mo the australian
PP 324494/00039
A Tale of Two Motels
> p9
Get ready for digital TV
> p13
Responsible Design
> p19
The problem with plastics
> p39
Motel Owners’ Journal
Volume 11 No. 2
mo 51
contents
9
29
80 Liquid Assets 83 Front-Load vs. Top-Load Laundry
5 Publishers’ Message
46 Profiles
7
Message from the Minister for Tourism
51 An Integrated Approach to Guest
Room Entertainment & Internet
9
A Tale of Two City Motels
52 53
Is Your Email Culture Strangling You?
84 Odour and Germ Control in
57
Living and Working in Clean Air as nature intended
59 61 64
Who gets your super?
13 Digital TV Reception 9 Responsible Design for the 1 Commercial Accommodation Industry 2 The Truth About Sick Pillows Exposed 2 – At Last
24
What is the value of my Motel / Motor Inn?
26 Taking to Technology
30
The importance of internet and redundancy at your facility
Removing Spots and Stains The Hidden Problem with Plastics A Model for Success
33 Motel Locking System Options
6 3 39 43
Where is motel technology currently headed?
Equipment
Commercial Garbage Chutes
86 Why Latex? 87 Product News
How to get a cheap receptionist Healthy Definitions – Not as Clear as You First Thought?
67 H O is the Go! 73 New and improved Bed Bug Barrier 2
takes America by storm
75 No Salt Please! 78 DIY Pool Water Maintenance —
Reducing Costs and Risks
Advertising Sales Melbourne: Neil Muir Ph: (03) 9758 1433 Fax: (03) 9758 1432 Email: neil@adbourne.com Adelaide: Robert Spowart PO Box 213, Summertown, SA 5141 Ph: 0488 390 039 Email: robert@adbourne.com
Production: Claire Henry Tel: (03) 9758 1436 Email: production@adbourne.com Administration: Robyn Fantin Tel: (03) 9758 1431 Email: admin@adbourne.com Marketing: Tania Lamanna Tel: (03) 9500 0285 Email: tlamanna@bigpond.net.au
r View rbou e Ha b o R er:
l, Mote
v t Co Fron ustralia hA Sout
mo PO Box 735, Belgrave, VIC 3160
www.adbourne.com
DISCLAIMER Adbourne Publishing cannot ensure that the advertisers appearing in The Motel Owners Journal comply absolutely with the Trades Practices Act and other consumer legislation. The responsibility is therefore on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisement(s) for publication. Adbourne Publishing reserves the right to refuse any advertisement without stating the reason. No responsibility is accepted for incorrect information contained in advertisements or editorial. The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or otherwise alter articles for publication. All original material produced in this magazine remains the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced without authority. The views of the contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher.
Publisher’s Message “ T Simon Reeves is back with a fascinating story on the two Melbourne motels who competed against each other to become the most prestigious operation in the 1960s
”
his edition of Motel Owner arrives in time for the forthcoming festive season, and I take this opportunity on behalf of all our staff to thank the feature writers and advertisers for another great year of support. We trust this will be a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year for all within the motel industry around Australia. This issue brings you a wide and diverse selection of articles, such as Simon Reeves (Built Heritage) who earlier wrote the first history of motels in Australia. Simon is back with a fascinating story on the two Melbourne motels who competed against each other to become the most prestigious operation in the 1960s. Amanada Beazly is back with an article on how to make the most of refurbishing your motel. Digital TV is a topic that will soon overtake us all with reception. Melbourne Satellites provides you with a look at what to expect in the coming months and years. Our front cover of this issue is the Robe Harbour View Motel in South Australia, introducing you to husband and wife operators Don and Robbie Maddern. Robbie has also written a remarkable story of their fight over Land Tax and how their win will now benefit motel owners throughout South Australia.
A Tale of Two City Motels
mo
> Story on page 9
Following a request from a reader, we have had Michael Benikos (Assa Abloy) answer a query about Door Looks in motels - he updates us with the different types of locking systems commonly used. We all wonder about the value of our property, be it home or business - Steve Herrington of NSW Motel Brokers shows us how to do the calculations. We introduce you to a new writer – Steve Duggan, who is writing a series of articles on environmental issues. His first one is on plastic - a very convenient product but it certainly has its share of problems. Steve gives us a real insight, with some mind-boggling statistics. A problem I personally have is when away on the road is to discover how much I miss my own pillow. Tony Blanch is quite passionate about the humble pillow - he highlights this very topic which is likely to involve a lot more people than just me. Then we have our usual Profiles when we interview Motel Owners from around Australia to learn about what they did in a previous life and how they are managing being in the motel business. We have lots more: front office software, stain removal, automated check-in, how to best manage your swimming pools to name a few. So, until we meet again in the New Year, we at Adbourne Publishing wish all of our readers the best for this Festive Season.
Neil Muir
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
5
Message from the
Minister for Tourism T
ourism is a vital services industry in Australia, with ongoing potential to create jobs and wealth for Australians. It is Australia’s largest services export industry and a significant contributor to our economy. The tourism industry continues to face challenges including the high Australian dollar. Commonwealth, State and Territory Tourism Ministers continue to implement the National Long Term Tourism Strategy to drive long term micro economic reform in the sector. Despite the challenging environment, and the fall in global tourism, international arrivals to Australia in 2009 remained unchanged from 2008 at 5.6 million arrivals. Recent figures confirm in the first seven months of 2010, international visitor arrivals to Australia were 5.1 per cent higher than in the first seven months of 2009, despite various adverse events such as the Icelandic volcano. Tourism Australia will build on this recovery in international arrivals with strong international marketing campaigns from September to November 2010 and from January to March in 2011 in many of Australia’s key markets. Tourism Australia’s There’s nothing like Australia global marketing campaign, demonstrates how effective online marketing can be by giving people an opportunity to share their passion for Australia and in doing so, motivate others to travel here.
at least two episodes to take place in Australia in December. These programs will showcase Australian tourism by highlighting the distinctive experiences on offer and entice more visitors to our shores. More than 90 per cent of the tourism industry is small business. That is why the Australian Government is committed to providing small businesses including accommodation operators with an immediate write-off of assets up to $5,000. This will assist with their cash-flow and encourage investment in capital to improve workplace productivity. The Government is also helping small businesses go online by providing $14 million to improve e-commerce capabilities, enabling them to take up the new opportunities offered by the National Broadband Network The Australian Government is working to maintain our strong Australian economy delivering business and job opportunities for Australia’s tourism operators. Magazines such as this allow accommodation providers to exchange industry knowledge, news and advice contributing to the success of Australia’s $33 billion tourism industry. Martin Ferguson AM MP Minister for Tourism
Tourism Australia is also working to capitalise on its achievement of securing the Oprah Winfrey Show to Australia, with filming of
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
7
A Tale of Two City Motels By SIMON REEVES | Built Heritage Pty Ltd
During the 1960s, two motels in Melbourne – located at opposite ends of the city fringe – vied for the coveted title of the most prestigious motel in town. Here are their stories... The Parkroyal In 1961, the Motel Parkroyal was the newest, largest, grandest and slickest addition to what was then fast becoming Melbourne’s premier motel strip: Royal Parade, Parkville. As the city’s principal entry point from the north, this had been the logical choice for the first motel to be built in the inner suburbs – the Caravilla de Ville, which commenced business at 461 Royal Parade in October 1958. Others soon followed, notably the Travelodge at No 539 (1960) and the Parkroyal at No 441 (1961). The last represented a notably early undertaking by a young Irvin Rockman – later to become one of Australia’s leading hoteliers and a one-time Lord Mayor of Melbourne – and Jessel Rothfield. The two men had travelled together through the United States, noting the latest trends in modern transient accommodation, and decided that what Melbourne needed was a truly upmarket motel. The chosen site on Royal Parade was ideal – not merely because it faced a major motoring thoroughfare, but also, on the other side of the street, the vast landscaped setting of Royal Park. To come up with a suitable design, Rockman and Rothfield turned to St Kilda-
Top: An early advert for the Motel Parkroyal Above: The former Motel Parkroyal as it appears today (photograph by Simon Reeves)
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
9
Top: Reception area of the Motel Parkroyal (photograph by Wolfgang Seivers) Above: A typical “luxury suite” in the Motel Parkroyal (photograph by Wolfgang Seivers)
based architect Theodore Berman, who had previously undertaken some smallerscale residential work for them. His brief included a requirement to keep the actual construction costs to a minimum, so that more money could be spent on high-quality finishes and furnishings. Berman duly
proposed a simple but smart flat-roofed building of three storeys high – not only the first motel in Australia to rise above two levels, but also the first to incorporate a passenger lift. With ninety “air-conditioned and luxuriously furnished suites”, it was also one of the largest motels yet built in the country. Its lavishly-appointed facilities included the Copper Grill restaurant (providing “gourmet meals in sumptuous settings”), a separate coffee shop, a convention room, a basement discotheque and a heated swimming pool with a special section set aside for children’s use.
facade. The street frontage of the motel was otherwise enlivened by a projecting canopy supported on a 70-foot (20-metre) wide parabolic concrete arch. Even before construction of the motel was completed, the arch had already become something of a local landmark; it was so strongly associated with the Parkroyal that architect Theodore Berman integrated it into three other motels that the chain subsequently erected at Canberra, Adelaide, and Brisbane.
Inside, the Parkroyal also introduced a range of modern American-style gadgetry that would soon become standard in Australian motels. Public areas provided 24-hour access to ice cube dispensers and vending machines for soft drinks and cigarettes, while each suite further boasted a built-in coffee machine and PA system to provide “individually controlled hi-fi pipe music”. Interior finishes, fittings and furnishings were all of the highest quality: teak panelling, salmon-coloured marble cladding, imported Japanese washable wallpapers, stylish contemporary furniture and even ceramic ashtrays that were designed especially for the motel (and bearing its logo) by noted potter Guy Boyd. The Parkroyal logo – a stylised depiction of a reclining human figure – was also incorporated throughout the building in signage, stationery and (most notably and prominently) as a huge relief sculpture affixed to the north
When the Motel Parkroyal opened on Royal Parade in 1961, a comparable motel strip had already begun to develop on the thoroughfare’s southern counterpart: Queens Road, which, exactly like Royal Parade, was both a major entry point to the CBD and overlooked a vast public parkland. As early as 1955, it had been proposed to erect a multi-storey “motor hotel” on the corner of Queens Road and Arthurs Street; although this did not eventuate, it was not long before the first actual motel was established – the Commodore Motel at No 4 (1960) – swiftly followed by the Motel Palm Lake at No 52 (1961), the John Batman Motor Inn at No 69 (1962), the President Motel at No 63 (1965) and the Queenslodge Motor Inn at No 81 (1966).
Below: The Motel Palm Lake in Queens Road, Melbourne, as it appeared in the 1960s
10 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
The Palm Lake
An ambitious venture of businessman Dudley Cain, the Motel Palm Lake was designed by Palestinian-born architect Mordachai Benshemesh (1911-1993) who had settled here in 1939 and, after opening his own office in 1950, made a name for himself as a designer of multistorey apartment blocks in St Kilda. The four-storey Motel Palm Lake on Queens Road was just as boldly sited: overlooking the vast landscape of the Albert Park Lake which, with its prominent perimeter plantings of Canary Island date palm trees, inspired the motel’s evocative name. Each of its 84 air-conditioned suites not only boasted a private bathroom and “TV, radio and piped music”, but also its own parking space. The complex also provided lavish conference facilities, a nightly dinnerdance and a licensed restaurant – The Outrigger – decked out in the thenfashionable Polynesian-flavoured Tiki style. The motel was officially opened on 13 December 1962 by the Lord Mayor, Cr
Maurice Nathan, who, upon his arrival, was “presented with frangipani bloom gathered by a bathing girl from flowers floating on top of the motel’s heated swimming pool”. In his speech, Cr Nathan stated that he considered the opening of a new motel to be “as important as that of a new office building or factory”, and went on to plant some palm trees in front of the building to mark the occasion.
Epilogue For the remainder of the 1960s, the Parkroyal and the Palm Lake maintained a healthy rivalry for the position of Melbourne’s most prestigious motel. During that period, both establishments would be substantially enlarged: the Parkroyal increasing to 140 suites and the Palm Lake to 164 suites. By the end of the decade, the latter was still advertising itself as both “Australia’s largest motor inn” and “Melbourne’s best value accommodation”, while the former was content to assert simply that it was “Melbourne’s finest motor inn”.
Sadly, Royal Parade and Queens Road have both long since lost their status as Melbourne’s premier motel strips. Several early motels have already been demolished (the Commodore and President Motels on Queens Road, and the Caravilla de Ville on Royal Parade) while others have been adapted and remodelled for other uses (the John Batman and Queenlodge on Queens Road, both converted into residential apartments, and the old Zebra Motel at 303 Royal Parade, now a religious training college). The former Palm Lake and Parkroyal motels both remain in operation – albeit under new names. Much of the original 1960s character of the Palm Lake Motel has been obliterated through successive phases of remodelling, which include a new facade, two more storeys and multi-level rear carpark that surrounds the once-famous swimming pool terrace; however, the two Canary Island date palm trees on the Queens Road frontage – planted by Melbourne’s Lord Mayor at the official opening in December 1961 – still stand as a reminder of its original name.
While the former Parkroyal in Parkville has also been extensively refurbished, much of its original 1960s charm has been retained. Its trademark parabolic arch, in particular, still remains – after almost fifty years – an eye-catching motif for passing motorists along Royal Parade. n All illustrations are from postcards, booklets and magazines in the author’s collection.
Simon Reeves is the principal of Built Heritage Pty Ltd, a Melbourne-based heritage consultancy firm that specialises in twentieth century (and particularly postSecond World War) heritage places. He has spent several years researching the history of motels in Australia, with a view to the eventual publication of a book on the subject. Simon would be pleased to hear from anyone who has special knowledge of Australia’s early motel industry, or may possess any photographs, press clippings, magazines, brochures or other memorabilia relating to this. He can be contacted through his website at www.builtheritage.com.au
Digital TV Reception get ready for digital TV The Analogue “Switch-Off” and how it will affect you! By Melbourne Satellites Pty Ltd
There is a fair amount of confusion in relation to the impending Analogue TV switch-off.
A
s scheduled, the Mildura Sunraysia region had all their traditional analogue transmission services successfully “switched off” on June 30th 2010. All television services in this region are now solely delivered in a digital format via a terrestrial (land based) transmission tower/s or where these are not available via a satellite downlink. The Government Digital Task Force has the remainder of regional Victoria scheduled for analogue transmission “switch off” before June 30th 2011. This means, if you have not taken action to “get ready for digital TV” reception in these areas there will be nothing to view on your analogue television screen. Viewers in the Melbourne metropolitan areas, receiving transmissions from the primary transmitter on Mt Dandenong and a handful of surrounding retransmission sites including the remaining balance of rural Victoria are scheduled for “switch off” between July 1st and December 31st 2013.
Digital TV Reception Options: Most likely your existing TV antenna will suffice, however a new digital ready antenna may be required for fringe and
problem reception areas. For viewers in areas that cannot receive digital TV using a traditional TV antenna there is a new satellite transmitted platform due to be officially launched in December 2010 and is called V.A.S.T (Viewer Access Satellite Television). This will deliver digital TV in Standard and High Definition and is quoted as “delivering equal channels and services to viewers in rural areas as received in the metropolitan areas”. To view this service domestically, each property will require a small diameter satellite dish and each TV a satellite receiver/decoder. Commercially this will allow hotels and motels etc to receive TV via a satellite signal and distribute throughout the venue in either a digital or converted analogue format.
System Distribution Options: The age of an existing distribution system including cable and component types is one of the main issues when distributing Digital TV signals. High quality coaxial cable, the latest compression type connectors and RF shielded splitters and couplers are required to deliver reliable digital TV services in any distribution system. The following points outline the most common formats to receive Digital TV (at a Headend) and then Distribute it throughout venues for viewing on either analogue or digital capable screens. 1. Digital to Digital A Digital Reception Headend, distributing Digital Signals only, throughout a good quality coaxial shielded distribution system for
viewing with Digital Ready Screens or traditional analogue TV’s using separate Digital Set Top Boxes. 2. Digital to Analogue Conversions A Digital Reception Headend that isolates an individual digital channel in a digital stream and converts it to a traditional analogue signal as per this example, “a receiving module tuned to Digital ABC and only outputs ABC-2 on a determined analogue frequency” is known as Digital to Analogue Trans-Modulation. Signal trans-modulation is generally used in sites and venues with a large number of analogue TV screens. Each digital channel within the digital stream requires it’s own trans-modulator. For example Digital ABC has multiple TV channels and radio services, these are ABC-1(21), ABC-2(22), ABC-3(23), ABC-News(24) and 2 radio. To receive all 4 TV channels in a trans-modulated format four trans-modulators are required outputting four single analogue channels. This allows a site or venue to be considered as “Digital Ready” by receiving digital TV signals
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
13
Digital TV Reception (continued) which are converted to analogue and distributed to existing analogue TV Screens. Most importantly the venue will continue to operate without interruption after the pending “switch off” date without using Ste Top Boxes at each analogue TV. 3. Digital to Digital + Digital to Analogue Trans-modulation This is a popular method and is a combination of the systems described in points 1 and 2 above. This will allow both the digital and digital converted to analogue TV signals to be combined and distributed through a TV system. The result is that any TV, being a full HDTV panel or an older style analogue only TV can view TV reception at any viewing location throughout the TV system that originates from a digital source. 4. TV Systems with integrated modulated services Some TV distribution systems generally in Hotels, Motels and accommodation venues might also include analogue modulated services like a selection of PAY-TV Channels, Information Channels, Door and Security cameras, Radio Channels etc and as we progress with digital television, these integrated services will also need upgrading. Upgrading and converting analogue modulated services to digital will provide better picture quality and will be easier for patrons to view through a digital TV. Advantages with digital
modulation include customised channel identification naming and grouping of multiple services.
A summary of your options: Firstly you can ensure your TV distribution system is capable of carrying all the Digital channels and upgrade all the viewing screens to Digital Ready panels. Subject to the quantity of traditional analogue TV’s on your system this could run into many thousands of dollars. If the existing system contains modulated analogue channels, for example PAY-TV channels, guest information, radio stations, security cameras etc then the panels would need to be switched between the Digital and Analogue inputs unless these services were also upgraded using Digital Modulator technology. Depending on the type of television sets used, where there is a mixture of Analogue and Digital signals, this can be a problem in itself for guests, especially if they have to switch via a menu. At all times possible guest “confusion” must be considered as it can lead to reception staff time being used to explain or even demonstrate the “how to” of TV equipment. Secondly, and this is the most common option adopted by many establishments to date, is to use either point 2 or 3 as detailed above. Point 2 ensures that TV reception is from a digital source and converted to allow all existing TV sets to view programming. Over time as the analogue televisions fail and are replaced with digital panels the concept of Point 1 will need to be implemented. Breaking the upgrade into stages also eases the costs associated with getting ready for digital TV. Its not all doom and gloom and there are bonuses for getting ready for digital TV. In an analogue reception format viewing is restricted to a maximum of 6 channels being ABC, 7, 9, 10, SBS and possibly a local community TV channel. Since
the introduction of Digital Television in Australia, Free to Air viewing options have certainly increased. The 5 major networks now broadcast multiple channels increasing viewing in Melbourne today to a total of 15 channels and with more scheduled; will soon be 16. Detailed in the table below are the digital channels available for reception in Melbourne. Digital TV reception is Digital quality and it does not suffer the same reception problems as analogue TV. Issues like GHOSTY imaging, drifting and snowy pictures which some have put up with for many years and accepted as the best it can be, can expect much improved picture with digital TV reception. As there is an increase in the number of TV channels received (analogue and digital) there is an additional load placed on distribution and repeater amplifiers in any TV distribution system. These additional channels de-rate the amplification ability and quality of amplifiers and with the lower quality amplifiers can start introducing other problems. It is very important to use high quality products and components when upgrading and preparing for Digital TV reception. For premium TV upgrades, integration and distribution of digital signals we use and recommend only IKUSI brand RF products. IKUSI is a world renowned manufacturing Company supplying a wide variety of products for Satellite and Terrestrial reception, integration and distribution in both analogue and digital formats. Don’t fight the inevitable! We recommended that Analogue reception problems should not be repaired – Digital TV reception should be implemented as it is far superior. For further information call 1300 302 038. n
ABC
SBS
HSV-7
GTV-9
ATV-10
C-31
ABC-1 ABC-2 ABC-3 ABC-News 24
SBS-1 SBS-2
7 Melb. 7TWO 7mate (73)
9 Melb. GO-99 GEM-90
10 Melb. ONE HD 11*
Community Ch-31
*expected start early 2011
14 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
Digital TV Timetable by Region Type
Switchover Area
Major centres
Window
VIC
Mildura/Sunraysia
Mildura
30 June 2010
SA
Broken Hill
Broken Hill
15 December 2010
SA
Riverland
Renmark and Loxton
15 December 2010
SA
Mt Gambier/South East South Australia
Mt Gambier, Naracoorte and Bordertown
15 December 2010
SA
Spencer Gulf
Port Lincoln, Whyalla, Port Augusta
15 December 2010
VIC
Gippsland
Traralgon, Bairnsdale and Malacoota
1st Half 2011
VIC
North Central Victoria
Bendigo and Swan Hill
1st Half 2011
VIC
South West Victoria
Ballarat, Warrnambool and Horsham
1st Half 2011
VIC
Goulburn Valley /Upper Murray
Albury/Wodonga, Wangaratta and Shepparton
1st Half 2011
QLD
Wide Bay
Hervey Bay, Bundaberg and Maryborough
2nd Half 2011
QLD
Capricornia
Rockhampton, Emerald and Yeppoon
2nd Half 2011
QLD
QLD Central Coast and Whitsundays
Mackay, Proserpine and Bowen
2nd Half 2011
QLD
Darling Downs
Toowoomba, Warwick and Dalby
2nd Half 2011
QLD
North Queensland
Townsville, Ayr and Charters Towers
2nd Half 2011
QLD
Far North Queensland
Cairns, Port Douglas and Innisfail
2nd Half 2011
NSW
Griffith/Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area
Griffith and Hay
1st Half 2012
NSW
South West Slopes and Eastern Riverina
Wagga Wagga and Gundagai
1st Half 2012
NSW
Illawarra and the South Coast
Wollongong, Ulladulla and Eden
1st Half 2012
NSW
Central Tablelands and Central Western Slopes
Dubbo, Orange and Mudgee
1st Half 2012
NSW
ACT and Southern Tablelands
Canberra, Thredbo and Cooma
1st Half 2012
NSW
North West Slopes and Plains
Tamworth, Armidale and Inverell
2nd Half 2012
NSW
Richmond/Tweed
Byron Bay, Tenterfield and Lismore
2nd Half 2012
NSW
Northern Rivers
Coffs Harbour, Forster and Grafton
2nd Half 2012
NSW
Hunter
Newcastle, Port Stephens
2nd Half 2012
Metro
Tasmania
Hobart, Launceston and King Island
1st Half 2013
Metro
Perth
Perth
30 June 2013
Metro
Brisbane
Brisbane, Gold Coast and Noosa
30 June 2013
Metro
Melbourne
Melbourne
31 December 2013
Metro
Adelaide
Adelaide
31 December 2013
Metro
Sydney
Sydney and Gosford
31 December 2013
Remote
Regional and Remote Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, Broome and Bunbury
2nd Half 2013
Remote
Remote Central & Eastern Australia
Darwin, Alice Springs and Mt Isa
2nd Half 2013
16 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
Responsible Design For the Commercial Accommodation Industry By AMANDA BEAZLEY | Designer, John Bezley & Co
What Constitutes a Responsible Design? 1. Within budget 2. Does not overcapitalise 3. Caters to target market 4. Relates to property atmosphere, history, location and star rating 5. Is cohesive 6. Is innovative without alienating 7. Offers flexibility to update in the future 8. Has longevity and will not date quickly 9. Is practical 10. Maximises profit and reduces expenses
Within budget Budget planning is crucial. It is important to be realistic in your expectations and maximise your budget, but don’t sacrifice quality for the sake of a few dollars as it will likely cost you more in the long run. The Fitout and refurbishment company you select should be able to give you not only the budget for your work but also an indication of the colour palette and products they have specified. That way you can be sure the products are the correct selection for your property, are commercial and are within the correct budget bracket.
