Culture

On July 21, hotels and restaurants in the Blue Mountains were praised as industry leaders at the 2017 Tourism Accommodation Australia Awards (TAA). The ceremony had many stand-outs, with the chic Echoes Restaurant (Katoomba) winning Restaurant of the Year in the Mid-Range-Superior Hotels category.

Located in the Escarpment Group owned Echoes Boutique Hotel, the restaurant offers a modern Australian cuisine with an Asian influence and unbeatable views overlooking the Blue Mountains National Park.

Over 700 political, industry and business leaders attended the 2017 TAA awards ceremony including Adam Marshall the Minister for Tourism and Major Events. There were over 300 nominations from 80 hotels across the 34 categories.

The TAA was consistently impressed with the quality of local Blue Mountains’ hotels and restaurants. Emirates One & Only in Wolgan Valley won the award for Regional Deluxe Hotel of the Year. With local hotels Lilianfels Resort & Spa (Katoomba), Echoes and the Hydro Majestic Hotel (Medlow Bath) placing as finalists.

Darleys Restaurant at Lilianfels in Katoomba placed as a finalist in the Regional Deluxe Restaurant category. The Echoes Restaurant and the Wintergarden Restaurant at the Hydro Majestic were also contenders for the Regional Mid-Range Restaurant award.

The Escarpment Group received multiple finalist listings for their properties in the Blue Mountains.

Escarpment Group general manager Ralf Bruegger says "Of course we were delighted that three of our four Blue Mountains properties made the finalist list and are very proud of the team at Echoes who brought home the Restaurant of the Year Award.

"However, we are also pleased that the quality of hotel and restaurant product of this mature tourism region in general was recognised by the award wins".

All four properties in the Regional Deluxe Hotel of the Year award category were from the Blue Mountains region.

State Tourism and Major Events Minister Adam Marshall said the quality of tourism products and experiences is "a huge contributor" to the success of NSW as a national tourism leader.

TAA NSW chairman Peter Tudehope says winners "exemplified the best in the tourism industry" adding "NSW really does set the standard when it comes to the quality of our accommodation venues and their hard-working staff."

Minister Adam Marshall also congratulated Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA) NSW for acknowledging the vital role accommodation hotels and their staff played in attracting visitors to NSW.

Featured Photo: Views from the Echoes Restaurant in Katoomba.