The importance of modernising and maintaining facilities

By Sarah Davison,

Industry Reporter

Tourists are fl ocking to holiday parks in record numbers and for many, it may be time to revisit the guest facilities they off er.

With the COVID-19 pandemic largely putt ing the brakes on travel for nearly two years, the current trend is seeing families spending big on high-quality, high end, camping, and caravanning gear. BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park, General Manager, Andrew Hewitt said this move towards the more premium end of the market needs to be refl ected in the guest facilities at holiday parks. “I think that COVID has really changed peoples’ perception of what clean and sanitised means,” he said.

“Coming from a food and beverage background, I’ve always said that if you walk past a restaurant and you see dirty plates stacked up on tables and the place is empty, it’s not very appealing. “But if you walk past a restaurant and it’s clean and tidy and well-organised, it’s a natural enticement to come in. It’s the same with guest facilities at holiday parks.” Communal guest facilities can range from laundry, shower, and toilet facilities to barbecue, pool, and play areas. In addition to general cleanliness and hygiene, Mr Hewitt said keeping these facilities fresh and modern was important, with guests beginning to expect all the mod cons. “Keeping it looking modern shows that your property is loved and cared for, and by extension that you love and care for your guests,” he said. Mr Hewitt said with current trends across the industry, it was going to be interesting to see how holiday parks responded to the move toward high-end campers. At BIG4 Gold Coast, Mr Hewitt said he regularly saw families arriving in caravans and campervans worth over $100,000 and he made the point that holiday parks must respond to the expectations of these guests. “They’re in the most luxurious caravans, they’ve got all the mod cons and all the fancy equipment,” he said. “So you don’t want someone rocking up in this big, beautiful van and seeing old barbecues covered in grease and grime- they’re just not going to feel at home.” While BIG4 Gold Coast prides itself on its wide range of facilities, Mr Hewitt said that holiday and caravan parks that deliver a more “back to nature” experience should also keep an eye on their facilities. “If you’re off ering that more natural experience and have only a few facilities on-site, it’s important to ensure that those are also clean and well looked aft er,” he said.

“People have high expectations and I think they’re only going to get higher.” Mr Hewitt said his holiday park was always looking at how to improve guest facilities, by refurbishing existing off erings and building new ones to meet demand.

He said that keeping design elements cohesive throughout the park, and including modern fi nishes was key. “Whenever we’re building a new space, we want it to be spacious and classy,” Mr Hewitt said. “Despite us being a caravan park, we’re very modern with everything we build. It’s all about maintaining that high quality and keeping ‘the look’ consistent across the park.”

Image courtesy of DA Christie

Laundry facilities

On why it is so important for holiday parks to provide excellent laundry facilities AccomNews consulted Shaun Naughton, the Sales Manager and laundry facility specialist at Veeco, a leading supplier of commercial laundry equipment, to the accommodation sector. P50

Simply the best barbecue experience

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Aft er 50 years as a trusted provider to the leisure industry, Christie Barbecues products are synonymous with quality, reliability, and value for money. Our gas and electric barbecues provide the ultimate user experience for residents and visitors enjoying the beautiful Australian outdoors. We ensure that our cooktops are powerful enough to cook large quantities of food quickly and hygienically without compromising on energy effi ciency. Christie is committ ed to continuous product improvement. We guarantee you will have the latest electronic engineering backed by a dedicated in-house technical service team for complete peace of mind.

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We press our barbecue grill plates from a single sheet of 90% recycled, a high-grade stainless-steel alloy with excellent heat dispersal properties that is environmentally friendly and easy to clean. Christie’s safety innovation has become the industry standard, including a six-second ignition delay and a sterilisation cycle for ultimate food hygiene. With these built-in failsafes, you are assured that hygienic target cooking temperatures will always be reached.

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Shared barbecues experience high use that can defeat domestic and low powered commercial alternatives. With some of our barbecues still in use aft er more than 35 years, they are renowned for exceptional quality and durability.

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Our cooktops are self-contained cooking appliances with no butt ons on the benchtop or door. This gives you the freedom to order them with our robust prefabricated cabinets or install them into an outdoor kitchen that suits your needs. With reticulated gas, bott led gas, and electric options available, it’s easy to create the best possible cooking amenities for your guests.

