Local Irish pub O’Donoghues at Emu Plains has been nominated for Hotel of The Year by the Australian Hotels Association NSW (AHA).
This year, the pub was named as finalists in all 10 categories that they entered, which included Best Casual Dining Venue, Best Live Music Venue and Best Social Media Activity.
Considering the hotel was without a kitchen 12 months ago, Marketing and Events Manager James Crowe believes that it’s a great achievement for the local establishment.
“We’re absolutely stoked that we’ve been nominated for such a prestigious award,” Mr Crowe said.
“This is the first time we have been nominated but it’s also the first time that we have been at the standard where we could go in.”
The pub recently underwent renovations after a devastating fire in June 2016, however the renovations weren’t just on the venue’s exterior, with the staff and management team also taking on a new look.
“We’ve got a whole new management team and they are all younger, fresher faces, so we’ve kind of reinvigorated the pub,” Mr Crowe said.
The judging period for the awards, which ran over two months, saw the venue and its staff randomly assessed by members of AHA.
“I think personally we’ve worked quite hard to get the pub to a level where we can be proud of it,” Mr Crowe said.
“It’s how we market the venue, the food that we put out, the way our staff engage with the customers as well, and I think if you do come here then you know that our staff are fantastic and they make everyone feel welcomed.”
Winners of the awards will be announced later next month at the AHA Awards Night, to be held at The Star Casino in Sydney. They’ll be hoping the luck of the Irish is on their side.
Lauren Suttie is the Weekender’s General & Community News journalist.
