Australia and New Zealand’s leading hoteliers and suppliers have helped raise over NZD$60,000 for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust in one of the greatest charity displays the accommodation industry has seen in years.
The money was raised at the 2011 HM Awards for Hotel and Accommodation Excellence presented by Sealy in Sydney last Friday night (Sep 2), an event attended by 600 hoteliers and major suppliers from Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
“More than seven months after the deadly earthquake on February 22 that killed 181 people, many Cantabrians are still in desperate need for assistance and seeing the generosity from the accommodation industry at the HM Awards this year was truly amazing,” said HM (Hotel Management) magazine Managing Editor, James Wilkinson.
The Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust is the New Zealand Government’s vehicle for assisting the people of Canterbury following a series of earthquakes that severely damaged the city and left hundreds of people dead in late 2010 and early 2011.
“We wanted to help raise around NZD$30,000 for the Appeal, so the NZD$60,000 in donations was just remarkable,” Wilkinson said. “The industry dug deep for our friends and family across the Tasman and HM magazine was proud to help facilitate a donation that I know the entire accommodation will be very proud of.”
To help raise money on the night, a number of prizes were donated by sponsors of the HM Awards on the night, including: a Sealy Posturepedic Grand Luxe Bed worth $8250; a 52-inch Philips TV; a La Piccola Sara espresso machine courtesy of Franke; six ultra luxurious ‘The Cloud’ bed toppers from HotelHome Australia; a bottle of Armand de Brignac champagne; a mixed dozen bottles of wine from Robert Oatley Vineyards; and a limited edition Australian jersey from the 2008 Rugby League World Cup courtesy of Coca-Cola Amatil.
Several leading hotels and chains also donated prizes on the night for donors to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust, including: Sofitel Queenstown, Peppers, Hilton Queenstown, Emporium Hotel Brisbane, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, The Rees Queenstown and InterContinental Wellington.
“We had almost $20,000 in prizes to give away to donors and the generosity from our sponsors and industry friends was absolutely fantastic,” Wilkinson said.
The 2011 HM Awards were hosted by HM magazine, presented by Sealy, and co-hosted by AHS Hospitality, Intrust Super, ISIS and Philips.
For a full list of winners at the 2011 HM Awards, visit: http://13.115.84.75/2011/09/05/winners-announced-in-the-2011-hm-awards/