HM August 2021

IN THIS ISSUE

EXCITING INNOVATIONS IN HOTEL TECHNOLOGY BUILD YOUR OWN BEDDING ACCOR CELEBRATES 30 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC REGION THE BUSINESS OF ACCOMMODATION IN ASIA-PACIFIC Vol.25 No.4 Bi-monthly August 2021

ACCOR TAKES OFF WITH

QANTAS

Accor and Qantas are taking to the skies, giving eligible members of both companies' loyalty programs access to sky high rewards.

HOT THIS MONTH Boutique openings, brand refreshes, hotel makeovers, a super merger and more

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SINGAPORE

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CONTENTS

August

2021

Vol. 25 No.4

17 15 MINUTES WITH’ GRAHAM PERRY The second half of 2021 will be monumental for BWH Hotels Group as Australia's first Aiden prepares to open in Sydney.

DREAMS 24 SLEEP

Hotels are increasingly seeking to

customise the inner contours of their beds and manufacturers have evolved their build-to-order ranges to suit.

SHOPFRONTS 26 DIGITAL

Hotel guests are highly tech savvy, which

challenges hotel marketers to ensure their best digital shopfront is on display at all times.

CORNER 31 CONCIERGE

HM checks in with Crown Sydney Chief Concierge, Ricardo Oliva Farrarons.

LOYALTY 32 UNLOCKING

As door locks advance, so too do the opportunities for hotels to communicate with guests.

FROM THE WISE 34 WORDS

Our hospitality IT experts weigh in on

essential hotel technology that should be top of the sector’s digital shopping lists.

38 TOP INNOVATIONS HM checks out 12 examples of exciting new technology designed to simplify your guests’ lives and make your hotel stand out from the crowd.

46

12

The debut of the AC Hotels

by Marriott brand in Melbourne is approaching Crystalbrook Vincent is the new player in Brisbane town

Hotels are connecting almost all services to guests via their phones IN THIS ISSUE

EXCITING INNOVATIONS IN HOTEL TECHNOLOGY BUILD YOUR OWN BEDDING ACCOR CELEBRATES 30 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC REGION

38

IN CONTROL 42 FIRMLY

Room automation is fast moving from a

‘nice to have’ to the modern standard. HM looks at three examples of room automation revolutionising the guest experience.

44 TOP OF THE CLASS As key sources for the industry’s

next generations educators must first showcase the world of opportunity in hospitality careers to parents.

IN UPSCALE 46 VALUE

Families and budget-conscious travellers

are presenting new opportunities for hotel operators to do more with midscale.

THE BUSINESS OF ACCOMMODATION IN ASIA-PACIFIC Vol.25 No.4 Bi-monthly August 2021

Regulars

LETTER 06 EDITOR’S

James Wilkinson on 20 years in the Editor's chair at HM.

ACCOR TAKES OFF WITH

QANTAS

Accor and Qantas are taking to the skies, giving eligible members of both companies' loyalty programs access to sky high rewards.

HOT THIS MONTH Boutique openings, brand refreshes, hotel makeovers, a super merger and more

On the cover

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce and Accor Pacific CEO, Simon McGrath

TO KNOW 08 NEED

The 10 essential stories you need to

know this month - spanning operations, development and tourism industry news.

STORY 18 COVER

Presented this month by Accor Pacific.

58 ON THE MOVE A look at who is moving where this month. hotelmanagement.com.au 5

EDITOR’S LETTER

Looking back on 20 years in the Editor’s chair

Managing Director

A

Simon Grover

s someone who enjoys celebrating other peoples’ and companies’ milestones over their own, it has been nice for once to sit back and think about some of my favourite moments over the 20 years I have been editing HM. I’m certainly proud of how much industry respect our publication generates and how many people continue to read our hundreds of stories we publish every year.

It has been incredibly rewarding that our HM Awards, which I helped create 19 years ago, have been attended by over 10,000 people and more than 850 awards have been won by hotels across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Seeing our annual Australasian Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition (AHICE) become the leading and largest event of its kind in Asia-Pacific for our segment has also been a fantastic achievement, as it has been to launch and host our Wayfarer Executive Travel TV show, website, newsletter, and excitingly, printed magazine.

Over the past 20 years, I have made lifelong friends, amazing connections and travelled the world to report on what’s hot, new and trending in the global accommodation and travel space.

In that time, we have seen launches, takeovers, mergers and acquisitions aplenty. Australian brands have become globally known and our leaders are in some of the most senior positions around the world.

Having Accor Pacific CEO Simon McGrath (with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce) on our cover of HM is rather fitting for me as the first-ever hotel industry event I attended in my role was a launch with then the Australian PR team of Peter Hook and Gaynor Reid. When I arrived at the event at Cockle Bay, with Novotel Sydney Darling Harbour as a backdrop, I asked them to tell me what Accor was. Gaynor said, confidently, “one day soon, Australia’s largest hotel chain”.

That has most certainly happened, and I’d like to take the time to recognise and congratulate Accor on reaching a very successful 30 years in Australia this month. We have a little surprise for the Accor team – an eight-page lift-out that celebrates some memorable moments over the past three decades.

Enjoy the latest issue and I look forward to your feedback.

The 2021 HM Awards will take Yours in hospitality, place on Friday 19 November James Wilkinson Editor–In–Chief

Publisher

James Wells

Editor–In–Chief

James Wilkinson jwilkinson@intermedia.com.au

Deputy Editor

Matt Lennon mlennon@intermedia.com.au

National Sales Manager Tara Ducrou tducrou@intermedia.com.au

Contributing Writers

Michael Johnson, Dean Long and Peter McBrearty

Production Manager Jacqui Cooper jacqui@intermedia.com.au

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In association with

Accor Pacific CEO, Simon McGrath

MEET THE HM TEAM…

James Wells Publisher

Matt Lennon Deputy Editor

6 HM The Business of Accommodation

Tara Ducrou National Sales Manager

Adrian Tipper Creative Director

DISCLAIMER This publication is published by Travel Business Media Pty Ltd (the “Publisher”). Materials in this publication have been created by a variety of different entities and, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher accepts no liability for materials created by others. All materials should be considered protected by Australian and international intellectual property laws. Unless you are authorised by law or the copyright owner to do so, you may not copy any of the materials. The mention of a product or service, person or company in this publication does not indicate the Publisher’s endorsement. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Publisher, its agents, company officers or employees. Any use of the information contained in this publication is at the sole risk of the person using that information. The user should make independent enquiries as to the accuracy of the information before relying on that information.

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Things You Need To Know The essential hotel and travel industry news and trends from across the globe.

Read more at HotelManagement.com.au.

Crystalbrook Vincent features a bright and vibrant colour scheme

01

Crystalbrook Vincent opens doors in Brisbane Company acquired the former Fantauzzo in 2020

CRYSTALBROOK COLLECTION HAS unveiled ‘Vincent’ as the operating name for the newest hotel to join its growing family in Brisbane, following the property’s acquisition by company owner Ghassan Aboud last year.

While the hotel was formerly known as The Fantauzzo and operated

by Accor under its Art Series brand, the newest addition to the Crystalbrook family takes the namesake artist’s first name – Vincent Fantauzzo – as opposed to his surname. The property features 180 different artworks and more than 500 prints bearing the insignia of its namesake artist.

Further, the new Crystalbrook Vincent sees a bright and whimsical colour scheme and décor applied to the 166-room hotel at Brisbane’s Howard Smith Wharves overlooking the Brisbane River. Built into the rock underneath Brisbane’s Story Bridge, Vincent features the Fuime rooftop bar with swimming pool, Polpetta restaurant and a 24-hour fitness centre.

8 HM The Business of Accommodation

The new hotel will be led as General Manager by experienced hotelier, Jeremy Nordkamp, who returns to Brisbane where he previously oversaw the opening of The Calile, managed by TFE Hotels. In between, Nordkamp has been based in Cairns working as the General Manager of Riley, one of Crystalbrook’s three resorts in the North Queensland city.

Crystalbrook Vincent is the seventh property to open under the Crystalbrook Collection in the past three years and the first in the Queensland capital. It joins a group comprised of three hotels in Cairns – Riley, Bailey and Flynn – along with The Byron at Byron, Little Albion in Sydney and Kingsley in Newcastle, the latter making its own debut in June.

The company’s newest hotel will align with Crystalbrook’s companywide sustainability crusade and will be free of single-use plastics, cash free and will reduce paper usage by 90%. Room RFID key cards will be made from recycled wood, with paper coat hangers and toothbrushes offered from sugar cane and cornstarch as part of a 100% waste-free bathroom model.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 02

Dean Long to become new AFTA CEO Accommodation Association boss departs as merger progresses

Outgoing Accommodation Association CEO, Dean Long, will put his advocacy skills to work for Australia’s travel agents

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ACCOMMODATION ASSOCIATION (AA) CEO Dean Long will depart the organisation in September to take up the reigns as Chief Executive at the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) as the merger with Tourism Accommodation Australia continues to gather pace.

Accommodation Association Chair and Lancemore Group CEO, Julian Clark, said Long had done a great job in his time at the helm.

“The Accommodation Association is very grateful for the strong and strategic leadership Dean has provided during his time as CEO and especially during the extraordinarily difficult challenges that COVID has thrown at accommodation providers since March 2020,” he said.

Long said his time as CEO of the Accommodation Association “has been both extremely rewarding and challenging thanks to COVID-19 restrictions, border closures and travel bans”.

“This is a sector full of wonderful, generous people and businesses and never has this been more on show than via the fact that so many hotels and team members stepped in very early on to support the Government’s COVID Isolation Program and through it returning Australians, frontline medical staff, and some of the most vulnerable in our community,” he said.

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THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Grant comes as part of COVID-19 business support packages

03

NSW to compensate hotels for lost holiday bookings

Hotels offered grants to cover stays lost to lockdown

Pushing on to prosperity

By Dean Long CEO, Accommodation Association

WHEN I FINISH up as the CEO of the Accommodation Association in September, I will look back over the last two and half years with enormous pride at what the Association has become and most importantly what the sector has achieved in supporting the return of over 200,000 Australians.

The team that will continue after my departure is dedicated, focused and will continue to deliver on our services every member uses. The team is now significantly larger, growing from seven when I took on the role to the current 20 team members across many parts of Australia. Underpinning this growth was our success in working with the Department of Employment to secure over AUD$2 million in funding across the last two years to directly support Australians finding employment in our sector. Our commitment to this program and my team’s passion will only be further enhanced by AA coming together with TAA / AHA later this year.

As the leader of any Association, your ability to influence and drive outcomes with government is directly linked to the willingness of the industry to be good corporate citizens and to stand up for their interests. This was on full display in the last 12 months, with the role of hotel quarantine enabling Australians to return home. Put simply, without the contribution of each and every individual contributing to the hotel isolation and quarantine program, Australia would be in a very different place in terms of our response to this invidious disease.

As this is my final column as the CEO of the Accommodation Association, I want to say thank you to our members, corporate partners and the Board.

10 HM The Business of Accommodation

HOTELS ACROSS NSW that saw bookings for the July school holidays wiped out virtually overnight due to the current government restrictions will be partially compensated for the lost revenue, the NSW Government has announced.

The AUD$26 million initiative will offer targeted support to around 38,000 registered hotels across the state, with identical grants paid based on room nights lost over the school holiday period from 25 June to 11 July inclusive, irrespective of the hotel’s location.

Hotels can take advantage of two tiers of government assistance, with an AUD$2,000 grant paid to a property that lost 10 room nights or less, while AUD$5,000 will be paid to properties which lost 11 room nights or more over the 16-day period. Owners of multiple properties will be able to claim the grant for each hotel in NSW, identified by different street addresses.

04

Rydges to refresh brand with local focus Event Hospitality challenges staff to promote local experiences for guests LOCAL KNOWLEDGE WILL become the backbone for the Rydges Hotels and Resorts brand, with Event Hospitality unveiling a brand evolution designed to deliver a new element of authenticity to the guest experience.

A phased rollout of the brand evolution is now underway, with Rydges adopting the tagline ‘Refreshingly Local’. In collaboration with brand consulting and design agency, Landor, Event Hospitality has jazzed up the Rydges brand with a new logo, livery, colour palette, digital touch points and in-hotel collateral including new staff uniforms which will be progressively put in place across the brand’s hotels across Australia and New Zealand.

Beyond 2021, new in-room services will see guests offered local recommendations to help immerse them in the local area. Each property will offer a ‘Refreshingly Local’ accommodation package with spotlights on local experiences.

The adapted Rydges Hotels and Resorts logo

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 05

Hostplus and Intrust Super confirm merger plan Two giants of superannuation to become one ‘mega fund’ Australia’s leading hospitality industry super funds Hostplus and Intrust Super have signed a deed to merge in a huge shake-up for the sector.

Both Hostplus and Intrust Super are consistently recognised as two of the best performing funds in Australia and the merger, expected to be completed by November 26, 2021, will create a ‘mega fund’ that will be a huge boost to the hospitality industry.

When you crunch the numbers, the merger is significant in many aspects. Hostplus has over 1.25 million members, 233,000 contributing employers and AUD$66 billion in funds under management, while Intrust Super has over 90,000 members and 25,000 contributing employers, with approximately AUD$3 billion in assets under management.

Hostplus CEO, David Elia, said the merger represents “a significant and positive milestone for the funds and their respective members, contributing employers and stakeholders”.

“We are delighted today, to have formally entered into an agreement with Intrust Super to merge our two funds to create a truly national fund of greater size and scale,” Elia said.

Intrust Super Chief Executive Officer, Brendan O’Farrell, said today’s merger announcement “served as a practical demonstration of two

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highly respected and well-performed funds electing to combine their competitive advantages for the benefit of members”.

“The collective and shared heritage and core traits of Intrust Super and Hostplus forms a solid foundation for what we expect will be a great union of our funds,” O’Farrell said.

The organisations said both members and employers will shortly receive further and more detailed information relating to the expected merger benefits, the process to complete it and relevant next steps and actions.

The move has been described as a significant milestone for members

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THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Oakwood Premier Melbourne lobby

06

Oakwood Premier Melbourne to debut in October The luxury apartment brand is running ahead of schedule

Back to square one

By Michael Johnson CEO, Tourism Accommodation Australia OUR INDUSTRY WAS taken to the brink in 2020. It was the worst year for accommodation hotels in living memory and as the year came to end, we hoped 2021 would be something different.

But it is now abundantly clear, this year is just more of the same. As I write, the situation for accommodation hotels in our major cities, Sydney and Melbourne, is as bad as it has ever been. The rapidly spreading Delta variant has sapped the confidence of the domestic travelling public. Greater Sydney and other parts of NSW are in an extended, open-ended lockdown and the rest of the state is starved of visitors from its biggest city.

Restrictions have been re-introduced in QLD, SA and Victoria once again and interstate borders have slammed shut. The strain on our members and their staff has been unrelenting.