Does not overcapitalise When putting a budget together, keep in mind the target market you are aiming at and your star-rating goal, it is important to
think of the property as your investment and not your home. There is a level of finish that is applicable to your property and your place in the market. Unless your budget is unlimited, and when ever is that the case? Select products that are suitable to your level of property. There is no need to use top end tap ware and tiles in a bathroom for example if it will not give you additional return on your investment. Investment dollars need to be well justified and through research you will receive the return you expect, via smart marketing and sensible room rates. Bottom line is don’t refurbish your rooms at a 5 star level when you will only achieve 3 star room rates or if your market and aim is for a 3 star property. The investment will never pay off and you will be left short for ongoing maintenance.
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
19
Responsible Design (continued) Likewise it is equally if not more important to not under specify the products you use in your property. Even a 3 star property should have Commercial grade, solid and well selected products that work efficiently, look good and appeal to the guest. If you are a 5 star property then a very high level of product is required and expected, don’t underestimate the guest’s knowledge of what the room ‘should look like’, and the additional fine touches that make the difference.
Caters to target market Your design should be developed for your target market and guest demographic. If your main market is families then you will need to choose fabrics and colours that are more forgiving and will help to hide marks and stains, fabrics that are easy to clean and care for. Similarly if your main market is the corporate clientele, then you should focus on comfort and can afford to be more selective and specific in the design, perhaps more neutral or modern. Likewise the room layout should reflect this market. Corporate travellers do not want to see 2 or 3 beds in their “Executive rooms”. They want to see a large bed, large desk space and comfortable seating. Don’t cater for three weeks at Christmas, cater for your usual and most common guest.
Relates to property’s atmosphere, history, location and star rating This is fairly straightforward, if a property is Heritage listed for example; the products and finishes will need to reflect this. Ultra modern design in this situation would not be appropriate, in the same way that you wouldn’t have a Heritage design in a modern building. The history and location of the property need to be taken into consideration in the same regard. The climate and surroundings should also be considered. A property in a cold climate should have warm, comforting colours and textures. Obviously the location of the actual property should be considered, beach, bush etc, the design needs to be sympathetic and have synergy with the surroundings.
20 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
Is cohesive For a refurbishment to be truly successful the overall design must be cohesive, that is, all products, finishes and colours should look like they were thought of as a whole, like they belong together and weren’t randomly thrown in the room. This often happens when a Refurbishment has taken place over time, piecemeal, without a plan from the beginning. The way to achieve this is to have a colour concept prepared prior to any works taking place. An experienced professional should use purpose built products and will recommend colours and finishes to suit your property, and work well together.
Is innovative without alienating Its a great option to have a designer twist in your rooms, a splash of colour or a touch that makes your rooms stand out from the rest, however, too much of this can alienate certain guests so you need to decide if you are going to go out on a limb for the sake of a design that may be controversial, or play it safe. For example a corporate guest that has travelled and worked all day just wants a place to relax and wind down. A bright red feature wall, for example is not going to help him achieve this, this may be the same case with elderly guests. Other younger guests may think it’s funky. Safest way to approach this is to stay true to the theme and overall design of your property.
Offers flexibility to update in the future When a design is too specific it means that the room décor may be restrictive to upgrade, until the time to do a full refurbishment comes around. However, if the specific “designer colours” for example are kept to a few key pieces such as cushions, a rug, prints, bed valances or a sofa, then the entire colour scheme can be revamped with a soft refurbishment, recreating your rooms and offering something different to your regular guests without it costing a full refurb. As a rule of thumb larger, longer lasting or expensive
items, such as wall paint, carpet and curtains, should be kept to neutral colours.
Has longevity and will not date quickly This can mainly be a problem when certain elements of the rooms are retained and a design needs to be created around it. A good example of this is when the carpet or curtains are to be kept but all other elements are being changed, it is sometimes hard to think outside the square and many property owners fall back on old habits and stick to the same colour scheme. A large amount of money is spent in refurbishing rooms but they end up looking the same as before, in this instances, especially when your budget is tight, it is advisable to contact a professional for advise. Creating a new room with existing elements is one of the trickiest things to do successfully. On the other end of the scale if you are creating a new room from scratch, longevity of the design must
also be considered. You don’t want to be re-designing and upgrading again in 3-5 years because the “colour palette” selected was the fashion and has long since been discarded. Follow the influencing factors such as climate, location and guest rather than ‘trends’.
Is practical Products and finishes that are specific to the domestic market do not have a place in a Commercial Property. Typical examples of these are the use of mirror bedside tables white, light coloured or delicate fabrics such as silks and impractical light fittings that are not good for cleaning or energy saving and most of all will not last in a commercial setting. Each product must be selected for it’s ability to withstand the Hospitality Industry including miss-use, vigorous cleaning, disguising marks and being practical. Unless you are a boutique property wiling to spend a substantial amount on maintenance, upkeep and replacements; practicality is the key for
design. This certainly does not mean boring typical and mundane. A good designer will successfully fulfil all of these criteria and have a result that is stunning and specific to your property.
Maximises profit and reduces expenses Overall a Responsible Design will ensure that all of the above points are taken into consideration and are efficiently actioned into a successful refurbishment. After all the whole point of going through the process is to increase the value of the property and the rooms, maintain and increase standards, stay ahead of your competition and ensure client satisfaction. A happy guest is a return guest with good comments to pass on. n
For assistance with your next refurbishment contact John Beazley & Co, Commercial Fitout Specialists for a free consultation and quote.
The Truth About Sick Pillows Exposed – At Last By TONY BLANCH
5. under filled pillows 6. smelly or musky pillows 7. prickly feather pillows 8. germ ridden pillows
If your guests aren’t loving the pillows they sleep on, chances are their overnight stay at your property could be an unfortunate nightmare.
S
o many properties with varying star ratings seem to provide pillows that easily fail the all important comfort test. And it seems to be the old “fair enough is good enough” attitude that is the real hub of the problem. Providing well below average or “sick” pillows to guests who need a great nights rest is not a smart way to make guests happy or preferably even delighted. So what are the most common and notorious problems with “sick” or below average pillows? Here are some of the really obvious ones that your guests will easily identify with :
1. flat and uninviting pillows 2. lumpy, tired pillows 3. stained and soiled pillows 4. dank pillows
22 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
Thousands of guest beds nationwide suffer some or most likely all of the above “sick” list in pillows. And like anything that is sick, it needs to be corrected... and pronto. Failure to do so will result in many dissatisfied guests and a black mark against your property. Attention to detail to the comfort of a guest does not happen by accident. It requires , like all astute business decisions, proper research and a passionate attitude to ensuring the guest is as pampered and delighted as best possible. A delighted guest, corporate or otherwise, will bring to your property vital repeat business, positive word of mouth and a far greater sense of pride to you the owner / manager. It is such a competitive market, that these “little” things will mean very important and big results. Like making the guest feel great after a wonderful nights sleep. So why are there so many “sick” pillows on so many beds ? The answer is simpler than you may think. Much has to do with why a pillow is virtually “sick” from the very moment it is comes off a mass production line. Here are some of the insider tricks you may not be aware of . Using the cheapest poly fills for example will certainly create a pillow disaster. These sub standard fillings will compress quickly and cannot be lofted again. Once flat, that’s that. The moment these pillow types are being used they are losing their loft. The same types of these poly fills can become lumpy and hard. And typically, they don’t launder well, many getting trashed. Another “trick” is to deliberately under fill pillows with the sole intent to make them dirt cheap for you to
purchase. Sounds good so far. A really cheap , bargain basement priced pillow. But what if that very same “cheap” pillow was a beast for a guest to sleep on. Loses its shape and support quickly.. Has no redeeming features whatsoever. Is overdue to be replaced in next to no time. And it’s your money down the drain too. It’s costing your business dearly because your guest is coming in direct contact with this “sick” pillow and you have paid for this “privilege.” And so this hopeless cycle goes on and on and on . This vicious cycle needs to be smashed once and for all. But wait, there’s more. You may perhaps think feather pillows are the answer. But if this was the case, why have feather pillow sales been in devastating free fall decline at retail shops for the past 10 years or so. It’s very simply because people hate the feel of a prickly feather in their cheek or ear when “resting”. We also know as fact that feathers have a peculiar, unpleasant odour and are more likely to harbour dust mites and allergens. They don’t launder at all well either. Now that’s a “yukky” cocktail to avoid at all costs. Feather pillows are from the dark ages and certainly have no benefits for your guests. Not to mention the poor birds that have been so poorly treated in the whole messy process. Sounds all doom and gloom doesn’t it ? And it so easily can be. Except for the fact that there are a few outstanding, comfy pillows out there from reputable, passionate businesses who genuinely care as to how a guest sleeps and feels in the morning. They are experts in their field and have designed a top quality pillow to be an asset
for a property and a delight to sleep on. Now take careful note of the following. Even highlight the next few sentences. Authentic or legitimate first class pillows will have all of the following key benefits : generously filled to be comfy and supportive with only high performance premium fibres , have a proven track record of guest satisfaction over a number of years with a number of first class properties, have taken the time to thoroughly test their pillows to retain quality for at least 3 or more years guaranteed, will not go flat or lumpy , have been machine wash/ tumble dry tested , are odourless and hygienic and use superior casing fabrics and have been expertly sewn and finished. Here is a vital tip to assist you. Always ask your pillow supplier as to what guarantees are offered on their pillows and what tests have been undertaken for their pillows to perform. And importantly what the guaranteed filling weight is in grams. It is a fact that there is up to a staggering 40% variation in filling weight between authentic premium quality pillows and the “sick” cheap types . Don’t fall for this trap or you will be wasting your money unnecessarily. Any pillow with 600g or less is risky based on my observations over many years. Ideally, a pillow of 900 to 1,000grams of premium filling will offer superior comfort and support Take your time to research some pillow options and ask these key questions just mentioned. Only purchase your all important pillows once you feel confident to do so. If in any doubt, go through the checklist again. The simple, humble pillow. Get it right, and your guests will most likely be truly delighted and contented with their stay. Continue
on with those “sick” pillows from hell, and your guests may never been seen again. Remove that risk out of your business once and for all and it’s blue skies and happy days for all to enjoy. It might now just be the perfect time to take a very close and honest look at the pillows awaiting your guests at your property . Be brutally frank with your findings. Do your pillows fall more likely in the “sick?” list mentioned above ? If so, start your campaign to rid these pillows from your rooms forever and replace with authentic, quality pillows. It really will be one of the very best decisions you have ever made to content your guests while they enjoy their sleep.....zzzzz n
Tony Blanch has 30 years expertise in textiles and premium bedding design. Email: wayahed@tpg.com.au
What is the value of my Motel / Motor Inn? By Steve Herington
such as repairs and maintenance, plant & equipment, marketing etc. There are Industry percentages that may be referred to as a guide to establish the estimated net return based on turnover. These are generally set out as follows:Motel, restaurant & Conference facility • 42- 45% net of turnover
Motel & Restaurant • 45- 50% net of turnover Bed & Breakfast (lower tariff under $100.00) • 55- 60% net of turnover Bed & Breakfast (Higher tariff > $100.00) • 60-65% net of turnover
T
he two types of business structures in the motel accommodation industry are: freehold complete, (ownership of the land, buildings, business and plant/ equipment) and leasehold business (ownership of the business, good will and plant & equipment), each of which have a differing method of calculation to determine their saleable value. An achievable sales price can be determined from the use of the operating profit and loss statements showing the yearly income and the net return or the bottom line. Therefore by dividing the operating profit into the sales price, this result would then show the return on investments or ROI as a percentage.
24 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
Net profit of the business would not include the owner/operators income, superannuation, personal expenses, interest, etc and any other expenses that may not be considered as general operating expenses, are referred to in the motel industry as “Add backs” or “Adjusted Net Profit”. Having the net profit adjusted correctly is an important factor as a $10,000 increase to the net profit could raise the freehold price by $65,000 to $75,000 dollars and in the case of a Leasehold business, by $30,000 to $40,000 dollars. Analysing profit & loss statements over a three year period can provide a much clearer result in the calculation of the net, as one year may indicate an over spending on the average turnover in areas
For example, on a Bed & Breakfast motel charging in the lower tariff ranges, and calculated on a turnover of $400,000 @ 60% would show an approximate net of $240,000 @ say 15% would value the freehold @ $1.6 million dollars. When a net return with adjustments has been calculated from the profit & loss statements, dividing the net by the turnover will provide a percentage result which can be compared to the above percentage returns. Eg; $240,000 net divided by $400,000 T/O = 60% Obviously these calculations would vary due to certain aspects of the motel, which must be taken into consideration as the associated costs would affect the outcome of the net profit. Such aspects that may be taken into account would include the facilities provided by the property; motels
with restaurants and conference facilities as compared to bed and breakfast only, if they are a chain affiliated motel, hire laundry, and have high advertising expenditure. Industry return on investments: Return on investment varies depending on the location of the motel, from city to coastal, inland and is attributed to land values with higher values placed on city or coastal motels as these properties attract a higher demand. Below are the indicator ranges providing the expected percentages return on investment for the appropriate motel types. Freehold Complete: Coastal Motels 10% to 13% ROI Inland Motels 13% to 15% ROI Leasehold Motels: Coastal Motels 25% ROI Inland Motels 30% ROI In the technical age of today, the major lending intuitions, valuers, purchasers and their accountants all require
substantiated financial statements and operational information in order to perform a due diligence on the business for sale. Preparing for the sales process would require at minimum, three years profit & loss statements as prepared by the vendor’s accountant, BAS returns for the prior financial year, monthly income and occupancy for the prior year as well as for the current financial year. Due to the Global Economic Crisis, applications for financing have become difficult to obtain and therefore the need to obtain substantiated information which can provide an indication of the overall performance of the proposed property will assist greatly in a motel sale proceeding to settlement. It is important to note: that whilst experienced motel brokers, who have a working relationship with registered valuers, can assist with the assessment of a property’s financial position and a possible sales price, that in the proposed
motel sales where financing to purchase these properties is necessary, the lending institution will require a registered valuation to be conducted, with a written valuation report to be submitted before finance approval. Assessing the correct sales price before marketing the property can avoid disappointment after a lengthy sales process if the valuation is not achieved to ensure the completion of finance. n
Steve Herington, NSW Motel Brokers E: steve@nswmotelbrokers.com.au W: www.nswmotelbrokers.com.au M: 0408 537 028 P: 02 6766 3155 F: 02 6766 3255
Taking to Technology By Lew Tankard | Director, InnQuest Australia
Do you remember when the buzzwords were “work smarter, not harder”? Along came computers and they were supposed to help us do this. Slowly but surely, out went the Whitney System with its racks, the Kalamazoo front office ledger and the cumbersome cash register... or did they leave? Amazingly, we still find some property owners have stayed with these trusted old systems but clearly the world has moved on.
A
s an example, every quarter, the Australian Government asks each and every hospitality venue to complete the Bureau of Statistics return so that they can compile data on Tourism in Australia. They ask for questions based on number of arrivals, numbers of guests, numbers of nights stayed and gross revenue – all relevant data but how long does it take your property to put this together? The correct answer should be just a few minutes from unfolding the Bureau of Statistics document to sealing the envelope and putting the stamp on the front. Sadly, properties running a manual systems or older first generation Software systems cannot do that without a lot of research. Computerised systems do/should have the data at your fingertips. Our reservations world has changed forever – Internet booking engines and Global
26 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
Distribution Systems (GDS) have made sure of that – now our guests surf the internet rather than running their fingers through the phone directory. They look to make reservations instantly, without picking up the phone, without giving you the chance to sell a better option, without giving you the opportunity to sell an extra night in a package. People are travelling more but using the visual images they find to make their choices – While affiliation with a chain still brings benefits; it’s not what it was. Properties not represented on the internet or on the extranet (web booking sites) cannot maximize occupancy and compete with those who are well represented. Basically if you don’t have access to these tools, you just aren’t in the race. So, how to embrace this new world – how to use it to the best advantage for every property? It can’t be overstressed how important a good web presence is now. Guests are looking at your property before they set out and unless you are on the internet, can appeal to the clients visual senses
immediately and can offer them the ability, with as little fuss as possible, to make a reservation, they go to the next website. This new generation of guests are impatient when it comes to making a reservation – they want fast connection, instant results and a confirmation letter via email confirming their reservation status and giving all the explanation of deposit policy and check in / out details we used to give over the phone. They are also looking for a ‘best price’ .There is some fabulous information on the internet about effective web pages; there are fabulous designers out there who do not charge a fortune and understand the needs of hospitality – seek them out, get them working for your property and hook into the internet reservations world which has, in many cases, already surpassed the phone booking, faxes and email enquiries. Many sites now rely on the internet as the Primary means of getting reservations. Software has come a long way in a short period of time to assist with assimilating
web bookings and your rooms inventory (availability). Property management software now offers the ability to automatically manage your availability out into the cyber world, allowing your rooms to be advertised far and wide, maximizing your exposure to potential guests searching for accommodation in your area. It is one thing to get your property seen on the web; now you have to manage the availability so that potential guests are able to quickly see your advertised rates and the dates available.
automated leaving management and staff to concentrate more on the running of the property and the all important guest. That said, you are in control of this machine of reservations. Management can specify to the software and channel managers what can be sold – you can hold back rooms if there is the slightest worry of needing to ‘have rooms up the sleeve’ or where your business always picks up walk-ins. Make sure your GDS or Channel Manager offers you this facility.
