Management at QT Port Douglas has plenty of reason to smile after being included in the 2014 Australian Hotel Guide by Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine.

The five-star Douglas resort was the only Far North Queensland venue to be included in the Australian Gourmet Traveller’s 2014 Australian Hotel Guide. 

The inaugural publication lists Australian Gourmet Traveller’s pick of the 50 best hotels in the country, and includes industry superstars like the Grand Hyatt Melbourne and Shangri-La Sydney. 

QT Port Douglas manager Steve Oakley said the accolade was due to the hotel trying to ‘bring the funk back to the five-star’ and that the shine would rub off on Douglas. 

“I think it’s reflective of the brand starting to build some momentum as we establish more properties, in addition to the work we’ve put in trying to create an atmosphere of fun and relaxation at QT,” Mr Oakely said. 

“Port Douglas and the Far North in general have been booming and the new brands have helped the economic climate up here pretty well.

“Australian Gourmet Traveller is a very well-respected magazine and it’s invitation only so you can’t just afford you way into it.”

QT Port Douglas opened on in May 2012 and is the second in a sequence of five hotels under the brand around the country, including a $70 million property in Sydney and a recently-opened venue in Canberra.