And with no end in sight, it was pleasing to see the Federal and NSW Government team up to provide support packages for both business and individuals. Not only will it help thousands of our staff in greater Sydney who are stood down, it is also available to those in the regions who have had reduced hours.

These disaster payments allow our staff to get through this period without having to leave our industry altogether. When we are able to trade, we will need these people more than ever. More importantly, this state and federal package will now be the model for all states and territories to use in the event of an extended lockdown.

I hope for all our sakes that this is the last lockdown we have, but if 2021 has taught us anything, it’s that we do not always get what we want. And it is reassuring to have a swift and uniform approach to support in place if it is needed.

12 HM The Business of Accommodation

LUXURY SERVICED APARTMENT brand Oakwood has earmarked October 2021 for the Australian debut of its Oakwood Premier brand, which will be housed in a 40-storey mixed-use development on the banks of the Yarra River in Melbourne.

Unlike several developments which have been pushed back as a result of the pandemic, Oakwood Premier Melbourne is running ahead of its originally scheduled 2022 opening. The brand’s debut will be the 10th property in the Oakwood Premier stable and will feature 392 rooms

and apartments. Of this, 132 have been designed as studios for short-stay guests with the remainder outlined as one and two-bedroom apartments for those looking for mid-term and extended stays.

Within the property, guests and visitors will be able to access a rooftop sky bar, which is due to open before the end of the year.

Hotel facilities will also include an all-day restaurant, lobby bar, fitness centre, lounge and games centre, meeting, conference and function rooms, co-working spaces and two outdoor green zones on Levels 5 and 6.

07

NZ Cabinet considering 200% jump in border fees Tourism Industry Aotearoa aghast at proposed hike

TOURISM INDUSTRY AOTEAROA (TIA) has expressed dismay at seemingly clandestine efforts by the New Zealand Government to endorse and push through a significant hike in the country’s border and customs costs to a staggering NZD$116.25 per person, inclusive of 15% GST. According to documents received under the Official Information Act, the revised figure is based on a proposal by the New Zealand Customs Service and the Ministry for Primary Industries to not just recoup operational costs of the country’s borders, biosecurity and customs services but also to claw back accumulated losses which have built up since the levy was introduced in 2016.

If officially implemented, the new charges would take effect from December 2021 and would pay back all accrued losses over a three-year period.

Broken down and inclusive of New Zealand’s 15% GST, the new charges would consist of a NZD$40.25 International Visitor Levy, an NZD$63 Border Clearance Levy for air travellers ($35.36 for cruise passengers), NZD$14.48 International Passenger Security Levy and an NZD$1.73 Safety Oversight Levy.

It is understood the New Zealand Cabinet has already agreed in principle to the NZD$63 Border Clearance Levy with consultation continuing.

In a submission to the NZ Government, TIA has suggested maintaining current levels and reviewing in July 2023 to ensure minimal volatility in projected visitor arrival numbers, with future levy proposals based on actual and more reliable data gained over 2021 and 2022. The government would continue to fund deficits incurred.

Australia currently charges a $60 levy to all inbound and outbound travellers which is labelled the Passenger Movement Charge.

This fee also increased in recent years from its original $55 but is currently frozen against inflation-driven increases.

Fares to visit New Zealand would rise under the new fee structure

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

08

The Hotel School opens new Hayman Island campus Students can undertake paid internships in tropical surroundings

Students will gain experience providing high-end hospitality

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INTERCONTINENTAL HAYMAN ISLAND RESORT in the tropical Whitsundays will become a working home for tourism and hospitality students undertaking paid internships in a new collaboration between the resort and The Hotel School.

Students will be able to apply their skills and knowledge in on-thejob training at the five-star resort – the only one in the world allowing students to live and work in such an environment.

The new Hayman Island campus joins Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne as a campus for The Hotel School, which is supported in partnership by Southern Cross University and HTMi Switzerland.

Campus operations on Hayman Island will be overseen by Jorn Wisselink, who brings more than two decades of industry experience in business, hospitality and education roles around the world.

Students undertaking the two-year Associate Degree of International Hotel and Tourism Management will have the opportunity to make Hayman Island their home as they continue their study and apply their skills in the world of high-end hospitality. During their internship, students will be housed at specially built accommodations close to the North Queensland resort.

Once completing the Associate Degree, students can build on this with a globally recognised qualification in the form of a Diploma in International Hotel and Tourism Management from HTMi Switzerland.

Students can also apply their credentials as 24 months credit towards a Bachelor of Business in Hotel Management at The Hotel School’s capital city campuses.

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rom intelligent air purifiers that create cleaner spaces and cordless vacuums offering powerful suction and consistent high performance cleaning to styling tools that prioritise hair health and Dyson Airblade technologies that dry hands in a fast and hygienic way, Dyson products are built to last and deliver long-term value.

Next Hotel Melbourne General Manager, David Ness said: “Guests tell us that it is super convenient that they have Dyson Supersonic hair dryers in their rooms, so they don’t need to pack their own. Others who haven’t experienced Dyson are excited by the opportunity to enjoy the premium experience.”

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Engineered for different hair types, the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is powerful and fast. The tool uses a fast but focused airflow, is engineered for balance in the hand, is quieter than others and intelligently controls the temperature to help protect hair from extreme heat damage. Unlike many other traditional hair dryers, the Dyson Supersonic measures air temperature over 40 times each second to regulate temperature output. This prevents extreme heat damage to help protect hair’s shine.

Suitable for all hair types, the Dyson Corrale straightener uses patented Dyson flexing copper plates that shape to gather hair delivering enhanced styling with less hair damage. Using a platinum sensor, the temperature is regulated 100 times a second. This technology communicates with a microprocessor which in turn controls the heating system to deliver precise, accurate heat, making it the perfect tool for guests who want to care for their hair by reducing heat damage without compromising on style. Combined with Dyson’s 4-cell lithium-ion battery technology, the Dyson Corrale straightener also delivers cordless performance to achieve smooth, shiny results and outstanding style anywhere, at any time – quicker.

The Ritz-Carlton Perth General Manager, Dario Orsini said: “Dyson marries sleek design and functionality. The Ritz–Carlton Perth is a design led hotel that showcases the beauty of Perth and Western Australia and makes it a perfect partnership. The Dyson Supersonic hair dryers leave your hair smoother and healthier and is an experience in itself.”

14 HM The Business of Accommodation

Engineered for hotel spaces, the new Dyson HEPA Cool Formaldehyde Purifier ensures a cleaner, more comfortable environment for your guests.

With all new solid-state formaldehyde sensing and sealed HEPA 13 standard filtration, Dyson’s latest purifier captures ultrafine dust and allergens, captures gases and now even destroys formaldehyde continuously at a molecular level.

Using Dyson Air Multiplier technology, the machine can project purified air to every corner of the room. Auto mode enables you or your guests to maintain a preferred room temperature and air quality levels, while the purifier can be entirely controlled by the Dyson Link App and activated by voice control.

Professor of Global Environmental Health at Australian National University (ANU) Research School of Population Health, Sotiris Vardoulakis, said: “Air purifiers with formaldehyde sensors and sealed HEPA 13 standard filtration, when appropriately used, can reduce exposure to formaldehyde and significantly improve indoor air quality.”

Accor Pacific Vice President Operations NSW/VIC, Scott Boyes, said: “We invest heavily in air handling units to deliver the best possible air quality to our guests. Dyson is a wonderful partner and addition to enhancing air quality in hotels.”

Next Hotel Melbourne General Manager, David Ness, said: “Our guests are increasingly concerned with air quality and the importance of breathing clean air so we are looking at adding more Dyson purifiers to our hotel in the future.”

DYSON NEWS

REDEFINING DEEP CLEANING IN HOTELS

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Helping to create healthier hotels, the Dyson V15 Detect is the most powerful, intelligent cordless vacuum, capable of detecting, removing, sizing and counting microscopic dust for scientific proof of a deep clean in your hotel.

Engineered to detect hidden dust as small as 10 microns, laser dust detection illuminates dust particles invisible to the eye with a preciselyangled green laser integrated into a fluffy cleaner head – so you don’t miss a thing.

Acoustic Dust Sensing provides reassurance that you have deep cleaned.

The LCD screen shows the size and number of particles, displaying real-time scientific proof of a deep clean by counting and measuring microscopic dust particles with a piezo sensor which automatically increases suction power across different floors types and dust amounts.

Dyson cord-free machines endeavour to provide owners with powerful suction as well as consistent high performance cleaning, including no loss of suction, fade-free battery through one discharge and fully-sealed filtration that traps microscopic particles such as pollen, dust and bacteria.

Dyson’s High Torque cleaner head powerfully sucks up dust and hair from all floor types, while a Hyperdymium motor generates powerful suction and five-stage filtration, capturing 99.99% of dust particles down to 0.3 microns for a deep clean. An advanced seven-cell battery delivers up to 60 minutes of fade free power. With an optional click-in battery, you can now extend run time to 120 minutes, meaning longer and deep cleans are easier to complete.

Ibis World Square Sydney The Dyson V15 General Manager, Michelle De te ct Taylor, said: “Our rooms are cleaner. We no

an Cle The Dyson Supersonic hair dryer and Dyson Corrale straightener

The Dyson Supersonic and Airblade V Hand Dryer at Autograph Collection Pier One Sydney longer spend wasted time running the vacuums over and over due to the incredible suction. On an OH&S level, our staff have found they no longer suffer back pain from bending as the Dyson allows a walking posture when vacuuming. A cordless vacuum saves time and the staff are able to move freely and get into difficult areas.”

Chief Engineer and Dyson Founder, James Dyson, said: “As engineers, our job is to solve daily problems, and the past 12 months have created plenty of new ones with more time spent indoors. Removing visible dust isn’t enough, so we’ve pioneered intelligent vacuums that detect and remove microscopic particles, reporting results back in real time. We are empowering people to breathe pure air and enjoy hygienic spaces, taking back control of their indoor environment.”

DRY HANDS WITH HEPA PURIFIED AIR, NOT DIRTY AIR

At a time when hygiene is of paramount importance, it’s vital that hotels provide peace of mind for guests and staff alike.

Using Dyson Airblade hand dryer technology is one way to ensure your guests’ hands are dried quickly and hygienically in hotel washrooms, with studies showing they reduce bacteria transmission by up to 40%.

Dyson Airblade hand dryers have a dry time of 10-14 seconds and feature touch-free technology, which helps prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses. All have HEPA filters installed as standard, which allows them to capture 99.95% of particles including bacteria and viruses.

This is also a more sustainable way to dry hands hygienically, using up to 85% less CO2 emissions than single-use paper towels which create waste that often ends up in landfills.

Next Hotel Melbourne General Manager, David Ness said: “We are so excited to partner with a pioneering technology company that really complements our direction in style, ease of use and quality while helping to maintain healthy spaces, which is more important than ever.”

Autograph Collection Pier One Sydney General Manager, Kim Mahaffy said: “We think a lot about how our guest experience looks and feels from start to finish. We feel the match between Dyson and Pier One is ideal.” n To find out how Dyson’s pioneering technology can enhance your guest experience, contact Aimi McEwen at aimi.mcewen@dyson.com hotelmanagement.com.au 15

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Ab hij ay S an

M att hew

dilya

Tripolone

09

By James Doolan Strategic Director, Hotel Council Aotearoa POLITICIANS IN AUSTRALASIA, including NZ Minister of Tourism Stuart Nash, like to talk about ‘partnership’ between industry and government. Partnership is a two-way street. At times, it feels as if the hotel sector’s reasonable concerns and issues simply aren’t understood, which leads to poor outcomes.

Take for example NZ’s upcoming Accredited Employer Work Visa regime. We have spent considerable time trying to educate Immigration New Zealand about fundamental hotel operating structures to help ensure the new legislation captures the people and organisations who actually make the hiring and firing decisions.

We’re trying to avoid unnecessary duplication of accreditation, while ensuring the government’s policy objectives are still met.

Did we have much success in this ‘partnership’ with government? Far from it.

Immigration New Zealand insists that individual hotel-owning entities must each become separately accredited if they wish to employ foreign workers in future, even if those entities are all managed by a common company. Immigration New Zealand’s view is that entity-by-entity accreditation will be a ‘simple’ test that’s ‘easy for INZ to apply’.

Sometimes life, and business, isn’t simple.

Franchise and management agreements have been a central aspect of the hotel sector for a long time now. The market accepts how these operating structures apportion legal liability and risk between hotel asset owners and management companies. In future, I’d hope our partners in government make more effort to fully understand hotel sector basics and recognise when industry is lobbying it is not always against new legislation, but for reasonable changes that will help the legislation work better.

16 HM The Business of Accommodation

Both will report to SVP Managing Director, Leanne Harwood IHG HOTELS AND RESORTS has promoted two well-known figures in the Australasian market into newly created Managing Director roles, with Matthew Tripolone and Abhijay Sandilya to take charge of the Australasia-Pacific and Japan regions respectively.

Both roles will report to Leanne Harwood, who has moved into the position of Senior Vice President Managing Director Japan, Australasia and Pacific.

Tripolone will relocate back to Sydney from his present home in Dubai to take up the role of Managing Director – Australasia and Pacific, effective from 7 September. He steps into a role familiar to many in the local accommodation scene, having led the IHG Hotels and Resorts development team from 2014 to 2017 and playing a central role in kickstarting the company’s growth in Australasia.

In addition, IHG’s current VP Development JAPAC, Abhijay Sandilya, will relocate to Tokyo and step up into the role of Managing Director – Japan, from 1 October.

The appointments and relocations will see Jael Fischer elevated to the role of Director, Development – Australasia and Pacific, reporting to Tripolone in Sydney.

10

New look for Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley A major 18-month transformation at the hotel is now complete HAWKESBURY MAYOR PATRICK Conolly was among the dignitaries on hand to cut the ceremonial ribbon to mark the completion of a multimillion dollar property-wide renovation at Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley.

Joined by Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley General Manager, Stephen Wills, the hotel’s 18-month transformation has resulted in the hotel now featuring eight distinctive room categories ranging from queen-bedded rooms through to luxurious three-bedroom apartments with king beds, internal kitchen, lounge and dining area and balconies looking out to the Blue Mountains.

In line with the demands of modernday trends, rooms feature numerous USB power outlets to ensure guests can keep their devices charged.

In addition, low consumption LED strip lighting was used as part of the hotel’s ongoing commitment to sustainability in

addition to its practical benefits for nighttime navigation in and around the room.

Bathrooms have been completely refreshed with free-standing soaker baths and walk-in showers, stone and timber floating vanities and illuminating mirrors. Amenities have been replaced from single-use products into refillable bulk bottles to improve the hotel’s environmental footprint.

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A failure of partnership

IHG promotes new MDs for Australasia and Japan

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THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 15

minutes with...

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Congratulations on the launch of the Aiden brand in Australia. What sort of splash are you expecting Aiden to make in this market?