For more information, please visit www.dachristie.com

Superior barbecue technology.

Barbecues for everyone

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Image courtesy of DA Christie

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He explained that because Australian travellers can be on the road for a few days before arriving at their holiday park destination, they really look forward to refreshing their clothes and linen.

He said: “The experience they receive from the laundry facilities can define the quality of the whole holiday park. There is nothing worse than being confronted with clapped out equipment in grubby spaces, often marked ‘out of order’. Instead, he said guests want to find modern equipment that is in good working order, in clean and bright surroundings. “They also want somewhere to sort and fold their linen and a comfortable place to sit. After all it’s a great opportunity to mix with other travellers, share stories and make new friends,” he said.

But when choosing equipment, it’s essential to find a supplier that offers quality equipment, supported by ongoing service and spare parts back up for the whole life of the equipment,” he said. “Also, it’s smart to insist on a full parts warranty.” The design of your laundry will always be dependent on the physical shape of the building, the allocated space and location of services. But Mr Naughton advised to ask your laundry equipment supplier for assistance with design so you can receive professionally drawn up plans to suit your individual needs, completely free of charge. We asked, can a laundry be a source of revenue for a holiday park? “Yes. Depending on the traffic flow there are many opportunities to add value to the direct revenue received from the laundry equipment itself, such as food and drinks dispensers or other additional complementary services,” he said.

And he recommended “going cashless”, because it enables unrestricted expenditure on the facilities and services sometimes limited by the amount of cash a customer has in their pocket.

He added: “This is an everincreasing problem because most people are now using less and less cash. The removal of cash from your premises has other benefits too, it minimises the incidents of vandalism and theft.

“In my experience, the damage caused in search of a few coins is often much greater than the cost of repair.”

Barbecue facilities

AccomNews consulted Paul Conradie, Head of Sales at Christie, a leading supplier of barbecue equipment, about the importance of providing excellent outdoor cooking facilities for holiday park guests.

He said: “The experience of cooking and sharing food outdoors is familiar to most cultures. It brings people together and improves the outdoor recreation experience. Shared barbecue facilities encourage people of all abilities, ages, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds to get to know each other and promote a sense of connection and wellbeing.” He told us that guests always appreciate pleasant surroundings in which to enjoy their meal. He said: “Locate your barbecue central to, but not next to, multiple sets of table sett ings, so users don't infringe upon adjacent parties. Minimise the free food preparation space to prevent it from being used as a table and encourage a rapid turnover of parties using shared facilities.” He advised: “Australian society is very multicultural. Visitors want facilities that can prepare a range of foods. A fl at grill plate is versatile and easier to cook on and clean than traditional domestic and commercial barbecue designs. It can cook a range of food, from a fried breakfast to stir-fries, toasted sandwiches and, of course, a great steak. Cleaning can be very time-consuming for facility owners, so insist on an all-stainless-steel design that is easy to clean.” He said: “Food hygiene is critical, so look for a sterilisation cycle that ensures a safe cooking temperature is always reached. Any communal barbecue must be powerful enough to quickly and evenly cook a large volume of food over the entire cooking surface. Make sure your barbecue is fi t-for-purpose so as not to disappoint visitors. Lowpowered options can take longer, and people don’t like waiting in line to cook. Buy directly from a manufacturer that can provide fast, reliable aft er-sales support if the barbecues break down during a busy period.” When designing your whole outdoor dining area, he said: “For safety, install barbecues in plain view, so children are always visible. Ensure that there are no climbing aids such as trees or retaining walls in the immediate vicinity. Where possible, use fences and shrubs to provide a sense of privacy for parties to socialise while enjoying their meal.”

“With a trend towards an ageing population and a signifi cant number of ‘grey nomads’ in Australia, it’s smart to consider providing accessibility to everyone. This includes required clearances, approach pathways, and access for people with limited mobility, as well as cleaning and maintenance teams.”

Finally, he added: “Remember there are signifi cant diff erences between domestic, commercial, and communal barbecues. Communal barbecues are specifi cally designed for shared use. Investing in the best possible facilities will provide a superior experience for barbecue users.”