This is where Channel Managers or GDS’s can be extremely useful. A ‘One Stop Shop’ where your property management software can feed your current availability to a channel manager who then advertise your property to as many web based booking engines as you dictate, automatically updating every few minutes, feeding live reservations back into your computerised property management software so that night and day, the reservations flow in automatically, the occupancy increases and the management of these bookings is
The emergence of ‘smart phones’ has taken our online reservations to a new level with technology companies scrambling to keep up. Today’s client is walking from meeting to morning tea, smart phone in hand, checking properties in the area for next day and making a reservation online whilst ordering a decaf latte. The Moby (smart phone ready web sites and web pages) revolution is now upon us making it more important than ever to have clever and simple web solutions. This is not the time to ‘set and forget’ the way hospitality
businesses are run, it is the time to think forward and start to research the many ways that your business can enjoy the benefits in this evolving communication and technology age. Whilst researching all of the possibilities keep in mind that our hospitality industry is now heavily regulated by the PCI (Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council). The purpose of this global body is to ensure that when a reservation is accepted and a guest has been asked to submit for charging or leave a credit card for booking security, that the details of this card are secure from fraudulent use. All systems being researched for use should carry the ten ticks of PCI compliance so that your business and your guests are protected. Non computerised systems simply can’t comply with these new rules. If you aren’t sure of what the PCI implications are for your business, then you need to research this. It WILL affect you! continues next page >
< Customer privacy is now also a very important issue. You have obligations regarding the storage of sensitive data. Some PMS systems work by your property being on line to them, and with them providing all the central database storage. Others work in such a way that all the data is stored locally, and only access the web when needed. You just need to evaluate the way you want go, and how satisfied you can be that your data will be secure. Are you happy for a third party to be holding yours and your customer’s data? Data piracy is a big problem (and its becoming more and more sophisticated) and the internet in Australia is NOT 100% reliable, as we all know. So these are things you need to consider carefully. When Computerisation first started making inroads to businesses, you had to rely on your software supplier being a ‘one stop shop’ usually providing all the word processing, accounting and so on, so that it would all work together. Things have now changed dramatically, and Companies tend to specialise and link to other, readily available and common software packages. For example, most PMS packages do not include a general ledger system. What they do is integrate to off the shelf packages like MYOB and QuickBooks, to name a couple. They use Outlook for email, Word for documents and so it goes on. Most will have customisable data export features so that you can export data out to mass email programs for marketing and so on. Most will have a feature that lets you export data to excel for spreadsheet work, and so the list goes on. This greatly simplifies the work load and also reduces
the cost greatly. As well as offering their own POS systems, most software will also allow interfaces to other POS systems, or Energy Management, phone systems and the like. This integration path has many benefits the chief one being that you only need to rely on your PMS supplier for issues regarding the PMS, not all the other packages you use, and so you are not totally locked into one particular supplier. Purchasing a system: The cost of a PMS system has come down dramatically over the last few years and the number of Companies supplying it has increased. Many of the suppliers in the industry now have varying payment terms; some look to ongoing monthly fees for their systems, others are an upfront cost. This means you can get into the IT age at a price that works for you. Software is developing rapidly, make sure you don’t lock yourself into a payment scheme and then find that the software is not suitable in the longer term and have no easy way out of that agreement. Finally make sure that the software is going follow a regular upgrade path, so that it grows with your needs. In the end, however, you have to be able to use the software easily, and you need to be comfortable that you will always be able to get reliable and fast support. Check out a list of references from your potential supplier. Finally, make sure the supplier understands the hospitality industry, not just computers! n www.innquest.com
The importance of internet and redundancy at your accommodation facility By SAM BASHIRY, Broadband Solutions Pty Ltd
keep coming back. All you need to do is sit down and work out the best and most reliable option for your accommodation facility and choose an ISP that can give you a business grade solution with no hidden fees to make upgrading your technology over time hassle free.
Wireless Hotspots
N
o matter what size or type of accommodation establishment you are running, more and more guest are choosing accommodation facilities that can keep them connected to their everyday lives, particularly the social internet savvy Gen Y and the up and coming internet generation Gen-Z who will be a prime target market in just a few short years. With the introduction of social networking sites, blackberries, and iPhones guests want to be able to upload their holiday pics on the spot, write a blog or tweet about their latest adventure, talk to family and friends and keep in touch for business leaving smaller accommodation providers and those with slow internet connections out in the cold. Well, providing internet and even Voice over Internet (VoIP) to customers doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be difficult or overly costly and will start to pay for itself when guests
30 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
Wireless Hotspots are often a great way to introduce internet to your establishment. This can be offered as a free service to patrons as a value added benefit of staying at your motel or a paid service that can provide you with an additional income stream. A Wireless Hotspot is an area within your motel where guests can connect up to the internet by logging on through your wireless portal. It will let the guest know the charges involved and payment options when connecting so there are no hidden fees. Guest can log on using their laptop, PDA or IP phone making it an easy and convenient solution.
In room internet There is nothing quite like providing customers with internet in the comfort of their own room so they can browse, talk to family/friends or work at their leisure. Providing internet to each room can be delivered through CAT 5/6 cabling to each room, a DSLAM or even wireless access points.
Splitting your Bandwidth Typically a 4-5 star accommodation facility will have three separate internet links to cater for different segments of the hotel:
one for the back office; another for guest internet; and finally a link for the conference centre. This setup has mainly come about due to hotels not being able to get enough bandwidth at a reasonable price to cover all the areas in one connection, particularly since fibre connectivity up until recently has been very expensive and other technology such as shdsl is limited to only 4Mb/4Mb. Thankfully times are changing, with the introduction of Midband Ethernet (Ethernet over Copper) and Midband Fibre (Ethernet over Fibre) and you can now get higher bandwidth connectivity for a fraction of the price. Midband Ethernet provides speeds of anything between 2Mb/2Mb to 40Mb/40Mb while Midband Fibre provides speed connectivity between 2Mb/2Mb to 100Mb/100Mb, giving hotels a more cost effective and efficient solution for their business. So what are the advantages of having one large internet connection into your hotel? Wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t this make it hard to restrict each area of the business from saturating the bandwidth making it extremely slow for others? This is where the beauty of bandwidth splitting can assist your hotel in streamlining your bandwidth allocation to different areas of the business, creating greater efficiencies and utilisation of your link. For example Broadband Solutions can provide you with a 40Mb/40Mb Midband Ethernet which can then be split in to 3 segments i.e. 15Mb/15Mb for guest use, 15Mb/15Mb for conference use and finally 10Mb/10Mb for administration back
office. The bandwidth can be split anyway you like based on your individual hotels requirements, therefore if you have a major upcoming conference that requires video conferencing and you need 30Mb/30Mb bandwidth for it, then you simply need to contact Broadband Solutions to let us know and we will reconfigure the setup for you so that you have a dedicated 30Mb/30Mb for the conference and the remaining for guests and back office.
Redundancy Guests never want to hear that your internet is down as they expect the facilities they looked for in a hotel at the time of booking to be working at all times during their stay. To avoid costly reimbursements and to ensure your hotel is doing everything possible to limit internet downtime, purchasing internet redundancy through your provider is a must in this day and age. Choosing an ADSL2+ or fixed wireless connection as a fail over redundancy
option can significantly reduce the chance of outages and impact on your business should your main link go down. This works by the redundancy connection automatically taking over as soon as your router detects an outage on the main link. Once the outage has finished the router will automatically switch back to the main link and resume working as normal. Put simply internet connectivity is now more than ever a must in all accommodation facilities, however it is very important that you do not compromise your hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation. Make sure that you partner with a trusted ISP that understands the hospitality industry and its internet requirements to ensure you are recommended the best possible solution for your hotels individual needs as it will not only save you money but it will give you the flexibility to continually advance and add to the IT & Telecommunications in your hotel to provide you with more bookings and ongoing revenue. n
Broadband Solutions is an Australian Telecommunication and Internet Service Provider that specialises in Internet & Telecommunications Technology solutions for the hospitality industry to give you a total solution that is tailored to your business. Our trained Account Managers can provide you with an integrated system that works with your management systems in an easy to understand, no fuss solution. Call us today on 1300 683 000 to see how we can upgrade your systems to become a more efficient and cost effective motel. www.broadbandsolutions.com.au
Motel Locking System Options By MICHAEL BENIKOS | Vingcard Elsafe
METAL KEY LOCKS Key in Knob/Key in Lever:
•
Cylinders are easily replaceable without changing the lock.
•
Long lasting. Hardly any maintenance required. Good quality locks can last over 20 years.
Disadvantages: Advantages: •
Initial cost low. Under $100. Low quality locks can be purchased for $30-$40 but are not recommended as they can be broken into by sliding a card or a piece of plastic between the door jam and the edge of the door and will not last.
•
Easy installation.
•
Metal key is used to access locks. If the metal master key is lost all locks would have to be re-keyed to cancel lost key. Can be very expensive, $50-$100 per room.
•
Metal key is used so if metal key for the room is lost a locksmith would be required to change the cylinder in the lock to a new guest key. On average this seems to happen approximately once a month in motels. Cost is $50-$100 each time.
•
No audit trail. Can’t see who had accessed room or who has issued cards.
Disadvantages: •
Metal key is used to access locks. If the metal master key is lost all locks would have to be re-keyed to cancel lost key. Can be very expensive, $50-$100 per room.
•
Metal key is used so if metal key for the room is lost a locksmith would be required to re-key the lock to a new guest key. On average this seems to happen approximately once to twice a month in motels. Cost is $50-$100 each time.
•
Locks are not as secure as mortice locks and can be broken into by force.
•
No audit trail. Can’t see who had accessed room or who has issued cards.
Comments: •
Cost of the lock depending on the door furniture (handles etc..) would be approximately $100-$200.
•
Installation is more difficult than Key in Knob/Lever as more of the door needs to be cut out as a mortice lock is used.
Comments: •
These locks can last 10-15 years but will require maintenance during that time.
Card Locking Systems
Key with Mortice Locks Advantages: •
Mortice Locks are very strong and secure. Very difficult to force the door open and if the lock is installed properly it is virtually impossible to use a card or plastic to slide in between the edge of the door and the latch.
continues next page >
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
33
Re-codable Locks
•
Advantages: •
Easy to cancel lost cards. If a guest card is lost the lock can be re-coded by the hotel to cancel the lost guest card.
•
Long lasting. Hardly any maintenance required. Locks can last 10-20 years.
Disadvantages: •
No audit trail. Can’t see who had accessed room or who has issued cards.
Comments: •
Cost of the lock depending on the door furniture (handles etc..) would be approximately $200.
•
Installation more difficult than Key in Knob/Lever and Mortice locks as more of the door needs to be cut out.
Can control floor access in lifts. Guests staying on a particular floor are only allowed to swipe the card and press the button for the floor they are staying on and possibly another where the gym may be for example. This restricts the access of nonguests to floors and again increases the hotel security as it is much more difficult for criminals to gain access to the floors.
Disadvantages: •
Initial setup cost. Lock cost $250-$300 plus computer equipment, a one off cost over $3000 approx.
•
More system maintenance required than metal key locks. Eg Card making equipment maintenance and batteries.
Comments: •
Advisable to use mortice type card locks as they are more secure and if hotel/motel is already spending the extra money on a card system they may as well do it properly and put in a secure locking mechanism.
•
Installation more difficult than Key in Knob/Lever and Mortice locks as more of the door needs to be cut out.
•
Magnetic Card systems are the best value for money for 2-3 star motels.
Magnetic Stripe Card Locks Advantages: •
Easy to cancel lost cards. If a card is lost the front desk can make a new one which will cancel the lost card. Cost of the cards is 30c-40c on average.
•
Flexibility. If the management wants to restrict access to doors it can be done without changing barrels in locks and re-cutting metal keys.
•
Less keys to carry. One card can be setup to access whichever locks it needs to open.
•
Operating costs will be reduced over the long term as locksmith costs to re-cut keys and change barrels for lost keys are not required.
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Locks and Wireless Communications
Advantages:
•
Audit Trial. Can see who had accessed doors and who has issued cards.
•
•
Cards only work from the time they are made until check-out time. Stop working after that so if they are taken home there is no security risk.
The same as Mag Stripe Locks but is more convenient for guests as it allows guests to open the door by simply being close to the lock.
•
Locks can be opened using cards, keyfobs, wristbands and coming soon mobile phones.
•
Cards can be used at hotels/motels/resorts instead of cash.
•
•
Can control external entries such as front doors, gyms, executive lounges, business centre’s etc.. This is selectable can be setup differently for each guest and can be controlled by a timer. In creases security of the hotel as for example the front door is open during the day and anyone can come in but at night you can’t come into the hotel without a card or buzzing on an intercom. This restricts access to the hotel and reduces the chances for armed robberies etc…
When phones are enabled to be used as a room key the guest will receive a text message on the phone telling them their room number and enabling it to work on the room they are staying. This means they do not have to go to the desk and check in saving them time. Also if hotels have front desks that close they can send the message to the guest and close the desk if the guest is checking in late at night.
•
RFID locks can also use shared applications. Eg you can write to different sectors on the card so it can be used as a
34 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
charge card on vending machine. The same card can also be programmed to work on some access control systems. For example the same card can get you through the main entry which is controlled by a HID access control system, it can them be used to purchase food, drinks, laundry etc.. and then work on your electronic lock to get you into your room.
6. Automatically change guest’s room access without the going to the front desk. 7. Can tell you when people leave the room as well as enter the room. 8. Give you a wandering intruder report eg someone has found a card and is trying it in every lock until one opens.
On-Line Systems
9. A maintenance report card which when inserted in the lock can send a message to engineering that a light bulb needs replacing.
RFID On-line systems can see what is happening in the hotel at any one time.
Advantages
1. Managers can see who has opened a door.
•
2. When a room is serviced and ready for use.
Over the long term there will be cost savings as managers will be able to save time, which would otherwise have been spent patrolling rooms to ensure they are locked.
3. If a door is left ajar and send a message to security to ask then to check the door.
Disadvantages:
4. If the batteries are getting low
•
5. Cancel lost cards at the press of a button.
As with Magnetic Stripe Locks it is the initial setup cost which is even greater again.
Comments: •
Starting to be installed in bigger hotels and 5 star boutique hotels n
Removing Spots and Stains By COL NATION
I see red, I see red, I see red.
tips that will help deal with life’s little (or big) accidents.
So goes the words to the song by Split Enz.
Soil and stains in carpet can be categorised into just four categories.
But we don’t really want to see red or blue or whatever colour stains on our beautiful wool or synthetic carpets or upholstery.
G
uests are great. They provide our livelihood if we choose to work in hospitality. We choose to rent rooms, and provide services as our choice of providing our own families with an income. Guests are people too, and people have accidents. When we ourselves go on holidays or business trips we sometimes let our hair down and it’s certainly not uncommon for people to relax just a little too much, or drink just a little too much, or eat just a little too much. This is great because this, as you well know, is how the hospitality industry earns a living. So with this in mind, we cannot really complain when a guest has an accident with the red wine glass or vomits up seven bottles of blue vodka cruisers mixed with crème brulee and prawns and of course the obligatory carrot chunks form last Tuesday’s stir fry. Stains are a fact of life in this business. In this article I will hopefully show you a few
36 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
1. Dry soils – Sand, grit, dust, clothing fibres, skin flakes and the like. 2. Water soluble soils – Sugars, starches and salts. 3. Oily soils – ice cream, gravy, cooking oils, sun crème, makeup. 4. Dyes – artificial dyes, natural dyes, mineral oxides. Dry soils will vacuum out. Water soluble soils are water soluble. Oily soils need detergents, and of course dyes are dyes that will not clean out with normal cleaning. There are of course many combinations of the above. But there are some simple rules for stain removal that can help you, your staff and even your guests, deal with most accidental spills. Rule 1: Blot, Dilute and Blot. Rule 2: Clean like with like. Rule 1: Blot, dilute blot. Blot up as much of the spill as possible using paper towels or a sponge. If you get to it early you will eliminate most of the problem if not all of it. Rule 2: Clean like with like. Most of what we eat and drink is water soluble. Most spills are simply water soluble. Get to it early and blotting will remove 90% or more. Then we just dilute with water and blot again and remove even more of the original spill. “Clean like with like” means that if the spill is water soluble then water will dissolve it.
If it is oily then we use a detergent because detergents are made from oils similar to the way soap is made from animal fat. So, fatty or oily spills need detergents. Housekeeping can deal with these using a WoolSafe Approved detergent spotter. This leaves us with the dyes. Dye stain removal is a specialty area. Don’t use bleaches as these will either dissolve the wool fibres or leave you with a big white mark instead of the little red mark. There are specialists who can deal with these but I’ll talk about that a little later on. A simple answer to solving guests little accidents is to provide a simple “spill kit” in each guest room. A roll of paper towel or a Slurpee sponge and a spray bottle filled with nothing but water. There are no fancy chemicals required. This is all they need to deal with most spills. Many guests will happily clean up their spills if they are given these simple tools. If the kit doesn’t work, then at least they haven’t done any harm or set it in. Cleaning staff or professional cleaners can deal with the remainder later on. Tea, coffee, wine, beer, soft drink, cordial, alcoholic drinks, milk, and medicines and the like are all simply chemicals such as sugar, starch, flavours, and colouring matter, dissolved in water. These will often take a minute or two to penetrate into a fibre. These will dissolve in water if attended to early. Simply blot – dilute - blot and most of the problems are gone. Sometimes there are fats in the spill such as gravy and milk. The water soluble component can be removed with the blotting and diluting action but some of the fats and oils may remain. There is no panic with these as they do not cause damage to the fibres and can be dealt with using detergents later on when cleaning is carried out. Colouring matter such as the dye in red cordials and the colouring in some alcoholic beverages is usually standard food colouring which is an “acid dye”. Acid dyes are used by carpet manufacturers to dye both wool and nylon carpet. So a red drink spill simply dyes the carpet if left too long on the carpet. Is it any wonder kids run around like lunatics after an afternoon on the red cordial? Applying a detergent to a red cordial spill will only help it penetrate into the fibres where it will become a stain.
There are some simple rules for stain removal that can help you, your staff and even your guests, deal with most accidental spills.
Acid dyes that remain in a carpet will not clean out with normal cleaning and require some specialist treatments. Professional carpet cleaners who have had specialty training, such as those listed on the WoolSafe website (www.woolsafe.com. au) may be able remove these with their specialist treatments. If a guest can simply blot up a spill with their spill kit sponge or towelling and spray it with water and blot again, then you can eliminate many of your problems. Simply provide the following directions in your spill kit:
Spill kit directions 1. Blot with paper towel. Do not rub. (or sponge, as the case may be) 2. Spray with water. 3. Blot again with paper towel. 4. If stain remains do not try other treatments, either call reception or leave it for our friendly house keeping staff. So now you don’t have to see red when a guest has an accidental spill. n
Col Nation is a 30 year veteran in the carpet maintenance industry. He operates ABBsolve Services, a specialty stain removal service on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Colin is also the Director of WoolSafe Australia, the Australasian arm of the worldwide WoolSafe Organisation that tests and certifies chemicals for use on wool carpet and trains and certifies the leading carpet cleaners around the world. As a Woolsafe registered Inspector, Colin helps carpet owners and manufacturers solve many types of issues relating to carpet. With this experience behind him he passes on this information and experience through the Daniels Associates of Australasia a Registered Training Organisation that specialises in the cleaning, healthcare and hospitality industries. Colin can be contacted through office@woolsafe.com.au or colin@danielsassociates.com.au
The hidden problem with plastics By STEVE DUGGAN
Welcome to my first article about the environmental issues that affect all of us working with in the hospitality industry as well as the opportunities and possible solutions that can help us make a positive contribution to the environment, our properties, the industry and the community we share.
I
n this first article I want to talk to you about plastic, a material that was created around 104 years ago and which has made its way into every aspect of our lives. In fact its hard to imagine a day without any contact with plastic - from our household cleaners, food packaging right through to the credit cards and computers and even clothing, we use every day plastics are more useful and versatile than almost anything else in our daily lives. But unfortunately with even with all this convenience there is a major hidden plastic problem, which is having a major impact on our environment and the planet we share. This hidden problem is what am going to cover in this article.
So what is plastic and when was it discovered? The majority of what we know as plastic today is made from one major ingredient: oil. The same kind of oil that fuels our cars. The first completely synthetic version of plastic was discovered in 1907 and the Rayon, Nylon, acrylic, and other polymers then began to hit the market. In 1933 plastics revolutionised the world, with the invention of Polyethylene by two chemists working for the Imperial Chemical Industries Research Laboratory. In fact when we think of plastic most of it comes from Polyethylene â&#x20AC;&#x201C; some examples are food packaging, shopping bags and dry-cleaning bags.
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
39
The hidden problem with plastics (continued)
What are the problems of plastic? Today we live in a consumer throw away environment, we never really take the time or have an interest in what happens to those plastic items we use on a daily basis once they have been tossed into the rubbish bin. Unfortunately plastic is a major issue for all of us and every day this problem grows. To demonstrate the volume of plastic consumption and in turn the problem here are some amazing figures: •
The number of plastic bags used worldwide each year is estimated to be between 4 to 5 TRILLION.
•
The Amount of oil used annually to produce those plastic bags is estimated to be between:
40 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
17,200,000,000 to 21,500,000,000 gallons. •
The number of plastic bags used by just the American population each year is 110,000,000,000.
•
The amount of plastic bags recycled in the United States in 2006 was only 2%.
•
The amount of plastic used worldwide every year just to bottle water is estimated to be between 1,500,000 to 2,700,000 tons.
•
2 MILLION plastic beverage bottles are used every 5 minutes in the USA. (Earth911 on-line)
•
Approximately 5 billion amenity bottles are disposed of each year by the top 300 hotel groups.
These are amazing numbers, but with it come a corresponding disturbing set
of figures. This is the hidden impact and problem behind plastic. To highlight the problem here are some disturbing facts: •
It is estimated that 2.4 million pieces of plastic enter the oceans every hour;
•
On a deserted remote Hawaiian beach scientists discovered that among the grains of sand, and to a depth of several feet, were billions of tiny plastic flecks. See no beach in the world today is free of plastic particles in fact there are beaches today which have more plastic particles and actual sand.
•
The plastic garbage trap in the ocean chokes and kills at least a million seabirds every year and 100,000’s marine mammals.
•
Fragments of plastic collected from the sea around Japan have been found with concentrations of carcinogenic chemicals at levels one million times higher than in the surrounding seawater; and,
•
in some areas of the Pacific ocean there are six times more plastic bits than plankton.
•
That every piece of plastic produced that has not been incinerated is still in existence on this planet today.
