Two Rotorua winners at New Zealand Hotel Industry Awards

Millennium Hotel Rotorua general manager Pipiana Whiston was one of two Rotorua hotel workers to win top industry awards. Photo/File

Two Rotorua hotel workers have won top awards at the annual New Zealand Hotel Industry Awards.

A gala awards dinner was held in Auckland last night where women dominated this year's awards winning seven of the 10 individual awards, including general manager, senior hotel executive and outstanding young hotel executive of the year.

Millennium Hotel Rotorua general manager Pipiana Whiston won the Hotel Industry General Manager of the Year award and Sudima Lake Rotorua front office manager Hemal Ghetla won the Hotel Industry Front Office Services Employee of the Year award.

The awards recognise the key roles that go into running a successful hotel and were attended by more than 320 hotel sector and tourism industry leaders.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa hotel sector manager Sally Attfield said it was exciting to see so many awards being collected by exceptional female employees in a sector where senior management had traditionally been male dominated.

"Pipiana Whiston has worked her way up the ranks of Millennium Hotels & Resorts NZ for more than 25 years culminating in her appointment as general manager of the Millennium Hotel Rotorua in 2005."

Co-hosts of the awards, Horwath HTL's director Stephen Hamilton, said from the housekeeper of the year to the outstanding concierge, competition was fierce across the award categories.

"More visitors stay in hotels than any other type of accommodation. They are major economic contributors to communities and significant employers offering many career paths, as highlighted by our awards.

"We were delighted to see the winners come from regions across the country, including Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown."

Winners (by region)
AUCKLAND
- Hotel Industry Concierge of the Year
Gustavo Concha, Chief Concierge, Hilton Auckland
- Hotel Industry Food and Beverage Employee of the Year
Bhavna Abhilasha, Food and Beverage Supervisor, Sudima Auckland Airport
- Hotel Industry Outstanding Young Hotel Executive
Christine Bronkhorst, Director of Quality, The Langham, Auckland
- Hotel Industry Revenue Manager of the Year
Chris James, Director of Revenue, Auckland Market, Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
- Hotel Industry Sales & Marketing Employee of the Year
Gillian Knott, Assistant Director of Sales, Auckland, AccorHotels
- Hotel Industry Environmental Initiative of the Year
The Langham, Auckland

ROTORUA
- Hotel Industry Front Office Services Employee of the Year
Hemal Ghetla, Front Office Manager, Sudima Lake Rotorua
- Hotel Industry General Manager of the Year
Pipiana Whiston, General Manager, Millennium Hotel Rotorua

WELLINGTON
- 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

CHRISTCHURCH
- Hotel Industry Administration Employee of the Year
Noreen Bancale, Financial Controller, Novotel Christchurch

QUEENSTOWN
- Hotel Industry Housekeeper Employee of the Year
Heide Holtz, Executive Housekeeper, Novotel Queenstown Lakeside