The annual gala AHA NSW Awards for Excellence took place Tuesday night before 1,400 industry, political and business leaders, at Royal Randwick Racecourse.
Following a greeting and networking session overlooking the hallowed turf, with live music and sponsored refreshments, guests gathered inside for the 47 awards, culminating 850 nominations.
Hot on the agenda were a smorgasbord of food categories, from Best Burger and Steak Sandwich to the greatest Parmi, Steak and Sunday Roast, and even Best Chip.
The coveted People’s Choice Award was won by Lyn Humphreys’ Oatley Hotel, while the prized Best Family Friendly Hotel was picked up by the O’Hara, Malloy and Quinn partnership at the Bradford Hotel in Rutherford.
Best Bush Pub went to the Country Club Hotel Tooleybuc.
Individual Hotel Operator was granted to Cliff Wallis’ Tathra Hotel, and Mudgee stalwarts Des and Carol Kennedy were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Colosimo family’s stunning new build the Oran Park Hotel took the major trophy of Metropolitan Hotel of the Year – backing up its success in 2025, scoring Best Metropolitan Redevelopment.
Alistair Flower’s Settlers Inn Hotel in Port Macquarie had a big night, taking two key awards.
He bought the hotel – his first – out of receivership in 2016, and went on to claim Hotelier of the Year the same year.
In the following years the pub has been nominated for Heart of the Community three times, and striking again in 2026 has now won it three times.
Settlers has been a finalist in each of the ten years Flower has owned it. In recent months he acquired an adjacent motel and plans to incorporate it into the hotel’s tricks.
As though finally rewarded for its consistency, this year Settlers took the top honour of Regional Hotel of the Year.
“As much as I’m humbled and pleasantly surprised by the win, I feel this is a pub that has just got the formula right,” Flower told PubTIC.
“This means great staff that genuinely care, are actively in our community and showcase clear pride in the place they work, a love for community, and understanding the important responsibility of leading localised connection.
“And probably above all making sure the beers are always cold and the schnittys hit the spot every time!”
In 2026 Settlers shared the honour of Heart of the Community with another big winner, North Coast Hotel Group, which also took the major award for Group Hotel Operator of the Year.
NCHG employs approximately 320 people across its portfolio on the mid-north coast, and was a finalist for 26 nominations, spanning operations, food, live music, marketing, retail liquor, family-friendly and cocktails.
Beyond two wins for the Group, its hotel Hoey Moey took home Best Marketed Hotel.
Principal Harry Barry says it’s a proud moment for the business and “pretty special result for the North Coast” that recognises the work his staff do every day.
“It was an unbelievable result for our team and, honestly, I don’t think it has completely sunk in yet.”
Boasting a community model that purposefully embraces more than conventional sponsorship the Heart of the Community award carries particular significance for the group, which supports more than 90 sporting clubs, schools, charities and community organisations, providing sponsorship, fundraising, prizes, staff involvement, marketing support and community events, as well as facilities by way of rooms, kitchens, stages, reach and infrastructure.
“Heart of the Community probably means the most to us because it represents what we believe a good regional pub should be,” says Barry, who believes a pub in a regional town is “much more than somewhere to eat and have a beer”.
“We’ve always believed that strong communities create strong venues, and strong venues have a responsibility to give something back.
“We’re a regional hotel group. Our people live here, our customers live here and the clubs, schools and community organisations we support are part of the same communities where we operate.
“To bring these awards back to the North Coast makes it even more special.”
Atop employing 72k people, raising millions of dollars annually for charity and adding $6.8 billion in value to the NSW economy, AHA NSW CEO John Whelan says the state’s hotels represent the ‘best and brightest’.
“These hotels range from mum and dad operations in the most remote parts of the state to multi-level entertainment precincts in our nation’s greatest city.
“I would like to congratulate all our hotels for their work throughout the year, particularly todays award winners.”
