Ngāti Awa Group Holdings Ltd chief executive Tracey Hook and tourism GM Patrick O’Sullivan (left), with chief operating officer Alieta Waitoa and account assistant Jennifer Goodfellow (right). Photo / Supplied
A Ngāti Awa-owned motel in Whakatāne has won a prestigious Hospitality NZ award at a gala event in Auckland.
The eastern Bay of Plenty tribe's Awa Motel scooped the award for best motel in the over 25 rooms category in a hotly contested event at the Pullman Hotel last week.
The motel is nestled between the town's pōhutakawa-clad surrounds and the Whakatāne River, with views out to Moutohorā Island.
The judges were impressed by the motel's diverse range of accommodation and prices that suit all travellers, Ngāti Awa Group Holdings (NAGHL) said Wednesday evening in a release.
Ngāti Awa-owned Awa Motel in Whakatāne has won best motel in the over 25 rooms category at the 2023 Hospitality NZ Awards. Photo / Ngāti Awa
“We have long known what a fantastic business we have here in Awa Motel. We are ideally located for visitors wanting to explore everything Whakatāne has to offer in the awa and moana, from swimming to fishing or for the more adventurous a tour to the Moutohorā Island sanctuary which we provide through our tourism business," NAGHL chief executive Tracey Hook (Ngā Wairiki, Te Āti Haunui a Pāpārangi) said.
The motel, which has been in business for more than 25 years, was bought by Ngāti Awa in 2017, with manaakitanga and kaitiakiatanga "consciously integrated" into every aspect of the business since then, the release said.
It is well known for its popular café, Café Awa, a favourite eatery for locals that boasts indigenous kai on its menu, such as creamy mushrooms on toast with kawakawa and feta, alongside traditional favourites.
The motel changed its name to Awa Motel in 2022.