See the short-term convenience of using and throwing away our plastic products carries a very inconvenient long-term problem. These plastic items and gadgets we dispose of on a daily basic are rarely recycled. Globally it is estimated that we currently recover only 5% of the plastics we produce through recycling. So l guess you’re now asking yourself what happens to the other 95%? Well approximately 50% is buried in landfills (where it will take hundreds of years to break down) or incinerated (which results in air pollution). The other 45% remains “unaccounted for”, meaning its litter in our environment and where it ultimately washes out to the sea. This plastic plague is clogging our waterways and damaging our fragile marine ecosystems, with plastic particles now being found in the marine food chain. See plastic doesn’t biodegrade, it just breaks down to smaller and smaller particles (never completely disappearing) with the aid of sunlight and wave action, and these small particles look like food to the fish and aquatic life that are consuming it. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it could also be killing
us, as we consume the chemicals that the fish have taken in by eating the plastic.
positive influence to our environment. Here are a few suggestions:
So where does all this floating plastic end up?
1. Implement a recycling program at
Our oceans are made up of complex networks of currents that circulate water around the world. This coupled with wind and the earth’s rotation, create what are now called “gyres”. There are 5 major gyres across our oceans, which have been discovered and they are massive slowly rotating whirlpools of rubbish in our oceans in which plastic trash accumulate. The biggest of these Gyres is called ‘The North Pacific Gyre’, and it is huge in size. It currently spans and area roughly twice the size of the United States and is growing day by day.
So what can we do to make a difference? There are a lot of little things that we can do both at home and at work to make a difference. Every little step we take has a
home as well as in your property, to separate the plastics from other waste.
2. Replace any plastic drinking cups with glass
3. Use plastic items that contain Eco Pure® , an organic based additive that allows plastic to biodegrade in landfill conditions.
4. If you work or live near a waterway or beach, join a local organization that is dedicated to cleaning up the local environment or rubbish especially plastics.
5. If you see a piece of plastic litter on the ground, pick it up and put it into a covered bin. Remember even by picking up that piece of litter you are having a positive impact on the environment. n
If you have any questions you would like to ask or comments to make about this article please email me at steve@conceptamenites.com
Why Cleanliness is Important to Your Market Share of This Multi-Million Dollar Industry
T
he hospitality industry is a competitive one as most hotel and motel managers would agree. It is a multi billion dollar world-wide industry that mostly depends on the availability of leisure time and disposable income. The accommodation segment of this billion dollar industry of which Australia has a slice of is made up of many players ranging from hotels, motels, inns, to destination spas, floatels and hostels. The competition for the discretionary tourism dollar, international or domestic, is fierce and especially more so during the recent and some might even say current economic times. In the June quarter 2010, accommodation takings in Australia were $1,912.5 million for hotels, motels and serviced apartments with 5 or more rooms, of which the average length of stay was 2.2 days1.
It is a portion of this multi-million dollar industry that hotel and motel managers want to increase their market share of. For some managers this goal is paramount for the long term viability of their establishment. In the June quarter 2010 the trend estimate room occupancy rate was 63.7% for hotels, motels and serviced apartments with 15 or more rooms in Australia1. This means the vacancy rate for some establishments was up to 36.3%! The hospitality industry in Australia is fortunate most Australians do have a holiday habit. However they have become savvy with their discretionary dollar while choosing the right accommodation when planning for a “perfect” holiday. Most guests are familiar with the classification of accommodation into ‘Star’ categories (1-Star to 5-Star). However guests also make their decisions on which accommodation they finally choose by comparing the different levels of amenities, range of facilities, quality of service offered and importantly cleanliness. An accommodation which delivers a holiday to remember remains paramount. Guests like their rooms to be have a high standard of cleanliness and to smell fresh. This expectation of cleanliness is carried through to the main areas of the establishment such as the foyer or lobby, restaurant, public areas, lifts, toilets, car parks and grounds. This expectation is heightened the longer the stay. Different establishments employ different methods of maintaining the cleanliness of their facilities. These methods range from a simple mop and bucket to the increasingly common place commercial cleaning machinery specially designed to do the task better and quicker with a visible return on investment over the medium to longer term. Examples of commercial cleaning machinery commonly used in hotels and motels can be divided into the following areas: Foyer / Lobby Cleanfix Floormac Single Disc Machine – for maintenance cleaning of parquet, stone floors and linoleum. Pad available for carpet cleaning. Rooms Cleanfix S10 PLUS Dry Vacuum – for powerful cleaning of carpets and upholstery. Drapery brush available. Restaurants Cleanfix TW411 or TW412 Spray Extractor – for professional cleaning of textile surfaces such as carpets or upholstery. Adaptor available for stone or hard floors. Public Areas and Hotel Malls Cleanfix RA431 Scrubber – for optimum cleaning results for high traffic areas for a variety of hard floors. In 2007-08 the tourism industry share of Australia’s gross domestic product was 4% and the industry employed 497,800 people within this period. Furthermore international visitors consumed over $23 billion worth of goods and services produced by the Australian economy2. The hospitality industry is a high profile industry with opportunities available for experienced management to ensure fair returns for all stakeholders especially owners, where delivering a value for money holiday to remember, remains paramount. Of this, maintaining a high level of cleanliness plays a large undeniable part in new and return patronage, thus assisting in maintaining and increasing market share in a very and increasingly competitive industry. 1 Australian Bureau of Statistics. 8635.0 - Tourist Accommodation, Australia, Jun 2010 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics. 1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2009–10
Article supplied by PowerSweep Pty Ltd. The Cleanfix machinery featured are represented in the adjacent advertisement and can be ordered through PowerSweep, the exclusive importer of the Cleanfix range in Australia.
For more information call 1300 88 1000 or visit www.powersweep.com.au
A model for success By MAX AGNEW
F
rom a background of farming at Kaniva in the Victorian Wimmera, Don and Robbie Maddern 10 years ago took the plunge into motel ownership and since have developed Robe Harbour View Motel into a three-time winner of South Australia’s award for ‘Excellence in Tourism for Motels’ in that State. The couple’s on-going policy of refurbishing several of their 14 units each year on a rotational policy has played a key role in this Robe motel with a remarkable picturesque view making it into the Limestone Coast’s Hall of Fame having won (delete the) major awards three years in a row. The Maddern’s have enjoyed record figures for this September and October, which they put down to the success of Robbie researching marketing on the internet which has led to an excellent response from overseas tourists staying at their motel. The motel is fully licensed. While it has a 4 star rating, Robbie Maddern is quick to point out how they actually have as many as five different classifications to enable them to cope with all kinds of budgets for every guest. It is not surprising the motel was named Robe Harbour View when it was first constructed in the 1970’s as both levels overlook the picturesque Guichen Bay, the base for numerous fisherman whose income is made from crayfish, snapper and shark. So popular are the area’s crays at the local restaurants that the Maddern’s encourage guests to purchase one locally with Don
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
43
< more than happy to personally work on it before placing it in the motel’s refrigerator ready for their guests to enjoy.
also point out how their present upstairs home is designed to be converted into a further four units.
That’s the kind of personal service this couple have been providing there since first purchasing the Harbour View a decade ago where they raised their two daughters and a son in their live-in quarters upstairs that earlier had been a restaurant. Part of the reason for closing this dinning area was the development of an excellent restaurant or two close by.
Robe has a fascinating history with Capt. Matthew Flinders having first explored this limestone coastline in 1802, though an English style village was not developed until 1846. Within five years it had become an important port for fishermen and the port where all the wool from inland South East South Australia was taken for exporting.
Their eldest daughter Cassi now lives in Melbourne with their first grand-child Hugo, while son Zac at 23 is today the skipper of a fishing boat out of Darwin. Their second daughter Abby is single and works in the region at Naracoorte. There have been occasions when Abby has come home to manage the family motel to enable her parents to take a short break. However, it is largely because of two of their three children having moved interstate that has led Robbie and Don to decide they will put their motel on the market to enable them more time to see the remainder of the family. For much of the time they have had the Robe Harbour View, it has been hands-on for seven days a week for almost 10 years. The vacant block of land they own right next to the motel will also be included in a packaged deal with their business, offering a tremendous opportunity for someone keen to expand. The couple
Soon after the discovery of gold in Victoria during the 1850’s, no fewer than 17,000 Chinese were recorded as having been landed at Robe who then were prepared to walk all the way to Ballarat or Bendigo to seek their fortune. While Robe became an interesting spot for tourism after the Second World War, it was not until 1962 that the community there set about developing the town and its port into a major attraction. Today Robe is rated among the top two areas in the South Australian Heritage Plan and the district goes from strength to strength, beckoning tourists from far and wide. It is also known for its agriculture, wineries, with fishing still a major industry there. Robbie and Don Maddern are an excellent example of how to make a success when a couple first takes up motel ownership, as apart from one or two assistants with housekeeping, they have always been prepared to spend long hours making it a financial success.
Graffiti Nonsense I don’t understand graffiti For it makes no sense at all I thought that only babies Scribbled upon walls. These environmental vandals Who think their art is quaint Should know Executive Housekeepers Really think it ain’t. Make them use a brush and bucket To scrub off all their mess That would keep them busy And we would see graffiti less! Barbara Sargeant
D
on and I have been fighting Land Tax since I wrote our first letter to the the Land Tax Division of Revenue SA on the 28th October, 2004.
The couple both work as a team preparing the breakfast baskets and delivering these to the rooms. They also do their share of cleaning the units, and manning the reception for hours at a time. Being an independent motel not aligned to any group, it is interesting to hear how they have attracted a considerable number of guests through Robbie developing her marketing skills on the internet in the past three years. It is this area where the Maddern’s say that has led to them having record figures for September and October, which they believe might well be carried forward throughout the warmer months. Mrs Maddern says how guests early on would comment on how it was a family-run motel. “This encouraged us to provide a map and details of Robe to all of our guests on arrival that includes pointing out the best restaurants, where the beaches are, along with walking tracks and what to see. “We both enjoy talking to guests, and from the number who have returned to stay with us again, it would seem being extremely friendly does mean a great deal to visitors, whether it be couples or corporate travellers. “Robe is proving to be a great stopover for travellers between the major cities of Melbourne and Adelaide, being ideally situated with so much to see when taking the Great Ocean Road between these two capitals,” she said. The Maddern’s have long been great sticklers for making certain all rooms are spotlessly clean and go to considerable lengths to ensure they maintain the highest possible standards with cleanliness. The attitude of Robbie and her husband has been a recipe for success with the Robe Harbour View Motel a real winner for them. But after 10 years, they believe they have earned a good break. The sale of their motel is to be handled by John Langford of NAI Harcourts Brock Commercial – 0410 605 224. n
We wanted to receive the same right as all other South Australians regarding Principal Place of Residence. The Harbour View Motel is our home where we live and have lived for the past 10 years. We have to live here to meet the AAA requirements that an on-site representative must be contactable 24 hours, 7 days per week otherwise they will not give us a star rating. We were not asking for full exemption but for partial exemption for the home we live in. Our issue was that motels have to pay full land tax; caravan parks are completely exempt from land tax even though they are usually positioned on the best location in town and cover a large area. Bed and breakfasts are also partially exempt of land tax. We thought land tax should be levied fairly to all that work in the same industry. At one stage we even thought of changing the name of the property to Harbour View Bed and Breakfast as we would have been partially exempt. We have vacant land we could have used as a caravan park , we could have called ourselves Harbour View Caravan Park as Caravan Parks have cabins and they are fully exempt. Sounds a bit far fetched but we could not see why not as we were all in the same industry of accommodation. We still do not understand why caravan parks are fully exempt of land tax. Our total land tax bill went from $14,000 to $23,000 in one year. As a small business $14,000 was an awful lot of money but then to find it went up to $23,000 seemed impossible. Don and I worked in the motel cleaning for the last 10 years and we have had to clean a lot of motel rooms just to pay
land tax. Our main priority is to put money back into the motel for refurbishment to make the property better for guests and the tourism industry. Over the years I wrote and spoke to various Government officials trying to gain help with our problem. Mike Walker - Commissioner of State Taxation, Jane Lomax Smith – Minister for Tourism, John Aquilina- South Australian Ombudsman -, Robert Foord Chairman South Australian Tourism Commission Board , Lorraine Duffy – CEO HMAA, Hon Martin Hamilton-Smith MP – Leader of the Opposition, Hon Kevin Foley MPDeputy Premier/ Treasurer, Hon Mike Rann MP – Premier. Our objection was taken to Court and rejected. It was then that we obtained the help of Hon. John Darley MLC and Chairman of Land Tax Reform Association of South Australia. John was fantastic and persisted over the years when others failed. John’s argument was that we should be granted a partial exemption to Land Tax on the basis that the motel is our principal place of residence. Finally, due to suggested amendments from John, the Land Tax Act was amended on 30 June 2010 . The law has now changed so hotels and motels which are owned and operated by natural persons and which constitutes their principal place of residence may be eligible for either a partial or a whole exemption from land tax. A partial exemption may be granted if 25-75% of the total floor area of the buildings on the land is used for the persons’ principal place of residence. Land tax may be wholly exempted if more than 75% of the total floor area of the buildings on the land is used for the person’s principal place of residence. n
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
45
mo Profiles From Broken Hill to Mildura, via New England Ranges
W
hen a Broken Hill miner was faced with his mine closing some eight years ago, he and his wife decided to invest their savings in a motel in the New England Ranges of New South Wales. Recently the couple decided to sell and purchase the Central Motel in Mildura, more than happy to remain in the industry. Both Wayne McDonough and his wife Della grew up in Broken Hill. Della became a nurse with Wayne doing what so many men in this region did – going underground in the mines seeking zinc, lead and silver. In the following years they raised three daughters, providing each with a good education to enable all three to stand on their own two feet. One of the girls is today married to an Aussie though living in Salt Lake City in Utah. When faced with retrenchment in the early 2000’s, Wayne’s future seemed somewhat uncertain for the family to stay on in Broken Hill, though he did walk away from mining with a neat package to enable them to start afresh. At that time a sister of Wayne and her husband were operating the Lincoln Cottage Motor Inn at Wagga and suggested this industry might be just what Wayne and Della might find interesting and rewarding if they were to give it their best shot. Taking up this advice, the McDonough’s came to invest their finances in purchasing a motel at Armidale. Mid-way between Sydney and Brisbane, Armidale with a population of 25,000, rests on the Northern Tablelands and is the most cosmopolitan city in New South Wales outside of Sydney. It was in the heart of the region in which the local Federal member in Parliament was Independent Tony Windsor, who has
46 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
had more than his share of publicity this year in the cliff-hanger of a national election when he played a major role in the Gillard Government being returned to power. Wayne and Della have not looked back in putting in the hours to ensure they would make a success of their first investment in the motel business. After seven years there, in early 2010 the couple elected for a change, with their fondness for warm and sunny weather making Mildura a great attraction to them. When the Central Motel at Mildura came on the market it offered them the chance of returning to live in a region where the weather was just as warm as that they had enjoyed growing up at Broken Hill. The Central Motel had 26 units with each having been refurbished over the previous two years. Situated in Madden Avenue, it was just off the busy Deakin Avenue, which years ago was surveyed on the Mildura planning as the longest street in the world, though a great deal of this still remains agriculture for miles. On moving to Mildura almost eight months ago, they were coming to a State that had been going through severe drought for more than 12 years, not that drought usually worried the Sunraysia region because of it being situated alongside the Murray River. In the first weeks of taking over the Central Motel, no one could have foreseen how the weather pattern for Victoria would take a remarkable change even before the end of that winter which is usually dry in this area. Widespread rains across the State actually came to drop a record amount of water on what is Australia’s best known grapegrowing area. A bemused Della points out how they are still waiting to see the famed warm weather
Mildura is noted for, officially having more annual sunshine than the Gold Coast of Queensland. But this reputation has taken a hit in the months leading up to November, raising concern now for the quality and quantity of this season’s grape harvest should this pattern continue. Grape picking is carried out each year in Sunraysia from late January thru to the end of March The Central Motel has a triple A rating, provides undercover parking, provides guests with a swimming pool, a shaded barbeque area, and is non-smoking. All units have modern cons, and Della and Wayne provide hot breakfasts. It is situated near the Mildura RSL Club and the Workingman’s Club which used to have the world’s longest bar before changes were made. It is also within walking distance of Mildura’s CBD. Apart from the strong tourist trade Mildura enjoys, the Central Motel attracts more than its share of corporate travellers, with many returning time and again to stay with the McDonough’s. They have several types of units to cope with everyone’s budget. They also employ several housekeepers to maintain the couple’s high standard of cleanliness in all rooms. Apart from Wayne and Della sharing much of the work in reception, they do have a casual staffer who helps out. Wayne does the maintenance work around the pool, the lawn at the front, and wherever he is needed. He seems to have little time to indulge in regular hobbies, though he has long owned a motorbike and does like going for a ride whenever he feels the need for a break from his chores. Wayne and Della McDonough are another example of a family who enjoys meeting people and are not backward in putting in the long hours, can make motel ownership a well worthwhile business, recognising how there is nothing like working for yourself. n
The Riviera comes to Toowoomba I
n an era when the trend with many motels is to provide cold breakfasts and have no facilities for wining and dining, Phil and Kay McCullough are proud being able to provide these full facilities for guests staying with them at the Riviera on Ruthven Motel in Toowoomba. While the couple did own a previous motel as a personal investment five years ago in the town of St George, they were not hands on there having it managed for them. However, since taking over the Riviera almost three years ago with its 28 rooms, operating the business themselves has given the pair a complete lifestyle change to what they had spent their previous years doing when raising two sons. Phil had then headed up an environmental company while his wife had managed a retail clothing store. Their motel in Toowoomba takes its name from being situated at 730 Ruthven Street, which is also a part of the New England Highway. The previous owners had begun refurbishing the rooms when the Riviera went on the market, with Phil and his wife Kay completing the task after its purchase almost three years ago. Toowoomba is recognised as Queensland’s Garden City. It is situated at the entrance to the farming region of the well known Darling Downs in the south-east of Queensland, some 120 kil. from Brisbane. A hot breakfast cooked on the property can be delivered to each unit. There was a time when the motel’s restaurant was large enough to seat 40, but when the demand
did not warrant such numbers, this was reduced to a comfortable 16 seater, with again a variety of excellent meals available to guests. The McCullough’s maintain a staff of up to five housekeepers, with much of the duties in reception being shared by Kay and Phil. Their two sons have more recently moved out to have their own homes, though on occasions when the motel is extremely busy, they have been known to return to help out. Of the 28 units, 24 of these are on the ground floor, with various sized rooms that can suit just about every budget. The two family rooms are self contained levels that can accommodate up to six people each. These seem to be very popular in catering for wedding parties. The Riviera provides all modern cons for guests, including Austar with each TV proving 22 channels. The McCullough’s also offer all guests free wireless broadband. The motel is situated close to the local golf club, the Toowoomba Base Hospital, and a couple of private hospitals. The clientele does include family members who come to town to visit loved-ones in hospital, though it prides itself on the large amount of repeat business they generate. This is seen by the regulars from the corporate world who stay with them on each of their visits to Toowoomba. Phil explains how they are kept quite busy from April thru to September by winter sporting carnivals in the district. Service is a key word at the Riviera, whether it is with their courtesy shuttle service, or quick and efficient room service.
While a hands-on involvement with their own motel is a lifestyle miles apart from what the couple did in a previous life, Phil says he finds the biggest change being the different hours he finds himself on duty. He carries out any of the small maintenance task, but anything more major, brings in the particular tradesman. The Riviera on Ruthven with its 28 rooms at Toowoomba, is another good example of turning over a nice profit when a husband and wife are keen and determined to make it all work for them. n
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
47
mo Profiles An Aussie and Kiwi make a good partnership at Toowong It is the latter which provides a constant input into the motel’s occupancy rate since the two partners came to enjoy an arrangement with the University which is rated in the top three in Australia, offering 360 programs and 4,000 courses. “For any special event during the year, such as Graduation Day, parents of students from country areas will come and stay with us so they can be present, while often parents don’t wait for a special day, just coming to town to spend several days catching up with sons and daughters,” explained Derek.
W
hen a Kiwi with experience in motels met up with a staff member of the nationally known A.V. Jennings in 2006, they pooled their resources to become partners in the 20 unit Benson Court Motel in the Brisbane suburb of Toowong. John Beatty and Derek Pell have had no regrets since, as they get along just fine, sharing much of the work in reception, providing the continental breakfasts to their guests, and happy to carry out any on-going maintenance work required from time to time, unless it happens to be major when they call in the professionals. They employ several casual housekeepers to maintain a high standard of cleanliness in all of their 20 studio units. Toowong is a 10-minute drive to the west of the Brisbane CBD. There are two significant aspects to where the Benson Court Motel is situated. Firstly it is close to the popular Toowong Shopping Centre which services the district, and looking back towards the city the motel is close to the University of Queensland.
48 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
The Benson Court provides all modern cons, including a flat TV in all units, a wireless broadband, barbecue area and laundry. Toowong has a population of almost 15,000, and nestles in the rolling hills between Mount Coot-Tha and the Brisbane River, and takes in the popular Lone Pine Sanctuary. The University of Queensland at nearby St Lucia provides invaluable income to the district, not to mention the good support the Benson Court Motel enjoys indirectly from the large campus. Apart from input associated with the University, much of the clientele to stay with the partners are from the corporate section. Derek Pell has a long history of servicing the needs of guests. He spent some time as a purser on a cruise ship with the Shaw Savill line; then became a supervisor for Air New Zealand and later the manager of Ansett Airport in Auckland. For a time Derek also operated a motel in Auckland, giving him a solid grounding in learning the business. John Beatty, his business partner in the Benson Court Motel, spent considerable time working for A.V. Jennings, especially in
the area of interior designing and the use of colour schemes to advantage. There was a time in the long history of A.V. Jennings when it was accepted how one-third of all recent homes built in Australia had been carried out by this major land developer. Being able to operate as successful business partners has one major advantage for the two. It enables either to get away for a break leaving the other behind to manage the motel without any hiccups. This can often be a problem for many husband and wife teams, as when taking a holiday, they always prefer to make it a family affair, leaving them to find someone to carry on the business in their absence. Toowong is home to just two large watering holes – the Regatta Hotel and the Royal Exchange. In 1965 The Regatta gained national prominence when two local women chained themselves to the bar to protest Queensland laws of barring entry to women in a public bar. One of the pair was Merle Thornton, mother of well known actress Sigrid Thornton. Queensland today is a more civil area with its approach to the fairer sex. If you should be travelling through this area and need a place to stopover, Derek Pell and John Beatty are sure to roll the red carpet out for you at the Benson Court Motel at Toowong. n
Real-time Situational Awareness
T
he day to day issues facing motels has changed in a market that has embraced 24/7, realtime demand, with property managers needing to rapidly understand, monitor and respond to new booking trends. Centium Software’s re-development of Motelier®, used by over 400 motels Australia wide, has taken these factors into account with their new product, GuestPoint®, due for release 1 December, 2010. Brisbane-based Centium Software bought OzWiz Technologies, the original developers of Motelier®, in November 2009 and has been developing the new Microsoft based GuestPoint® with input from property managers to ensure it meets real-world requirements. Trevor Gardiner, Centium’s CEO, said, “GuestPoint® has been designed specifically for small properties with a focus on being easy to use and comes with a host of accommodation management tools to streamline day to day motel operations.” “With real-time situational awareness a necessity to keep up with changing reservation trends, GuestPoint® gives managers instant visibility to web bookings and the prices rooms are selling for,” Trevor added. GuestPoint® seamlessly handles this growing trend of last minute, 24/7 bookings with its online ability to quickly distribute room inventory and dynamic rates to all market channels in real-time. This means there is no need to update booking websites as GuestPoint® handles this entire process in one central location. GuestPoint® integrates with leading Australian channel managers to achieve this. And, all web bookings drop straight into the reservation plan, saving manual entry and potential data error. Trevor also said, “To provide a snapshot of a property’s health, GuestPoint® performs micromonitoring across all aspects of the day to day business, providing instant information. With accurate analysis of individual and company booking patterns and lead times, current and historical occupancy trends, RevPAR, non-returning and top performing customers, and personal guest preferences, GuestPoint® informs, simplifies and streamlines every step from reservation to guest check-out.” For more information, please contact: Chantal Mortimer, Director of Marketing T: 1300 236 848 E: c.mortimer@centiumsoftware.com
Leading-edge Display, Entertainment and Information Technologies A dynamic way of bringing all the key elements of your Guest’s expectations of quality information, communication and entertainment, converged into a single easy-to-use interface via a customised High Definition LCD panel. With a touch of a button your guests can connect to the world and stay in touch with their business, family and friends. LifestylePanel offers your hotel guests access to the Internet, television, movies on demand, voice-over the internet and more - all with a click of a button!
Key Benefits for your Guest • • • • • •
a simple easy-to-use interface a full, fast and secure internet browsing experience access to their social web site, such as Facebook, Twitter and Bebo access to WebMail services and inbuilt VOIP Skype service privacy - all Internet history removed at the close of each session convenience – immediately watch movies at any time with full trick-play and bookmarking for later continued viewing • relax and enjoy digital quality High Definition content when available
Key Benefits for your Hotel • • • • • • • • • •
little or no capital outlay using your current infrastructure* improved revenue streams from movies, Internet and advertising simulcast movies to any number of rooms clean in-room installation – no set top box and messy cabling electronic compendium contented guests full 24/7 support for your staff and guests integration with your PMS on-demand live and downloadable management reports single supplier simplicity
• lower management costs
* subject to acceptable site survey
If you are planning to update your in-room entertainment systems call Ross Coldwell on +61 404 961 045 today or email ross@lifestylepanel.com to find out how Lifestylepanel can benefit your hotel business.
Lifestylepanel Pty Limited
Address: 112 Crescent Avenue Hope Island QLD 4212 AUSTRALIA
ABN 129 699 262 Mobile: +61 404 961 045 enquiries@lifestylepanel.com www.lifestylepanel.com
ADVERTORIAL
An Integrated Approach to Guest Room Entertainment & Internet By ROSS CoLDWELL
Converging all the key elements of a guest’s expectations of quality information, communication and entertainment into a single easy-to-use interface.
L
ifestylepanel Pty Ltd develops leading-edge in-room display and information technologies for use in the international hotel market.
We deal to the all too common difficulties and frustration guests have trying to work or being informed or entertained in their hotel room. The simple things, like access to the internet, movies, television and other hotel services, and being able to easily communicate with their business, family and friends while away from home. The LSP System meets those needs neatly and simply by integrating the range of guest services a hotel has to offer, such as movies, television, the Internet, Skype communications, hotel information, advertising and online shopping, all into a proprietary system driving a High Definition LCD display panel with easy-to-use remote control and wireless keyboard. Many international hotels are now facing high cost capital outlays to upgrade their outdated, typically analogue in-room entertainment systems, often having to deal with multiple vendors. The LSP System and business model allows the hotel to undertake such an upgrade with little or no capital outlay, and with little or no disruption to existing guest services. Subject to a site survey a hotel’s current coax infrastructure may be used. Installation is quick, efficient and leaves a tidy room setup. No set top box is required, no tacked-on hardware – the panel is cabled discreetly directly into the wall, and it can quickly start generating revenue for the hotel. Importantly, the hotel has only the one vendor to deal with. LSP controls and manages the entire process, from installation through ongoing provision and management of the system including movies and other entertainment content. The LSP system has real time online reporting with simplified billing. It can be integrated with all leading PMS systems, and the interface customised for the Hotel’s branding. Access to web-based online compendiums and information pages is available. The LSP System allows for tuning to all panels in the hotel via remote access bringing a significant benefit as there is no requirement to visit individual rooms to manually adjust the TV. Laptop Internet access will work regardless of the Guest’s computer setup, be it DCHP or Static IP. Guest email does not require changes to POP or SMTP settings.
All the key elements of the Guest’s expectations of quality information, communication and entertainment converge into a single easy-to-use interface
A Guest VPN is supported by the LSP system and Port forwarding requirements can be configured remotely by LSP support staff as and when required. The LSP System delivers: •
fast and secure internet browsing
•
access to WebMail services and inbuilt VOIP Skype service
•
discretion - all Internet history is removed from the system at the close of each internet session
•
simulcast movies viewable immediately or bookmark to view any time later – all with full trick-play functions
•
discrete movie billing with non-disclosure of titles
The LSP System is an easy to manage service utilising dependable industry class hardware and software platforms, with full 24/7 support for Hotel staff and guests. LSP manages it all and offers the Hotel a real point of difference. n
Ross Coldwell is the Managing Director of Lifestylepanel Pty Limited and can be contacted at ross@lifestylepanel.com
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
51
Is Your Email Culture Strangling You? By MARSHA EGAN
Email. Our lives wouldn’t be the same without it. It is a tool that has revolutionized the workplace, improved communication, and allowed employees to accomplish more in less time. However, if mismanaged, it can have a devastating affect on productivity and profits.
H
ave you ever stopped to think of what your organizationís email culture is? How do your employees use email? How do they manage it? How do they send it? How do they save it? The habits they adopt, whether they are positive or negative, can be contagious and suddenly your business has itís own email culture. Here is just one example of how an email culture can evolve. A boss realizes that he needs to call an urgent meeting with 3 of his managers. He sends an email needing a response in the next 15 minutes. Two of the three see the email and respond. The third, who was working on an important project, did not have his email on, missed the request, and angered his boss.
52 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
Number three has just now learned that he can never turn his email off for fear of missing an important email. But it doesn’t stop here. It rolls downhill. The three managers have now been given “permission” to use email as an URGENT delivery system. They use it in their departments, and very quickly, the entire organization is infected with this virus. No one can turn off his or her email for fear of missing something vital. Employees become slaves to the “ding” and stop productive work anytime an email comes in, even if it’s just spam. And that’s just one example. Think of the practices of copying everyone under the sun, just so you don’t miss someone. Or how about using email as a chat room with multiple recipients to resolve dilemmas? Or how about using email to critique someone’s performance? One person does it, others do it. Culture is changed. Email can also be extremely costly if not used effectively. When you consider the average recovery time from any interruption is about 4 minutes, you can imagine the cost to your organization when people look up every time an email is received. Do the math. If you stop what you’re doing every time you receive an email and get 30 emails in one day, that equals 120 minutes of recovery time – two hours of waste! And that doesn’t include the time spent handling the email. Now multiply that by every employee, everyday, and you can see how profitability can seriously begin to drop. In order to instantly combat this loss, give everyone in your organization ‘permission’ to turn off auto-receive, and instead
schedule email deliveries every 90 to 120 minutes. This can shorten recovery time to about 30 minutes – a saving of 90 minutes added right back to your bottom line. Here are a few other tips to help you create a positive office email culture excerpted from my new eBook, Reclaim Your Workplace Email Productivity: Add BIG BUCKS to Your Bottom Line: 1. NEVER use email as an urgent delivery system. If there is an urgent matter, pick up the phone or walk down the hall. 2. Move everything OUT OF your inbox. Your inbox should not be a holding tank and your employees can manage their time better by putting emails appropriate folders so that no important information is ever lost or hard to find. 3. Make Subject Lines VERY specific. By including details in subject lines, you will help others sort and prioritize their work. Instead of having a subject read, ‘Wednesday Meeting,’ have it read ‘Please bring the attached handout to the Wednesday 2:00 Staff Meeting.’ 4. Copy only the people who REALLY need to receive the email. Each ‘extra/ nice to copy’ person you add will have to open and read the email, adding unnecessary tasks to their already full days. Multiply this times the number of unnecessary copies, and the productivity drain adds up. n For more information, please visit www.eganemailsolutions.com. © Marsha Egan, CPCU, PCC, CEO of The Egan Group, Inc., http://marshaegan.com. Marsha is a certified executive coach, professional speaker, and internationally recognized email productivity expert. You can visit her website at http://EganEmailSolutions.com or reach her at marsha@marshaegan.com
Where is motel technology currently headed? By TED HORNER
This article was recently published in The Hotel Engineer, and we thought it would be of interest to moteliers wanting to keep up-to-date with the technology that will be appearing in rooms in the near future.
I
n early January I had the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas to attend for the first time the largest consumer electronics show in the world CES and for an insight in where consumer technology is headed this is certainly the event to attend From my visit to CES I gleaned the following:
1. The emergence of 3D TV‘s with all major TV suppliers rolling out new 3D TV’s. The quality of 3D as a superior entertainment experience as evidenced by the huge success of Avatar in 3D has re-enforced this trend
Myspace , Facebook and You Tube directly from the TV 5. Tablet computing as an alternative to the traditional laptop with Apple releasing their new product following the success of Amazons’ Kindle.
provides guests with the with the opportunity via a single remote and onscreen view to use the TV to set the systems in their rooms to their personal preferences, including lighting levels, room temperature, television/video systems, music, blinds and guest services.
What this all means to hotels who are refurbishing their guestrooms is too early to say but in order to understand and plan for the future we must take our lead from where consumer technology is headed and plan accordingly.
As part of the system, an automated “welcome experience” activates when guests open the door to their rooms. The lights gradually come on and the blinds open, the TV turns on to display a list of automated controls.
The other major highlight of the trip was to stay at the new 4,022 room MGM Mirage Aria Hotel which is part of the $12billion City Centre project on the Las Vegas strip [www.arialasvegas.com] .
After a guest has checked out, a room can quickly be put in “unoccupied” mode, which shuts off the lights, heating or cooling, entertainment systems, and any other electronic device in the room.
This new property opened on 16th December and features amazing new in room guest room technology which
Integration with property management systems has also been installed to deliver concierge-type services, as well as
2. The emergence of LED TV with very thin panels plus also the release of the small 15” OLED screens has certainly raised the bar compared to the traditional LCD screens that many consumers and hoteliers alike have invested in to date 3. The use of Skype on TV with 2 major vendors featuring in built Skype on their TV’s as part of their TV offering. 4. The rise and rise of IPTV as a major alternative to traditional co-axial based systems that allow guests to access the internet directly from their TV and furthermore to access sites such as
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
53
Where is motel technology currently headed? (continued)
automate the guestroom, based on checkin/check-out status. Another example of the power of the system is that is has the capacity to send an alert to the technical systems staff regarding problems in the room, such as low batteries in remotes The great advantage of this system (see screen shot previous page) is that is allows guest to control everything in the room (if they wish) i.e. lighting, curtains, temperature, drapes, TV, music, concierge services and even to check airline arrivals and departures at nearby McCarron airport from their guestroom TV using the remote control device. Guest feedback to date has been very encouraging as the system is very user friendly. Other major technology trends to watch out for include: Rise and rise of social networking Over the last 12 months we have seen the increasing importance of this social phenomenon and many hotels chains have announced booking applications for the Apple iPhone and now also the Blackberry. Many hotels have now launched Facebook pages to reach new guest segments, and some have even begun to offer special deals and updates on Twitter. With this continued use of social networks it is imperative for hotels to manage their activity on multiple social media web sites and to monitor their online reputation.
Another example is the deployment of Microsoft’s Surface Table Computing in several hotel lobbies in New York and Atlanta to encourage guests to use them for information purposes either for local attractions or hotel services. Energy Conservation It is my opinion that with the continued rise in costs for electricity, and water usage greater emphasis needs to be placed in investing in guestroom technology that allows consumption of both to be reduced without it being obvious to the guest. Greater integration is required between the hotel’s front office systems, the guest door locking system and in room lighting and air conditioning systems so that when a guest checks out or leaves the room for an extended period the lights are either dimmed or turned off automatically and the same applies to lighting and air-conditioning etc. Where hotels have invested in these automated systems a clear return on investment has been demonstrated in a very short time-frame. Summary It is clear we are witnessing some important new trends and if you intend to refurbish or a building new hotel then these are some of key things that you may need to consider: •
Make sure you seek independent advice on the cabling into guestrooms as many of the new system need a different cabling platform than in the past. Do not rely on vendors alone to provide advise as they have their own interests to serve and the advise may not be 100% independent
•
The TV in the guestroom now has the capability to deliver a wider range of services than previously so make sure you spend time to review all the new systems in the marketplace.
•
Investigate energy management systems that can integrate with your hotel front office system or door locking (or both) so that you take advantage of the savings in consumption they can deliver n
Consumer technology
It is my opinion that with the continued rise in costs for electricity,
With the increasing number of Apple iPhones sold worldwide we are now seeing many vendors incorporating the apple iPhone as an interactive device for both guests and staff
and water usage greater
Examples are as follows:
emphasis needs to be
•
As a hand-held Point of Sale device
•
Housekeeping software and productivity device
•
Allowing guests to make on line bookings via the iphone
•
Allowing check in/check out, folio review
•
Allowing restaurant reservations and room service bookings
•
SMS texting from guests to staff in hotels and vice versa
placed in investing in guestroom technology that allows consumption of both to be reduced without it being obvious to the guest.
54 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
Ted Horner ted@hornertech.com.au www.hornertech.com.au
TOUCHCHECK T
ouchCheck is a premium integrated self service check-in and check-out solution developed for the hotel industry.
Touchcheck was developed in 2004 for be integrated into the Accor, Formule 1 hotel chain across Australia. This became the first fully stand alone card issuing self service kiosk in the market. The TouchCheck Hotel Check-in and Check-out solution allows for both external and internal kiosk solutions via TCP/IP connectivity from the kiosk hardware across the hotel LAN to the Micros Fidelio/ Opera server in a secure area in the hotel. TouchCheck also offer full compatibility with the MICROS Credit Card payment gateway or Verisign/Paypal Credit Card payment gateway for 100% payment upfront only – no pre-authorisation, and compatibility with VingCard (VC3), Onity (HT24 / HT28) and Saflok (6000) Electronic Room Key systems for guest security. TouchCheck offers an inexpensive self service Checkin, Check-out solution to enhance your guests experience. Freeing up time for staff to undertake other activities. The return on investment for TouchCheck is 12-18 months depending on the throughput. TouchCheck allows guests to Checkin remotely offsite. Allowing multi-channel marketing for the hotel. By decentralsing the installation of a hotel branded TouchCheck kiosk, the hotel can capture spontaneous traffic at the airport or other public venues to secure additional business.
TouchCheck® Testimonials TouchCheck’s consultation and installation process was smooth and trouble free. Our staff embraced the introduction of touch screen check-in and out kiosks as they view the technology as a means of assisting and support them with their workloads and relieving the burden of late night shifts which are so often a safety concern for hospitality staff. For Formule 1 installing TouchCheck touch screen kiosks is a win win solution: our customers feel highly valued and now have an additional means of checking-in and out conveniently and effectively, our staff are provided with additional assistance and our human and technology resources are fully utilised. Larry Raffel, General Manager Formule 1 Hotels As Marketing Manager of Ibis Hotels I saw TouchCheck’s hotel express check in and out solution as a way of introducing a new service within the hotel market. This technology provides a competitive advantage to our hotels and assists in selling the ethos of convenience and high customer service at all our Ibis Hotels. By offering a tailored solution for the hotel industry TouchCheck’s product places us in the position of providing additional benefits to our customer base from real time payment transactions through to increased recognition of our brand through our customised kiosks. We are also exploring TouchCheck’s additional benefits of directional technologies to assist customers locate hotel amenities, local sites and attractions and even in the future advertising which will provide us with an added return on investment. For hotels seeking a competitive edge as well as increased levels of customer service I recommend TouchCheck’s hotel express check in and out solutions. Michael Parsons Marketing Manager Ibis Hotels “... self check in via kiosk is excellent due to achieved efficiency in operational costs through less staffing”. Eoin Loftus, General Manager & Development Manager Majestic Hotels
Living and Working in Clean Air as nature intended Nature has its own method of cleaning air of odours, bacteria and virus besides simple dispersion.
T
hey are known as Hydroxyls or Hydroxyl Clusters and are found mostly at average mountain top heights especially on sunny days. Ozone is also nature’s odour and pathogen killer, but is also poisonous to all forms of life at the concentrations required to be effective, whilst Hydroxyls are not. Nature has seen it fit to make our bodies immune to hydroxyls whilst leaving them extremely effective in killing single celled organisms such as bacteria, virus, mould and fungus spores. Hydroxyls can be easily reproduced by today’s technology from compact devices and is employed already throughout hospitality and in hospitals, food manufacturing, nursing homes, office blocks and a wide range of other applications to improve air quality and rid the air of airborne pathogens such as respiratory diseases and other bacteria that may contaminate and spread in food products or by surface contact with humans etc. Hydroxyls are also effective against a range of odours. They will eliminate ammonia based odours in roughly half the time it takes by natural dispersion. Hydroxyls are effective against Ethylene gas as well which is the gas given off by fruit and vegetables to promote ripening – bananas can be retarded from browning up to an extra four days by being stored in an area being controlled by a hydroxyl generator.
Waste and decomposition gases can also be reduced by the presence of hydroxyls, and testing is currently underway for controlling obnoxious odours for Veterinarians and Pet accommodations – particularly Catteries. Hydroxyls have proven results in deodorising smoking smells. Hydroxyls have been known about and researched for some 100 years since Louis Pasteur first discovered them whilst researching why people living at high altitudes in sunny conditions were generally healthier than people living at sea level. Since then such organisations as the British Army have researched Hydroxyls as a method of combating germ warfare in the late 60’s and all papers and studies have confirmed the benefits of using Hydroxyls, but not been able to reproduce them by compact means. It’s only in the last decade that technology has caught up with science and it’s been made possible to produce hydroxyls from a compact generator. What is a hydroxyl? It’s a water molecule (H²O) missing one of its Hydrogen atoms and because it’s in an unbalanced state, it seeks to replace its missing Hydrogen atom. These hydroxyl (OH-) molecules are attracted to single celled organisms in the air and on surfaces, attach to them and forcibly rip a Hydrogen atom from the cell wall. They are now H²O again – harmless water molecules. In the meantime, the cell wall of the organism has been ruptured and like a popped balloon, it dies. This is a very simple mechanical action. Bacteria & virus cannot become immune to
it. Further, the Hydroxyl is indiscriminate on what Bacteria & Virus it chooses and thus they work on every and all strains. Several companies have hydroxyl generators on the market using different methods – all but one requiring consumables or servicing or both. By far the most successful method passes air through a small cold plasma field to produce hydroxyls which then are distributed throughout the space by a strong fan. They do not require any maintenance or consumables other than electricity, and so they can be mounted high on a wall or from a ceiling to get maximum coverage across the space concerned. They use the natural water molecules in the air all around us and do not require topping up or chemicals or any other medium to perform their function in generating Hydroxyls. n
References: “Science Summit. Ozone Olefins and environmental contamination” by Prof DC Ellwood B.Sc., Ph.D “The impact of air quality on productivity and health in the workplace” by Jukes Jenkins and Laws (workplace environmental science and research association 1998) “Air Ions and Human Performance” LH Hawkins and T Barker (Ergonomics 1978 Vol 21 Xo 273-278) Hydroxyl and Air Purification, by Howard D. Lash The Journal of Microbiology, June 2006
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
57
These days there are 2 main things that incite change... our ENVIRONMENT and MONEY
T
hat’s why Better Living Products believe that with just one small change in the provision of guest amenities, you can achieve one giant leap for the environment and for your bottom line. They say the change is simple. Just change from giving your guests those expensive individual plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner and bodywash and individually wrapped bars of soap to dispensing quality guest amenities directly from a beautiful decor solution called The Dispenser™. These attractive dispensers are simply installed in the shower (Usually a 3 Chamber for shampoo, conditioner and bodywash) and above the vanity for Hand Wash or sometimes a Moisturiser and
immediately demonstrate to guests your commitment to protecting the environment. Industry sources estimate that 14 billion plastic amenity bottles worldwide will go into landfill in 2009. That’s a massive 38 million bottles - every single day! In Australia we contribute our share to the mess too with every 100 hotel rooms potentially adding more than *82,000 plastic bottles per year to landfill. Another benefit from changing to The Dispenser™ system is the reduction in the manufacture of plastic bottles. Any reduction in non-degradable plastic is a bonus to the environment as every single piece of plastic ever made is still here today! The sad reality is there is a mass of plastic garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean covering an area more than **696,000 km2 (almost 3 times the size or Victoria) that is killing marine life and growing larger each day. It’s referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Better Living Products believe there are significant and easily proven financial benefits by making the change to The Dispenser™ system as it allows you the freedom to:
• Buy your liquids in bulk - without being locked into expensive supply contracts. • Choose the type of liquid to suit your needs. • Only pay for the liquids used - not for what is taken away or thrown away! • Reduce housekeeping time - less cleaning, no need to replace amenity bottles, no need to constantly stock and restock carts. • Reduce your garbage disposal costs. And the good news is, once installed, The Dispenser™ will save you money. Immediately! With the largest range of dispenser styles and colours, Better Living Products provides convenient one-stop shopping allowing you to join a growing number of quality Hotels, Motels, Resorts and Spas around the world making the change to The Dispenser™ - not only to benefit the environment but also your bottom line. n For further information contact Better Living Products Pty Ltd on +61 3 9807 2992 or simply email info@thedispenser.com.au . * Based on 75% occupancy and providing 3 amenities. ** Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_ Garbage_Patch#Formation)
Who gets your super? If the nomination has been properly signed and witnessed, and is still current at the date of death, then the trustees of the superannuation fund must pay the death benefit to the nominated beneficiaries.
This article was provided by Planning Partners Financial Planners and Superannuation Consultants (Australian Financial Services Licence No. 222835). Ph: 03 9830 0366 Level 1, 587 Canterbury Road Surrey Hills VIC 3127 www.planningpartners.com.au
Who decides what happens to your superannuation savings when you die?
Y
ou may think that you do, but that isn’t always the case. The ultimate decision may be made by someone you don’t even know – the trustee of your superannuation fund. Let’s look at how you can have greater control.
Unlike wills, valid binding superannuation nominations are unlikely to be overturned by a court (although this has yet to be fully tested), so they provide great certainty. It is up to the trustees of each superannuation fund to decide whether or not to allow binding nominations, so they aren’t available to everyone. Binding death benefit nominations are only valid for three years, so it is important to ensure they remain up-to-date. Trustee’s discretion Even when binding nominations are available, many members don’t make use of them. In these cases, even when a member has nominated preferred beneficiaries, it is the trustee that decides who the death benefit will be paid to. The trustee is under a legal obligation to pay a death benefit to the members dependants, and in most cases benefits will be paid in a way that is consistent with the wishes of the deceased member. However, it is possible the trustee may recognise a wider range of dependants than the member would have liked – including a separated spouse, for example.
In some cases, the member’s preferred beneficiary may not meet the legal definition of a dependant. This may apply to parents or to same sex partners, for example. In the absence of any dependants and a legal personal representative, the trustee may exercise their discretion, and pay the benefit to a non-dependant. Superannuation pensions The situation is a little different if the member has already retired and is drawing a superannuation pension. With pensions, it is common to nominate a surviving spouse as a reversionary beneficiary. This means the pension payments will continue to be paid to the nominee, either until their death, or until the funds run out. If the reversionary beneficiary dies, any remaining balance is then paid out as a lump sum death benefit according to the type of nomination they have made. Good advice required Increasing levels of wealth being held via superannuation, and the nomination of beneficiaries should be made in the context of a comprehensive estate plan. This includes taking into account the way superannuation death benefits are taxed when paid to different types of beneficiary. Your financial planner can help you make the right decision. n
Which option? Binding death benefit nominations The most certain way to direct payment of your superannuation death benefit is by making a binding death benefit nomination. The nominated beneficiaries must be ’dependants’ – a spouse, de facto spouse, child or financial dependant – or a legal personal representative (i.e. the executor or administrator of a deceased estate.)
Given the choice, most people prefer to make a binding nomination. It provides greater certainty. If the benefit is paid to an estate, flexibility can be provided through the terms of the will. For example, the superannuation proceeds can be used to set up a testamentary trust, which may provide some tax advantages to beneficiaries.
Important Information: This information does not take into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any person. Before making an investment decision, you should consider, with the assistance of a financial adviser, whether it is appropriate in light of your particular objectives, financial situation and needs. Planning Partners Pty Ltd. Australian Financial Services Licence No. 222835 ABN: 24 943 115 344
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
59
ADVERTORIAL
How to get a cheap receptionist By STEVE TUSAK | Check Inn Systems
W
ages are on the rise, penalty rates are prohibitive, so how do you keep your reception desk staffed without going to the wall? Check Inn Systems has been addressing this problem since the year 2000 through the introduction of Self Check in Kiosks and keysafes intended to provide a premium guest experience whilst keeping a lid on costs. The prices have become very affordable.Starting with the new 4 key KeySafe at $995 inc GST, this works out to just $0.70 per day amortised over 4 years. A full reception kiosk that can securely issue keys to prebooked guests, accept payments, sell rooms and even breakfasts can be had from $9,995 plus GST and installation. Kiosks have come a long way in the past 10 years. The new releases of software and hardware from Check Inn Systems are highly flexible and fully compatible with the latest motel technologies. Working with leading PMS vendor RMS, over several years, we have been able to provide a self check inn kiosk solution that is always synchronised to the property management system and offers clients only those rooms that are clean and marked available to the kiosk. If rooms are sold by Wotif, hotels.com, roamfree etc. availability is update into the property management system automatically and those rooms are withdrawn from sale. If guests with one of these pre-bookings wishes to chech in after hours, they can use their reservation number or other personal details to do so without disturbing the hosts. Interfaces to other property management systems such as the very popular Satin are are also becoming available from Check Inn Systems Key management is also a major annoyannce for most property managers with guests forever taking keys with them, losing keys or locking themselves out of rooms at 3am. Our kiosks provide a very flexible range of solutions to deal with virtually all situations. Where physical keys are use, the kiosks can hold a spare set of keys. Where room cards are used, the kiosks can write room cards for VingCard, Onity, Saflock, Adel and others under control of the manager - even dialing in remotely to reissue room cards on demand. The new range of Keyless Access (numberpad) locks from Check Inn which are remotely managed from reception or even via internet further improve the ease of management of room locks. Fully compatible with most existing keyed door locks and able to be controlled from the kiosk, they provide a simple way to offer keyless access to the room for the specific agreed rental period. n
ADVERTORIAL
Total Corporate Services
T
otal Corporate Services is an established business which specializes in creating highly productive work environments, and supplying the best selection of office furniture and cleaning equipment at the cheapest prices. Our equipment is stocked at our Alexandria warehouse, and sells a wide range of the highest quality products. Our huge buying power, direct importing, and local manufacturing allow us to supply the most competitive in Sydney! Our business is split into four divisions: Office Equipment (such as locker, display item, chair, and chairmat etc.); Cleaning Equipment (such as scrubber machine, carpet cleaner, laundry cart, and wet and dry vacs etc); Outdoor Furniture (such as sofa set etc.) and Innovative Customized
Product (such as lid and cup, custom pen, and custom watch etc).
•
Pro-active account management
•
Accurate and timely billing
All you need to do is email us via our enquiry form or call us now to arrange a complimentary onsite appointment. Alternately, call to arrange a time to visit our warehouse in Alexandria Sydney. Come and view the quality of our products, we can show you samples, discuss ideas and you can take away our brochure to peruse at your leisure.
•
Innovative ordering solutions.
Our strategy is simple. We enable our customers to outsource all the products and services they need for the office by helping them simplify their procurement process and reducing their overall cost of doing business. We pride ourselves on providing: •
A single source for all business essentials
•
Next-day business delivery to most major cities
•
Complete & accurate deliveries
•
Prompt & courteous customer support
Shifting the Way Rostering Happens in Australia
I
f you’ve ever had the responsibility of managing a roster, spare a thought for JustRosters founder Aulay Macaulay the 23-year-old Queenslander who manages over 150 rosters on a daily basis! Whilst most young Gold Coasters are hitting the surf or finding their feet after university, Macaulay and his team have the responsibility of ensuring over 5,000 staff from businesses around Australia are kept up to date with their rosters, shift changes and internal communications. “It’s not as difficult as it may sound” explains Macaulay, “we’re essentially in the business of simplifying rostering, so it’s really our clients who are managing their rosters. We’re just supplying the platform to do it much more easily.” Macaulay’s platform, JustRosters, is a powerful online rostering solution that allows its users to build their own roster online, share it with staff, manage shift swaps, forecast labour costs and notify staff of their rosters via SMS and email. Macaulay noticed the problem with traditional rostering or paper based rostering whilst working in various hospitality jobs early in his career. “Throughout my years in hospitality, I lost count of the times I sat on the phone trying to establish when I was working the next week, or had to change my plans because my time-off request had been forgotten and there was no easy way to request a last minute change. I realised that this problem wasn’t going to go away, it followed me and my peers around in every industry we worked in”
WHY US? •
Save time and money
•
Quick response time to ensure your machine runs efficiently and economically
•
Send your enquiry to us via email any time of the day and expect a reply from us within 24 hours except weekends
Tel: Fax: Email: Web:
+61 2 8338 1833 +61 2 8338 9882 sales@totalcorporateservices.com.au www.totalcorporateservices.com.au
The importance of accurate rostering in the tourism and hospitality industry, often stretches far beyond these seemingly basic problems, with a recent study from US consulting firm, Goodwin and Associates reporting, “one of the leading causes of employee turnover in the hospitality industry is dissatisfaction with rosters. In exit interviews with more than 2,300 casual restaurant employees, 81 percent said scheduling was their primary reason for leaving and seeking another job.” Macaulay set out to solve the problem explaining, “we spent a lot of time, working out how we could take the whole process of rostering online and give managers and staff a simple alternative” Macaulay’s hunch and his willingness to back his idea has since payed off and has now been adopted by over one-hundred Australian businesses across hospitality, retail, tourism, accommodation and charities. When asked what were the challenges in setting up such a system, Macaulay explains, “I wanted to create an online rostering software that is easy to navigate for staff and management of all computer levels and is not tech scary. I think we’ve done a good job of that, it’s one of the main reasons for the success.” Clients such as World Vision have also been quick to praise the platform. “JustRosters helps us manage more than 330 staff over 55 locations in a much more efficient way saving us both time and money. Letting staff login to the website and fill out unavailability has removed the need for us to chase and re-enter that data into a separate spreadsheet.” Whilst it may still be early days for the JustRosters team, as more businesses in Australia and abroad realize the benefits of shifting away from their paper based systems Macaulay looks set to make life easier for many more managers and their staff. For more information or a free 14-day trial of Just Rosters software, visit www.justrosters.com.au or email contact@justrosters.com.au. n
Healthy Definitions – Not as Clear as You First Thought? By LYNN MARIE BOWER | Healthy House Institute
All-Cotton Following are terms often applied to healthier household products. Consider them carefully because the meanings may not be what you think.
All-cotton refers to stuffing or fabric consisting of 100%-cotton fibres. However, this term doesn’t always mean such items are all-natural or non-toxic. Because of conventional farming practices, cotton production uses tremendous quantities of pesticides, herbicides, and other toxic agricultural chemicals. Inevitably, some residues from these compounds get on cotton fibres. In addition to chemical contamination acquired through cultivation, wrinkleresisting chemicals (which can be formaldehyde-based resins), synthetic dyes, and stain-resistant treatments, other compounds are often added to cotton fibres during the milling process. As a result, all-cotton fabric can be, in many cases, very chemically laden. And, be careful about purchasing items labeled “made with organic cotton.” They might not be 100% organic cotton.
of natural biological decay processes to break down complex compounds into simple molecules.” This is truly an asset for any product to have—especially if it’s to be composted. However, at the present time, most potentially biodegradable trash is buried in landfills, and because of the manner in which landfills are constructed, virtually nothing in them can ever biodegrade. The tight compaction of alternating layers of trash and clay in typical landfills generally won’t permit the breakdown of materials—even when they have the innate capacity to do so under normal circumstances. Interestingly, in a surprising reversal of popular trends, some products are now actually said to be healthy for the environment because they will not biodegrade. Non-biodegradability is promoted as a positive feature because it helps prevent leachate (seepage) from leaving landfill sites and contaminating water supplies.
All-Natural All-natural means “derived solely from materials or substances in their native state.” These products are neither synthetically nor artificially created. Many natural products are quite benign, but some are not. Lead, ammonia, radon, and asbestos are natural products and they’re potentially quite dangerous. Turpentine, which is made from pine trees, and mint oil, are both natural as well. However, both can be very bothersome to sensitive or allergic persons.
Biodegradable Biodegradable is defined as “the ability
64 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
Hypoallergenic Hypoallergenic means that a product is less likely to cause allergic reactions than other typical products. You should understand, however, that such labeling is not a guarantee against all allergic reactions that could result from a hypoallergenic product’s use. In fact, in most cases, only the most common types of allergy-provoking substances are removed. In addition, other ingredients in certain hypoallergenic formulations may include petroleum-derived substances, even perhaps formaldehyde, that may not be innately healthful.
Made From Recycled Materials Made from recycled materials is a phrase often used when all or part of an item is made from a previously manufactured material or product. Corrugated cardboard boxes, some papers, and many glass bottles often have labels stating they’re made from recycled material. This is highly commendable. However, the percentage of recycled material that is used may be quite low. Sadly, at this time, only a limited number of items are created of 100% post-consumer material. Some of the products labeled “made from recycled materials” have actually been manufactured from scrap material left over from factory production. Using material swept up from the factory floor rather than throwing it away makes good environmental sense, but calling it “recycled” can be misleading.
Non-toxic Non-toxic is defined as not being harmful at concentrations normally used. However, most people believe that it means a substance is innately harmless—and this just isn’t so. In fact, according to the U.S. Federal Hazardous Substances Act, a substance can legitimately be called “nontoxic” if it does not cause acute (suddenonset) health effects. By this narrow, legal definition, some products that cause longterm problems such as cancer or birth defects, or are slow-acting or accumulating poisons, can be called “non-toxic.”
process. No biocides means nothing has been added to kill microorganisms. Many preservatives and biocides commonly used are bothersome to sensitive people, so they routinely avoid all of them, as do many other individuals wanting to live an ecoconscious, chemical-free life. However some preservatives, such as vitamin C, are generally considered both safe and naturally derived. Small amounts of such relatively harmless preservatives are often appropriate in products that otherwise would have very short shelf-lives. This is especially true for foods, in order to prevent possible food poisonings. Also keep in mind that, if you use a product such as biocidefree wallpaper paste or bathtub caulking, you risk unwanted fungal or bacterial growth. Therefore, some products using less-toxic biocides can be better choices than biocide-free versions.
No Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) No volatile organic compounds (VOCs) means that a product does not contain a class of chemicals made up of certain hydrocarbons which are able to rapidly evaporate. VOCs are often found in solvents, paints, caulking materials, household cleaning products, etc. They can be harmful and some are extremely dangerous. However, the natural VOCs released by onions, oranges, and baking bread are considered reasonably safe.
No Preservatives or Biocides
Recyclable
No preservatives refers to the fact that nothing has been added to a product in order to prevent or slow the decay
Recyclable means an item is able to be reused in its present state or form, or is able to be broken down and reformulated
into another manufactured product. This is seen almost universally as a positive attribute. Yet, many companies are not fully utilizing the recyclable items that municipal sanitation departments are amassing through recycling projects and, even today, many communities don’t yet have mandated recycling programs. Therefore, many potentially recyclable materials continue to be buried in landfills, shipped to and dumped in Third World countries, or incinerated. Although being recyclable is obviously an ideal, too much of the material that is called “recyclable” is currently not being recycled because of cost factors, technological limitations, and/or lack of interest.
Unscented Unscented would seem to indicate that a product contains no natural or synthetically derived fragrance. However, some manufacturers use this term or scent-free when the scent has been altered so it can’t be smelled. In some cases—especially with detergents—certain major companies use an additional masking fragrance to cover up or counter the odour of the original fragrance. Obviously, this type of labeling can be somewhat confusing, if not misleading. Unfortunately, for some chemically sensitive persons, the presence of the original scent and the masking fragrances will have an adverse effect. This is because, for them, it’s the chemical composition of the scents that’s bothersome—not the odours themselves. n
www.healthyhouseinstitute.com
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
65
H2O is the Go! By Paula Hodkinson | bio-steam
Water is the universal cleaner, different forms of water excel at different tasks.
A
s we all know, water is the main cleaning agent that we all use every day. Yes it maybe dosed with various chemicals, yes it maybe hot or cold, it maybe used with pressure washers, but water it is, none the less. There has been a quiet revolution taking place with cleaning over the last few years, water is being superheated and used as the ultimate cleaning system. Cutting water waste and chemical costs and bringing benefits to staff and clients.
What is it ? Commercial Vapour steam cleaners typically superheat water to between 150ºC and 180ºC. At these temperatures water is under considerable pressure and curiously, becomes extremely safe. The weird thing is that the higher you raise the temperature of water, the drier it becomes and the safer it is. We have all had the experience of reaching over a boiling kettle for the morning coffee and getting a wake up in the form of a scald instead. Even 30 cm from a kettle spout and you can still be branded. Not so with this superheated water, despite its name, it is only hot for a few centimetres from the exit point and then is cool to the touch. Where it leaves the machine it is still in excess of 120ºC ,so special tools are designed to get the
steam as close to the surface as possible, before it loses its heat and energy. Since it is so dry, the equipment uses very little water. Only 2- 3 litres of water per hour, of which one litre of water converts into 1500 litres of dry vapour steam. Commerce Queensland calculated that a steam unit was over 95% water efficient when used in commercial kitchens.
Where would I use it? The list is literally endless. The equipment is used from kitchen, hospitality, accommodation and maintenance teams to Hospitals and Aged Care to Food Manufacture to Soil Sterilisation you name it steam is there somewhere.
•
Kitchen equipment – Degrease and sanitise equipment, floors, canopies
•
Tiles – Soap scum, grease on splash backs
•
Walls– Hand marks and spills
•
Floors–Grouting , tiles, spot staining carpets, gum removal
•
Mattress– Spot clean and sanitise
•
Quilts–spot clean
•
Air con filters– clean and sanitise
•
Windows and mirrors–streak free and stay cleaner longer
•
Door/Window tracks–removes grime and no broken nails.
•
Bedbugs-– Kills all life cycle www.bedbug.org.au
•
sanitising carpet and upholstery– mites, fleas, smells
•
bathroom detail – taps, toilets, showers, glass
•
BBQs – greasy spills, hot plate >
In hotels and motels some uses are: •
Mould and mildew killing – temperature deactivates spores and kills bacteria
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
67
H2O is the Go!
•
Spas and Saunas – degrease and sanitise, also releases body fats from surfaces
But where does the dirt go? Commercial vapour steam equipment incorporates three tools in one unit. There is a built in wet and dry vacuum, a steam generator and a detergent injection system on all truly commercial machines.
The steam dissolves and moves the dirt, the detergent helps break it up and suspend it and the vacuum removes the fluids and leaves a surface clean and dry almost immediately. No more waiting for detergent to dry on floors, no need to close a whole area. Reduced risks of slips on wet floors is obviously desirable.
a few years there are units that will last decades. As always you get what you pay for.
•
Hygienic cleaning--- kills and deactivates virus and bacteria
The other main technique is the use of steam mops and hand tools that incorporate microfibres to absorb the moisture and grime. Old towels are also great to use with steam so you can recycle those as well. The use of microfibres and steam can even be used to provide a clinical clean for hospitals and aged care facilities. These applications call for more specialised tools in these environments but none the less work on the same principles.
•
Reduced slips and hazards associated with detergents on floors
•
Drastic chemical use reduction.
•
Huge water savings
•
Staff and clients protected from chemicals
•
One piece of equipment with multiple applications.
•
Deep cleaning, in some cases allowing delay even cancellation of refurbishment plans.
Commercial steam units range in price from $2500 to $10k depending on the uses and life expectancy of the equipment. There are units that will last
In summary, steam offers many benefits and versatility that is second-to-none.
Since man discovered fire, he started boiling water. Surgeons and Dentists use steam autoclaves for a reason, it works. n
View mo online now! Visit www.adbourne.com and click on ‘The Motel Owners’ Journal’
Commercial Quality Linen, Bedding and Towels
G
ood quality commercial linen, bedding and towels are an investment in guest comfort and continued repeat business. Bed linen and towels are the items with which your guests have the most direct contact. To create a great lasting impression, these items have to feel comfortable to the touch and be appealing to the eye.
