The Denman Hotel & Spa's Snow Adventures in Spring


Take advantage of the best spring snow in ‘The Snowys’ for years, by discovering the Snowy Mountains alpine wilderness on cross country skis or snowshoes!

The Denman Hotel & Spa, in association with K7 Adventures, is offering for the first time the thrill of outdoor snow adventure packages. Now you can spend several days touring the Snowy Mountains wilderness in early spring, without the need to ‘rough it’ – returning each evening to stay in the lap of luxury.

Whether a first timer or simply taking advantage of outdoor guiding company K7 Adventures wealth of experience in conducting cross-country ski or snowshoe adventures within this spectacular wilderness region, this is a unique opportunity. “Resort skiing is great, but if you go backcountry you will never forget the experience and will simply want more”, states Peter Cocker, K7 Adventures Senior Guide.

This year has been a late season, but in August more than 200 centimetres of dry powder snow has fallen across the main range of the Snowy Mountains National Park. Peter comments: “This year the best skiing will be in September, lasting until at least mid-October”.

Why cross country skiing or snowshoeing in The Snowy Mountains? “Here are exceptionally long runs, and often your group will have the whole of the Main Range to themselves – there is not another track in the snow and you enjoy amazing scenery; you can often see for over 100 kms across Victoria”, enthuses Peter Cocker.

There are four different all-inclusive 3-night value-added Denman Hotel & Spa Snow Adventure packages available. These are ideal for couples, families and small groups who wish to take advantage of this September and October’s great snow and blue skies. There is even a tented overnight Snow Craft learning adventure, or for the very young easy half-day cross country ski or snowshoe lessons are available.

The Denman Hotel & Spa is Thredbo’s premier boutique hotel, renowned for its fine dining Terrace Restaurant and fun, sophisticated Après Bar. Ed Denny, The Denman’s Proprietor, believes that “there is nothing better than coming in from a fabulous day exploring the backcountry and enjoying gourmet cooking, fine wine and great company!”

The Packages

Prices start from just $1633 for a family of four. These are all-inclusive packages with luxury accommodation and meals at The Denman Hotel & Spa and instruction and guiding by expert K7 Adventures Guides.

For example the Indulgent Snow Adventure includes two days of snow shoeing or cross country skiing lessons plus a full day Kosciuszko Majestic Tour with private guide, plus full breakfasts, 2 nights fine dining in the Terrace Restaurant, packed lunches each day including a special snow picnic as well as a bottle of Vueve Clicquot Champagne.

See www.thedenman.com.au/rates-packages/snowadventures

About:


K7 Adventures


K7 Adventures is an all-seasons specialist for Snowy Mountains’ adventure tours, offering snow shoeing, ski touring or the freedom of nordic skiing through the Kosciuszko Cross Country Ski School in winter as well as trekking, climbing and abseiling in summer,

K7 Adventure Guides are ‘mountain people’ who love where they live and live what they love. Its experienced team of guides and instructors spend winter after winter exploring the back country steeps, finding the sweetest lines and the purest untracked snow, the best views and most surprising angles that become a photographer’s delight. K7 Adventures prides itself on customer service and satisfaction.

The Denman Hotel & Spa


The Denman Hotel & Spa boasts a dress circle position at Diggings Terrace in the heart of Thredbo Village, just a few minutes walk to the Crackenback chairlifts. The Hotel offers 36 guest rooms with ensuites, with a wide range of room styles and sizes, compact to spacious, chalet to contemporary, with no two rooms the same. Room service, porterage and valet parking are included.

Floor to ceiling windows offer stunning daytime mountain views and set the stage for award winning dining at the Denman’s Terrace Restaurant. The Denman Hotel & Spa has won the Restaurant and Catering Association’s “Best Restaurant Southern Region” and is Thredbo’s premier dining venue. Open in winter from 6 pm till late, guests enjoy a la carte dining as part of the Denman tariff.

The Denman’s Après Bar is recognised as the Snowy Mountain’s most sophisticated nightspot. It's a chic metropolitan style cocktail lounge with comfortable seating –ideal for either pre or post dinner.

The Denman Day Spa is the only full day spa in Thredbo and exclusively offers Thalgo treatments from aromatherapy to remedial sports massage. Guests can choose from indulgent spa packages, facial treatments, body treatments, hand and feet treatments, plus waxing and tinting.

