The finalists in this year's New Zealand Hotel Industry Awards have been revealed, with two Rotorua employees in the running.
Front office manager at Sudima Lake Rotorua, Hemal Ghetla, is a finalist for front office services employee of the year, while Pipiana Whiston, general manager at Millennium Hotel Rotorua is
up for general manager of the year.
Thirty-three finalists from around the country will compete across ten individual categories.
"These are the New Zealand hotel sector's premier awards and they recognise the many key roles that are vital to operating a successful hotel," Tourism Industry Aotearoa hotel sector manager Sally Attfield said.
Two new awards have been introduced this year, recognising the sector's outstanding hotel general manager, and the food and beverage employee of the year.
Ms Attfield said both these were vital roles.
"General managers are usually the public face of a hotel and are responsible for managing everything from changing consumer expectations to cyber-crime, while food and beverage is an increasingly important part of a hotel's offering, with great staff key to success."
Stephen Hamilton, director of Horwath HTL, said hotels were a valuable part of New Zealand's $35 billion tourism industry, with more visitors staying in hotels than any other type of accommodation.
"Hotels support thousands of jobs and inject millions of dollars into regions across the country. They are also excellent corporate citizens, giving back to their local communities in numerous ways, from conservation efforts to event sponsorship."
The awards will be presented at a gala dinner at the end of the Hotel Industry Conference on July 20, at The Langham in Auckland.
The New Zealand Hotel Industry Awards 2017 finalists
Hotel Industry Administration Employee of the Year
- Clara Anderson, Accountant, Novotel Queenstown Lakeside
- Noreen Bancale, Financial controller, Novotel Christchurch
- Alison Borland, Guest relations executive, SKYCITY Grand Hotel, Auckland
Hotel Industry Concierge of the Year
- Ingmar Becker, Chief concierge, Bolton Hotel, Wellington
- Gustavo Concha, Chief concierge, Hilton Auckland
- David Tabor, Chief concierge, Sudima Christchurch Airport
Hotel Industry Food and Beverage Employee of the Year
- Bhavna Abhilasha, Food and beverage supervisor, Sudima Auckland Airport
- Abbey Lucas, Food and beverage supervisor, Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
- Naomi Oh, Food and beverage supervisor, James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor, Wellington
Hotel Industry Front Office Services Employee of the Year
- Hemal Ghetla, Front office manager, Sudima Lake Rotorua
- Varna Musalini, Guest relations officer, Novotel and Ibis Auckland Ellerslie
- Sharyna Te Puia, Rooms division manager, Sofitel Wellington
Hotel Industry General Manager of the Year
- Brad Burnett, General manager - SKYCITY Hotels, Sky Tower, Tourism and Carpark, SKYCITY Entertainment Group, Auckland
- Philip Hilton, Cluster general manager, AccorHotels Wellington
- Nicole Lawson, General manager, CityLife Auckland
- Pipiana Whiston, General manager, Millennium Hotel Rotorua
Hotel Industry Housekeeper Employee of the Year
- Renu Begha, Assistant executive housekeeper, Hilton Queenstown
- Lynette Faiva, Executive housekeeper, Citylife Hotel Auckland
- Heide Holtz, Executive housekeeper, Novotel Queenstown Lakeside
Hotel Industry Outstanding Young Hotel Executive
- Christine Bronkhorst, Director of quality, The Langham, Auckland
- Danielle Davies, Business development executive - Hotels and Tower, SKYCITY Hotels Auckland
- Vedika Jhunjhnuwala, Hotel development executive, Sudima Hotels and Resorts, Auckland
Hotel Industry Revenue Manager of the Year
- Alex Appelman, Reservations and yield manager, Heritage Queenstown
- Chris James, Director of revenue, Auckland Market, Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
- Ali Simforoosh, Director of revenue management, The Langham, Auckland
Hotel Industry Sales & Marketing Employee of the Year
- Caroline Ah-Chong Douglas, Marketing manager, SKYCITY Entertainment Group, Auckland
- Gillian Knott, Assistant director of sales, Auckland, AccorHotels
- Elena Sharma, Marketing manager, Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
Hotel Industry Senior Hotel Executive of the Year
- Judy Chen, Director of sales and marketing - Hotel Grand Chancellor NZ, James Cook -
Hotel Grand Chancellor, Wellington
- Michael Shah, Director of sales and marketing, The Langham, Auckland
Hotel Industry Environmental Initiative of the Year
- CP Hotels Ltd trading as Mercure Queenstown Resort
- The Langham, Auckland
= The Rees Hotel & Luxury Apartments, Queenstown