6% for non-Sanforized fabric) and double singed (to prevent pilling). A coloured commercial quality sheet should also be vat dyed so as to be bleach and chlorine resistant. Sheeting fabric manufactured and finished to these standards should meet AS 3789.6, the Australian Standard for healthcare fabric, which is the most rigorous Standard for sheeting in Australia.
Commercial quality bed linen, bedding and towels should retain their shape, colour, appearance and feel even after extensive use in high traffic environments and frequent commercial laundering.
So what makes a towel commercial quality? A commercial quality towel should be made from 100% cotton terry toweling with a medium length pile (to reduce pulling), overlocked seams (to reduce fraying) and either no headers or 100% cotton headers (to retain shape). A coloured commercial quality towel should also be vat dyed so as to be bleach and chlorine resistant.
So what makes a sheet commercial quality? A commercial quality sheet should be made from a minimum 155gsm weight fabric that has been woven from polyester / combed cotton yarn (to reduce creasing) that has been mercerized (to increase yarn strength and fabric lustre), Sanforized (to reduce shrinkage to 1.5% - as opposed to up to
H Polesy & Co Pty Ltd import and stock commercial linen, bedding and towels to suit every level of accommodation and every budget. All products are designed
for use in commercial applications and for commercial laundering. They are manufactured to relevant Australian Standards and are easy care, durable and stylish. To speak with someone regarding your linen, bedding and towel needs please contact your nearest office: Sydney Felicity Gordon
(02) 9311-4191
Melbourne Justin Bragg
(03) 9362-0075
Brisbane Davina Moore
(07) 3806-4100
Perth Debbie Wheeler (08) 9248-4515 Adelaide Ian Hopkinson
(08) 8261-0211
Or to receive your complimentary copy of H Polesy & Co Pty Ltdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Commercial Textiles and Bedding Products catalogue call 1300 765 379 or email promo@polesy.com.au.
New and improved Bed Bug Barrier takes America by storm By MAX AGNEW
A
ward-winning inventor Tony Abrahams has just returned home from America after launching his new scientifically tested Diatomaceous Earth ready Bed Bug Barriers and Bed Bug Barrier Tape at the world’s largest bed bug Summit in Chicago, Illinois where his new products generated enormous interest and worldwide sales.
the product from a mere barrier to, a monitoring system and a killing machine in the USA. This is why it has created such a buzz at the summit and why hoteliers are so interested in the new products.
Tony explains his new products: “My newest invention is the Bed Bug Barrier Tape. It’s a super smooth tape that bed bugs cannot walk across. “It can virtually be used on any size bed leg in the world, including head boards and skirting boards, and will benefit all hotels.
“I was finally giving hotels, hospitals, schools and homeowners exactly what they wanted, a low cost, discreet bed bug killing system on every bed that works 24/7 and lasts for years with little or no maintenance. “Unfortunately in Australia DE (Diatomaceous Earth) is not registered for bed bug control but it is registered in the USA, UK and Europe. “I have a current submission to register Diatomaceous Earth for bed bug control in Australia with the Australian Pesticides & Veterinary Medicines Authority, but unfortunately this is not a quick process”.
“This solved my biggest problem since inventing the bed bug barrier as hotel owners were saying that bed bugs were climbing on beds via the wall. That’s why I invented the bed bug barrier tape as it can be placed anywhere to prevent bed bug access” he said
This cannot guarantee the registration as this is totally up to the APVMA to decide.
The new scientifically tested Diatomaceous Earth ready Bed Bug Barrier has taken
However some comparisons between Diatomaceous Earth and chemicals are:
Diatomaceous Earth
Chemicals
Safe & non toxic
YES
NO
Lasts for years
YES
NO
Can be done in-house
YES
NO
Low cost
YES
NO
100% effective
YES
NO
One application
YES
NO
Spreads bed bugs
NO
YES
Need to be a pest controller
NO
YES
Odour
NO
YES
Its headlines like this that Tony is trying to stop in Australia but if nothing is done then it is only a matter of time!
As bedbugs creep out NYC, tourists crawl away NEW YORK – New York City’s bedbugs have climbed out of bed and marched into landmarks like the Empire State Building, Bloomingdale’s and Lincoln Center, causing fresh anxiety among some tourists who are canceling Big Apple vacations planned for the height of the holiday season. Some travelers who had arranged trips to New York say they are creeped out about staying in hotels and visiting attractions as new reports of bedbugs seem to pop up every few days But those reports, along with bedbug discoveries in movie theaters, hotels and clothing chain stores, are causing skittish travelers to call off trips planned months ago. Industry professionals — who have privately told city officials that they are nervous about bedbugs hurting New York’s reputation — say publicly that they are not aware of any bedbugrelated cancellations. But several would-be tourists tracked down by Associated Press say they are aborting their trips here because they fear the pests.
For more information about the Bed Bug Barrier, visit www.bedbugbarrier.com.au or email tony@bedbugbarrier.com.au
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
73
NO SALT PLEASE Electrolysis of tap water can efficiently disinfect pools and spas By ALAN LEWIS | Pool Consultant
B
ack in 2005 I found a “call for papers” for an international conference entitled “Integrated Concepts In Water Recycling” to be held in Wollongong and organised through the Environmental Engineering Department of the University of Wollongong. This note was inviting anyone involved in the subject to submit papers or posters to the conference. Without giving it too much thought, I surmised it might be helpful to include something which involved the integration of backyard and public pools as major consumers of water, to the effort of conserving or recycling the backwash water from pool filters. This almost coincided with the imposition of strict water rationing for gardens, lawns, and washing cars, in most cities around Australia in the midst of a long period of drought. Writing about this 2010 after a very wet winter – when even deserts are blooming, may seem a little unnecessary. But now with world wide debates raging over Climate Change; and efforts in all parts of the world forcussing on creating capabilities for contending with potentially dire shortages of potable and recreational water; the need for vigilance and action in this area is just as pressing as ever. My submission to the conference was accepted as a poster, and subsequently published in the conference publication – a tome of no less than nearly 800 pages. This along side of a plethora of scientific papers and presentations, all dealing with ways and means of desalinating, recycling, harvesting or purifying, waters from any and every source. Soon after this I also published in the Pool and Spa review an article in the same vein entitled A Strategy For Pool-Water Recycling. This caused quite a bit of controversy because I was then advocating that we should be making every effort to minimise the use of salt chlorination of pools at levels which in effect make it impossible to recycle or conserve water primarily for use as irrigation water for the garden. I was accused of trying to undermine the salt water industry by encouraging them to diminish the salt load in the pool. At the time it was evident that a Swiss company called Adamant Technologies was launching that very concept using Boron Doped Diamond electrodes as a way to achieve that very same objective.
no salt Now Australian Innovative Systems (AIS) after years of research, have brought to the world market a product which can in fact successfully disinfect pool water by electrolysis of tap water; and do that with no greater than a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) level of 500 mg/l. This level allows for proper balancing of water at normal Calcium Hardness (no softeners required) and Alkalinity levels, as dictated by the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) where indoor pools need to be heated using non corrosive water. More importantly it allows for the water to be recycled for irrigation of the gardens and lawns which are usually found adjacent to the pool. Needless to say, any system which refrains from buying water that totals roughly $10 per kilolitre at the consumer’s tap (though only $1-2 to the consumer personally), and then “salinating” it beyond suitability for recycling, should be encouraged. The Ecoline series of products achieves just that. A recent analysis has shown that at current prices (which of course may fluctuate), an investment
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
75
in such equipment for a pool should round out at a cost of about $200 per year for the eight yearly electrode replacement expected by the manufacturer. That would easily cover the cost per year of chlorine needed to disinfect a pool. This of course does not take into account the cost of the energy required to electrolyse the water to compliant levels of disinfectant. I am told that this is no more than any other type of salt chlorination which does require that copious amounts of salt be dosed over the year. There are further ways in which the life of the Ecoline cell can be lengthened. These include: •
The careful control of the flow of the water through the cell
•
The maintenance of a low pH – this can be achieved with CO2 or mineral acid for pH reduction so that the pH would remain between 7.2-7.4
•
Keeping the LSI at the right levels at all times
•
Ensuring the pool is kept clean at all times and that no algae is allowed to develop in “dead areas”; or skimmers left unemptied for too long; or neglecting to backwash at regular intervals so that organic matter captured in the filter is left there too long thereby constantly demanding more disinfectant to break it down.
•
Brushing the dirt that accumulates on the steps or swim-outs where automatic cleaners can’t get to them.
For the Motel owner there are additional advantages – in having an Ecoline electrolyser. In particular this is true for remote areas; island resorts; or outback country areas where cartage of chemical disinfectants add to their cost and present logistical impediments to the supply. Those public pools wishing to have water appropriate for FINA standard competitions now require that pools should have a TDS of no more than 1500 mg/l. Ecoline is unique in providing a way of meeting both the disinfection requirement and yet avoiding the need for the huge chlorine storage tanks that are normally needed – in such Olympic sized plant rooms. Thus handling and chemical safety issues are reduced to a minimum with this environmentally friendly system. Beyond that, it will surprise many to realise, that electrolysis of the natural salts and minerals in the supply water, actually disinfects the water more efficiently than similar systems which rely on huge residuals of salt in the pool – because the salt itself is an impediment to chlorination in otherwise pristine water. High TDS acts as a kind of barrier – or “protection” against the attack of the mixed oxidants on the bacteria and viruses in the water. Research has shown that the electrodes developed by AIS for the Ecoline systems are far superior than other well known materials or metals used in this kind of electrolytic cell such as Carbon; Boron Doped Diamond; Platinum; Titanium; or high grade Stainless Steel. In this case we are referring to the expensive and rare metals which are part of a special a group found in the centre of the atomic table together because they share similar and unique properties; namely Platinum; Iridium; Palladium; Ruthenium; Rhodium & Osmium – known as “noble metals” and are immediately adjacent to Gold and Silver in the table. These are Iridium or Ruthenium or their oxides from which AIS has developed these special electrodes exclusively, while no others in the world today have been able to achieve the
Platinum
Gold
Noble Metals outstanding output of mixed oxidants that these cells do. What then are these “mixed oxidants” that so efficiently destroy (disinfect) the pathogens that are likely to appear in the water while at the same time reduce unwanted Disinfectant By-Products (DBPS) to their benign components? DBPs and the Oxidants found in the water will depend to a large degree on what is in the source water. For example in Sydney’s eastern suburbs we can find at times up to 1.7 mg/l of monochloramines. Clearly this is likely to precurse the development of some small levels of chloroform in the pool. Once these have passed thought the Ecoline cell a few times it is expected that the total (TTHM) trihalomethane residual will be reduced considerably by the electrolysis. On the upside, this type of electrode can produce Free Available Chlorine (HOCl – Hypochlorous Acid); and Chlorine Dioxide (ClO2) from very small residuals of salt as tiny as 10 mg/l. Compare this with the need for 4000mg/l for common salt chlorinators.
More importantly the Ecoline series are prolific in their production of Hydroxyl Radicals ( OH˙) which are the most powerful of oxidants we could find in nature; and from this precursor we have a whole range of oxidants which can be found under various conditions: dissolved oxygen (O2) ; the Oxygen ion (O˙); Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2); Ozone (O3); Hydrogen ion; (H+) even the Hydroperoxy ion HO2 All of these together – even in small quantities – are quite potent to pathogens; yet in small quantities – are benign to bathers ; children or swimming teachers, . This too has been proven with microbiological testing which is the ultimate proof of the efficacy of the disinfection. While we still need to prove scientifically that electrolysis can break down some specific DBPs efficiently in public pools, the signs are that this may be one of the best ways of achieving that. The key to this would be better control of our supply water and less monochloramines in our tap water. More research is needed in this area, before we
no salt can be certain that unwanted DBPs are not presenting a threat to bathers’ health in public pools. It now remains for other Australian electrochemical industrialists to rise to the occasion and join the effort to reduce the need for heavy salt, to minimise DBPs and improve the health of our pools both private and public. n Correspondence: aquazure34@gmail.com
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
77
DIY Pool Water Maintenance — Reducing Costs and Risks
S
parkling clean pool and spa water, nothing says rest and relaxation like lazing around the motel pool on holidays. The swimming pool and spa can be one of the biggest assets to a motel, and is certainly something the holiday maker considers when choosing a destination. How much consideration do you put into the maintenance of your pool water and routine maintenance of the pool plant? Do you do it yourself or do you outsource the maintenance? Doing it yourself can be a great way to cut operations costs, but only if you know what you’re doing. If you get it wrong, it can go really wrong; costing you more money in repairs and consumables, and potentially costing you cancelled bookings and bad press, or even legal costs you if guests get sick. It also means you have a trustworthy person carrying out your pool water maintenance. You know you won’t be cutting corners or being careless of your obligations under your state health department guidelines. And you do know your obligations, don’t you? Your health department may have very specific requirements regarding to how often you have to monitor pool water quality, even down to the kinds of equipment to use. They will also recommend pool water quality parameters (chlorine, calcium, pH and acid balance etc) and how often you carry out microbiological tests. Your motel pool may fall under a specific category, depending on which state you operate in, which guides how it should be run and maintained. These categories are based on risk factors, influenced by kinds of patrons who use the pool, bather loads, and the kinds of activities they are used for. A high risk pool might be one used by infants and small children, shallow high use pools, or pools with access by the general public. A low risk pool might
78 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
be a pool accessed by a small group of residents and guests, such as in a block or residential flats, small bed and breakfast type accommodation or retirement villages.
parameters. Having trained staff onsite to deal with cleanups, testing and rebalancing pool water means the pool has to stay closed for a shorter period of time.
In Western Australia, for example, motel pools are group three pools. Under this category information about bather load, chemical parameters, frequency of testing and pool supervision and operator qualifications are all set out. In Queensland, a motel pool would be considered a category three (low risk) pool. Under this category the requirements for frequency of testing, record keeping and supervision are set out.
But you’re not a pool expert, you run a motel. How do you get all the information and training you need to ensure you are maintaining your pool water for the health and safety of your patrons?
Depending on your health department guidelines, the bather load, water temperature, and depth of your pool, it may have to be tested up to four times a day, and depending on the outcomes of those test may have to be dosed with chemicals. It is much more cost efficient to carry out these tasks yourself, rather than have a service technician visit, two, three, even four times a day. Even if you are using automatic dosing systems, they still have to be calibrated against manual test results on a regular basis. A wide range of factors will impact on your pool water maintenance regime. Do you know how bather load, heat and rain can affect pool water quality? Prolonged heat + increased bather load + rain water can equal algal bloom. Windy days can blow dirt, leaves and pollution into your pool. High patronage of families with small children increases the risk of faecal contamination, which if untreated can lead to transmission of illnesses among your guests. What happens if there is an ‘faecal contamination incident’ in the pool? If you have to call a contract pool service technician, you could be waiting hours for them to turn up, all the while your pool has to stay closed, disappointing your guests, then there’s the time it takes to clean up and bring that water back to healthy
The National Swimming Pool Institute of Australia’s Accredited Specialist course in Domestic and Commercial Pool Water Servicing can provide you with the knowledge to safely and effectively maintain your pool water quality and plant, to health department guidelines. It’s cost efficient, with a minimum investment of $750. You’ll reduce your risk factors. You know you can rely on yourself to carry out the necessary tasks to maintain healthy pool water and you’re not relying on under-qualified or under-experienced contractors. And it means you’re complying with your health department guidelines. And if your are in Queensland, you’ll be complying with the local council requirements under the Toolbox initiative; which strongly recommend NSPI’s Domestic and Commercial Pool Water Servicing course for all operators of commercial pools. And there is no time away from the business, as NSPI offers Recognition of Prior Learning and correspondence delivery. And all their training and assessment materials are specifically designed for the pool industry by skilled and experienced industry professionals. If you would like more information about NSPI’s training and assessment please call 07 3252 6702 or email info@nspi.com.au Contact you state or territory health department or local council for more information about guidelines for pool water maintenance. n
ADVERTORIAL
Liquid assets W
hen it comes to swimming pools and spas, being as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible is not just about doing the right thing by the environment – it will save you as the pool owner both time and money. Several recent innovations from international swimming pool and water treatment specialist Waterco are just the answer.
Energy saving Pump it up Pool pumps are a necessity for keeping your pool water sparkling clean and crystal clear. However, they can become a drain on your electricity bills as they often run much longer than necessary. Look for a pump that reduces your filtration time and keep the intake grates clear of debris so it doesn’t get overworked. “Choosing the correct pump for your pool will make a huge difference in terms of hygiene, appearance and running costs,” says Bryan Goh, group marketing director at Waterco. “It can be confusing, so we always recommend seeking advice from one of our pool experts to match your pool and pump perfectly.” The Waterco multi speed pumps save electricity because they can be run at any RPM (revolutions per minute). They have built in software that shuts the pump off if it runs dry, saving costly repairs, and they are built with permanent magnet motors that produce less heat than regular induction motors with around 30 per cent more efficiency. And you can set a different speed for different functions – low speed for filtering, medium for water features and high speed for spa jets.
Light shows Lights in and around your pool not only create ambience for pool guests but are also a key safety feature. But you should choose the new range of LED pool lights
80 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
for maximum energy efficiency. “An incandescent bulb wastes a significant amount of energy whilst it is producing light,” explains Bryan. “LEDs do not have a filament to heat, so the electrical power is used simply to generate light, considerably reducing electricity.” Waterco’s Britestream LED Light uses energy efficient, super bright LEDs that operate on only 15 watts of energy – that’s 15 per cent of the electrical power of a halogen light. They have a life span of over 70,000 hours and are available as Brite White or Electric Blue depending on the mood of your pool. Not only that, multicoloured functions are unique to LED lights. Waterco’s Britestream Multicolored LED Light can produce a multitude of different colours without the need for a coloured lens, adding a warm ambience to any pool at night. The Light’s multicoloured combinations are easily programmed via its light switch.
Hotting up There are also a number of cost-effective pool heating options on the market that mean guests can make use of your pool year-round – come rain, hail or shine. The new generation of heat pump water heaters extract heat from the air – similar to a reverse cycle air conditioner – and use this heat to heat pool water. “There’s really no contest when it comes to the difference in running costs between a heat pump and a gas pool heater. In fact, you can save up to 80% over LPG and 50% over natural gas,” says Bryan. One of the most advanced heat pumps on the market is the new Canadian Electroheat Subzero heat pump from Waterco. It will heat your pool even when the ambient air is down to 0°C – good news for resorts, motels and hotels located in cooler, less sunny climates. The LED control panel features a continuous digital pool temperature display and incorporates a self-diagnosis system. It also features an
option to switch from pool to spa mode automatically or manually and is very quiet to run. Solar pool heating has also gained in popularity, not only because the cost of energy to heat the pool water is free, but also the principals involved are very simple. “We’ve been working closely with many leading Australian and international resort and hotel brands who have readily adopted solar pool heating technology,” says Tom Giannoulis, solar and pool heating manager at Zane, Australia’s leading solar pool heating specialists. “The benefits are huge in terms of cost and energy efficiency compared to traditional gas or electric pool water heaters.” Zane solar pool systems – distributed by Waterco – consist of a multitude of miniature solar absorber tubes to maximise the surface area exposed to the sun and therefore the energy captured. The continued circulation of water through these tubes gradually and effectively heats the pool water increasing its overall temperature. The Zane Gulfstream, and now the new Zane Gulfpanel systems, both feature a computerised solar controller, ensuring the pool’s temperature is constantly controlled and monitored. The only operation cost is the energy required for the solar pump, so a solar system pays for itself in just a few years.
Clean sweep For completely efficient – and effortless – pool management, opt for a robotic pool cleaning system. Waterco’s new Nitro Wall Scrubber represents the next generation of energy efficient pool cleaners. Replicating your pool’s filtration system, the Nitro Wall Scrubber vacuums in water, dirt and debris via an internal pump, and filters the water via its filtration system. The cleaner micro filters and circulates the pool water reducing filter maintenance, saving
water and pool chemicals. But one of the best things about the Nitro Wall Scrubber is that it operates on only 120 watts of power, reducing energy consumption by 90% in comparison to pressure pool cleaners.
Water saving Filter water The filtration system is the heart of your pool, pumping the water through a filter and returning it to the pool in pristine condition. How long you should filter your pool for depends on its size, equipment, usage and environment – the more your pool is used the more filtering it will need. There are several different kinds of filters, though cartridge filters use significantly less water. Waterco’s Opal XL cartridge filters are designed to house an extra-large filter cartridge fabricated from pleated reusable polyester fabric, maximising its dirt holding capacity and minimising filter maintenance. An award-winning invention by Waterco is the innovative MultiCyclone, offering water saving with a twist. The revolutionary new Australian-designed compact swimming pool filtration device conserves precious pool water and reduces maintenance, easily saving up to 7000 litres of pool water per year. Fitted to existing pool filters or installed to new pools, it has no moving parts to wear and no filter components to clean or replace. “In short, the pool water ends up cleaner with less upkeep,” says Bryan. “The MultiCyclone gathers dirt that would normally go into the filter, and drains it out. This cuts 80 per cent of the dirt that clogs your filter and extends its life.”