Snowy Mountains National Park & Thredbo

Covering 690,000ha. the Snowy Mountains is the largest national park in NSW and one of the Australia’s most significant natural resources – with the highest mountains in Australia as well as the legendary snowy river. Besides having New South Wales' major ski resorts, the Park offers some of the best cross country skiing areas in the world, on its Main Range and Jugungal Wilderness Area. Thredbo is the perfect base from which to explore the Snowy Mountains National Park. It is reminiscent of a European mountain retreat, with its town square and Village atmosphere. It offers undoubtedly Australia’s best selection of après ski activities, with live music and dancing, restaurants and bars.

Australia's New Breed of Experiential Luxury

logo.jpgFifteen of Australia's leading independent luxury tourism properties have formed Luxury Lodges of Australia, a new association launched in 2010 to promote the uniquely Australian breed of luxury experiential lodges, domestically and internationally.

The 15 member properties represent both long-established and new lodges and camps, with a common theme of offering guests an outstanding experience connected to a clear sense of place - while ensuring key luxury standards. Ranging from wilderness lodges to vineyard retreats and dining destinations; island hideaways to luxe outback camps; the lodges demonstrate high levels of innovation and are clearly aiming to be the 'best'.

"In recent years, we have seen the emergence and consolidation of a new, unmistakably Australian breed of luxury properties and experiences. Luxury Lodges of Australia brings together a portfolio of sophisticated, experiential properties and will showcase it on the world stage for the first time," said Andrew McEvoy, Managing Director of Tourism Australia.


The association's website www.luxurylodgesofaustralia.com.au provides discerning travellers with a comprehensive information and planning tool for completely Australian itineraries, linking closely and smoothly to each property's own website and booking systems.

The properties are spread across more than a dozen diverse regions of the country and include Wolgan Valley; The Louise; Lizard and Bedarra Islands; qualia; Longitude 131; Cape Lodge; Lake House; Spicers Clovelly Estate and Spicers Peak Lodge; Capella and Southern Ocean Lodges; and Wild Bush Luxury's Arkaba Station, Bamurru Plains and Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef.

Luxury Lodges of Australia was formed following a meeting in late 2009 where Jim Carreker, the owner of The Louise, invited the owners of the country's top lodge properties to discuss the potential of collectively marketing a diverse and uniquely Australian luxury portfolio, both domestically and internationally.

James Baillie of Baillie Lodges, and Chair of Luxury Lodges of Australia noted that the collection brought together many of Australia's innovators and leaders in hospitality, tourism, food and wine, and regional development.

"Having commitment and hands-on input from significant achievers such as Alla Wolf-Tasker, Skroo and Jude Turner, Charles Carlow and Jim Carreker reinforces my belief that now is the time to showcase the diversity and depth of Australian luxury experiences," he said.

"The association sets a benchmark for luxury travel in Australia and the hope is that a handful of new lodges that are in keeping with the ethos of a luxury experience, connected to a sense of place, will join in the next 18 months. Pooling our marketing resources will greatly help us raise Australia's profile as a luxury destination."

Winners Announced in the 2010 HM Awards

The leading hotels in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific have been recognised for accommodation excellence at the 2010 HM Awards, held in front of a record 520 guests in Sydney on Friday night, September 3.

The 2010 HM Awards, presented by Sealy Posturepedic, awarded people, departments, properties and chains across 42 categories in front of the industry's leading hoteliers, staff, key suppliers and dignitaries.

"Once again, the HM Awards were a magnificent showcase of the best the industry has to offer," said James Wilkinson, Managing Editor of HM magazine - host of the eighth annual HM Awards.

"We have some of the most amazing staff and hotels the world has to offer and it has once more been a privilege to recognise excellence across the entire accommodation industry here in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

"This year's HM Awards have been the most successful ever held. Everything about the awards was bigger and better, from the record 520 guests, to the incredible amount of entries we received in 2010, which exceeded 1300.

"The Awards have become the pinnacle for excellence in this part of the world and HM magazine is proud to recognize excellence in every corner - from front office managers to General Managers and boutique hotels to accommodation chains," Wilkinson said.

Rachel Argaman, CEO of Toga Hospitality, took home the most prestigious award on the night, the 2010 HM Magazine Hotelier of the Year. The award was voted on by the leading regional directors of hotel chains, as were the other three top awards on the night - Hotel Brand, Overall Hotel and Accommodation Chain.

