Dining – International Hotels, Best Training Initiative); and Novotel Barossa Valley Resort (Best Hotel Accommodation Mid-Range, Best Marketed Hotel).

Other winners at the 2006 Hotel Industry Awards for Excellence were:

2006 HOTEL OF THE YEAR: Tap Inn, Kent Town
BEST PUB STYLE ACCOMMODATION: Mount Gambier Hotel
BEST HOTEL ACCOMMODATION (MID-RANGE): Novotel Barossa Valley Resort
BEST HOTEL ACCOMMODATION DELUXE: Sebel Playford Adelaide
BEST CASUAL/FAMILY DINING: Murray Bridge Hotel
BEST BISTRO DINING (COUNTRY): Naracoorte Hotel-Motel/Victoria Hotel, Port MacDonnell (joint winners)
BEST BISTRO DINING (METROPOLITAN): Robin Hood Hotel, Norwood
BEST RESTAURANT (SUPERIOR): Lion Hotel, North Adelaide
BEST PRESTIGIOUS DINING (INTERNATIONAL HOTELS): “The Grange” at Hilton Adelaide (Commendation: “Shiki” at Hyatt Regency Adelaide)
BEST WINE LIST AND SERVICE: Caledonian Hotel, North Adelaide
BEST BAR PRESENTATION AND SERVICE (COUNTRY): Mount Gambier Hotel
BEST BAR PRESENTATION AND SERVICE (METROPOLITAN): Avoca Hotel, Clarence Gardens/Tap Inn, Kent Town (joint winners)
BEST RETAIL OUTLET (COUNTRY): South Eastern Hotel, Mount Gambier
BEST RETAIL OUTLET (METROPOLITAN): Norwood Hotel
BEST LIVE MUSIC PUB: Highlander Hotel Motel, Gilles Plains
BEST ENTERTAINMENT VENUE – NIGHTCLUB: Highlander Hotel Motel, Gilles Plains
BEST SPORTING ENTERTAINMENT: Lakes Resort Hotel, West Lakes
BEST HOTEL DEVELOPMENT/REDEVELOPMENT (COUNTRY): Victoria Hotel, Port MacDonnell
BEST HOTEL DEVELOPMENT/REDEVELOPMENT (METROPOLITAN): Tap Inn, Kent Town
COMMUNITY SERVICE AND SUPPORT: Alberton Hotel
BEST MARKETED HOTEL: Novotel Barossa Valley Resort
BEST GAMING MACHINE VENUE (COUNTRY): Big River Tavern, Berri
BEST GAMING MACHINE VENUE (METROPOLITAN): Hampstead Hotel, Collinswood
BEST THEMED PUB: Tap Inn, Kent Town
BEST HOTEL RESTROOMS: Tap Inn, Kent Town
BEST TRAINING INITIATIVE: Hilton Adelaide

For more information please call Hamish Arthur on 08 8100 2450.




RECORD NUMBERS FOR ADELAIDE’S HOTELS

Adelaide hotels have recorded their highest ever occupancy levels this year, with strong backing from the Rann Government’s $1.1 million Eventful Adelaide campaign promoting South Australian events and a $2 million investment in the Australian Tourism Exchange.

Occupancy rates for Adelaide hotels were at record levels for the first three months of 2006, up 6.7 per cent on the same period last year, according to a report just released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith says the Eventful Adelaide national print and television campaign has achieved its goals by promoting a stellar event season to attract visitors to South Australia.

“Eventful Adelaide offered a brilliant blend of events celebrating the arts, culture, sport and horse racing,” Dr Lomax-Smith says.

Accommodation bookings peaked in March, with an occupancy rate of 90 per cent – the highest level for a single month on record.

“The lift in Adelaide hotel occupancy rates is great news for the State’s economy, local business and jobs,” Dr Lomax-Smith says.

“There is also a flow-on effect for other industries, as the increase in hotel guests also means a higher demand for everything from local fresh produce to South Australian wine.

“The benefits of Eventful Adelaide were also felt in regional South Australia, with an increase in hotel bookings of five per cent across the whole State for the first three months of 2006, compared to the same period last year.

“Attendances and ticket sales for a number of events held during Eventful Adelaide reached record levels.

“The Clipsal 500 Adelaide reported an attendance of 270,300 people over four days – up six per cent on last year. The Adelaide Fringe experienced a record year, with more than 200,000 tickets sold.