Cover up The simplest way to reduce evaporation is easy as keeping a lid on it. A pool cover offers a barrier and, if used each day, will reduce the 5mm evaporation occurring daily by 95 per cent. Not only that, they can actually warm the pool water by around 8°C and reduce your heating bill by up to 70 per cent. A cover also improves water health by safeguarding against dirt and debris, which in turn makes life easier for your filtration and cleaning systems. Choose from thermal blankets, leaf cover and slat covers or go for the popular bubble blanket. “These are great value for money and are easy to install, use and have an exceptional life span,” says Derek Prince from Daisy Pool Covers. “Even if you have an indoor heated pool, we still recommend that you use a pool cover to save on energy costs and keep condensation in the pool rather than letting it seep into the walls and roof of the pool room which can cause structural damage.” n
Useful websites www.energyrating.gov.au www.smartwatermark.org www.sydneywater.com.au
www.energyaustralia.com.au www.savewater.com.au www.waterco.com.au
Front-Load vs. Top-Load Laundry Equipment By Sean West | Laundry Solutions Australia
C
onsidering the environment we now live in with a constant focus on saving water and the advent of global warming, when Motel Owners need to replace or upgrade their laundry equipment there are a growing number of proprietors looking for suitable (more efficient) front load washers and dryers to replace their old top-loaders. Believe it or not they are hard to find! Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty of domestic front-load washers and dryers out there but you need to look a little harder to find the appropriate commercial grade that we know we all need. Some proprietors have made the switch to front-loaders but have bought domestic style, thinking that is all there is available. This has lead them to some unfavourable experiences being wash programs running far too long, capacity limitations, reliability issues and also disappointment when they find that the warranty that comes with their domestic style equipment is for domestic use only. Laundry equipment suppliers have not managed the transition from commercial top-load washers to commercial frontloaders very well. There needs to be more information and education out there so proprietors can make an informed decision just as they did when they invested in their commercial top-loaders some years ago. So for the sake of clarity, below are some of the main differences between commercial front-loaders and top-loaders:
Capacity An 8kg Front-load washer can truly hold 8kgs of washing. An 8kg capacity top-load washer holds far less than this (approximately 5-6kgs). This is due to the fact that the top-load washer has an
agitator in it that takes up a large volume of the drum. So whilst the top-loader is marketed as an 8kg washer it is in-fact a 5-6kg washer.
Water Consumption A top-load washer needs to fill water near to the top of the drum in order to ensure that all of the laundry gets wet whereas a frontload washer only needs to fill to 40 percent of the drum as the drum is positioned horizontally thus picking up the laundry and dropping it back into the wash bath.
Wash Quality The process involved in lifting laundry up then submersing it again in water is by far the most effective way to clean laundry. This is what front-load washers do by design. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no question that submersing laundry into a vertical drum of a top-loader and having agitators turning not only is less effective at cleaning but is more harsh on fabrics due to the twisting motion.
Space Front-load washers have an advantage that you can have a dryer stacked on top which takes up less floor space within your laundry. Commercial front-loaders can also come with a plinth (or pedestal) that raises the height of the door to make it more ergonomic. In some applications this space has also been used to save more water with a water re-use system located inside the plinth.
Drying time Front-load washers typically spin faster than top-load washers which results in less moisture to remove during the drying process.
General Features & Design One of the little known facts about frontload washers is that they are actually a simpler design. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a gearbox and actuators that the top-loaders have. These are the things that tend to fail first these days because they are made with nylon gears (not steel like the old days). Commercial front-load washers have the ability for programs to be changed like water levels, time etc. This is something that is unique to commercial front-load washers and is not available on top-loaders or domestic front-loaders Commercial front-loaders can be setup with coin operation which is a major advantage for guest laundries.
Price competitiveness In the past this is the one area where the commercial top-loader has had it over the commercial front-loader. However this issue has changed simply through the laws of supply and demand. People are now seeing the price gap between these two types of laundry equipment close to one or two hundred dollars on washers and price parity on dryers. Given the fact that there is major savings on energy and water and a gain in efficiency indicate that you actually get better value from a commercial front-load washer than the old commercial top-loader. n
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
83
Talking Trash: Odour and Germ Control in Commercial Garbage Chutes By Shane Taylor | Operations Manager, Purifying Solutions Pty Ltd
A
s the warm summer months approach the attention of managers and maintenance staff will be increasingly drawn to the refuse chute; where residents and holiday makers discard prawn shells and the remnants of other tasty treats, with little after-thought to where their rubbish goes or the hygiene implications it creates. The demand for odour and germ control products is always highest during the heated summer months. Although odour control is only one aspect of a healthy garbage system, odour complaints from motel guests is often the driving force behind a buildings decision to take action. “Perhaps the most important questions to ask when selecting an odour management system, is whether it also provides protection against airborne pathogens” Says Bruce Taylor, whose company consults to the hospitality industry on air quality control for refuse systems. Understanding that a refuse chute is literally a dumping ground for discarded waste, it is surprising how little attention is often given to the health & safety questions it raises. In recent studies it was found that at least thirty different biological and bacterial growths can occur on the inner surface of garbage chutes and within the confined air space of the collection room, including Salmonella, E. Coli 0157, Dysentery, and Legionella.1
Because garbage chutes have a naturally occurring updraft, often referred to as ‘the chimney effect’, it is easy to understand that the same garbage chute used to
84 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
carry waste into the rubbish bins can also transport airborne bacteria back to lot owners, tenants and guests; potentially causing illness, injury and disease. Mark Frampton, a solicitor on the Gold Coast, advises that a reasonable response to that risk is required. There are three significant areas to consider when implementing an effective waste management system, which would likely include; 1. Regular garbage chute cleaning 2. Permanent installation of an odour and germ control system 3. Regular waste removal and emptying of the rubbish bins
Garbage Chute Cleaning Over time the interior of a garbage chute becomes soiled and requires cleaning. There are various methods used to carry out the cleaning process, which will vary depending on the contractor you select. Common cleaning methods involve utilising a specially designed higherpressure jet or brush system, which is slowly lowered throughout the chute. It is always a good idea to ask for references when choosing your cleaning contractor, and to seek clarification on what their service includes. In addition to cleaning the chute, many contractors will also thoroughly clean and disinfect around the chute doors on each level, as well as the rubbish bins and bin room itself. It is commonly recommended that chutes be cleaned at least twice per
year, although three to four times can be optimal, depending on your building and how many apartments share each chute.
Controlling Airborne Pathogens and Odours The imagination cannot limit what is found in a typical garbage bin; food scraps, soiled nappies, medical items and seafood are some of the common hygiene or odour producing culprits. A portion of the odours and other microorganisms from this waste are likely to become airborne with the chutes natural updraft, to then be exposed to residents and guests as they open the chute doors to dispose of their rubbish. There are a number of different product types which provide odour management in refuse chutes; some of these also provide germ control, which have the additional benefit of assisting a Body Corporate or Motel Management with their duty of care requirements. 1. Spray Systems These systems typically work by spraying a fragranced odour neutralising substance into the garbage chute at regular intervals. Depending on the product this fragrance will either work by masking or neutralising the rubbish odours. A maintenance contract will likely be entered into, whereby the service provider will refill the bottles as required, usually on a monthly basis. The disadvantage of odour neutralising sprays, when compared with other options, is that they generally do not offer contain the germicidal ability to assist with combating the spread of airborne pathogens.
2. Ozone Systems Ozone based systems have become an increasingly popular choice for Motel Managers and Body Corporates over the past several years. The principal benefit of Ozone is that it physically destroys odours and pathogens by oxidation, rather than masking them. It is commonly asked; ‘What is Ozone, and what good does it do in my garbage system?’ Ozone is molecule which is created naturally in our atmosphere by the suns UV rays, and during thunder storms. In fact you are breathing small amounts of Ozone right now. Ozone consists of 3 atoms of Oxygen (03), in comparison, the air we breathe to live is 2 atoms of Oxygen (02). When Ozone comes in contact with odours or other airborne pollutants, it reverts itself back into regular Oxygen (02) and deposits its additional Oxygen atom onto the unwanted pollutant. This process is known as oxidation, and physically destroy the harmful pathogen or unwanted odour, leaving in their place regular Oxygen (02). Because Ozone will naturally revert back into regular Oxygen (O2) very quickly, it must be generated on-site with an Ozone generator. The Ozone is then dispersed by the generator into the garbage chute, and possibly the rubbish bin also depending on the system configuration. If you have a steel garbage chute it is highly recommended to select an Ozone system which uses Ultraviolet light to create Ozone instead of Corona Discharge technology. This is because most Corona Discharge systems will also create nitrogen oxides which can be highly corrosive, particularly in the humid summer months. When Ozone is
produced by Ultraviolet energy, such as with the Si-Zone™ Ozone technology it does not produce any corrosive nitrogen oxides by-products. 3. Garbage Doctor (Multiple Technologies) The Garbage Doctor is a purpose built product for continuous 24 hour operation in commercial refuse systems. It integrates three odour and germ control technologies: a Si-Zone™ Ultraviolet Ozone generator, Hydroxyl Radicals, and Germicidal UV-C light. The Garbage Doctor operates by dispersing very clean Ozone into the chute and rubbish bin or compactor. Additionally, air in the bin room itself is circulated through a sterilisation chamber where powerful Germicidal UV-C light and Hydroxyl Radicals further treat odours and pathogens in the contaminated air. Typically, each of the above solutions can be either purchased outright or installed on a lease basis, which usually includes all ongoing warranties and maintenance. Interestingly, there is often little or no price difference between each of the systems, so if you have an existing odour management system that is not addressing health concerns, there will likely be no cost for you to upgrade to one that does. n www.garbagedoctor.com.au (Si-Zone is a registered trademark of Purifying Solutions Pty Ltd.) 1.
Maurice Baum I.H., Environmental Research & Restoration, Inc.
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
85
Why Latex?
and generally making a more comfortable bed. •
Healthier and more hygienic. Natural antibiotic properties from the rubber tree prevent dust mites, bacteria and fungi (moulds) from growing in latex. Polyurethane foam needs to be chemically treated to try and achieve this protection that comes naturally with latex.
•
Removable, washable, replaceable covers available on some latex mattresses give a cleaner sleeping environment and solves the problem of stained covers in domestic and commercial use.
•
Minimal partner disturbance and no creaking or spring noises gives a more peaceful nights sleep.
•
A well designed latex mattress with ventilation holes top, bottom and sides provides a cool and dry sleeping environment. Watch out for layers of polyurethane foam in top or side layers that reduce the air flow. This is usually done to cheapen the production. It is also often the source of body impressions reducing the life of the mattress.
•
Rigorous quality control will deliver latex mattresses with consistent feel and performance and excellent durability. You can expect 3 times the life out of a good quality latex mattress. (Choice Magazine: mattress buying guide.)
•
Guarantee: body impressions. Most bed manufacturers guarantee their beds not to exceed 35mm body impressions. (Check most company websites’ warranties.) Maybe acceptable to them but not a customer! Good quality latex mattresses are guaranteed to perform to ISO 3885 to have less than 5% loss of height. (That’s 10mm in a 20cm mattress.)
By DAVID NUGENT | Latex Bedding Company
usually use calcium fillers. Too much filler drastically reduces the life and durability of the product. Word games are usually played by the producers saying “100% natural latex” meaning fillers but no synthetic and “100% latex” meaning natural and some synthetic but no fillers. Most latex foam is produced using the Dunlop method. Some is produced using the more complicated Talalay method which involves freezing the mix and is far more energy intense. There is little evidence for either generally producing a superior product.
What is it? Latex is produced from the sap from rubber trees grown in the tropics. Havea brasiliensis, originally from Brasil, is now grown mainly through Asia. The trees are grown in plantations for 20 to 30 years. When they are past efficient production they are cut for rubber wood which is a very good furniture timber. The plantation is typically then replanted. The sap is collected daily and, for example, it takes the sap collected from 20 trees each day for 14 days to provide enough material for one pillow. This is a sustainable and environmentally responsible low impact material production process. Being a natural product like, say, wine good producers have to achieve consistency in their production. This is important to make sure that a latex mattress from one batch will feel and perform in the same way as that from another. To achieve this consistency and procesability all producers blend some material with the latex. They either blend some synthetic latex or some calcium based fillers, like chalk. The European producers typically use synthetic latex and the Asians and New Zealand
86 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
Latex foam can be used instead of the usual polyurethane comfort layers in an innerspring mattress or be used as the entire core of the mattress. Latex pillows are an excellent match with a latex mattress. They have the same benefit of keeping their shape for a very long time and being able to be washed and spun dry. They can also be a handy add on sale at check out time. Guests will certainly ask whether they are for sale.
Benefits •
Superior elasticity. Latex foam is more resilient with a better feel giving better body support and making it easier to move in bed, something we need to do many times during the night for healthy sleep.
•
Better for the environment in 2 ways. It is a natural product made from a sustainable resource. It lasts around 3 times longer than alternative beds reducing the number of mattresses needing to be produced.
•
More even pressure distribution improving blood circulation allowing longer time in the deep sleep cycle
A good quality latex mattress will far outlast an innerspring mattress with polyurethane comfort layers. It should be more comfortable during its lifetime. Although maybe initially dearer it should be better value over the life of the mattress. It can also be a real point of difference in promoting a five star sleeping experience. n www.latexbeddingco.com.au
mo Product News Australia’s Largest Motel Chain Turns 25
A
ustralia’s largest accommodation group is looking towards some exciting developments as it strengthens its coverage of Australia. Golden Chain Motor Inns, with more than 340 properties, says its achievements have been based on providing value for money to property owners as well as generating a brand that can be associated with quality accommodation. Stephen Drew, general manager of Golden Chain, says the Golden Chain brand has strong recognition among tourists and business travellers and this would be a key factor in its success in the future. Golden Chain is very serious about Internet Marketing; with studies showing as much as 40% of all bookings derived from customers looking and booking, on the net. As Australia’s largest motel group, our challenge is to market and sell for a diverse spread of property types and destinations. To improve our members’ results we have redeveloped our website to include more pictures, descriptions, map mash-ups and even video. Naturally, website optimisation is massively important to maximize search engine results. We optimise to increase traffic to our main website and we take steps to pass value on to our members’ websites to create a holistic strategy which tries to place our members at the top for all relevant searches. Our website helps guests to quickly find and qualify the best accommodation for their needs and then gives them simple options to make bookings. We provide guests with live availability and pricing (bookings are commission free) as well as links to our member’s website and toll free reservations numbers that are a direct connect with the property. Golden Chain is also deriving its message of “quality not quantity” into key markets such as Sydney were it is establishing a stronger presence to meet the demands of travellers. The group remains focused on the philosophy when it was founded 25 years ago of being “the best, not necessarily the biggest” and it is this message that has hit a chord with moteliers across Australia. Cross-feeding of properties - from the city to the regions and vice versa - builds the standing
and reputation of the brand and Golden Chain says it has many loyal travellers seeking accommodation in both areas. With over 340 motels throughout the nation, Golden Chain has more than 8,000 room nights available every day of the week, which means 8,000 people being referred throughout the network. Golden Chain says this referral business is the best and cheapest from of advertising, allowing member funds to go towards other forms of promotion. That’s also the reason the group has a tiny office support operation, employing just 6 people. The group says that means member contributions are kept to a minimum and 80% of those fees go towards promotion of the group.
Protect·A·Bed® celebrates 30 years of mattress protection!
Protect·A·Bed® Healthy Sleep Zone Solutions can assist with the following hospitality concerns: •
Staining of mattresses
•
Bed bugs and dust mites
•
General hygiene – ensuring the mould and bacteria that breed in mattresses and pillows are kept out of harm’s way.
•
Accidental spills, bodily fluids.
David Kaplan attributes the company’s success to the team’s focus and dedication to provide complete customer satisfaction and Protect·A·Bed®’s promise and assurance that they will not compromise on quality or service. www.protectabed.com.au
Busy Nippers
M
P
rotect·A·Bed®, the originator of waterproof mattress protectors, celebrates 30 years of success with its status as the number one selling mattress protector worldwide and representation in 29 countries! Protect·A·Bed® was started in South Africa in 1980. David Kaplan, Managing Director and inventor of the Miracle Membrane®, set out to make a product that would provide waterproof protection. After years of research and development effort, the Protect·A·Bed® Premium product was created in its current and effective form.
ost hoteliers have glimpsed the disdainful looks from child free customers when kids are playing up in your hotel. Wouldn’t it be great if you could keep your little customers happy? Their parents would be more relaxed and so would your other customers. Many hotels have now turned to Busy Nippers, the children’s activity bag specialist, to keep children busy and occupied. At only 95 cents per bag plus GST and delivery, the activity bags are great value and include a pack of 4 crayons, laminated sticker scene and stickers, 6 puzzles like dot to dot and word search and a set of stencils or jigsaw. The activities all come in a themed colourful bag that the children take away with them.
17 years ago, David immigrated with his family to Australia and today, is a proud Australian manufacturer.
The activity bags can be utilised at check in with excited children, in room while Mum and Dad unpack or at the restaurants to keep bored children amused and allow your adult guests to relax.
Today, with the Healthy Sleep Zone Solutions™ range, Protect·A·Bed® now provides solutions beyond water and stain proofing with brands that provide a healthy, hygienic and comfortable sleep environment for a range of sleep-health concerns.
The bags can be personalised with your own logo, theme or brand too( subject to quantity). It’s an effective and affordable marketing tool. For more information or to visit the Busy Nippers on line store go to www.busynippers.com.au or call the team on 07 5561 7072.
mo |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
87
mo Product News are carbon dioxide (CO²), water (H²O) and biomass.
THE PRACTICAL FITTED BEDCOVER
To compliment the biodegradable tubes we packaged our NATURAL EVOLUTION accessories in recyclable card packs and used internal paper sachets, eliminating any plastic or cellophane wrappers.
NATURAL EVOLUTION Combines luxury Body Care with Biodegradable Products and Packaging
R
enowned for its innovative and up-market selection of toiletries, Swisstrade Pty Ltd is addressing the environmental impact of our hospitality industry with its latest bathroom amenities collection. The new NATURAL EVOLUTION range is especially designed to minimize the environmental foot print and to cater for today’s eco conscious hotel guests. These luxury toiletries are the ideal solution for environmentally responsible hotels and motels, as well as eco aware resorts and serviced apartments. The global accommodation industry is estimated to dispose of over 10 Billion (10,000,000,000) pieces of packaging from bathroom amenities every year - with alarming environmental consequences. This has inspired us to create NATURAL EVOLUTION - a luxury amenity range, which is not only recyclable, but also biodegradable. The portion sizes are kept small, in order to reduce wastage and the packaging is recyclable and attractive. The natural degradation of plastic (polymers) occurs very slowly and usually takes 100’s or even 1000’s of years. NATURAL EVOLUTION toiletries however, are packaged in revolutionary biodegradable plastic tubes, the first bathroom amenities packaging in Australia to contain the ingredient Reverte™. Developed and patented by scientists in the UK, Reverte guarantees plastic to biodegrade in a few short years (compliant with ASTM D6954). Due to the trigger mechanisms in Reverte the plastic starts to decompose when the product is discarded or disposed in landfills. When exposed to sunlight, oxygen and/or heat, the tubes and caps are initially broken down through oxidation and ultimately become available for microbial digestion. The end products of this “oxo-biodegradation process”
88 |
Vol 11 No. 2 |
mo
All NATURAL EVOLUTION cosmetic products are made from carefully selected ingredients, they are biodegradable and include Aloe Vera extract. The Aloe Vera plant contains over 160 beneficial nutrients and has therefore been used for medical purposes for over 2000 years. This sophisticated and natural amenities range with its soothing fragrance and relaxing effect of Aloe Vera, will gently cleanse and moisturize the skin and restore your hairs’ natural vitality. We believe the reputation of hotels or resort is influenced by the quality and presentation of bathroom amenities. We would be delighted to assist you in pampering your guests with our superior bathroom products, making their stay an enjoyable and memorable one - whilst caring for the environment. For further information on our selection of products we invite you to visit our brand new website, or call Swisstrade Pty Ltd on (02) 9979 1500, fax on (02) 9979 2555 or contact our selected distributors in your state.
The “Affordable” Bedcovering Alternative
T
he HotelHome Printed Bed Wrap & Practical Fitted Bedcover is a smart and “affordable” bedcovering alternative to a white third flat sheet for heavy traffic accommodation properties.
THE BED WRAP
Tailored Bedcover with Fully Fitted sewn in corners (at the foot of the bed), Unquilted. Available as a full drop Bedcover or a Cap-top. This Bedcover can be presented as a “Flat top” (as represented in image above), with crisp white pillowcases exposed or as a semi long-top. 1. Neat & Easy Bedcovering Presentation The Bed Wrap & Practical Fitted Bedcovers have been developed in Australia by HotelHome for accommodation properties looking for simplistic and contemporary bedcovering options with the same function as a bedspread, whilst still offering ease to housekeeping staff when bed making. 2. Cleanliness The HotelHome unquilted bedcovering styles do not require frequent laundering however due to the fabric qualities used to produce these bedcoverings, they are easy to wash and do not take up excess space when being stored. 3. Warmth The Bed Wrap can be used for warmth like an extra blanket as this bedcovering style is not fully fitted in the corners. 4. Heavy Duty Fabric The HotelHome printed Panama fabric has been woven with a slub linen finish in an easy care 50/50 Cotton Polyester. This fabric offers an upmarket look, by using small textured designs, at a budget price. This fabric is specially woven wide width, which enables HotelHome to produce bedcoverings with no joins. This method of manufacture provides extra strength and a more professional overall look & finish. For more information on bedcovering options, contact HotelHome Australia.
Unquilted Bedcover with no joins. Decorative Cover (or substitute for third flat sheet). Can be presented fully fitted (tucked into the mattress) or folded as a bed runner at the end of the bed.
phone : 1800 HOTELHOME (1800 468 354) email : sales@hotelhome.com.au
web : www.hotelhome.com.au