"The HM magazine Hotelier of the year recognition has become one of the most sought after awards in the Australian accommodation industry - and once again like Simon McGrath in 2009, Keith Barr in 2008 and Andrew Turner in 2007, we again had one of the finest hoteliers in this country taking out the award this year," Wilkinson said.

In the other top awards, Accor's Sofitel Luxury Hotels was named Hotel Brand of the Year, InterContinental Hotels Group was named Accommodation Chain of the Year and The Observatory Hotel in Sydney was named Hotel of the Year.

Other major Awards saw Craig Bond from The Sebel Albert Park Melbourne named Australian General Manager of the Year, Lynne McVicar from Queenstown's Hotel St Moritz named New Zealand General Manager and Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa win Environmental Program of the Year.

It was a stellar night for Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa, with the Emirates-owned property winning a total of five awards, including Environmental Program, Best New Hotel, Regional Property, Unique Accommodation and Hotel Chef.

Nominations in the HM Awards were open to hotel staff across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. Over 20 leading travel writers and industry leaders decided on the property categories, while a special HM magazine team decided on the people awards in conjunction with Hostec. The judging results were again audited by Ernst & Young in 2010.

HM (Hotel & Accommodation Management) Magazine is the host of the annual HM Awards, which were presented by Sealy Posturepedic. Co-hosts of the event in 2010 included AHS, Intrust Super, ISIS Hotel Projects and Philips.

2010 HM AWARDS

WINNERS & HIGHLY COMMENDED RECIPIENTS

PROPERTY AWARDS: AUSTRALIA
1. Serviced Apartment Property
Presented by: AHS
Winner: Quay Grand Suites Sydney
Highly Commended: Adina Apartment Hotel Sydney

2. Accommodation under 3.5 stars
Presented by: AHS
Winner: Thredbo Alpine Hotel
Highly Commended: Travelodge Docklands

3. Accommodation 4- to 4.5-stars
Presented by: Sealy Posturepedic
Winner: The Byron at Byron Resort and Spa
Highly Commended: Peppers Salt Resort and Spa
Highly Commended: Q Station Retreat

4. Accommodation 5 star
Presented by: Philips in association with Yardley
Winner: Crown Towers Melbourne
Highly Commended: qualia

5. Business Hotel
Presented by: Docomo Inter-touch
Winner: Sheraton Perth
Highly Commended: Hilton Sydney

6. Resort
Presented by: Philips in association with JB Hi-Fi
Winner: qualia
Highly Commended: Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa

7. Hotel Refurbishment
Presented by: ISIS
Winner: Grand Hyatt Melbourne
Highly Commended: Peppers Manor House

8. Boutique Hotel
Presented by: Micros-Fidelio
Winner: Emporium Hotel, Brisbane
Highly Commended: The Olsen

9. Unique Accommodation
Presented by: Sealy Posturepedic
Winner: Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa
Highly Commended: Longitude 131

10. Best New Hotel
Presented by: Intrust Super
Winner: Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa
Highly Commended: Crown Metropol

11. Alpine Accommodation
Presented by: ISIS
Winner: Quay West Resort & Spa Falls Creek
Highly Commended: Thredbo Alpine Hotel

12. Meetings & Conference Property
Presented by: SPICE magazine
Winner: Quay West Resort & Spa Bunker Bay
Highly Commended: Q Station Retreat

13. Regional Property
Presented by: Intrust Super
Winner: Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa
Highly Commended: The Byron at Byron Resort & Spa

14. Hotel Day Spa
Presented by: ISIS
Winner: Angsana Spa, Angsana Resort & Spa Great Barrier Reef
Highly Commended: Spa qualia, qualia

15. Hotel Bar
Presented by: Hoshizaki Ice Makers
Winner: Zeta Bar, Hilton Sydney
Highly Commended: Blu Bar on 36, Shangri-La Hotel Sydney

16. Hotel Restaurant
Presented by: San Pellegrino
Winner: Bilson's, Radisson Plaza Sydney
Highly Commended: Astral, Star City

17. Hi-Tech Hotel
Presented by: Philips in association with JB Hi-Fi
Winner: Hilton Sydney
Highly Commended: Crown Towers


PROPERTY AWARDS - NEW ZEALAND, FIJI & SOUTH PACIFIC

18. New Zealand Hotel
Presented by: Vingcard Elsafe
Winner: Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa
Highly Commended: The Langham, Auckland