“Total attendance figures for WOMADelaide were 75,000 – up from the 65,000 recorded for 2005, while Adelaide Cup Day drew 32,119 people in 2006 compared to 18,000 people in 2005.

“The Eventful Adelaide campaign’s specific advertising elements included a 24-page brochure which was distributed all over Australia and in New Zealand. It also included television commercials throughout South Australia and the distribution of event calendars.

“In June, Adelaide hosted the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest travel trade show, the Australian Tourism Exchange. International Travel Wholesalers from around the globe ventured out of Adelaide to all corners of the State, enjoying the friendly hospitality, spectacular landscapes, fine food and wine, native wildlife, and unique heritage of South Australia’s regional areas.”

According to the Australian Hotels Association (SA) Adelaide Accommodation Market Report, Adelaide Hotels experienced June occupancy rates of 74.5 per cent in 2006 compared to 58.2 per cent in 2005. April and May also provided occupancy increases over the previous year.

“The Rann Government’s strategy to increase hotel occupancy rates by adding to our winter event calendar has also been a winner. We have just hosted the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup,” Dr Lomax-Smith says.

“Next year Adelaide will host the IRB’s inaugural Rugby 7s event in April and the Adelaide International Guitar Festival in November.

“Our Outback Cattle Drive, in May and June 2007, is already capturing imaginations with bookings being received before the marketing of the event has even begun.

“The South Australian Tourism Commission will be working hard to ensure that these events attract increased numbers of interstate and international visitors to South Australia.”

For more information please call Julia Angove on 08 8463 4610.




DINING EXCELLENCE ACKNOWLEDGED BY INDUSTRY

The 10th Annual Awards for Excellence for Restaurant & Catering SA were held last month, celebrating the best our ‘food and wine state’ has to offer.

Auge Ristorante was crowned Restaurant Of the Year, as well as Best Italian Restaurant, for the second year in row. Spotless Catering received the Best Caterer award for its work catering for the Clipsal 500.

The Individual Hall of Fame award was won by Pip Forrester from Chapel Hill Gourmet Retreat for her continued dedication to hospitality, particularly in the Fleurieu Peninsula region.

The Hall of Fame inductees for the Event Caterer, Function Centre and Venue Caterer categories were won by Blanco Catering, Adelaide Entertainment Centre and Art Gallery Café respectively. These businesses had won their category award for three consecutive years.

The Restaurant & Catering Australia, Fine Wine Partners and Henschke Lifetime Achiever Prize was awarded to Cath Kerry from the Art Gallery Restaurant for her contribution to the association and to the industry in general over more than 20 years.

Other winners at the Natural Gas & Restaurant & Catering SA Awards for Excellence 2006 were:

POPULAR CHOICE: Gaucho’s Argentinian Restaurant
HALL OF FAME – INDIVIDUAL: Pip Forrester – Chapel Hill Gourmet Retreat
HALL OF FAME – FUNCTION CENTRE: Adelaide Entertainment Centre
HALL OF FAME – EVENT CATERER: Blanco Catering
HALL OF FAME – VENUE CATERER: Art Gallery Restaurant
APPRENTICE CHEF: Jessica Hacket (Lenzerheide)
CHEF: Jason Camillo (Blake’s @ Hyatt Regency)
EMPLOYEE: Sabrina Guest (Grimaldi’s)
EMPLOYER: Kristian Livolsi (Citrus, Observatory & XO Supper Club)
MAITRE D’: Vittorio (Vic) Paola (Vino Ristorante)
MEDIA: Tony Love (The Advertiser)
PRODUCT SUPPLIER: Harbottle On-Premise
SERVICE PROVIDER: Curtin Foodservice Equipment
SAFETY AWARD: Vino Ristorante
SOMMELIER: Trevor Maskell (Auge)
TRAINEE: David Tassone (Vino Ristorante)
ASIAN: Mapo Korean Restaurant
BISTRO: Arnou @ the Alehouse (Earl of Aberdeen)
BREAKFAST: Urban Bistro
CAFÉ: The Strand
CHINESE: House of Chow
COFFEE SHOP: The Coffee Club Harbourtown
ENTERTAINMENT: Comix Comedy Cellars
EUROPEAN: Esca
EVENT CATERER: Spotless Catering
FAMILY: Caffe Buongiorno (O’Halloran Hill)
FINE DINING: The Manse
FUNCTION CENTRE: Italian Centre
INDIAN: Beyond India
INFORMAL: George’s on Waymouth
ITALIAN: Auge Ristorante
MEDITERRANEAN: Zucca Restaurant
MODERN AUSTRALIAN: Urban Bistro
NEW: Assaggio
PIZZA: Goodlife Modern Organic Pizza (Hutt Street)
REGIONAL: Vintner’s Bar & Grill
RESTAURANT IN A HOTEL: Grange Restaurant @ The Hilton
RESTAURANT IN A WINERY: d’Arrys Verandah Restaurant

For further information call Sally Neville on 08 8351 7837.




