New Zealand’s top bed and breakfast properties for 2023 have been named and the supreme winner is Waihi Beach Paradise Resort.
Bed & Breakfast Association New Zealand has announced Peter and Karen West of Waihi Beach Paradise Resort as winners of the Vision Insurance 2023 Supreme Bed & Breakfast of the Year. The couple also won the Vision Insurance 2023 Exceptional Bed & Breakfast Business of the Year.
The Vision Insurance Bed & Breakfast Awards Programme celebrates excellence in hospitality in the bed and breakfast and hosted accommodation sector. The Awards are open to any member of Bed & Breakfast Association New Zealand who has been assessed.
There was exceptionally strong competition for the Awards this year, as the 2022 Awards did not take place due to the pandemic.
“I am thrilled at the high level of interest in our Awards programme this year. Although it’s been a tough few years for the bed and breakfast sector, our hosts are continuing to provide outstanding high quality personalised experiences for both international and New Zealand guests,” Association president Donna Brooke says.
“I was delighted to be a part of the judging panel for this year’s Bed & Breakfast Association New Zealand annual Awards programme,” says Judge and chief executive of the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand Lynda Keene.
“The calibre of entries was excellent and there was some good discussion on who the finalists and eventual winners would be.
“Bed & breakfast businesses often operate under the radar as to their importance in the tourism industry, but all hosts add greatly to a region’s visitor offering and are wonderful ambassadors, adding bespoke local manaakitanga in their homes. Bed & breakfast operators are highly valued by the inbound tourism sector in hosting international visitors.”
In recognising Waihi Beach Paradise Retreat as the Supreme Bed & Breakfast of the Year, the judges commented: “Karen and Peter have developed a truly outstanding experience for their guests since opening their business in 2019. As well as offering luxury hosted accommodation on one of New Zealand’s most beautiful beaches, they showed high levels of environmental and financial sustainability. Guests rave about their stays, and the Wests’ sound business practices, developed over 36 years of dairy farming, will stand them in great stead as the sector recovers and grows”.
The Vision Insurance Supreme Bed & Breakfast of the Year is chosen from the winners of two categories – Exceptional Bed & Breakfast Business of the Year and Rising Star Bed & Breakfast Business of the Year.
The 2023 Rising Star Bed & Breakfast of the Year – open to operators who have been in business less than two years – was awarded to Tom and Esther Seymour of 415 Marine Parade, Napier.
The judges said: “Tom and Esther took on a dilapidated property dating from the 1860s with a vision of offering quality hosted accommodation in central Napier. After 16 months of renovations and refurbishment, they opened for business in early 2021. Their care for their historic building, their guests and their business is exceptional”.
The 2023 Essence of Bed & Breakfast of the Year was awarded to Tim and Mary Wood of Olive Rabbit, Tūrangi. This Award recognises operators who go out of their way to provide an exceptional hosting experience for their guests within their business, their region and New Zealand – those who capture the essence of what hosting a bed and breakfast is all about.
Mary and Tim moved to Tūrangi in late 2019, taking the opportunity for a change of careers. Since opening their B&B, they have embraced their new community, supporting many local causes and working with local businesses.
“Mary and Tim share the day-to-day running of their B&B and have quickly become stellar examples of great hosts and unashamed promotors of their wonderful region,” the judges said.
The Vision Insurance Excellence Awards programme was judged by Tourism Export Council chief executive Lynda Keene and the Bed & Breakfast Association’s president and vice president. The winners were announced at a gala dinner in Wellington during the association’s annual conference.
Award finalists were:
- • Whakaipo Lodge, Taupō – highly commended in the Exceptional Bed & Breakfast Business of the Year category
- • Pihopa Retreat, Nelson – highly commended in the Rising Star Bed & Breakfast of the Year category
- • Dovecote House, Auckland – highly commended in the Essence of Bed & Breakfast of the Year category · Villa Te Soro, Pukekohe · Quail Lodge, Drury.
