Torquay Hotel lauded for entertainment excellence

THE Torquay Hotel’s stellar reputation has received another boost after being awarded the Best Live Entertainment Venue in the state at the 2023 Australian Hotels Association Victoria State Awards for Excellence.

Victoria’s top pubs, hotels and venue staff were celebrated across 39 award categories at a special award’s gala dinner Monday this week at the Palladium at Crown in Melbourne.

Cited as winners in the Best Live Entertainment Venue category for the very first time, Torquay Hotel general manager Joel Taylor said it was incredible to receive tangible validation and recognition for all their hard work in making their venue a top live entertainment and music hub on the Surf Coast.

“It was absolutely incredible to win the award… we’ve put plenty of work in to try and make it a real cultural hub for music and somewhere that the Surf Coast community can come and enjoy.

“When we took over the pub in 2017, it had been known as a live music venue but didn’t really have any direction.

“One thing we wanted to make clear was that live music was our direction and you could go there regularly and see it.

“We set about doing the best we could to make the hotel the music and entertainment hub that it is now.

“It involves having the sound right, the lighting right, the room right, but most importantly it’s getting the people running the events right.

“I can’t thank them all enough for their efforts and without them this award isn’t something we have today… it’s been a real team effort.”

Since taking ownership of the venue, Mr Taylor and his team have brought in acts including Dom Dolla, San Cisco, The Chats and more recently The Pretty Littles to elevate their strong reputation within the live music industry.

Across the region, The Grovedale Hotel were also cited as winners at the awards, taking home the Ian Larkin Overall Hotel of the Year (Regional), Best Sports Bar (Regional), Best PubTAB (Regional) and Best Gaming Venue (Regional)

The Portarlington Grand Hotel received both the Best Hotel Accommodation and Best Redeveloped Food and Beverage Hotel awards.

Other local finalists for the Australian Hotels Association Victoria State Awards for Excellence included:

– Jamie Francis Collins from the Beach Hotel in Jan Juc in Local Legends

– Sawyers Arms Tavern in Newtown in Best Pub Restaurant (Regional)

– Grovedale Hotel, Torquay Hotel and Telegraph Hotel in Geelong West in Best Casual Dining (Regional)

– Grovedale Hotel and Portarlington Grand Hotel in Best Pub Bar (Regional)

– Sawyers Arms Hotel in Parma of the Year

– Great Ocean Road Brewhouse in Apollo Bay in Best Retail Liquor Outlet Barwon Heads Hotel, Great Ocean Road Brewhouse, Portarlington Grand Hotel and Torquay Hotel in Best Outdoor Experience (Regional)

– Telegraph Hotel in Best Rooftop Experience

– Barwon Heads Hotel and Torquay Hotel in Best PubTAB (Regional)

– Torquay Hotel in Best Gaming Venue (Regional)