POSITIVE OUTLOOK FOR THE BAROSSA

It’s all go in the Barossa. The Barossa Wine Train is returning, the 60th Anniversary Barossa Vintage Festival is approaching and $80,000 has been earmarked for an interstate marketing campaign beginning in 2007.

The new Barossa Drop In Stop Over campaign aimed at South Australians, launched in May has had a positive impact, reflected in the latest consumer survey that shows the Barossa is one of the most recognised regions in South Australia for taking a break.

Backing up the success of the campaign is the new website (barossa.com), which received more than 60,000 users in its first three months of being online, and an increase in visitor enquiries to the Barossa Visitor Information Centre for the first time in many months.

And it’s only going to get better!

The region has recently successfully hosted the Second International Shiraz Alliance, which attracted some of the world's most passionate growers, winemakers, marketers, retailers and consumers. Wine Barossa are heading to Sydney and Canberra during September for exclusive trade tastings and consumer promotions to continue to bolster the Barossa and its wine brands.

Work has already begun on the new edition of the Barossa Visitor Guide to be launched in December, and to help win more visitors Tourism Barossa will increase the print run from 110,000 to 120,000 copies.

Tourism Barossa have released their 2006/07 marketing plan, which will continue to position the Barossa as offering exciting, enjoyable, fun experiences to make it the leading food and wine tourism destination in Australia.

The most significant activity will be the creation of a consumer marketing brand identity to be incorporated into a campaign for the Victorian and NSW markets. While awareness in these markets is already high, Tourism Barossa will work to convert awareness to yield through effective marketing strategies targeted to key market segments. This new positioning will align with the new State branding South Australia. A Brilliant Blend.

In other good news for the Barossa, Peppers The Louise (formerly The Hermitage) has now opened after a major upgrade. The property is a luxury vineyard retreat surrounded by hundreds of acres of vines, overlooking the world renowned Barossa. Its fifteen suites offer absolute luxury and inspired design with private terraces, soft contemporary furnishings and spacious ensuites.

Acclaimed on-site restaurant, Appellation, offers seasonal cuisine nightly for casually elegant dining under the guidance of Executive Chef Mark McNamara.

For more information about Peppers The Louise call Penny Rafferty on 08 8562 2722.
For more information about the Barossa call Racheal Klitscher on 08 8563 0640.




BONUS WEEK FOR FIRST ANNUAL FRINGE

A bonus week will be added to the first annual Adelaide Fringe expanding the event to three weeks of Fringe festivities, from 8 - 31 March 2007.

Adelaide Fringe General Manager Sandy Verschoor says since announcing the original dates for the 2007 event, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Our board and management team are thrilled to announce the addition of a bonus week to next year’s event, a testament to the unprecedented interest and enthusiasm we’ve already had from international, national and local acts,” she said.

“Adelaide will be abuzz with artists, producers and performers in March next year and we are already working hard to pull this iconic event together,” she said.

Preparations, including a city-wide search for new performance spaces and venues, are already underway to make sure next year’s Fringe takes over the city.

Venues Liaison Andy Packer is currently on the look out for new and interesting venues to become Fringe hotspots for three weeks in March 2007.

“Whether it’s a tiny room or a large theatre wanting to be a part of the Fringe, we want to hear from you. We want venues from all over Adelaide from tiny basement cabarets and back street galleries, right through to new stand-up comedy venues and clubs to join the Fringe juggernaut,” he said.

“We have already had a lot of enquiries from venues large and small about being involved in the first annual Adelaide Fringe. It is a great opportunity for everyone to get involved and become a part of a great South Australian event,” he said.

Any interested venues can get in touch with Andy Packer at the Adelaide Fringe on 08 8100 2000.

Widely regarded as one of the best events of its kind in the world, the Adelaide Fringe is Australia’s largest arts event and the second largest Fringe in the world.

For more information call Simone Hawkins on 0419 739 245.

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