We’re thrilled to be shaking up the market with our sophisticated, new, affordable lifestyle brand. Aiden has a unique identity all its own unlike anything Australia has witnessed before. It will pique the interest of the local community and guests alike. Today’s traveller demands more from their stay than ever before and Aiden Darling Harbour is the perfect setting for us to launch the brand for customers to experience everything that Pyrmont and Sydney have to offer.

As a suburban lifestyle brand, is Aiden also suited to secondtier cities and even regional areas for its expansion?

Absolutely. Aiden acts like a chameleon taking on the colour of the local community making regional areas or inner-city communities like Pyrmont an ideal canvas. Developers are allowed unparalleled flexibility to rejuvenate and repurpose existing historical buildings and in doing so, transform asset values. No two Aidens are alike, enabling developers to embody the spirit of the local neighbourhood into the individual Aiden designs. Allowing Aiden to become the perfect host from which to guide guests in exploring the unique offerings in secondtier cities or regional areas.

What was the reasoning behind introducing the BWH Hotel Group name into the consumer domain?

BWH Hotel Group is a leading global hotel company with an abundance of brands to cater for all consumers, segments and tiers from economy

Aiden Darling Harbour will feature 88 rooms

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The countdown is nearing its crescendo to the Australasian debut of one of the industry’s most exciting new brands to arrive on local ou shores. While small in size for a city hotel, the pM si a ala r a t n affordable luxury on offer at Aiden by BWH s agin g Director Au Hotels Darling Harbour will pack a punch to rival innovation and ingenuity on any scale. Ahead of Aiden’s impending arrival, we joined BWH’s GRAHAM PERRY to learn more.

Perry

GRAHAM PERRY

through to luxury. Emanating from its 75-year history, Best Western is now a trusted and reputable pedigree brand and a household name around the world. However, following the acquisition of WorldHotels Collection in 2019, it was important to create a parent brand from which to differentiate our 17 brands. It is only fitting to present consumers with our smorgasbord of lifestyle brands all under the BWH Hotel Group brand umbrella to showcase our diverse and complementary hotel offerings to raise awareness of who we are.

What more can you tell us about the arrival in Australia of the WorldHotels Crafted Collection and its property portfolio?

Crafted Collection by WorldHotels is launching at this time to support industry efforts to entice the domestic market to explore its own backyard. As a brand centred around creating meaningful luxury experiences, it allows investors and developers to add a wow factor. The Crafted Collection has shown significant growth in the luxury, boutique and lifestyle segments both in US and European markets. The brand’s portfolio offers developers the perfect balance of creative freedom and a trusted alliance and partnership. As soon as the international borders open, overseas visitors relishing the chance to travel and connect with our region will be able to receive our outstanding hospitality whilst experiencing a genuine warm welcome from the community they’re visiting.

What are some of the brand hallmarks for WorldHotels Crafted Collection and how will that resonate with independent properties in Australia and NZ?

The essence of a craft be it art, design, fashion or gastronomy combined with a truly unique customer service flows through the DNA of every one of our Crafted Collection properties. The brand is an inclusive collection of independent properties whose design and creativity are customised to capture the spirit of the destination. Crafted becomes a disruptor to the traditional hotels in the markets, evoking the aspirations of its guests to encounter that awe-inspiring experience, the wow factor and the local stories that they can carry back home. The Crafted Collection is not just another lifestyle brand, but a collection of new generation independent properties aligned to a new generation of travellers wanting to collect lifelong experiences. Crafted has been created for independent hoteliers who seek to thrill their guests from lifestyle, boutique and luxury segments or more likely from a combination of all three. hotelmanagement.com.au 17

PROMOTION

ACCOR TAKES OFF WITH

QANTAS

Accor and Qantas are taking to the skies, giving eligible members of both companies' loyalty programs access to sky high rewards.

Q

antas and Accor have deepened their long-term relationship even further, giving mutual members of their respective loyalty programs the opportunity to accelerate their points earning capacity.

Launching in coming months, eligible customers who are members of Qantas Frequent Flyer and ALL – Accor Live Limitless (ALL) will have the opportunity to earn Qantas Points as well as Accor Live Limitless Reward points on eligible Accor hotel bookings and Qantas operated flights.

Previously, members could only earn points on one program per booking.

It’s the first venture of its kind between a hospitality group and an airline in the AsiaPacific region.

Their combined mission has a key purpose: to reward loyalty at every stage of their journey which will see members boost their points balance faster.

Members who link their accounts will be rewarded at home, on the journey, at the destination and back again with bonus points, status upgrade offers and much more.

Their every need will be anticipated with unique experiences, personalised services and premium events.

Accor Pacific CEO, Simon McGrath, said the enhanced relationship between Accor and Qantas was a major milestone for the travel industry, enabling greater benefits for loyalty customers across Accor’s 1,240 hotels, apartments and resorts in the AsiaPacific region.

“We are joining forces to enable our 18 HM The Business of Accommodation

customers to be part of something special, delivering exceptional travel benefits and unrivalled service for people who enjoy our two much-loved brands,” McGrath said.

“Customers are at the heart of this joint venture and the combined strength of Accor and Qantas will bring significant extended benefits.

“Qantas is the perfect partner for Accor to deepen our relationship with, and growing our loyalty member’s benefits will strengthen our customers’ commitment to our brands.

"We predict that this relationship will increase the reach of our powerful loyalty database even further.”

Qantas Group CEO, Alan Joyce, said Qantas Frequent Flyer is always looking for new and innovative ways to reward its members.

“This initiative will provide even more value for our customers of both brands by earning points while in the air and on the ground at your accommodation,” Joyce said.

“Throughout the pandemic, our members have continued to stockpile points for that dream holiday and this new initiative will help customers of both programs get there sooner.

“We know there’s a lot of pent-up demand for travel and whenever restrictions have eased, we’ve seen huge spikes in people redeeming points to go places.”

Members of each loyalty program will receive full details later this year.

Qantas Frequent Flyers can already convert their ALL – Accor Live Limitless Reward points to Qantas Points at the rate of one ALL – Accor Live Limitless Reward point per one Qantas Point. n

L-R Maria Pintaric, Qantas; Alan Joyce, Qantas; Nestor Guttierrez, Accor; Simon McGrath, Accor and Anthony Phillips, Qantas

COVER STORY

“We are joining forces to enable our customers to be part of something special, delivering exceptional travel benefits and unrivalled service.”

Simon McGrath, Accor

Sofit el Sydney Darling Harbour

hotelmanagement.com.au 19

PRESENTS

Hilton Cluster General Manager Cairns, Scott Wilson

Skills shortage pathway programs The Accommodation Association’s new Pathway Partnership connects willing workers to training and employment vacancies.

IN RESPONSE TO the national skills shortage across the sector, the Association is assisting our members with their recruitment needs via our PaTH and Train 2 Earn programs.

“We’re incredibly proud to develop this program for Australia’s hotels to address the ongoing skills shortage in our sector and provide long term employment opportunities to Australians at a time when many are looking for work,” said Accommodation Association CEO, Dean Long.

The PaTH pre-employment program is available to 18 to 24-year-olds who have a passion for the hospitality sector. They receive training and are placed as an Intern within our member organization to solidify their skills prior to being offered employment. Train 2 Earn pre-employment programs train people with a passion for the hospitality sector. After successfully completing the training, they are placed in employment within our member vacancies.

Here are some testimonials from recent graduates: • Andrew Phillips, 25: “Even though I’m just beginning my career in the industry, I’ve already learnt so much. The Accommodation Association team has been right beside me at every stage of the course and they were always pushing me to achieve my potential and excel within the course to further my career.”

• Topaz Grass-Masters, 20: “Thank you so much for helping me. I've been so busy working I haven't really gotten a time to myself but it's good!

So thank you!“ Hilton Cairns General Manager, Scott Wilson said: “Cairns’ hospitality and tourism industries are experiencing a team member skills shortage that has been compounded by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is increasingly challenging to source and recruit talent who meet the skill requirements for their position, align with the hotel’s culture and who wish to commit to our industry.

“Hilton Cairns has been proud to partner with the Accommodation Association in addressing this challenge. The focus of the partnership has been on providing training and employment opportunities to young people through internships and traineeships. These efforts align with Hilton’s global ‘Travel with Purpose’ goals to redefine sustainable travel, which include doubling our investment in youth opportunity programs The Accommodation Association’s Pathway Program is an ideal entry point for young people to make their mark in hospitality and accommodation.

20 HM The Business of Accommodation

by connecting them to opportunities in the hospitality industry, preparing them to reach their full potential or directly employing them.

“The partnership with the Accommodation Association has gone from strength to strength and I have found the team to be professional at every level of the organisation, and across all interactions.”

In addition to this, the Accommodation Association can also assist you with: • Online training via the soon to be launched platform - The Hub • Nationally recognised qualifications utilising the Approved Training Panel • Traineeship & Apprenticeship sign ups and placements • Industrial Relations needs • Industry Events • Advocacy and Grants

Board member for the Queensland Advisory Board, Nick Uit Den Bogaard, also Owner and Manager, Comfort Resort Blue Pacific, Mackay.

Monty Maguire, Board member for the NSW and ACT Advisory Board, also General Manager, Powerhouse Hotel Armidale by Rydges

Regional Outlook We check in with two regional Association Board members for a non-city perspective.

OUTSIDE OF LOCKDOWN conditions, regional tourism has been the breakaway success of the industry as travellers discover their own state and historic country hotspots across the nation. This interest is attracting new levels of investment and a greater energy and motivation to continue to grow regional tourism even once international borders reopen.

In your view, how have regional destinations performed during the pandemic in terms of giving Australians a new look at their homeland?

Will regional investment and infrastructure help regional destinations continue to compete for the attention of domestic markets?

Nick: The regions have welcomed a marked increase in Australians rediscovering their own backyard whilst this pandemic is continuing. This has been good news for Queensland’s regional tourism and has softened the blow for many hotel and hospitality businesses.

Ongoing investment into regional destinations and their associated infrastructure continues to be an integral part of succeeding to attract the domestic market, and in the longer term, also our inbound market. If we don’t, there will be an inevitable void and time lag in keeping up with market expectations and recovery. The regions are currently seen as a relatively safe holiday option for Australians, and it will be a while before we will be travelling to overseas destinations like we used to.

Monty: Regional destinations such as New England have felt the negative impacts of the pandemic, particularly with domestic corporate travel and conferencing. However, with the immediate focus on domestic tourism, we’ve seen an upsurge in leisure travel. Road trip travel in particular is having a major impact in regional areas such as ours.

Regional investment and infrastructure will always assist our destinations to compete for the travel and tourism market. We need strong marketing campaigns to shift attitudes, so our regional destinations and tourism operators are sought after, rather than viewed as an afterthought. We need to convince Australians we are worthy of their investment, that our experiences are the very best – safe, uncrowded, authentic and inspiring.

KEY NEWS

State of the Nation

The Association's state-based Chairs share their views on the industry's progress across their respective jurisdictions.

THE ACCOMMODATION ASSOCIATION’S State Advisory Board Chairs share their thoughts on the ‘State of the Nation’ as it relates to the sector’s current position and trajectory in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the market as a whole.

Looking ahead to the recovery of tourism in your states and territories, what are some of the key developments and tourism opportunities underway that visitors will soon be able to enjoy?

Mark: After many months of lockdown, in particular the southern states, many are looking to come to QLD and NT to enjoy our beautiful natural assets within our vast state and territory borders, including our stunning open beaches and the incredible landscapes of the outback. What will be important for us as an industry to deliver is an authentic experience that connects with the traveller and provides a real sense of welcome.

Patrick: When you look at Sydney, our largest gateway city, there is a renewed vigour from the NSW government and City of Sydney to support not only accommodation businesses but hospitality in general. AUD$200 million a year worth of investment has been signalled by the government as part of the visitor economy strategy to get the tourism sector back on its feet.

Adrian: One of the most exciting projects is the Adelaide Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre (AACC) that is due to open in 2025. Further, the ambitious Greenline project on the Yarra River is the kind of transformative government projects that our cities need to allow for the long-term growth of the visitor economy to support the private sector’s massive investment in supply.

Australia has always been viewed as a leading aspirational destination for many overseas markets. Do you believe the pandemic will encourage people to take the step and live out their dream of visiting our shores?

Mark: On a global sense, Australia will always retain its aspirational positioning for many and it will be integral for the international traveller to feel not only welcome to our shores but safe with absolute confidence in our management of living alongside COVID. Patrick: Australia as a destination was experiencing strong growth in domestic and international tourism in the years leading up to the pandemic and I believe this will be the case again when the borders reopen.

Adrian: The long-term outlook for international visitation remains strong and we expect Australia’s natural assets and renowned friendly Australian service will continue to be highly desirable for the international market. We need to work collaboratively with state governments to rebuild our events calendar quickly to ensure our cities and regions are again vibrant and dynamic places to visit.

QLD and NT Chairman, Mark Hodge, also General Manager Hotels and Residences, The Star Gold Coast

NSW and ACT Chairman, Patrick Lonergan, also Director of Hotels for Doma Hotels

VIC, SA, WA and TAS Chairman, Adrian Williams, also Vice President Operations VIC/ TAS/SA for Accor hotelmanagement.com.au 21

PRESENTS

L-R Michael Johnson, TAA; Richard Doyle, Staywell Group; Shane Jolly, The Langham Sydney; Steve Cox, Destination NSW and Bahram Sepahi, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney.

Building skills for the next generation TAA CEO Michael Johnson joined Federal MPs in a skill building day with Western Sydney students to help prepare the workforce of tomorrow.

Plan in place to beat skills shortage While rolling lockdowns and border closures continue to play havoc with the hotel sector, TAA has been working with the Federal Government to resolve the long-term skills crisis.

TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA has welcomed the Federal Government’s changes to the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa program.

TAA National CEO, Michael Johnson, said the changes demonstrate the government is listening to the concerns of Australia’s accommodation and hospitality industry regarding existing and projected labour shortages.

“It is reassuring to see the Coalition Government putting in place measures to help address industry concerns about labour shortages,” Mr Johnson said. “Each year Working Holiday Makers play a crucial role in Australia’s hotels, restaurants, pubs and taverns.

“The expansion of the Working Holiday Maker visa program will incentivise young workers to come to Australia and stay for longer. This will not only deliver a dividend in terms of increasing an important source of labour, but the evidence shows WHMs spend what they earn in Australia and disperse widely throughout Australia’s regional areas,” Mr Johnson added.

“Allowing eligible visa holders to access a third year in Australia, increasing the number of visas allocated to our partner countries and raising the eligible age for applicants to 35 ensures Australia remains an attractive option for young travellers.

The announcement will help businesses have access to the labour they require, allowing them to grow and create more jobs.”

The Australian Hotels Association and Tourism Accommodation Australia have also successfully pushed for the inclusion of chefs on to the Priority Skilled Migration Occupation List in an effort to alleviate the growing crisis.

Mr Johnson said the addition of chefs could not have come at a better time.

“Obviously, our international borders remain closed and we cannot access the usual stream of international chefs who form a critical part of our workforce,” he said.