19. New Zealand Regional Property
Presented by: Sealy Posturepedic
Winner: Peppers Clearwater Resort
Highly Commended: Millbrook Resort

20. New Zealand Lodge
Presented by: HM Magazine
Winner: The Farm at Cape Kidnappers
Highly Commended: Huka Lodge

21. Fijian Property
Presented by: ISIS
Winner: Likuliku Lagoon Resort
Highly Commended: Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa

22. South Pacific Property
Presented by: Ernst & Young
Winner: InterContinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa
Highly Commended: Sofitel Moorea Resort & Spa
PROPERTY AWARDS - ALL COUNTRIES

23. Hotel Brand Management Company
Presented by: Intrust Super
Winner: Preferred Hotels & Resorts
Highly Commended: Small Luxury Hotels of the World

24. Marketing Campaign
Presented by: SpiceNews.com.au
Winner: Holiday Inn hotels (Australasia)
Highly Commended: Travelodge Hotels (Australia)

25. Service to the Community
Presented by: Intrust Super
Winner: Accor Hospitality (Australia)
Highly Commended: James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor


PEOPLE AWARDS

26. Concierge
Winner: Ben Davies, The Langham, Melbourne
Highly Commended: Elvis Soiza, Sofitel Brisbane

27. Hotel Chef
Presented by: Robert Oatley Wines
Winner: Dwane Goodman, Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa
Highly Commended: Glenn Bacon, Hayman

28. Hotel Bartender
Presented by: Time Out Sydney
Winner: Stuart Reeves, harbourbar, Park Hyatt Sydney
Highly Commended: Chewie Choo, Emporium Hotel, Brisbane

29. Human Resources department member
Presented by: Hostec
Winner: Nicole Downs, The Sebel Surry Hills
Highly Commended: Nykkie Gibson, Accor Hospitality (New Zealand) Highly Commended: David Wain, Hilton Sydney

30. Sales & Marketing department member
Presented by: Vacations & Travel magazine
Winner: Rupert Hallam, Hilton Melbourne South Wharf
Highly Commended: Morag Ritchie, Angsana Resort and Spa Great Barrier Reef

31. Public Relations department member
Presented by: Travmedia.com
Winner: Peter Hook, Accor Hospitality
Highly Commended: Sarah Vickery, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney

32. Front Office department member
Presented by: AHS Hospitality
Winner: Sofie Di Donato, Diamant Hotel Sydney
Highly Commended: Cameron Griffiths, Park Hyatt Sydney

33. Housekeeper
Presented by: AHS Hospitality
Winner: Tony Smith, Mantra 2 Bond Street
Highly Commended: Imran Asif, Chifley Eastern Creek
Highly Commended: Lalini De Silva, Star City

34. Hotel Engineer
Presented by: Philips in association with Yardley
Winner: Alan Wallbanks, Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach
Highly Commended: Robin Power, Crowne Plaza Melbourne

MAJOR AWARDS

35. South Pacific General Manager
Presented by: Sealy Posturepedic
Winner: Michael Shah, Pacific Resort Aitutaki
Highly Commended: Mike Wilson, Holiday Inn Suva

36. New Zealand General Manager
Presented by: Sealy Posturepedic
Winner: Lynne McVicar, Hotel St Moritz
Highly Commended: Jeffrey van Vorsselen, The Langham Auckland
Highly Commended: Jim Moore, Novotel Queenstown Lakeside

37. Australian General Manager
Presented by: Intrust Super
Winner: Craig Bond, The Sebel & Citigate Albert Park Melbourne
Highly Commended: Paul Hutton, Hilton Sydney

38. Environmental Program
Presented by: ISIS
Winner: Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa
Highly Commended: Mercure hotels (Australasia)
Highly Commended: Pacific Resort Rarotonga

39. Hotel Brand
Presented by: Philips
Winner: Sofitel Luxury Hotels
Highly Commended: Quest Serviced Apartments

40. Accommodation Chain
Presented by: AHS
Winner: InterContinental Hotels Group
Highly Commended: Accor Hospitality

41. Hotel of the Year
Presented by: Sealy Posturepedic
Winner: The Observatory Hotel, Sydney
Highly Commended: qualia

42. HM Magazine Hotelier of the Year
Presented by: HM Magazine
Winner: Rachel Argaman, Toga Hospitality

Plus the HALL OF FAME inductee:
Stephen Lewis, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney