A Queenstown hotel is one of two in New Zealand to have been named among the top 10 in the world for service and good value by travel website TripAdvisor.The Dairy Luxury Private Hotel was named seventh in the world’s top hotels with exceptional service. The TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Best of 2014 also named the 13-room hotel as 13th best small hotel in the world.
Owners Matt Diack and Paul Cook owned The Dairy since 2011, and Mr Diack said they focused on giving guests the best possible Queenstown experience. “From literally the moment they arrive to the moment they leave, they are well looked after,” he said.The property, just a minute’s walk from the centre of town or the gondola, dates to the 1920s and includes a former corner store – Queenstown’s original dairy, Mr Diack said. It’s been operated as the luxury hotel since 2004, and rooms range from $395 to $495, depending on season, with ski package deals available in winter.
Picton’s Gateway Motel was named the 8th best bargain hotel in the world, and for the second year topped the South Pacific category.
Kent Stevenson, who owns the motel with wife Marie, said he was surprised to see they’d made the world rankings. “I was quite surprised as I moved on down the list that we were there at number 8, I had a bit of a chuckle.” He said while the motel wasn’t flash, that wasn’t what guests were after. “It’s not about having a flash swimming pool or spa pool in each room, it’s about cleanliness and service,” he said. “We’re very passionate about the area and we try and educate the guests about the area and what they can enjoy while they’re here, so they can get the most out of it,” he said.Rooms at the Picton Gateway Motel range from $99 for a studio to $200 for a two-bedroom apartment.

TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Best of 2014 awards Top 10 hotels with exceptional service:

1. Riad Kheirredine, Marrakech, Morocco

2. Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, Hopkins, Belize

3. Akademie Street Boutique Hotel and Guesthouse, Franschhoek, South Africa

4. Riad Noir d’Ivoire, Marrakech, Morocco

5. Hotel Residence Agnes, Prague, Czech Republic

6. Castlewood House, Dingle, Ireland

7. The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel, Queenstown, New Zealand

8. Desert Riviera Hotel, Palm Springs, California

9. La Maison Arabe, Marrakech, Morocco

10. Hotel Villa Steno, Monterosso al Mare, Italy

Top 10 bargain hotels:

1. Castlewood House, Dingle, Ireland

2. Desert Riviera Hotel, Palm Springs, California

3. Lauriston Court Hotel, Llandudno, United Kingdom

4. SeaCoast Inn, Hyannis, Massachusetts

5. Oriental Kwai Resort, Kanchanaburi, Thailand

6. Jade Hotel, Hue, Vietnam

7. Asena Motel, Dalyan, Turkey

8. Gateway Motel Picton Accommodation, Picton, New Zealand

9. Ilaia Hotel, Punta Arenas, Chile

10. Dar Hafsa, Fes, Morocco

- Heather McCracken of APNZ

A luxury Queenstown hotel and a Marlborough bed and breakfast are among the world’s best accommodation, according to guests.
The two businesses beat other accommodation from around the world to receive the rankings, based on feedback from millions of travellers who scored each place on a range of aspects using well-known website TripAdvisor.
Both owners were delighted to find out they had been ranked among the world’s best in the site’s Travellers’ Choice Awards.
“We were quite stunned,” said Matt Diack, owner of Dairy Private Luxury Hotel in Queenstown.
His business was rated fourth best in the small hotel category, after hotels in Greece, Belize, and South Africa.
Feedback on the site described the New Zealand hotel as “a luxurious yet homey place we couldn’t rate highly enough”.
“Rooms are well appointed, common areas are well suited to privacy or socialising, and the high tea and breakfast were superb,” it said.
The hotel, which got its name because it used to be the site of a corner dairy, is in the centre of the city.
When Mr Diack took over ownership about two years ago and decided to focus on the service offered to guests, they quickly responded and “bookings started going through the roof”, he said.
Also ranked among the world’s best was Marlborough’s Hillsfield House Bed and Breakfast in Renwick, 10 minutes from Blenheim.
The accommodation was placed 12th in the top 25 Bed and Breakfast category for its “darling rooms, wonderful proprietors, delicious food, warm environment, beautiful English garden,” and proximity to several wineries, according to site feedback.
Hillsfield owner Jo Hill was “absolutely astounded” to learn of the win – its second in a row, up from 21st last year.
“Ultimately we just like to make people feel as welcome as possible. We want to share what we’ve got and we just love Marlborough and love New Zealand,” she said.