“Hotels in regional parts of Australia hard-hit by domestic tourism are desperate for chefs, with some hotel restaurants closed during the week due to the labour and skills shortage. Our priority is always to employ Aussies first, and always will be, but international chefs add to the hospitality experience, helping our businesses provide world-best cuisines as we move into the global COVID recovery phase.

“Adding chefs to the Priority Skilled Migration Occupation List is a great first step which will put accommodation hotels in a much better position. It is something we have long pushed for," Mr Johnson said.

22 HM The Business of Accommodation

TAA CEO MICHAEL JOHNSON recently helped a group of potential hospitality workers prepare for the dreaded but crucial first step into the world of employment – the job interview.

Mr Johnson joined Federal Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business, Stuart Robert and Federal Member for Lindsay, Melissa McIntosh in Penrith for the ‘Inspiring the Future Australia’ mock interview day. The interviewees from YES – Youth Employment Services sat down with Mr Johnson and other business leaders to hear first-hand what employers are after.

Having interviewed hundreds of people over the years as a hotel GM, Mr Johnson said the event was important for both jobseekers and the industry.

“Our industry is operating under a skills crisis shortage at the moment, and we want the next generation to see hospitality as a real and exciting career choice,” he said.

“Hotels, particularly in the regions and places like Western Sydney, are crying out for skilled staff like chefs, cooks, apprentices and front-line staff. This was a problem before COVID and it is even worse now due to the lack of international students, working holiday makers and temporary visa holders.”

Mr Johnson said the interviewees were between 17 and 21 years old, with many having never before been to a formal job interview.

“It was great to be part of the day and to see the boost in confidence the practice and the interview feedback gave them,” Mr Johnson said.

“I hope some of them will go on to work in our industry because the only way we can truly bridge the skills gap is to get more young Australians involved.”

Michael Johnson conducts a mock job interview with Minister Robert and an aspiring hospitality leader.

TAA CEO Michael Johnson addresses a meeting of industry delegates

Vaccination change needed in all states

TAA welcomed the NSW Government’s policy change to make vaccination compulsory for all staff working in quarantine hotels and is calling on other states to immediately follow suit.

TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA CEO, Michael Johnson, said

the government’s policy change comes as true hotel occupancy rates in Sydney during lockdown hover around the 2% mark – without quarantine figures included.

Mr Johnson said an update to a NSW Public Health Order mandated all staff in quarantine hotels must be vaccinated, with at least with one injection by 6 July 2021.

“Vaccination has previously been available to quarantine hotel staff, but it has not been mandatory,” said Mr Johnson.

“These new measures make vaccination mandatory and mitigates another element of risk from the quarantine program.

“With the National Cabinet announcement of a quarantine hotel program review, all state and territories should implement a similar order of mandatory vaccination for quarantine hotel workers if they haven't already.”

Mr Johnson said quarantine business is the only thing keeping the struggling Sydney hotel market operating.

“Sydney hotels are currently at 10 per cent occupancy, but that figure is misleading because the majority of guests are quarantined travellers,” he said.

“The number in quarantine halved on 14 July, when National Cabinet dropped the cap for international arrivals from 3,000 arrivals per week to 1500 per week.

“Under the greater Sydney lockdown,

most other CBD hotels are closed or operating at less than two per cent occupancy, with many staff stood down,” he said. “The ones that have managed to stay open have seen a 98 per cent drop in revenue compared to the previous month.”

WORLD OF TAA

View from the West

In this opinion column, Tourism Accommodation Australia WA CEO, BRADLEY WOODS, shares the industry experience from the west coast.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S HOSPITALITY industry is revelling in the fact that capacity restrictions have finally been removed, but we fully appreciate the challenges east coast states are dealing with. Mask requirements are gone, patron capacity limits have been removed and seated service is a thing of the past. Apart from a presence of hand sanitiser, the only reminder of COVID is the need to sign into the statemandated QR code contact register.

WA has been ahead of the game when it comes to returning to normal trading conditions and there are a number of reasons for this success. The isolation that often defines Perth has been a major advantage in the fight against COVID-19. Unlike the east coast, interstate holidaymakers don’t pop into WA for a spontaneous weekend caravan trip. Getting to WA is well worth the effort, however it does take a degree of both planning and time, which has given WA a major upper hand in containing the pandemic.

Hard border policies have been a point of conjecture since early 2020 and will continue to be, but there is no denying their effectiveness. The McGowan Government’s regular use of strong border measures have repeatedly kept COVID out when outbreaks have sprung up in other states.

In the early days of the virus, deep anxiety was prevalent throughout WA’s hospitality industry.

As authorities grappled with new outbreaks, an eight-week lockdown was announced for April and May, which turned out to be the most challenging period our industry faced.

The AHA acted early and identified that for hospitality venues to reopen, we needed the state government to have the confidence that it could be done so safely.

The creation of the AHA Hospitality & Tourism COVID-19 Hygiene Course was a game-changer for our industry for a number of reasons. It showed policy makers that industry was taking the lead in delivering practical, relevant health and safety advice to venues and their staff. It also showed that venues were willing to adhere to mandatory, strict requirements before opening and that same undertaking was required of all workers who, as service staff, were essentially on the front line in the fight against the virus. Since its launch, the AHA(WA) has delivered training in COVID-safe hospitality practices to over 180,000 people.

Industry-led initiatives are critical at a time like this. Businesses, through their representative bodies, need to help design solutions rather than simply be told what to do by government. This solution has the investment of those that matter whilst, whilst producing an outcome that is far more practical and useful than something designed by bureaucrats. Upon re-opening in late May, WA’s hospitality venues navigated a series of transitional arrangements, some key aspects of which set the standard for other jurisdictions, such as the ‘one person per two square metres’ rule.

In June this year, WA briefly moved to Phase 5, which removed all restrictions, however the resulting enthusiasm was dampened less than a week later with our recent four-day lockdown.

Importantly, we now have an undertaking from the state government that when lockdowns do occur, we rebound back to zero restrictions as soon as the threat has passed.

An alarming impact of lockdowns have been the compounding affect they have on local labour shortages, with staff leaving the industry, citing a lack of job security. Similar to other capital cities, a number of accommodation hotels in Perth’s CBD are suffering from rock bottom occupancy levels, compounded by a downturn in corporate travel and a decimated MICE sector. Interstate leisure tourism is certainly returning but is constantly sensitive to border uncertainty.

Western Australians are deeply concerned by what has happened in NSW and Victoria, with the overwhelming sentiment one of sympathy and compassion for our colleagues and fellow Australians. Everyone is also well aware that whilst we are currently enjoying unrestricted freedom, this can change dramatically at a moment’s notice.

Bradley Woods is the CEO of AHA (WA), TAA (WA) and a Board Member of Tourism Australia. hotelmanagement.com.au 23

ROOMS DIVISION

Comfort Sleep helps facilitate orders for guests wishing to take their hotel bed home

DREAMS IT’S YOUR TYPICAL GOLDILOCKS SCENARIO. HOTELIERS CHOOSING THEIR NEW BEDS USED TO HAVE PLUSH, MEDIUM OR FIRM AS THEIR OPTIONS BUT AS TECHNOLOGY HAS EVOLVED, THE ABILITY TO CUSTOMISE IS AT A PEAK.

F

or even the most regular traveller, that first fall onto their hotel room bed can deliver an instant shot of euphoria, evoking feelings that it is the best bed they may ever sleep on.

As the technology associated with foam, spring and coil evolution has improved however, the comfort gap between a plush, medium and firm mattress is narrowing. Guest feedback often highlights the desire for a good night sleep as top of the craving list when staying at a hotel, but with the broad spectrum of bedding preferences among guests, how does a hotelier decide which type of mattress to purchase?

For Sealy, developing specialised bed programs has been part and parcel of its operating model for many years, with a key emphasis on helping a hotel develop an ‘exclusive’ bed type emblematic of its brand standards. Tier 1 hotel chains such as Marriott, Hilton, Westin, Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton are among

24 HM The Business of Accommodation

major brands to have developed its own bespoke branded bed.

“The Tier 2 that includes standalone properties and resorts (not part of a chain) often want to tailor their beds as part of the overarching campaign or a particular customer offering,” said Sealy National Commercial Accounts Manager, Antony Raiteri.

“This could be around the mattresses using recyclable materials or natural fibres and materials, being Australian made or being bespoke in a ‘lifestyle way’.

Despite this, Raiteri said he doesn’t see the trend of customised bedding becoming the global norm just yet.

“There is still a need for an ‘off the shelf’ model,” he said. This could include the Tier 2 properties which may sit in regional areas or are more budget friendly to the guests.”

Leading Australian family brand A.H. Beard says it is seeing more hotels opting to venture down the path of custom designing a mattress to suit their guests. In some cases, hotels are able to specify what they are looking for – from springs, coils and comfort fills - and there’s a good chance a product that ticks all of these boxes is already available in A.H. Beard’s Commercial range. If the hotel’s demands for a more specific feel or aesthetic do not translate to an existing product, the company is well equipped to deliver a custom build, with many comfort fills and upholstery fabrics available to mix, match and ultimately deliver what the hotel customer is looking for.

A.H. Beard Group Commercial Manager, Peter Deveny, the process to identify the right product for each customer is fairly straightforward.

“Many hotel brands are reviewing their brand standards for bedding, some of them for the first time in many years, due to the changes in technology that have improved the performance and affordability of high-quality beds.

ROOMS DIVISION

r

The guest expectation is very different to what it was in years past,” Deveny said.

“Travellers of all types now have high quality, very comfortable beds in their own homes and they demand that the hotels they stay in have a product that meets e Se m to aly us that standard, not a brand standard that was can ry c e cust v omise beds to suit e potentially created 10 years ago, or longer, that is no longer relevant or adequate for the guest.

For Comfort Sleep, the first part of the process involves identifying its client mix and where the property sits in its local market, from boutique, lifestyle, corporate, budget or something else.

“We want “It is a collaborative experience, which sees us work closely with the property to determine the kind of to ensure product they would like from a feel, budget and design the client is perspective,” said Comfort Sleep Bedding Director, completely David Sapuppo. satisfied “Often, we would design several prototypes and allow the client to sleep on the bed for several nights before with their deciding. We want to ensure the client is completely selection.” satisfied with their selection. We believe the mattress David Sapuppo, should visually represent the hotel brand and be the Comfort Sleep perfect comfort level.”

Aside from helping a hotel select a mattress product

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that guests will want to return to repeatedly, Sapuppo says Comfort Sleep wants to help a hotelier increase its revenue by facilitating home delivery if a customer loves the bed so much and wants to take it home.

“By choosing a custom made and unique product, this adds a potential for an additional revenue stream by enabling the hotelier to offer the bed to their customers at home. We work closely with our clients to facilitate these home deliveries across the country on their behalf.”

According to SleepMaker, hoteliers are more frequently requesting customised bedding, opting for a product that can be easily adjusted to suit changing tastes and trends to keep rooms modern and fresh. Further, as room configurations change with renovations and refurbishments, custom bedding allows hotel operators to adapt their sleeping product to suit available space and room sizes.

For many hotels, particularly those brands in the higher echelon, the bed is predictably among the higher ticket items purchased for the room. Some luxury brands have developed their own style of bed and make them available for guests to purchase for their homes if they indeed love it that much. Sheet thread counts are high, pillow menus are expansive and on a nightly basis, that craving for a refreshing sleep is delivered. n

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hotelmanagement.com.au 25

TECHNOLOGY A slick website is critical to ensure strong booking volumes

SHOPFRONTS WALK DOWN ANY MAIN STREET OR SHOPPING ARCADE IN AUSTRALIA AND YOU’LL FIND EACH SHOP WITH ITS BEST AND BRIGHTEST IN THE WINDOW TO ENTICE CUSTOMERS INSIDE. FOR HOTELS PROMOTING TO CUSTOMERS AROUND THE WORLD, THE DIGITAL EQUIVALENT IS NO LESS VITAL.

I

n an ideal world, hoteliers would wish they could keep their rooms full year-round on word-of-mouth and local marketing efforts alone. To borrow a phrase and apply it to reality however, ‘it takes a village’ to do this for pretty much every hotel operator under the sun.

There should be many different strings in the bow of a hotelier executing a moderately aggressive yet competitive marketing strategy. Ensuring your digital shopfront is enticing should be a primary concern. The question is – which shopping centre do you want to put it in?

Despite some of their more unpopular traits such as commission levels, Online Travel Agents (OTAs) should 26 HM The Business of Accommodation

not be viewed in a negative light as few can argue they don’t provide the biggest and brightest marketplace for a hotel to be represented within. Their global reach is all but unparalleled and should be considered a key pillar in any serious marketing effort. That said, there are several out there and it is worth shopping around to find the best outlet for your property.

Hirum Software Solutions General Manager, Natasha James, says while developing a marketing strategy, the most critical element is understanding which revenue channel is performing the best, but not to put all eggs into one basket.

“Do your research and understand your competitors, understand your return on investment with each OTA, but most importantly understand your breakpoint and where you can push the limits,” James said. “If you are not going to take the time to understand these core areas in your business, you might as well sell the business now.”

Direct bookings will always be the golden chalice of guest marketing and a key component of attracting these is to ensure your hotel offers a slick, intuitive and mobile optimised website. Whenever information changes about your hotel, such as renovations beginning, your

TECHNOLOGY

website should be the first place this is communicated. Decorated with plenty of easyto-access images, the latest details and plenty of opportunities to book will go a long way toward securing higher levels of guest interest and direct conversions.

SiteMinder Regional Vice President Asia-Pacific, Bradley Haines, said that while OTAs have emerged from the pandemic well and continue to provide significant guest volumes, direct online bookings have proven to be the fastest growing revenue stream for hotels over the past year.

“The advice we always give to hoteliers is this: go to your own website and experience what it’s like to make a booking with your own property. Is it easy? Does the content entice you and is the information sufficient? Are you willing to part with your credit card details because it feels secure? If the answer is no to any one of these questions, then you need to solve that point of friction and that’s the role of a hotel commerce platform like SiteMinder.”

If a new website is in the works for your property, chances are excellent you’ll be incorporating a user-friendly booking engine. Absolutely key to this is making sure your booking platform is able to take payments via a secure and encrypted portal.

ReZme co-founder and CEO, Matt Taylor, said that while OTAs are too big for hotels to ignore, a good investment in their own website can yield as much as 70% of all bookings through a direct channel, potentially saving thousands annually on commissions.

“Unfortunately, many existing technology solutions which hotels use to power their direct websites don’t do a good job at emulating the easy and fast experience people are accustomed to on the OTA platforms,” Taylor said.

“Research that ReZme has undertaken shows there is a desire for travellers to support local and book direct, however when they visit a hotel’s direct website, the experience and booking process is very clunky. Therefore, the user leaves and conversion rates end >>

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“The customer buying journey is not linear as it used to be.”

Bradley Haines, SiteMinder

SiteMinder offers hotels full disclosure on how their booking channels are performing

zm e.c om hotelmanagement.com.au 27

TECHNOLOGY

up very low. The ReZme platform allows a hotel to have a simple and integrated booking process, operated on a welldesigned, mobile-first website. We see conversion rates significantly higher than industry averages.

One key consideration for a hotelier equal to the efficiency of its booking engine is the vital need for a robust and wide-reaching customer service structure.

This is an area where OTAs have the international scale and ability to stand out and do so quite convincingly.

This means it is only to the peril of a hotelier to not be listed on several of these global sites to ensure strong representation and exposure, with commission levels simply a cost of doing business.

Errol Cooke, Vice President Global Partner Services for one such international OTA, Agoda, said this support and innovation, along with reach, are just some of the key points hotel partners should consider when evaluating the OTA market.

“Having multi-language customer support and local currency payments, gives properties on our platform the advantage when marketing to international travellers,” Cooke said.

“We also innovate products that put the customer first and bring greater value to our hotel partners, including COVID initiatives such as EasyCancel, Hygiene Plus, and GoLocal that have helped partners pivot to domestic travel and capturing those with a desire to travel by offering relevant innovative products that suit their travel needs. We [also] have the Partner Hub and 24/7 partner hotline to ensure Australian partners and customers can reach us when they need to.”

Another key element to a successful digital strategy is guest feedback. TripAdvisor has long dominated this space and remains a global leader as a trusted facilitator

of real guest commentary, with a strong record of recognising and filtering fake, spam and robotic ‘reviews’ while ensuring first-person experiences remain visible.

For a hotelier, it is critical that monitoring the views of your guests – both by thanking the positive and Matt Taylor, ReZme calmly communicating with the negative – is part of your daily or weekly duties. Negative reviews that are acted upon can be just as powerful as a strong line-up of positive comments.

“Building a positive online reputation requires hotels to think about every aspect of their brand and the experience they create for their customers. The customer buying journey is not as linear as it used to be,” said Haines. “So, whether it’s through a third-party channel like an OTA, or through their own website, the brand experience needs to be consistent. There should be parity in the content. Too often, hotels display their best photos on one type of channel only, which limits their ability to convert consumers through multiple touchpoints.

“Your website is your shop front, it must not only look good but also offer a great user experience on mobile and desktop to make it easy to consume the information and convert guests from a ‘looker into a booker’,” said Hirum’s Natasha James.

“Consumers are flooded with so many options that simply being reliant on having a ‘beachside location’ in your marketing and distribution strategy is no longer enough.” n

“Research that ReZme has undertaken shows there is a desire for travellers to support local and book direct.”

Two-thirds of hotel bookings are now made on smartphones

28 HM The Business of Accommodation

TECHNOLOGY

CONNECTING WITH

AGODA

HM logged on with Agoda’s Director of Oceania, ZSUZSANNA JANOS, to learn more about the platform and the array of services it offers to partner hotels across Australia and globally.

Partner hoteliers can access comprehensive data on their sales and performance activity via the Agoda Partner Hub.

With the online travel space so incredibly crowded, what helps Agoda stand out and stand tall?

I

t’s a combination of things but ultimately, it’s our technology that allows us to provide our partners with products and tech solutions that enable them to grow their business. Our global reach exceeding two million properties in more than 200 markets often surprises

constantly test, measure and refine to maximise conversion and provide a frictionless experience for travellers – including the best support and booking experiences. With mobile an increasingly significant platform, we’ve focused on developing products or initiatives specifically targeting mobile and app users. And during COVID-19, we continued to innovate, introducing products such as ‘EasyCancel’, ‘Hygiene Plus’ and ‘GoLocal’

os

Ag o

an

people. While we are perceived as the Asian gateway for travellers, we to help partners pivot to domestic travel and capture those with a desire extend much further with a strong presence globally, including Australia. to travel by offering relevant products that suit their travel needs.

We employ more than 4,000 staff in 25 markets, including Australia, dedicated to generating bookings for our What advice would you give a hotel owner f Oceania, Zsu tor o zsa partners, who range from independent hoteliers to to help it stand out and compete against rec i n n aJ ’s D large well-known branded properties that in turn some of the ‘big fish’ on Agoda? da offer travellers a wide choice of accommodation Ensure your content is flawless and enticing. options across the budget spectrum. At Agoda, Focus on the experiences of staying at your we invest heavily in technology, employing hotel. Highlight what makes your hotel more than 1,000 engineers who drive different and unique. Make sure your product solutions that enable our partners to customer experiences result in good reviews stay ahead of the curve. because they carry weight. Our recent survey highlighted Australian travellers are looking How does Agoda help its hoteliers for value for money, so be competitive but remain price competitive in a market don’t undervalue your product.

where new rates and tactical offers are constantly being released?

How can a hotelier manage its

We support our Australian partners 24/7 performance on Agoda and access with dedicated account managers offering key data to help its marketing strategic support to access products that we strategy evolve? know will excite and reach their customers.

Our Partner Hub and YCS extranet are the For example, our recent research shows a go-to platforms with easy-to-use dashboards trend that travellers are more likely to book for properties to manage their own presence if additional perks are included, such as and reach new customers. It enables F&B incentives, room upgrades and early properties to receive intelligence and insights check-in/late check-out. So we developed on travel trends. For example, currently Agoda Special Offers (ASO) and our partners our Australian partners are benefiting are already enjoying higher exposure, clickfrom Agoda’s ‘GoLocal’ product which is Zsuzsanna Janos, Agoda throughs and bookings through the dedicated driving more domestic travellers to them. landing pages showcasing special offers with Our Australian market managers are using partner properties, and supported by optimisation including email evidence and data to find the best value solutions for our partners. marketing, public relations and social media.

“We’ve focused on developing products or initiatives specifically targeting mobile and app users.”

Why should a hotelier trust its digital marketing and reservations responsibility to Agoda?

Our partners see us as a valuable channel. Dedicated account management and extensive e-commerce insights and intelligence, supported by best-in-class technology, ensure we provide innovative and trusted products that our partners rely on to grow their business. We

How engaged is Agoda in domestic and international market trends to help its hoteliers perform to their best?

Agoda’s technology offers partners deep insight into Australia’s domestic and international markets. Our marketing optimisation technology funnels customers towards properties that they would otherwise not have found. We are already helping thousands of properties in Australia find and secure new customers. We are proud of that. n hotelmanagement.com.au 29

HM Q&A | SUPPLIER PROFILE

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: A sh edit r C

er Milgate

GROHE-ING EFFICIENCY

20 2

1

As part of water conservation efforts, hotels are rapidly adopting new technology to lower consumption levels without impacting on the guest experience. To find out more, HM caught up with Lixil Water Technology Key Account Leader, STEVEN HIGGINS.

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St nI ev en sig e Hig D gins e at presenting on stag

How actively should hotels be keeping tabs on their water consumption and investigating ways to lower this?

I

t is best practice to get an understanding of your

water and energy usage for your property which will allow you to benchmark and identify problems to address. Sub-metering for different areas of the property with smart devices like the Grohe Sense Guard will be able to give you detailed information.

Also, a simple Water Usage Audit will help you to get an understanding of the water consumption at your property. We often work with properties and test the showers, tapware and toilets and share the data and are able to offer solutions that will reduce the water usage without compromising the experience for the guest.

Grohe’s SmartControl technology allows push-button shower operation

What can you tell us about the new Grohe X Digital Experience Hub and what impact it may have on hotels, hospitality and professional suppliers you work with?

What are some ideal technologies hotels can install as part of the shower experience for their guests to minimise energy use, such as temperature displays?

Technology, innovation and sustainability are very important to us and we are always looking to improve the guest shower experience.

SmartControl Concealed is hidden technology and installed behind the wall, giving you a clean and minimalist look and more freedom of space.

One of our latest innovations is our Grohe SmartControl Concealed Thermostat. With the press of a button, it will turn the shower on and off and also adjust the pressure. The intuitive control allows you to set the desired temperature, which the SmartControl will maintain, which results in lower water and energy consumption. It also keeps the same temperature – so no getting burnt and diving out of the shower if another tap is turned on or toilet is flushed.

Can you give us an indication on how much research and development goes into new hardware and technology from Grohe?

In addition to the traditional fittings, more high-tech products are finding their way into our portfolio. As a result, innovations such as the Grohe Sense Guard digital water security system and the Grohe Blue and Red water 30 HM The Business of Accommodation

systems are now part of the Grohe product portfolio.

At the testing centre, products are tested to the highest standard. The testing takes between two to twelve weeks for components that are built into the wall. Testing on some products can even last up to six months.

The life cycle of a product can therefore be simulated within a few weeks. Observations focus on factors such as age-based degradation of the product, precision of use, product security and quality, comfort of use and industry norms.

“Grohe X is an industryfirst digital platform for its leading global bathroom brand.”

Grohe X is an industry-first digital platform for its leading global bathroom brand, Grohe. Visitors to the hub have the opportunity to create their own individual Grohe brand experience thanks to informative and inspirational multimedia content tailored to the needs of its professional business partners and consumers.

Outside the shower, what are some key products hoteliers should look at to reduce water usage elsewhere on property, such as internal laundries, kitchens or in public areas?

Some simple options to reduce water usage across the property include installing manual or sensor operated urinals and sensor operated tapware. In kitchens, we’d recommend water efficient taps, flow regulators and trigger hoses. Laundries can benefit from reusing rinse water, recycling cooling water, encouraging guests to reuse linen and using water efficient washing machines.

Outside in the gardens, some great ways to lower water consumption levels could include using smart, well managed watering systems and rain sensors, installing underground watering systems or a rainwater tank, mulching or planting native Australian plants.

Around the pool, some ideas could be to optimise and recycle backwash, use temperature regulation and use a swimming pool cover when possible. n

ACCOR PACIFIC

TURNS

Reflections from

Simon McGrath AM Chief Executive Officer, Accor Pacific 2006-current

The past 30 years of Accor in the Pacific has been rich in innovation and growth, equally balancing doing the right thing for people and for our communities.

Accor Pacific’s success is a story of human endeavour. Everything we have accomplished has been the result of the collaborative efforts of countless people. I want to thank those fierce ground breakers whose influence and leadership continues to reverberate around the globe, David Baffsky and Michael Issenberg. That being said, I could go on for pages mentioning the incredible individuals that we owe thanks to. The tenure and loyalty of people who work in our business is remarkable. People at every level remain with our Accor ecosystem for many years and still demonstrate the same passion, energy and commitment that they brought with them on their first day. We are fortunate to attract the best talent and eager new entrants into our sector who are looking to find a home in a culture which is unlike any other.

It is a privilege to walk around any one of our hotels, apartments or resorts, where you will see the culture in action.

You will observe the best of humankind. You will see our teams caring for people, listening to people and sharing stories. A hotel receptionist might be sitting with a guest providing them with support and resolving a situation; a chef might step out of the kitchen to explain a dish and a bar attendant may create a favourite cocktail for a guest. Meaningful magical moments of human connection. It is what our people are best at. I would like to thank everyone who has worked for Accor. I cannot thank you enough, and your contribution has set us apart.

We wouldn’t be where we are today without the support, feedback and loyalty of our guests. We are in constant dialogue with our

guests, and it is our responsibility to deliver meaningful experiences to them. Their feedback ignites our passion to innovate and elevates our service standards. Many, many thanks to all of our guests.

Without them, we are nothing.

To our owners, investors, franchisees, partners and suppliers, it’s an honour to serve you. Our relationships are rewarding, genuine and meaningful. In fact, our relationships are as wonderful as the hotels that we create and operate together. Your thoughts, input and contribution make Accor great. We are so proud of this great business that we have built with you. Thank you for your trust and support.

Today, Accor Pacific feels as energetic and exciting as ever. The team is unwavering in its determination to excel and never sit still.

Every hotel is unique and requires detail, thought and passion. I am so excited about the future and the boundaries we will continue to push, bringing even greater success for everybody.

Reflections from

David Baffsky AO Honorary Chairman, Accor Asia-Pacific 1993-2008 as Executive Chairman

The opening of Novotel Sydney Darling Harbour in 1991 was the precursor of a planned expansion strategy for Accor, not only in Australia but for the whole Asia-Pacific region, all driven through a head office based in Sydney. Such was the trust from the Accor founders, which has since become more than 400 properties in the Pacific alone and many, many more in Asia.

Many great and memorable events have taken place including the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, which allowed Accor to demonstrate its skill and expertise in the tourism and hospitality industry for the benefit of our partners and our teams.

The tsunami in 2004 tested our teams to the limits of human endeavour and the humanitarian response to all of the social, local and political issues that arose is deeply ingrained in our DNA. We and our families are now all being tested by COVID and its impacts, but the fact that Accor has a truly unique culture means that there is nothing else genuinely like it in the world of tourism and hospitality to support and benefit all of our guests and all of our stakeholders.

Reflections from

Sébastien Bazin Global Chief Executive Officer, Accor 2013-current

Thirty years of history in the Pacific region and at least as many milestones. From our first Novotel in Sydney’s Darling Harbour in 1991 to today, it has been an incredible journey, full of boldness and success. With a portfolio of almost 400 hotels and more than 30 in the pipeline, Accor is the largest hotel operator in Australia and New Zealand.

It would never have been possible without our talents, those who dared, those who tried, those who failed and tried again, those who have adapted and those who brought a part of themselves into our hotels. Accor might be all about a pioneering spirit, but it is also certainly about achieving from our heart.

Hospitality is fundamentally about welcoming our guests, taking care of them and anticipating their needs. We connect to others with authenticity, respect, and responsibility. We innovate.

Our journey in the Pacific started with one brand. Today we have 17 and by 2023 the group will have launched new premium and luxury brands in the region with Mondrian, 25hours and SO/.

When we acquired Mantra in 2018, we were already in the hearts of Australians and New Zealanders. Today, one in seven Australians are members of our loyalty program ALL-Accor Live Limitless.

We’ll continue more than ever to support our talents, our local communities, our clients and our partners to forge many more successful and meaningful decades.

Reflections from

Michael Issenberg Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, Accor Asia-Pacific 1994-2021

I often get asked what my favourite Accor hotel is. It really is an impossible choice, but I do often say Sofitel Melbourne on Collins.

Why this hotel? It’s not just because it is a great hotel but, more so, what it means to Accor Pacific. In 1995, we were contacted to see if we were interested in tendering for the management of the then Regent Hotel Melbourne. Today, that may not seem like a big deal but, back then, it was extraordinary. Accor had less than 50 properties in Australia and no Sofitel hotels or luxury properties in the country. Not only were we up against the incumbent but also all of the major luxury hotel operators in the world. Obviously, we were the successful tenderer, but the next challenge was the takeover. The industry was sceptical, the expectations were enormous, and the existing hotel team had their reservations. The takeover was well planned and the execution was flawless. Twenty-five years later, we are still the proud operator of the first Sofitel in Australia.

Some of my greatest memories are the many mergers and acquisitions. Some were pretty unusual and fun, such as the Summit Restaurant Group and Blue Line Cruises in the 90s, but the most important were the many hotel companies we acquired. Our three major Australian acquisitions were All Seasons, Mirvac Hotels and Mantra Group. Each one was larger than the prior one, but each was important in their own right. The All Seasons acquisition, 29 hotels at the time, gave us many important lessons. The next acquisition was Mirvac Hotels in 2011/12. This one was ironic for me as I started

Mirvac Hotels two decades prior. The major learning from this acquisition was the skills to manage strata hotels at scale. When the opportunity to acquire Mantra Group arose in 2017/18, our ability to operate strata hotels from the Mirvac Hotels acquisition was crucial in convincing the Accor Board to make the necessary $1.2 billion investment to acquire Mantra Group. Each acquisition required vision and a certain leap of faith, however, what was most important in the analysis, negotiation, close and integration was teamwork.

At the end of the day, all of my best Accor memories are about the wonderful team of people we have at Accor.

ACCOR PACIFIC TURNS

A

s Accor took its first steps in

Australia and New Zealand under the tutelage of David Baffsky, the local market was introduced

to several leading global brands. Now, 30 years later, many of these brands have become household names. As the company evolved and its portfolio grew, so too did its leadership, with Michael Issenberg taking the reigns and taking the company to new heights. Once his next chapter called in Singapore, the decks were cleared for Simon McGrath, who has turned Accor into an influencer of political and industry discourse and continues to drive the company forward to meet the challenges of tomorrow. In this special commemoration three decades on from that maiden opening, we look back at a litany of achievements in Accor’s wake. n

IT BEGAN WITH NOVOTEL SYDNEY DARLING HARBOUR AS THE FIRST ACCOR HOTEL IN THE PACIFIC REGION AND GREW TO BECOME THE ACCOR WE KNOW AND LOVE TODAY.

1994

Michael Issenberg speaks at the opening of Novotel Auckland, Accor’s first foray in New Zealand

1991

Novotel Sydney Darling Harbour – Accor’s first Pacific hotel - opened in Sydney

1996

Sofitel arrives in Australia with the opening of Sofitel Melbourne on Collins

1999

Accor Pacific’s first casino hotel opens in the Reef Hotel Casino, later becoming a Pullman

2001

Accor launches its Indigenous Careers program which has helped thousands of Indigenous Australians learn skills and embark on rewarding careers in hospitality

Accor’s changing look Accor’s uniforms have certainly evolved with the times

2003

Accor opens Sofitel Sydney Wentworth

2012

Accor completes its acquisition of Mirvac Hotels and Resorts

2011

Accor partners with Ayers Rock Resort in the Northern Territory

2005

Accor opens Mercure Hotel Nadi

2019

Accor's first Hyde lifestyle and entertainment offering in the Pacific - Hyde Paradiso - opens on the Gold Coast

2018

Accor acquires the Mantra, Peppers, Breakfree and Art Series brands in an AUD$1.2 billion deal

2021

The Movenpick brand makes its Australian debut in Hobart as one of several new brands Accor announces for local shores, joining SO/, 25hours, Fairmont and Mondrian

“Mövenpick will quickly gain recognition for its culinary and service excellence in the Australian hotel market.”

Simon McGrath, Accor

Rodelio Ocampo (seated in front) on Day 1 at Novotel Sydney Darling Harbour

Thirty years later, Rodelio has witnessed the growth of a company and a city

How have you seen the Darling Harbour environment evolve in and around the Novotel over the past 30 years?

Over the past 30 years, I have seen Darling Harbour evolve from its infant steps of becoming a new place for the public - emerging from a decaying industrial area, inaccessible, uninviting and isolated from the public to a vibrant hub connected to the city centre by light rail and delightful promenades. It’s now a centre bustling with local people and overseas tourists, attracted to its hotels, bars, cafes, museums, theatres, playgrounds as well as spectacular harbour events.

MY INCREDIBLE CAREER WITH

What are some of your favourite celebrity or notable guest interactions?

On one occasion about 20 years ago, I met and looked after a popular Filipino TV presenter who was staying in Novotel Sydney Darling Harbour. On his return to the Philippines, he thanked Novotel and me personally on his TV program.

My principal interactions are with Novotel staff. Every day I am impressed with their dedication and commitment, often under considerable stress to meet deadlines and expectations. It is so clear that they want the hotel to run smoothly and for guests to have a great experience. They are my celebrities.

Is there any one story about a particularly remarkable guest that still stands out for you today?

When I think of a ‘particularly remarkable’ person, my mind instantly goes not to a guest but to a former General Manager - Mr Robert Murray - whom I worked under some years ago. He showed a deep regard and respect for me and all the staff. Even now, whenever he returns to Darling Harbour, he always comes to the loading dock to say hello. I will not forget his leadership, respect and appreciation as long as I live.

ACCOR’S FIRST DAY IN AUSTRALIA COINCIDED WITH THE FIRST DAY FOR RODELIO OCAMPO, WHO BEGAN AS PURCHASING MANAGER AT NOVOTEL SYDNEY DARLING HARBOUR IN 1991. THIRTY YEARS LATER, RODELIO LOOKS BACK ON THE COMPANY’S GROWTH IN THE PACIFIC, A JOURNEY PARALLELED BY HIS OWN.

CONCIERGE CORNER

Ric

ardo

ons Oliva Farrar

A Staycation City We get the low-down with Crown Towers Sydney Concierge, RICARDO OLIVA FARRARONS.

Crown Towers Sydney opened in late 2020

As a former member of Les Clefs d’Or in the UK, did you find it a challenge familiarising yourself with a completely different city, in a new country, and especially doing so during the ongoing national COVID situation?

I

am married to a Sydneysider, so I have visited Sydney many times as a tourist and have been fortunate to experience what this incredible city has to offer. Moving here in late 2019 was challenging to begin with but thankfully everything worked well in the end.

Our regular meetings with Les Clefs d’Or are a great opportunity to discover Sydney, meet colleagues and share experiences. Everyone has been very supportive and welcoming as I adjust to my new surroundings.

Did you find having an established background as a Les Clefs d’Or Concierge in the UK helped you with transferring your customer service skills across to your new position in Australia? Have the local Les Clefs d’Or members proven helpful as you navigated your newly adopted city?

Being a member of Les Clefs d’Or is like being part of a very big family. We all share our passion to provide excellent service to our guests. As my former Head Concierge shared with me, keeping our finger on the pulse, as one has to do with an ever-changing city like Sydney, is what we strive to learn and share with our colleagues and guests.

Has it been particularly advantageous working at one of Australia’s newest luxury properties as Australians find themselves seeking out something special in domestic ‘Staycations’?

I have been very fortunate to be part of the opening team at Crown Towers Sydney and One Barangaroo Crown Residences. It is an experience I will never forget. Opening in December 2020, Crown Towers Sydney is a destination in its own right, so even with the borders closed, we have had many Sydneysiders and interstate travellers wanting to enjoy the vast experiences we offer. I thoroughly enjoy working alongside this team at such an exciting property.

Are you finding that with the current focus on domestic rather than international guests, this has meant your guests are less oriented toward day tours, instead preferring to immerse themselves in what Sydney itself has to offer?

We have Sydneysiders, guests from regional NSW and interstate travellers wanting to go for day trips to the Blue Mountains, take boat trips around the harbour or take the kids to Taronga Zoo. We even have requests for tickets to see Hamilton! However, most of our guests want to enjoy our 40-metre infinity pool, have a drink at one of our bars overlooking the harbour or dine at one of our many iconic restaurants.

How would you describe working in Sydney to your former Concierge colleagues back in London? And equally importantly, will you be supporting England or Australia in the Ashes this year?

Some would think that we would be at the beach every day, and while we do get the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors, we work in a fast-paced, dynamic and exciting environment that is truly rewarding. As for the Ashes, this is a trick question, right? I like to support the underdog. n

AGMs span ‘the ditch’

By Peter McBrearty, Les Clefs d’Or

THE ONGOING IMPACT of the COVID pandemic wasn’t enough to prevent The Hotel Concierge Society Les Clefs d’or New Zealand

from meeting up in June for their 27th National AGM in Auckland. Following the opening night cocktails at the Hotel Britomart, members were hosted for the AGM itself by former President, Nick Steele, in the delightful environs of the Rydges Formosa Golf Resort.

At the conclusion of the AGM, the society welcomed a new President in Mr Kris Mosch.

Kris is currently Assistant Chief Concierge at Park Hyatt Auckland and brings a wealth of experience to his new position.

Back in Australia, our own national AGM was held in July, and while members in most states were able to meet in person, unfortunately the Sydney lockdown meant associates there needed to join in from home via Zoom. Nonetheless, it was a wonderful opportunity for us to catch up together, discuss the year past and look to the challenges of the year ahead. While not an election year, the departure of our current National Secretary, Mark Anderson, saw James Spielvogel of the InterContinental Melbourne take on the role of Secretary, joining the National Executive.

We were also given a demonstration of the hard work our Victorian State Director and National Webmaster, Matthew Du, of Crown Towers Melbourne has been putting into refreshing our website, which is now live in its new format. Impressed as we all were, Matt has assured us he fully intends to continue to devote himself to further developing and enhancing the site’s utility and visual appeal. Despite the ongoing impact of COVID on our industry, the AGM was characterised by a distinct spirit of humour and optimism, although we are all very much hoping that by this time next year, we will all be able to meet in person once again.

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TECHNOLOGY

UNLOCKING LOYALTY

The Element Fusion electronic lock by Salto Systems Oceania

AS MORE GUESTS MOVE AWAY FROM PHYSICAL RFID CARDS TO OPEN THEIR ROOM DOORS, HOTELS ARE EMBRACING MOBILE KEYS AS A WAY TO ENGAGE WITH GUESTS AND BOOST LOYALTY.

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tudies now show more than half of all hotel guests prefer to use their smartphone as the key intermediary between them and all hotel services available to them. While the days of maintaining a front desk at all are far from done, the majority of guests will take the opportunity to bypass it to access their room if the technology to do so is available and of a high standard.

The benefits of offering a mobile key now far outweigh the negatives. Travellers are much more likely to take care of their smartphone and ensure they know where it is, which in turn improves guest security. For a hotel, the costs of manufacturing RFID keys decrease as mobile uptake increases, with the benefits to continue growing as the technology evolves in years to come.

For a hotel too, the development of mobile keys provides a new point of engagement with their guests and potential new revenue opportunities.

Assa Abloy Global Solutions Australia Managing Director, Michael Benikos, says the company’s mobile key functionality can be easily integrated within hotel apps to easily provide details on loyalty programs and other promotions within the app.

“Chains that have apps integrated into their loyalty programs indicate that 25% of loyalty members will use their digital key features,” Benikos said. “This has been rising over the last year and is expected to grow further as guests get more familiar with the feature. The benefit for the hotel is it encourages guests to book direct rather than through OTAs, which take a percentage of an already reduced rate.”

Salto Systems Oceania Business Unit Manager, Cedric Duigou, says hotels can take a big step toward greater downloads of their branded app by integrating a Salto Digital Key within it.

32 HM The Business of Accommodation

“When guests can use the hotel app as a convenient and contactless option to access their room, the app adoption rates are higher,” Duigou said.

“The features a hotel app can offer are only limited by the imagination; they can be used to communicate promotions, offer room services, show places of interest and activities nearby, offer in-app bookings of future stays, payment, and a self-check-in option. Furthermore, it provides valuable customer insights that can inform hotel strategy and a better guest experience.”

Onity Australia Country and Regional Manager, Joseph Dér, said recent data shows that the more independent a guest is allowed to be, the higher their satisfaction and loyalty may become and in turn, the greater a hotel’s opportunity for new revenue streams may become.

“Today, mobile app initiatives are much more than just unlocking guest room doors using a smart phone,” Dér said.

“Mobile access can be integrated with other convenient services such as room service ordering, online payments, housekeeping and point of sales solutions allowing hotels to improve operations and manage staffing levels.

“In addition, RMS integrations can automate the guest experience by setting room temperature, allowing the hotel to reduce energy consumption and improve facility and workflow management.”

With advances in door locking technology growing larger and more frequent, this then leads to improvements by hotel operators in their guest-facing apps in which mobile keys are accessed and attached to room bookings.

The Advance Trillium Brass model from Onity Australia

TECHNOLOGY

Earlier this year, Marriott International rolled out a significantly redesigned version of its Marriott Bonvoy mobile app. With mobile keys and contactless options at the heart of the improved app, plans to introduce the features were sped up to ensure they were ready for key Northern Hemisphere markets to resume travelling.

From a loyalty perspective, mobile apps provide opportunities for hotel brands to connect on a regular basis with their guests. Marriott International Area Vice President Australia, New Zealand and Pacific, Sean Hunt, said its mobile key is available at more than 4,000 properties globally, with recent developments in the Marriott Bonvoy app accelerated in response to COVID safety.

“Improved features include greater opportunity to accrue and redeem points, complete contactless check-in, further customisation for inhouse guests to access hotel services and increased language options,” Hunt said.

“The take-up of the mobile check-in rates sit on average at around 20% at our hotels in the Australia, New Zealand and Pacific region. As occupancy rates rebuild, we expect the app usage to continue to climb.”

Another hotel group communicating with guests and customers via its mobile app is Hilton via its Hilton Honors loyalty app. The program counts its membership

base at more than 115 million members globally, with the app offering integrated mobile key functionality for guests with room reservations.

Hilton Senior Commercial Director Australasia, Shaizeen Contractor, said Hilton managed to grow its loyalty base by nine per cent during the Joseph Dér, Onity Australia pandemic. Since introducing door unlocking functionality within its loyalty app in 2015, over 120 million doors have been opened by smart devices, creating millions more chances for the company to engage with its guests.

“It is the smooth, contactless experience through our Hilton Honors app, as well as a wide range of benefits including exclusive discounts, rewards and hundreds of ways to earn and redeem points that appeals to our members. It empowers their experience and gives them control when they stay with Hilton.”

She added that by the end of 2023, it was Hilton’s goal of offering mobile key functionality at all of its Australasian properties, with 11 currently connected and more coming online in coming months. n

“Today, mobile app initiatives are much more than just unlocking guest room doors using a smart phone.”

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HM ASKED TWO INDUSTRY IT EXPERTS TO GAZE INTO THEIR CRYSTAL BALL AND SHARE THEIR DIRECTIONS FOR TECHNOLOGY IN HOTELS AND HOSPITALITY AND THE BUMPS IN THE ROAD THAT MAY LAY IN BETWEEN.

E HORNER AND ASSOCIATES Ted Horner – Managing Director

What lessons has the hospitality industry learned from the pandemic which continues to shape our lives? More importantly in my opinion, technology is going to play a vital role in meeting the needs of our guests moving forward.

We are seeing a huge rise in e-commerce ordering and guests have new preferences for how they shop and interact with business. According to the 2020 Skift/Oracle survey, 68% of guests expect that self-service and contactless check-in options would be a key feature of future hotels stays.