FULL LIST OF WINNERS
BEST FAMILY FRIENDLY
WINNER: Bradford Hotel Rutherford
BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE
WINNER: The Gopher Manly, HIGHLY COMMENDED: Park Beach Hotel Motel Coffs Harbour
HEART OF THE COMMUNITY
JOINT WINNERS: North Coast Hotel Group Grafton, Settlers Inn Hotel Port Macquarie
BEST REGIONAL LOCAL
WINNER: Brooks Tavern Jordan Springs. HIGHLY COMMENDED: Settlers Inn Hotel Port Macquarie
BEST METROPOLITAN LOCAL
WINNER: Hurstville Ritz Hotel Hurstville
BEST BUSH PUB
WINNER: Country Club Hotel Tooleybuc Tooleybuc
BEST OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE (INCLUDING ROOFTOP BARS)
WINNER: Aanuka Beach House Coffs Harbour, HIGHLY COMMENDED (REGIONAL): NINETEEN Hunter Valley Pokolbin, HIGHLY COMMENDED (METROPOLITAN): Oran Park Hotel Oran Park
BEST LATE NIGHT VENUE
WINNER: Hotel Gosford Gosford
BEST SPORTING ENTERTAINMENT VENUE
WINNER: Tacking Point Tavern Port Macquarie
BEST WAGERING VENUE
WINNER: Lakeside Village Tavern Raymond Terrace
BEST RETAIL LIQUOR OUTLET
WINNER: North Nowra Tavern North Nowra, HIGHLY COMMENDED: Shortland Hotel Shortland
BEST DRAUGHT BEER QUALITY
JOINT WINNERS: Coogee Bay Hotel Coogee, Huntlee Tavern Branxton
BEST WINE LIST
WINNER: The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel Millers Point
BEST COCKTAIL LIST
WINNER: The Dry Dock Public House and Dining Room Balmain, HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Lucky Hotel Newcastle
BEST REGIONAL GAMING VENUE
WINNER: Palm and Pawn Hotel North Wagga
BEST METROPOLITAN GAMING VENUE
WINNER: The Ranch North Ryde
BEST UNIQUE BAR EXPERIENCE (INCLUDING SMALL, COCKTAIL, LOUNGE OR THEMED BARS)
WINNER: Olivette Wagga Wagga
BEST MARKETED HOTEL
WINNER: Park Beach Hotel Motel Coffs Harbour, HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Flynn Sydney
BEST SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
WINNER: The Flynn Sydney
BEST INNOVATIVE REFURBISHMENT
WINNER (REGIONAL): George Darby Hotel Newcastle
WINNER (METROPOLITAN): Hunters Hill Hotel Hunters Hill
BEST NEW OR REDEVELOPED HOTEL
WINNER: Tathra Hotel Tathra, HIGHLY COMMENDED: Cross Keys Hotel Tighes Hill
BEST TRADITIONAL PUB ACCOMMODATION
WINNER: Robertson Public House Robertson
BEST DELUXE PUB ACCOMMODATION
WINNER: Coolamon Hotel Coolamon
BEST STEAK
JOINT WINNERS: Harry’s Surry Hills, The Bolt Inn Uralla
BEST PARMI
WINNER: Tourist Hotel Queanbeyan, HIGHLY COMMENDED: Sutton Forest Inn Sutton Forest
BEST STEAK SANDWICH
WINNER: The Winston Winston Hills
BEST BURGER
WINNER: Oran Park Hotel Oran Park
BEST SUNDAY ROAST
WINNER: Bushrangers Bar & Brasserie Largs, HIGHLY COMMENDED: Tathra Hotel Tathra
BEST CHEAP EAT MEAL (UNDER $20)
WINNER: Five Islands Hotel Cringila, HIGHLY COMMENDED: George Darby Hotel Newcastle
BEST REGIONAL CASUAL DINING (NORTHERN)
WINNER: Nags Head Hotel Adamstown
BEST REGIONAL CASUAL DINING (SOUTHERN)
WINNER: Turvey Park Hotel Wagga Wagga, HIGHLY COMMENDED: Lakeview Hotel Motel Oak Flats
BEST REGIONAL CASUAL DINING (WESTERN)
WINNER: Railway Hotel Temora
BEST METROPOLITAN CASUAL DINING (CBD & EASTERN)
WINNER: Riley Hotel Darlinghurst
BEST METROPOLITAN CASUAL DINING (NORTHERN)
WINNER: Harbord Hotel Freshwater
BEST METROPOLITAN CASUAL DINING (SOUTHERN)
WINNER: Parc Pavilion Cronulla, HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Stardust Hotel Cabramatta
BEST METROPOLITAN CASUAL DINING (WESTERN)
WINNER: The Woodstock Hotel Rooty Hill
BEST RESTAURANT
WINNER: Shell House Dining Room and Terrace Sydney, HIGHLY COMMENDED: STIX Hellenic Taverna, Riverview Hotel Tempe
BEST CHIP
WINNER: Moonee Beach Hotel Moonee Beach
INDUSTRY RISING STAR
WINNER: Jordyn Dennis The Como Hotel Como, HIGHLY COMMENDED: Jessie Nguyen Melton Hotel Auburn
EMPLOYEE EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE
WINNER: Krista Williams The Nyngan Hotel Nyngan
REGIONAL CHEF OF THE YEAR
JOINT WINNERS: Ian Smart Robertson Public House Robertson, Scott Hyde Manning River Hotel Taree
METROPOLITAN CHEF OF THE YEAR
JOINT WINNERS: Ben Sitton The Dry Dock Public House and Dining Room Balmain & Damian Heads Watsons Bay Hotel Watsons Bay
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Des and Carol Kennedy
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
WINNER: Oatley Hotel Oatley
INDIVIDUAL HOTEL OPERATOR OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Tathra Hotel Tathra
GROUP HOTEL OPERATOR OF THE YEAR
WINNER: North Coast Hotel Group Grafton
REGIONAL HOTEL OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Settlers Inn Hotel Port Macquarie
METROPOLITAN HOTEL OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Oran Park Hotel Oran Park
