Grovedale Hotel secure the gold at national awards

The team at The Grovedale Hotel are charging their glasses after winning the Overall Hotel of the Year (Regional) title at the 2023 Australian Hotels Association National Awards of Excellence.

More than 650 VIPS and industry guests gathered at the famous Adelaide Oval for the annual awards on Monday event to award winners in more than 35 different categories.

The Grovedale establishment secured their first national award for Overall Hotel of the Year (Regional) after being a national finalist and state winner in 2019 and 2023.

The venue also took home the Best National Gaming Venue (Regional) title, capping off a huge night for the Taylor Group who have run the hotel for 17 years.

The Grovedale Hotel general manager, Joel Taylor said his management was ecstatic with the suite of prestigious awards.

“We are absolutely stoked, I’m buzzing,” he said.

“To be recognised on a national scale for this category is something we haven’t had before.

“We’ve always had a strong focus on our culture of the people at our hotels, and we’ve got longstanding management at Grovedale who have done an amazing job.

“They’ve continued from what I started a few years ago, and just taken it to another level, which is just huge.”

Mr Taylor said the Overall Hotel of the Year (Regional) award was hotly contested, with judges eyeing even the smallest of details to separate finalists from the winner.

“They look at things like if they were greeted at the door, how they were spoken to on the phone, could they find the information as well as food, service, drinks and so on,” he said.

“It’s quite a detailed category, so to come out on top and tick all those boxes is quite amazing.”

The Taylor Group was also a finalist for the Best Live Entertainment Venue (Regional) for the Torquay Hotel.

Over on the Bellarine, the Portarlington Grand Hotel was victorious in the Best Redeveloped Hotel – General Division.

For a full list of winners, head to www.ahanationalawards.com.au/index.php#index.htm