In another survey from November 2020 by McKinsey, it was estimated that as much as 20% of the global workforce might now consistently work from home. If this becomes a reality, consumers may make significant adjustments to how they plan their vacations, travel for work, and ultimately select their accommodation.

If hotel owners and operators have not already moved to the cloud, they will do so with greater urgency as they try to run their hotels more efficiently with fewer staff while still meeting rising guest expectations.

Expect to see this become the dominant technology platform over the next few years.

With the cost and size of drones and robots becoming affordable, expect to see hotels using drones or robots for delivery of drinks or snacks to pools, beachside cabanas or up to suites with balconies. Robots will also become prevalent, undertaking tasks that are dull and boring such as vacuuming or collecting room service trays that are left outside room doors.

In my opinion, technology is going to play a pivotal role in continuing to meet the increasing needs of guests. And with less labour to do it, this will become critical to the future success of hotels. Those willing to invest in it will enjoy a competitive advantage.

You are going to see devices such as Google Mini Hub and Amazon Alexa in guestrooms and restaurants to allow guests to order food or services or extra pillows quickly and easily with full integration to back of house systems. These devices can also be used for language translation to allow, for example, Chinese guests to order in Mandarin and for that to be translated to English for staff to understand and respond back in the same language of the guest.

34 HM The Business of Accommodation

TECHNOLOGY 4 HOTELS

Brendan Granger – Chief Experience Officer

The hospitality industry has been through a lot in the past year due to the pandemic. Revenue has dropped dramatically and to make things worse, hotels have had to adopt new techniques for ensuring the health and safety of staff and guests. As occupancy slowly returns, the biggest challenge we are now facing is staff shortages.

We need to look at new ways to attract and recruit staff to our industry, many of which involve technology. There are now plenty of opportunities for hotels to use technology within their daily operations which will allow them to operate efficiently with fewer staff.

Most of these technologies have been available for some time, but the pandemic has forced a quick change in attitude for both the hotelier and the guest. Hoteliers are now starting to appreciate that technology can and must play a role and that exceptional service is exceptional service, whether delivered digitally or in person. On the other hand, guests are a lot more tech-savvy than they were a year ago and they also have different expectations.

Airlines have been doing pre-arrival web-based check-in for years.

Web-based check-in, which doesn’t require the guest to download an app, streamlines check-in by taking care of the transactional process before arrival. It’s great for guests, can significantly reduce labour costs and can generate incremental revenue from upsells.

Many hotels have already removed compendiums and other collateral from the rooms and replaced it with a digital solution that guests access on their own device, generally via a QR code. These solutions provide the guest with all of the information previously contained in the compendium plus more. They also provide the ability to order food and beverages via room service, mini bars or at restaurant or poolside venues and to make requests for additional items such as towels and to communicate with the hotel before, during and after their stay.

If you focus on ways to improve your guest’s experience and make things easier for your staff, you will find that you are able to do more with less. n

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PROMOTION

Foxtel’s Business iQ is cloud-based to ensure no hardware upgrades are needed

A ONE-STOP A ENTERTAINMENT SHOP These days, hotel guests are highly tuned to the universe of entertainment available to them.

To address these needs, hoteliers are finding the Foxtel Business iQ more capable than ever of providing the content their guests need.

Quest Portland

36 HM The Business of Accommodation

s guest volumes ride the un-natural dip brought on by the pandemic, many hotels have taken the chance to take stock and prepare for the equally volatile, but much more enjoyable, return to a degree of normality.

One such area being assessed is in-room entertainment. A spike in investment by hotels into what their guests are watching in their rooms has sparked a high degree of interest in streaming and broadcast systems such as Foxtel’s Business iQ. As one system capable of delivering not just streaming of guests’ personal content but access to live news, sport, first-run drama, movies and more, the company has been busy with dozens of new sales and installations since the pandemic began. In fact, Foxtel Group's installation levels and subscriber numbers are at record highs.

For Foxtel National Accommodation Manager, Iain Nelson, there has been a keen interest in hotels making the move to invest and provide guests with a huge range of content for extended periods of time spent in-room.

“What they’re seeing as a plus for the Business iQ is that it’s a complete end-to-end technology platform [that] provides the full interactive content through our satellite channels, as well as access to the libraries of our back catalogues of On Demand movies and TV shows. It’s an entire platform and that includes streaming and access to live channels, along with the full on-screen menu and program guide.

“I think the appeal is that it’s a one-stop shop for all of that. Whereas that’s never been available, not to that extent, because it is a cloud-based system that is infrastructure light, and truly future proof.”

"A key feature of Foxtel Business iQ for both hoteliers and guests is not so much its universe of live and on-demand content, nor its casting ability.

It's the ability for the guest to choose and retain full control at all times

TECHNOLOGY

over what they watch and when. The days of the printed or digital TV guide and waiting for a scheduled program to start are passe. When you want to watch it, you have the power in your hands to make it happen.

"Usage data from over 5,000 rooms already using the Business iQ shows that guests spend an average of 2.5 hours per day watching television in their hotel room," said Nelson.

"The data also shows that 85% of this consumption is of Live/ Broadcast TV, predominantly sport, news, movies and exclusive drama.

The remainder of the time is spent accessing the free On Demand content (10%) and Casting from their own devices (5%). Clearly, guests appreciate having the flexibility to choose how they consume content."

Hoteliers across Australia are discovering all of the great benefits Foxtel’s Business iQ can offer for their guests. Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney General Manager, Peter Tudehope, said it’s impossible to scroll through the huge range of content and not find something you’ll like.

“It offers the complete package. From the technically advanced to guests who turn up with none of their own technology, we now have an entertainment system that caters to everyone, and as a minimum, we are now able to match whatever entertainment system our guests might have at home,” he said.

“The entertainment system is not a reason for people to select a hotel but it is a reason to complain about a hotel if it is substandard. What we have now is a system that no one is complaining about. Subconsciously, it is having a positive impact on why guests want to return to the hotel.”

For a property such as Quest Portland in regional Victoria, many of its guests are there for extended stays, some for weeks or months at a time due to nearby work commitments. The hotel becomes something of a second home and this medium-term base allows the opportunity to watch a series from start to finish over time, without worrying about losing their place.

Quest Portland Franchisee, Vincent Bellerose, says offering Foxtel to his guests yields another benefit to the property that many might not realise – loyalty.

“I think our long-stay and regular guests are really appreciating the service,” Bellerose said.

“Now that business is coming back, we’ve been seen to have invested in our property at a time when most aren’t, so I’m really confident that our guests are appreciating this, so will be helping to increase loyalty.

“Most seem to like searching through all the TV channels. There’s something for every taste there, along with the on-demand shows and movies. But once they are using the TV system itself, it means they are seeing all the property features and local sights that we’re promoting, so it’s a win-win,” Bellerose added. n

“I think our long-stay and regular guests are really appreciating the service.”

Vincent Bellerose, Quest Portland

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney offers Foxtel Business iQ to its guests

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TECHNOLOGY Innovation is the mother of invention and hotels are the benefactors

INNOVATIONS GREAT MINDS CREATE GREAT THINGS AND HOTELS THEN FIND WAYS TO PUT THEM TO USE IN THEIR PROPERTIES. HM CHECKS OUT SOME EXCITING TECH YOUR HOTEL NEEDS NOW TO SUIT THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT.

Food excess can be broken down to a nutrient-rich residue via an on-site processor.

AUTOMATED FOOD DIGESTING

Even with more hotels donating leftover food to rescue services, waste remains a problem particularly with Foxtel’s Business iQ offers entertainment, casting and guest communication functions

FOXTEL BUSINESS IQ

As a cloud-based platform, Foxtel’s Business iQ is updated each month with around 6,000 new movies and TV shows. This new content builds on the existing live broadcasts of news, sport and weather across more than 90 channels, which guests can watch either when scheduled or on-demand. Guests wishing to cast their own content can also do so via an easy step-by-step QR Code connection. In 18 months since launching, the product has benefited from four major software upgrades to ensure viewers enjoy a slick, user-friendly interface. More are on the way, with media consumption habits and user behaviour dictating which features are optimised, future-proofing the service for hoteliers. The system also works as an intermediary between the hotel and its guests, with a digital compendium able to be loaded with local information, promotions of onsite services and facilities, loyalty programs and even direct guest messaging capability.

38 HM The Business of Accommodation

perishable items and plenty is still finding its way into landfill. Companies such as Australian-owned Green Eco Technologies are working to improve this with innovations including its Australian-made WasteMaster on-site food waste processor. After installation into a loading dock or back-of-house, the machine oxygenates the leftover food by blasting the cell walls to speed up decomposition. Moisture is evaporated and vented into the air, leaving behind a

residue rich in nutrients which can be converted to green power using anaerobic digestion. The weight of the organic waste is reduced by 80%, with the whole process taking between 10-24 hours depending on the size of the load. As a managed service, residue can also be collected and reused elsewhere.

TECHNOLOGY Guests needing a room for only a few hours don’t need to book the whole night

MICRO-STAY ROOM BOOKINGS

Hotel room nights are perishable commodities and every 24 hours, another one disappears. But in today’s 24-hour corporate economy, travellers are coming and going at all hours and may only need a room for a few hours for a short nap, somewhere quiet to work or to freshen up before the next meeting or appointment.

A traveller may even just be looking to use the hotel’s pool or gym to wile away a few hours. Innovations like micro-stay platform Time Flyz can help hoteliers open up their room inventory for shorter mini bookings and increasing revenue along the way. If a traveller doesn’t need a room for the whole night or is checking out early in the morning, hoteliers can make the room available to somebody who may only need it for 3, 6 or 12 hours before the next overnight guest checks in. As people work harder, hoteliers can make their rooms work harder too.

An excessively noisy room can result in unhappy guests

ROOM SOUNDPROOFING

Noise is usually a leading cause of complaints among hotel guests with some customers opting not to complain to the front desk but instead, venting their grievance into an online review. Acoustics can be different across a hotel and adequate soundproofing can be the solution. Sound masking is not an exact science and requires careful assessment and planning.

In many cases, as sound masking company Polyvox has found, ambient levels are too low, meaning rooms are effectively too silent to be quiet. Isolation and absorption won’t help either. An effective sound masking system utilises a network of smart speakers to introduce an airflow-type sound into a room, which reduces disruption by minimising the differences between volume peaks and the room’s background noise level. The wide frequency can neutralise construction, aircraft, bar and restaurant noise or traffic nearby. Guests can adjust the background sound level and their room’s acoustics via a dial in much the same way they would adjust the air conditioning or lighting.

WIRELESS PHONE CHARGING

Travel wouldn’t really be travel if we didn’t leave at least one thing behind, and often, the phone charger that never leaves the bedside socket is what stays when we wish it didn’t. Many hotels anticipate this by keeping a few chargers behind the front desk for the desperate check-in who asks to borrow one, but the new solution is building a wireless charger into each guest room. Companies such as SnapSpot are among the leaders in this new tech innovation, with the company having designed a flat power base which can be fitted into wood, plastic or glass such as desks, bedside tables or other room cabinetry, compatible with all major phone devices on the market today. Wiring feeds underneath and out of sight to connect to a wall outlet, meaning the only thing the guest needs to do is remove their phone from any case and place it on top before bed, waking to a fully charged device the next morning. As a further benefit, housekeeping teams can simply wipe the charging surface clean, ensuring guest health and safety as a contactless service.

SnapSpot chargers are compatible with all major phone brands

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TECHNOLOGY Make your space stand out with a gentle fragrance

MARKETING BY SCENT

A recent survey of 3,000 guests conducted by MGallery by Sofitel found that 78% of women and 74% of men like and respond to a scented space. Guests can react to a pleasant smell in a space, evoking feelings of relaxation, delight and satisfaction, which ultimately will lead them to return in the future or buy from your business again. Our sense of smell is closely linked to our ability to associate memories with emotion, with memories driven by a pleasant smell found to be longer lasting than without. The memory of a scent also means a guest can instantly identify your business when they come across a similar smell. Aromatherapy is taking multi-sensory marketing to a new level, with premium scenting yielding positive results for a variety of customerfacing businesses. Companies such as Scent Central have thousands of different aromas in stock or can create one especially for your business which will leave your guests associating your brand with a pleasant smell – a great driver of loyalty.

DRIVEWAY VALET SERVICES

While hotel occupancy has been down over the past year, some hotels are finding new ways to earn revenue, with valet car parking being one such method. A range of new technology services have emerged to assist with this, helping to maximise customer service and minimise waiting time for clients. First Class Valet has developed a seamless process which allows any hotel to introduce or fine tune a valet service. The process begins when a guest pulls into a hotel driveway and provides their phone number to hotel staff, who generate an SMS ticket immediately. The guest then enters the hotel or goes about their day while the car is securely parked in the hotel’s facility. When it comes time to leave, the guest can alert the hotel before arrival that they are on their way, with the car waiting when they arrive and removing the need to wait after verifying their ticket. Hotels can also use the system to log any damage on the car when it enters their control, negating any unsubstantiated damage claims being made by the guest as pre-existing damage can be proven. Hotel loyalty programs can also be linked to the service, encouraging repeat visitation and data on customer parking habits.

Drivers are issued with a ticket via SMS in seconds

40 HM The Business of Accommodation

FACIAL RECOGNITION

Facial recognition tech isn’t all that new, but more businesses are finding use for it and applying it in new ways. At its outset, it was perhaps best known for identifying threats or iniquitous persons and alerting security to their presence, and indeed this can still be the case. However, hotels and other customer-facing businesses are building on this, using technology from companies such as Element Security to alert them when a loyal customer approaches or walks through the door.

Saved data on that customer, such as their favourite drink and last visit can be easily accessed. Employees can also be identified when they arrive for work, improving efficiency by removing the need to manually clock on or off. Businesses can decide which department - such as security, front desk or the duty manager - receives alerts on which customer, with software able to be integrated to most existing CCTV systems, negating the need to install an entirely new system. Facial features are generally identified using extracted features from source images, such as customer profiles in a database.

Guests can connect to hotel departments on their own device

TECHNOLOGY

GUEST COMMUNICATIONS

Guests want to communicate with hotels on their own terms and increasingly, via their own devices. The days of picking up a bedside landline and communicating with the hotel are on their way out, with responsive and interactive apps the way forward. Hotels can facilitate a line of communication with their guests through services such as Hub OS and its ‘Guest In Touch’ feature. After logging in through a browser on their device with their surname and room number, guests can interact with the hotel, log housekeeping or maintenance requests, set their Do Not Disturb sign at the door or book a table at the restaurant.

Hotels can integrate their restaurant availability into the app, showing when tables are free or more limited.

Further, any incidents or accidents can be easily reported via the system – a big step forward in helping to act on any potentially negative reviews before they happen.

