Australian Enterprise Awards 2026 | 34 The Panorama Hotel sits in a pristine waterfront location in St Helens, the largest town on the east coast of Tasmania and the island’s game fishing capital, renowned for its oysters. As one of the largest hotels on the coast, it caters for all individuals, families, and larger tour groups with a wide array of features and amenities, including conference and wedding reception facilities, and two restaurants and a bar, complemented by an amazing waterfront deck where live entertainment and events are hosted. We speak to Owner, Peter to learn more about what makes this award-winning hotel a top destination of choice for so many travellers and locals alike. Best Waterfront Hotel 2026 – Tasmania & Hotel Hospitality Excellence Award 2026 Peter and Veronica took ownership of The Panorama Hotel in December 2023, going on to entirely transform this incredible establishment, with renovations including fresh Hamptons-style décor – an ode to coastal sophistication and laid-back luxury – and innovative, tantalising new menus for the restaurants. Today, the property is approximately 85% renovated, with the team being committed to ensuring the facilities remain of the highest standard. “We specialise in providing a family-safe and -friendly environment and we pride ourselves on the cleanliness and presentation of the hotel and the amazing support staff who provide excellence in customer service,” says Peter. “We continue to grow the business year on year since purchasing it two years ago and the hotel has won five awards in 23 months.” The hotel welcomes all kinds of guests, whether families, individuals, organised tour buses, or specific hobby clubs with interests in cars, motorbikes, hiking, photography, and mountain biking. It offers 60 rooms split between garden and water views, featuring light and airy spaces and beautiful, modern furniture. This comes alongside four function rooms for weddings, events, conferences, markets, and art and photography exhibitions. Peering out at the stunning bay and marina, The Panorama Hotel is surrounded by almost eight acres of gorgeous natural lagoons and gardens, home to a spectacular range of birdlife, including but not limited to pelicans, swans, egrets, herons, sea eagles, and fairy wrens. The hotel is also in close proximity to the town, with access to local attractions such as wineries, mountain bike tracks, awardwinning beaches, rainforests, waterfalls, golf, and of course, fishing. St Helens is renowned as a seasonal tourist town, being extremely busy over the summer months – and it is significantly quieter during the off seasons. Peter tells us that this makes it challenging to operate 365 days a year as The Panorama Hotel aims to. This is because sourcing and retaining experienced staff can be difficult due to the island’s rather small population. The hotel is currently working with its staff to ensure it can provide them with longer term opportunities, as well as staffing accommodation. Furthermore, it aims to provide clear training opportunities and progression to boost the team’s experience both within the hotel and the hospitality industry as a whole. “When it comes to hiring of staff for the hotel, it is extremely important to us that not only the staff have the relevant qualifications and experience, but they also have the right positive mental attitude towards hospitality,” Peter explains. “Simple things like pouring a beer or making a coffee can be taught, however it is inherent in a person’s personality as to whether or not they are customer service-focused and whether they enjoy serving people. We treat our staff like family and foster great mutual respect and courtesy. We provide and encourage two-way communication and feedback, and encourage idea sharing and individual contributions. We foster a strong familyfriendly environment within the entire hotel, which then reflects from our guest comments of how warm and homely the hotel feels.” So, what does the future look like for The Panorama Hotel? Peter reveals that the hotel is continuing through the final stages of extension renovations and upgrading all bathrooms, furniture, and soft fittings over the next 12 months. It is also renovating the outdoor entertaining areas and inground heated pool area, in addition to plans to build a children’s playground and other family activities to enhance the familyfriendly environment further. We are excited to see all of this come into fruition and the continued thriving of the hotel. If you would like to learn more about The Panorama Hotel or book a room, please visit the website. Company name: The Panorama Hotel Contact name: Peter Website: www.panoramahotelsthelens.com
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