Park Hyatt Auckland and Sofitel Fiji take top honors at 2026 HM Awards

More than 200 hotel industry executives gathered at the Hilton Auckland on Friday, October 30, for the 2026 HM Awards Aotearoa-Pacific, where Park Hyatt Auckland took Aotearoa Luxury Hotel and Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa won Fijian Luxury Resort.

The awards recognize leading hotels, resorts, departments and staff across New Zealand and the South Pacific. This is the third year the ceremony has run in Auckland honoring the region's top properties, according to HM Awards Founder, Chief Judge and Editor-In-Chief James Wilkinson.

"I'm thrilled with the incredible calibre of entries we have seen this year," Wilkinson said. Media presenter Nicky Styris emceed the evening, which covered People, Property and General Award categories.

Who won what in Aotearoa?

Park Hyatt Auckland headed a property field that stretched across every segment:

• Regional Property: Kamana Lakehouse (H/C: Hilton Lake Taupo)
• Boutique Hotel: Coronet Ridge Resort (H/C: Hotel Fitzroy Curated by Fable)
• Midscale Hotel: Novotel Auckland Airport (H/C: Swiss-Belresort and Villas Coronet Peak)
• Upscale Hotel: Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa (H/C: voco Auckland City Centre)
• Luxury Hotel: Park Hyatt Auckland (H/C: The Rees Hotel Queenstown)
• Lodge: Ratanui Lodge (H/C: Club Wyndham Wanaka)
• Hotel Bar: Bar Albert, voco Auckland City Centre (H/C: HI-SO Rooftop Bar, SO/ Auckland)
• Hotel Restaurant: Esther Restaurant, QT Auckland (H/C: True South Dining Room, The Rees Hotel Queenstown)

Queenstown properties claimed four spots across the property lists, a strong showing for the South Island resort town.

How did the South Pacific categories land?

Fiji dominated. Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa won Fijian Luxury Resort ahead of InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa, while Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa took Fijian Upscale Resort and Tropica Island Resort won Fijian Boutique Resort. Return to Paradise Resort & Spa — also in Fiji — claimed the broader South Pacific Property award, with Pacific Resort Aitutaki in the Cook Islands highly commended.

Tropica Island Resort had a notably busy night, adding a Pacific Marketing Campaign win and two more staff highly commended nods on top of its boutique resort title.

Which operators and staff were recognized?

The General Awards split by region. Te Arikinui Pullman Auckland Airport won Aotearoa Marketing Campaign, JW Marriott Auckland took Innovative Collaboration, Cordis Auckland won Environmental Program, and the Te Arikinui Pullman, Novotel and ibis Budget Auckland Airport cluster shared the Human Resources Initiative award. In the Pacific, Sofitel Fiji won Marketing Campaign, OUTRIGGER Fiji Beach Resort took Environmental Program, and Sofitel Fiji also claimed Innovative Collaboration.

People awards went to staff across chains including Hilton, Marriott, Accor, IHG and Radisson. Notable names:

• Concierge: Yveline Corthier (Hilton Auckland) and Sawani Camavia Hyott (Tropica Island Resort)
• Hotel Chef: Jonathan Williams (Kamana Lakehouse) and Ritesh Kumar (Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay)
• Rising Star: Minori Fujiwara (InterContinental Auckland) and Pajiliai Waqalevu (Hilton Fiji Beach Resort & Spa)
• Housekeeper: Dilljashan Dhillon (Park Hyatt Auckland) and Nairai Bose (Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa)

What happens next?

Several headline categories — Fijian General Manager, New Zealand General Manager, Fijian Resort and New Zealand Hotel — were held back for the 2026 HM Awards Australasia gala dinner on November 20 at The Fullerton Hotel Sydney.

The Auckland event was headlined by presentation partner Sealy New Zealand, with co-hosts Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School, fbm and Encore, plus support from sponsors including Tappoo, Wayfarer, Mt Beautiful, TravMedia, PurchasePlus, Vingcard Assa Abloy, Infor, No. 1 Family Estate, Lion and Suntory Oceania. Hotel Council Aotearoa, Tourism Fiji and AHICE also backed the evening, which closed with a Suntory Oceania afterparty at the Hilton Auckland.