Image courtesy of DA Christie

INVISIBLE INNOVATION WITH SALTO ÆLEMENT FUSION ELECTRONIC LOCK

Security, effi ciency and design are all essential aspects of access control in the highly competitive hospitality sector. Ælement Fusion is an electronic lock with a sleek reader accentuated by an interactive light ring that illuminates when access credentials are presented, providing a minimalistic design that blends with any hotel décor. Ælement Fusion incorporates SALTO’s stand-alone, batt ery-powered electronic lock and technology, SVN data-on-card and advanced BLUEnet wireless technology with online, real-time capabilities — all without using wires. This allows guests and staff to use their smartphone as a key and provides management with signifi cant administrative cost savings. C SALTO Systems P 03 8683 9782 E info.oceania@saltosystems.com W hospitality.saltosystems.com

NARDI DOGA RANGE

Introducing the Doga range from Nardi, it encompasses all you have come to expect from Nardi. Italian made with Italian fl air, designed, and built for commercial use featuring fi berglass reinforced polyprop for maximum strength and durability. Choose from the arm or armless dining chair or the Relax version, also complimented by a matching side table. All options stack and are available in six on trend colours. Enquire now about the Doga range or any of our resort focused products.

C Daydream Furniture P 07 5493 4277 E sales@daydreamleisure.com.au W daydreamleisure.com.au

NERO COOL TOUCH KETTLE

For those properties wanting to give their guests that litt le bit extra, the Nero Double Wall kett le fi ts the bill. Covered by an outer plastic shell over a stainless-steel body, the kett le is cool to touch even when boiled. Its 0.8L capacity is perfect for the accommodation industry and its black matt fi nish fi ts any décor. Other features include a concealed element for easy cleaning, 360-degree rotational base for easy access and push butt on lid for easy fi lling. This is another innovative product from Nero, Australia’s largest range of accommodation electrical appliances. C Weatherdon P 02 9906 2202 E sales@weatherdon.com.au W weatherdon.com.au

COMAC VISPA 35

The Vispa 35 is a best-in-class solution for cleaning compact spaces and easily replaces manual cleaning. This floor scrubber features intelligent technology and robust design, giving operators the ability to wash, dry and sanitise floors in an all-in-one action, making the floor immediately walkable and non-slippery. This product is perfect for small professional environments such as shops, offices, lunchrooms, hairdressers and schools.

C Godfreys Commercial P 1800 314 580 E commercial@godfreys.com.au W godfreys.com.au

COMAC IGEA

A member of the new generation of the Comac range is the Igea — the most compact scrubbing machine in the fleet and has been designed to replace manual cleaning practices. The small size makes it perfect for tight, cluttered and busy spaces such as shops, commercial businesses and offices, ensuring a professional level of cleanliness. C Godfreys Commercial P 1800 314 580 E commercial@godfreys.com.au W godfreys.com.au

COMPASS BATTERY-FREE BATHROOM SCALES

Save time and help the planet with the new battery-free bathroom scales from Australia’s leading guestroom products supplier. Just step on the central button and quickly get an accurate reading. No more calls to the front desk to replace the batteries. Hours saved for housekeeping not having to check if the batteries are working. The Compass scale has a maximum capacity of 180kg and gives readings in both kilograms (kg) and pounds (lb). It has a large easy to read LCD display and an elegant 6mm safety glass with rounded edges. Compass is the range of quality bathroom and laundry items from Weatherdon, Australia’s premier guestroom supply company. C Weatherdon P 02 9906 2202 E sales@weatherdon.com.au W weatherdon.com.au

CHRISTIE’S ICON ACCESSIBLE BARBECUE CABINET

Christie’s ICON Accessible Barbecue Cabinet has received a prestigious 2021 Good Design Award recognising its outstanding design and innovation. The ICON cabinet is a modern interpretation of Christie’s Modular cabinet that has become synonymous with Australian public barbecues. The versatile design incorporates current requirements for sustainability, inclusivity, and occupational health and safety. The Good Design Awards Jury commented: “A definite improvement on existing offerings, the design has thoughtfully considered the experience of users of all abilities. The considerations of social distancing are also thoughtful. Aesthetically the design is robust and clean, and will integrate well into public spaces.”

C Christie Barbecues P 03 9708 2999 E sales@dachristie.com W dachristie.com