Swanning into hotel finals

Greytown could soon be home to the nation's best country hotel.

The White Swan has been named a finalist in the Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence, in the Best Country Hotel category.

"We're pretty excited about it all," said owner Rob Slater.

He said the hotel entered two categories but became finalists in one after judges went through the premises without his knowledge. "It's good to get the national recognition and it'll be really exciting if we do win it.

"Obviously, there's pretty stiff competition out there."

Mr Slater said the awards were the "most prestigious awards in the industry" and making it into the top four was an "amazing" achievement.

They will be up against The Duke of Marlborough Hotel, in Russell, the Karamea Village Hotel, in Karamea, and The Riverhead Tavern, north of Auckland.

"We've certainly put our best foot forward," said Mr Slater. "I would like to think we will win."

This is not the first time the White Swan has entered the awards. The hotel was a finalist in 2008 and 2009 across different categories.

Hospitality New Zealand chief executive officer Bruce Robertson said it was encouraging to see such a high number of entries coming forward in what had been a busy year for the industry.

"The strength of entries in 2011 is a credit to the fortitude of the industry as a whole," he said.

"There is no denying that the hospitality sector, like many other sectors of the New Zealand economy, has faced a particularly tough period over recent years."

The winners will be announced on November 3 in Christchurch at Hospitality New Zealand's annual conference.