Peninsula wins rave reviews for MR fi rst timers

Images Courtesy of Peninsula at Airlie Beach – Photography: J. D. Bush Peninsula wins rave

reviews for MR first timers

By Grantlee Kieza, Industry Reporter

Paul and Francine Tuddenham couldn’t have chosen a more idyllic location for their first foray into management rights. Paul spoke to Grantlee Kieza from the couple’s 5-star resort apartment complex, Peninsula at Airlie Beach.

What experience did you have in management rights before taking on the Peninsula?

None. Fran’s background was working at Westpac for 20 years, and I had a mortgage broking business. Before that my background was in management accounting and I worked for some large firms. In 1999 I was elected as a councillor for Wingecarribee Shire Council, taking in the Bowral, Mittagong and Moss Vale areas south of Sydney. I was on the council for 13 years until we decided to make our home in Queensland.

So how did you know about management rights?

The first place we stayed on the Gold Coast, when we moved to Queensland was a gated community called Botanical Park at Elenora. I became intrigued by the industry after talking to the managers there, and they enthusiastically told me, “you have to get into a business like this, it’s great.” I began to investigate management rights, but we were not in a position to go any further at that point. We then moved to Emerald Lagoon at Robina and talking to those managers piqued my interest once again, but again the timing wasn’t quite right. We planned to retire after renovating a house at Robina, which had a granny flat. However, we changed our minds because it seemed the perfect time to move into management rights instead.

What was the process like?

Initially, Fran wasn't keen because she didn't know much about management rights, but we started to look around for a property. It was when we travelled up to Airlie Beach for a break that Fran fell in love with the area.

You certainly picked a stunning location.

It was while we were staying here that I noticed this property was for sale and I rang the broker. Fran had a lot of conditions on what she was looking for, and this place ticked all the boxes. It was more a fear of the unknown that was holding us back. We saw the potential of this property, and we believed we could do a lot with it. After a bit of soul searching, we decided to have a go.

We took over on July 1, last year, so we’ve been here nearly 12 months.

What was it about the Peninsula that got you hooked?

The location was the prominent thing, it’s stunning, and literally right on the water.

It's a 5-star resort too, and we love the size of the units. At the first viewing we realised the resort hadn't been as loved as it could have been. But after having a long talk with Des Fagg from ResortBrokers, and advice from others in the industry, we believed we had the potential to build on it.

We were both happy to move north. Fran hates the heat with a passion, but she got through her first summer unscathed and we love living here.

Francine and Paul Tuddenham

You can sit on the balcony with a glass of wine and watch the sea turtles swimming past. I don't know many other places where you can do that

What sort of accommodation do you have?

The apartments are spread across two buildings and every room has a view of the marina or the Coral Sea. The two-, three- and four-bedroom units are all exceptionally large with king beds.

There are 42 units in total, and we have 17 to 18 units in the rental pool.

The water is the biggest att raction, but another great factor is that we are very close to town. We don't have a restaurant on-site but we're less than a fi ve-minute walk to cafes for breakfast and lunch, or 10 minutes to nice restaurants for dinner. Guests enjoy their morning walk to breakfast because it's a beautiful oceanside stroll.

Fran has built up some great relationships with the tour operators and we are sett ing up our web page so guests can book through our website before they arrive. We’re also upgrading the Foxtel system so guests can book from their rooms. Here, you can sit on the balcony with a glass of wine and watch the sea turtles swimming past. I don't know many other places where you can do that. 10% discount for Resort News readers when booked direct

144 Shingley Drive, Airlie Beach Qld 4802 (07) 4964 1600 info@peninsulaairliebeach.com www.peninsulaairliebeach.com

Who are your guests?

We specifi cally target a market that doesn't include schoolies, bucks, or hens parties. We make sure that we tell guests when they check in about our ‘no noise policy’ aft er 10.30pm because we have residents living on-site. We've gone for a diff erent market, and it's worked well. If people want to have parties, there are other properties where they can do that. We’re more interested in honeymooners, couples, or families coming for a relaxing holiday. We have had wedding anniversaries and birthday celebrations and that’s great, but they don't involve waking people up late at night. There are 15 owners living permanently on-site, they want to have their own peace and quiet and they're entitled to it.

You had to do a lot of work when you fi rst moved in. What was the biggest job?

Learning the business.

We really had to learn management rights on the job. We had to learn the booking system and to get on top of it took a fair bit of time. Then there was COVID. That was a terrible way to start, we had more than 400 cancellations in the fi rst six months of being here. It was hard because they were on the books when we took over and then we had to tell the investors these guests weren't going to show up, it aff ected a lot of things, especially cash fl ow.

We also had to learn how to work with the body corporate and understand their requirements, expectations and establish a good working relationship with them.

Two things we really focus on is our customer service and the cleanliness of the property.

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We have exceptional cleaners who take a great deal of pride in whatever they do. If you get those things right most of the other things fall into place.

After almost a year in management rights, how are things tracking?

We set ourselves a five-year goal and we are on track for where we hoped to be after our first 12 months.

Fran is an absolute natural at this job. She is exceptional with guest services and customer relations because of her background in the bank and she's getting stunning reviews.

What advice would you give to someone coming into management rights?

First, get a solicitor who understands management rights and is experienced in that field. We were very fortunate we had Frank Higginson.

You need an accountant who will help you understand the cash flow and the anomalies of it.

You've got to have someone you can trust from a broker's viewpoint, too. Joining ARAMA is very important and by attending their functions and seminars they will guide you and help you as much as they can. You can talk to other operators, as well. Most people we've spoken to have been very helpful. Even though they’re competitors they still want to help everyone in the industry, and we will do the same for other newcomers.

We're all in the one boat together. My message is don't be afraid to ask for help.