Hotel finds favour – by Christina McDonald Otago Daily Times

Guests have ranked The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel in Queenstown as one of the world’s best small hotels.

It came in at fourth place behind Greek apartments, an adventure and dive resort in Belize and a South African lodge.

Trip Advisor is an online site which ranks accommodation, eateries and other travel-related necessities according to guests’ feedback.

The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel co-owner Matt Diack said he was pleased with the result, which reflected hard work and effort. Come April 1, he and business partner Paul Cook will have owned the business for two years and he said it was ”fantastic” to see the hard work paying off.

”We concentrate on service because we just think it’s something that lacks in the bigger hotels.”

The hotel’s owners were reaping the benefits of their successful model and this was reflected in continually strong bookings, Mr Diack said.

”This has been a phenomenal year, full stop.”

As well as receiving past Trip Advisor accolades, the hotel was runner-up in the 2012 New Zealand Travel Industry Awards for best hotel or resort in the country.

The hotel was formerly a corner store and retains the original wooden floorboards and entrance from the 1920s.

Also receiving a world ranking was the Hillsfield House Bed and Breakfast in Renwick – 10 minutes from Blenheim – which was placed 12th in the top 25 in the bed and breakfast category.

Owners of one of Queenstown’s most intimate and luxurious hotels are celebrating a hugely successful year on the award winning front — the most recent received at the New Zealand Travel Industry Awards last Saturday night (September 8).

The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel, located in the heart of Queenstown, was awarded second place in the ‘Best Hotel/Resort in New Zealand’ category at the awards, held in Auckland. First place went to Quickenberry Lodge located near Methven.

The Dairy owners Matt Diack and Paul Cook, who took over the boutique property in April 2011, said they were “thrilled” with the result.

“Since taking over the hotel we’ve concentrated on providing a unique small private hotel experience to all our guests,” said Mr Diack.

“To be recognised for that effort by the judges is a real honour.

“It reinforces the feedback we’ve had from guests since we took over the property and is further proof that we’re definitely on the right track.

“It would have been lovely to have taken out first place but winning isn’t everything and second is just fine by us.

“To be associated with and to be seen in the same league as other wonderful New Zealand accommodation providers such as Quickenberry Lodge and Huka Lodge is fantastic and hugely rewarding when you’re a small hotel owner.

“It makes all our hard work worthwhile.”

Finalists for the awards were selected from entries that businesses submitted in May and then subsequently voted on by industry peers. Those that received the most votes proceeded to the finalist stage where they were judged by seven highly regarded judges in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Businesses were judged on specific criteria including consistent overall business performance and success, understanding customer needs and expectations for an exceptional experience, and high levels of customer satisfaction, among a range of other benchmarks.

Earlier this year The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel received two awards from the world’s largest travel site.

The property was awarded the TripAdvisor Travelers Choice Award for Best Service and also voted sixth best hotel in the South Pacific from the top 25 hotels listed.

For the past six months, The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel has held Number One spot on the Queenstown hotel list on the site, thanks to guests posting rave five-star reviews.

Mr Diack said the accolades had all contributed to a steady increase in occupancy over the past 12 months.

“As any small business owner will tell you, it’s hard work, however being in an industry such as ours is very rewarding and we love it. We love seeing our guests leave knowing we’ve done everything we can to ensure they’ve had the best stay possible.

“We’re becoming renowned for the high level of service we provide and pride ourselves on our attention to detail. All of the work is definitely paying off. Perhaps next year first place will be ours!”

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About The Dairy

The hotel has historic significance and dates back to the 1920’s when it was a corner store. This store is now the warm breakfast room and still has the original floorboards.

Just a one minute walk to Queenstown, The Dairy features 13 private ensuite bedrooms, all with wonderful views of Queenstown and the surrounding area, a large lounge with an open fire, private library, delicious cooked breakfasts and homemade afternoon teas, honesty bar, including a selection of local award winning wines, outdoor spa, outdoor courtyard with open fireplace, secure luggage and ski storage.

In 2005 and 2007 The Dairy was judged top small/medium accommodation venue in the Queenstown Business Excellence Awards. The business was judged on its customer service, quality management, leadership, strategic planning, environmental policy and company philosophy.