TAP TO PHONE PAYMENTS

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E-LEARNING STAFF TRAINING

Printed manuals are barely worth the paper they’re printed on these days, often obsolete soon after they are issued. Training or upskilling new and existing staff can be made easier through a range of short courses staff can undertake either in their own time or on dedicated upskilling days. Through companies such as eHotelier, courses can be branded, tuned to suit local operations or even developed from scratch, covering areas including front office operations, housekeeping, food and beverage, digital marketing, revenue management human resources, finance, leadership and more. Courses range from 1-8 hours in duration, so can be completed in one day, with each including interactive content such as videos, quizzes, case studies and checkpoints. Course content has been put together by leading academics and industry leaders and is recognised by The Institute of Hospitality. Hotels can brand the content with their own logos and manage the progress of their staff as they complete modules.

New sensing technology to detect indoor pollutants features in Dyson’s new purifiers

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Mastercard recently found, via a study, that more than half of people now use some form of contactless payments. The practice has been in use here for a while now, as customers hold their card over the merchant portal to allow it to read the inbuilt chip. This has evolved to now see payments made through digital wallets by holding the phone itself over the merchant portal. Now, thanks to ‘Tap to Phone’ technology from Visa and Live Eftpos, small, micro and mobile businesses can obtain their money in real-time by turning their phone or tablet into a merchant portal to accept contactless payments anywhere within mobile data roaming range. Paying through your phone is more secure than via a physical card, as mobile apps with constantly changing encryption make it all but impossible for hackers to steal your information.

Short hotel training courses include interactive elements including short quizzes

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DYSON AIR PURIFICATION

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Humans breathe up to 9,000 litres of air every day, and with people spending more time indoors around the world, the emphasis to ensure a clean breathing environment is at its peak. Numerous indoor pollutants are present in everyday activities including cooking, cleaning or even relaxing in the living room. Impossible to see, formaldehyde is 500 times smaller than particles 0.1 microns and are emitted by furniture and wooden products including plywood and fibreboard along with paint, wallpapers and varnishes.

Newly updated with an enhanced algorithm to detect the colourless gas, the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde ensures no air bypasses the filter and blocks potential leak points to ensure 99.95% of particles are removed from the air. The purifier also captures other allergens including bacteria, pollen and mould spores. n hotelmanagement.com.au 41

TECHNOLOGY Room automation at Sequoia sees the fireplace activate automatically on cooler days

FIRMLY IN A variety of automated systems are installed to control room functions at Crown Sydney

42 HM The Business of Accommodation

ROOM AUTOMATION IS FAST MOVING FROM A NICE-TO-HAVE TO A MODERN STANDARD, AND WITH SOME OF AUSTRALIA’S NEWEST HOTELS COME SOME OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE ONEBUTTON SYSTEMS IN THE GAME TODAY.

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uests are firmly in control of their stay from arrival to departure, with practically every point of contact having been digitised and made available in smartphone apps. But beyond what guests can do on their phones are what their rooms can do via the various control systems situated at the front door, by the bed or next to the desk. So just what are at guests’ fingertips?

Sequoia is the newest addition to the Mount Lofty House Estate in the Adelaide Hills, recently opening to guests. The multi-time award winning property overlooks the Piccadilly Valley and features 14 miniapartment style retreats, each with sunken lounge rooms.

Music and curated soundtracks is the next step for room automation and is something that Sequoia Lodge has tapped into. As guests enter their rooms, the property’s specialised music plays for a short period automatically, with a second piece of music designed for evenings to help soothe guests into their evening rhythm once they return from dinner, coupled with lower lighting to promote relaxation.

Depending on the outdoor temperature, the in-room fireplace will start automatically, or air-conditioning in the warmer months. Perhaps the most exciting development

TECHNOLOGY comes in the middle of the night, with low light automatically activated to help guide guests to the bathroom if they wake and the bathroom glass frosting to ensure no other guests are disturbed.

“In the development of Sequoia Lodge, we have Jesse Kornoff, Mount Lofty House and Sequoia considered every step in the guest journey during their time at the estate,” said Sequoia and Mount Lofty House General Manager, Jesse Kornoff.

“While every aspect of the room can be controlled In-room dining is a tap away at EOS by SkyCity Adelaide from an in-room controller, we find that guests prefer to use the mood settings and pre-sets to easily adjust the room to best suit the use for the room or time of day,” he added.

Back in Adelaide City, the new EOS by SkyCity aims to provide guests with a seamless experience, says General Manager, Jodi Brown.

“We have considered every step in the guest journey during their time at the estate.”

waiting on hold for an operator to answer at the front desk. For a more relaxed leisure traveller or somebody who visits hotels only on the occasion, too much room automation can be an intimidating prospect. Many guests still crave that personal touch that comes from human interaction, and it would surprise few that the days of a human operator available to assist on a more personal level are far from finished.

For hoteliers and tech providers equally, it’s important the balance is maintained between automation, functionality and ultimately a user-friendly experience. n

“We appreciate that technology is integral to high end leisure and corporate guests, and the automation provided at EOS allows guests to adjust lights, change temperature and order room service all at their fingertips; enabling our team to respond even faster to their needs,” she said.

“From a sustainability perspective, automated room controls reduces paper and printing, and our guests have been thrilled with the environmentally friendly as well as real time approach to considering what’s important to them, allowing them to sit back and indulge in our five star hotel.

Key to a strong automation ecosystem is integration with other hotel functionality, and Crown Sydney has paired the Creston controllers fitted in rooms with the wider property management system. To improve environmental impact, rooms are kept dark and inactive until the check-in process begins and a room is allocated to the arriving guests. Once triggered, curtains and blinds open, lights turn on and airconditioning sets the room at a cool temperature for when its new occupants walk in the door.

“As the guest checks out, the reverse occurs, meaning that the rooms will consume less energy until a new guest arrives,” said Crown Sydney General Manager, Chris Kemlo.

“Guests have a number of options to control the functions of the rooms via the tablets, bedside buttons or wall panels.

“The other smart innovation for guests at Crown Towers Sydney is via our in-room digital compendium, powered by Intelity. This brings all of the above functionality of the room to the guest’s fingertips.

“In addition, it also enables guests to request a plethora of services from ordering in-room dining to a custom pillow from our pillow menu or requesting their car be retrieved from valet parking. Many of our guest’s requests can be managed via this solution,” Kemlo said.

Automation can be a frequent traveller’s best friend, as it allows the guest to perform the tasks needed without

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HUMAN RESOURCES Careers in hospitality can take a hungry student all over the world and back

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FEW CAREER PATHS CAN PROMISE AS MUCH GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY AND POTENTIAL SUCCESS AS HOSPITALITY AND HOTEL MANAGEMENT, HOWEVER CAPTURING THE ATTENTION AND ASPIRATIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE IS A HURDLE THAT MUST BE CLEARED FIRST.

eciding on a career path in high school can be easy for some, while others can remain unsure for years. Some vocations may aim to capture the imagination, attention and aspirations of young people with stories of guaranteed success, grandeur and riches without always accurately conveying the work required to reach such heights.

The problem hospitality has traditionally faced among parents and guardians, and may eternally do so, is the erroneous perception that a career in the sector is little more than waiting tables, taking orders and flipping burgers. The reality however is far from this.

Parents and guardians of any child considering their professional path will most likely want their children to be happy and successful but often misjudge the viability of hospitality as a career path. Their visions may be clouded by more academic pathways often associated with shorter-term prosperity such as medicine, law, banking or science. For educational institutions

44 HM The Business of Accommodation

specialising in hospitality, hotel management and tourism, the first hurdle usually standing between them and their future graduates are their parents.

For Sue Bakir, General Manager of The Hotel School, one of the major barriers faced with parents is the perception that hospitality, hotels and tourism offers limited career pathways.

“The vast majority of school students and their parents believe that tourism and hospitality industry roles are lower-level operational roles,” she said. “The big picture of just how vast and varied careers can be requires extensive explanation to aid understanding.”

William Angliss Institute Faculty of Higher Education Course Leader, Resort and Hotel Management, Lynn Richardson, said that parents can sometimes view the industry through an outdated lens.

“Fortunately, with the increased exposure of the hospitality industry through media, events and education, that perception is changing,” Richardson said.

HUMAN RESOURCES

“A lack of knowledge regarding the range and depth of roles available in the industry can sometimes create some hesitancy for students looking for career growth, however, this perception is changing as the industry becomes increasingly professionalised and the demand for qualified graduates grows.

“Parents are recognising not only the scope of opportunities available, but also the depth of skills required to be successful and which are available to students via formal education opportunities. The challenges of recent months have created a focus on innovation, data driven decision making and strategic thinking, skills developed through formal education and enhanced with industry experience.”

One key promotional vehicle allowing the industry to show off its world of opportunity comes at school and career expos, said International College of Hotel Management (ICHM) CEO, Natalie Simmons. Students are often surprised at the breadth and depth of careers in the sector, with many quickly banishing previously held myths about career-long unattractive hours and low pay.

For parents, selling them the industry for their children can take a little longer.

“Generally, parents do see more employment opportunities within tourism and hospitality than the young people that we speak to,” Simmons said.

“It is quite reasonable that they have limited understanding about this industry as they probably do about any industry that they haven’t actively engaged in. Most parents do seem aligned with young people in assuming that the remuneration is too low for the working arrangements with hours.”

Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (BMIHMS) is one of the country’s leading institutions and a proven breeding ground for emerging leaders in hospitality and tourism.

BMIHMS Associate Professor Simon Pawson said the tourism industry’s employability image has been in gradual decline since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Prior to this, Paul Hogan had been successfully selling Australia’s laid-back lifestyle to international Sue Bakir, The Hotel School audiences and as a result, the tourism industry’s renaissance associated five-star hotels as glamorous and a prestigious place to work.

“The stigma attached to service industries - that it’s a casual job you do on your way to a better paid career goal has also permeated its way into tourism,” Dr Pawson said.

Despite this and the sector’s increasing dependency on a highly casualised workforce, Dr Pawson said careers in hospitality and tourism will always offer a natural appeal for young people eager to see the world.

“Despite the ongoing image problem, the industry still provides incredibly rewarding careers for those who are seeking a role that offers a multitude of different opportunities, the ability to learn, grow and develop, local and international postings, working in glamorous and inspirational environments, and a lot of fun,” he said.

Working in the industry’s favour though can be a trait usually inbuilt and fundamentally ingrained in the human psyche – the desire to help others. By their very nature, human beings often want to be able to help others. This instinct is at the core of what a career in hospitality and tourism is all about. Couple this with a strong work ethic and any young man or woman will be well on their way to long-term success and the rewards their parents dreamed for them in the first place. n

“The big picture of just how vast and varied careers can be requires extensive explanation to aid understanding.”

The kitchen trainee today can be the national F&B leader tomorrow hotelmanagement.com.au 45

DEVELOPMENT

VALUE IN

Upscale A Superior Room at Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley

FAMILIES AND BUDGET CONSCIOUS TRAVELLERS ARE GETTING MORE BANG FOR THEIR BUCK IN MODERN MIDSCALE AND UPSCALE HOTELS AS EXCITING NEW DESIGNS AND AMENITIES ARE ENTERING THIS SPACE. HM CHECKS IN WITH DEVELOPMENT LEADERS FOR THEIR VIEWS ON MIDSCALE AND UPSCALE MARKET PROGRESS.

research and analysis before we move forward. Ultimately, it is our goal to get the best outcome for the property and the owner.

We put the guest at the heart of everything we do and our customers tell us that our service levels are outstanding. Great guest service wins customer loyalty and creates memorable stays. Our popular bars and restaurants provide guests with high quality dining options, so we find most guests would usually spend on in-house dining facilities. If a guest is in Port Douglas with their family, it is likely they will spend on local tours and explore the local area. If a guest is in a CBD for business, they would usually make the most of our amenities, using the gym for exercise and our bar areas for business meetings.

BWH HOTEL GROUP ACCOR

Lindsay Leeser – Senior Vice President Development and Franchise

Upscale brands are popular and well suited to both city and regional destinations. Around the globe, our customers are telling us that there is a demand for international branded properties, which offer strong product quality and affordability with choice, consistency, lifestyle experiences and amenities. Popular brands such as Novotel, Mercure, Mantra, ibis and Tribe are benefiting from this.

Annually, 10 million Australians fly overseas for holidays. In the current climate, and possibly for the next three to five years, these Australians will be spending on domestic travel. Canny investors recognise we have strong domestic demand coupled with the increasing appeal of the Pacific around the world. We are experiencing great demand for our brands with strong recognition locally, as well as globally. There is a science, based on market demand and guest preferences, to deciding which brands are better suited to which properties and we have a specialist team that undertakes thorough 46 HM The Business of Accommodation

Graham Perry – Managing Director Australasia

Despite frustrations with sluggish vaccine rollouts, the pandemic has taught us and the world that we have a resilient and diverse economy able to withstand global shocks, all housed within a safe and protected multicultural environment. In many ways, Australia and New Zealand can now be viewed as a microcosm of the globe – a real life Epcot if you like – where the impossible becomes possible. With our economies and employment statistics rebounding strongly and interest rates at an alltime low, regional Australasia is an attractive investment opportunity.

Prior to the pandemic, five-star lifestyle brands in capital cities were the favoured child of hotel investors and developers. However, this is changing as domestic travellers turn inward and are now discovering what is on their doorstep – be it our nature and wildlife, our history and heritage, our arts and culture or our food and wine. Governments and local communities have woken up to the fact that tourism and hospitality is critical to the prosperity of regional communities. This will lead to new investment in infrastructure including five-star lifestyle and boutique hotels throughout regional areas to complement

DEVELOPMENT

“Prior to the pandemic, five-star lifestyle brands in capital cities were the favoured child of hotel investors and developers.”

Graham Perry, BWH Hotel Group and reinvigorate midscale accommodation, which will always be the mainstay of regional accommodation.

Once we’re all vaccinated, this positive investment climate throughout the remainder of the decade can finally see our hotel sector realising its potential to showcase our unique Australia and New Zealand lifestyle to both ourselves and the world.

CHOICE HOTELS ASIA-PAC

Tim Mayoh – Development Director

As we move through 2021, we’re seeing pent-up demand is providing fair replacement for absent inbound visitation and will continue to do so.

Established brands provide a reassuring offering to owners looking to maximise exposure in our domestic market and as a result, we’ll remain focused on our five successful brands in the immediate future.

A rise in the repositioning of distressed assets to an upscale or select service product in regional locations is prevalent due to demand.

The Beachcomber Hotel & Resort, Ascend Hotel Collection is a prime example where new ownership has invested and created a brilliant upscale offering. These segments afford owners a great opportunity to harness a true point of difference in all locations.

Midscale and upper midscale segments account for 50% of hotel supply in Australia and the reality is that the majority of guests are cost conscious. The midscale segment will remain in demand. Metropolitan markets are undeniably struggling, exacerbated by current lockdowns but regional recovery will again accelerate once restrictions are lifted, and the midscale segment will benefit.

The exploration of the local environment is the key recipient of expenditure amongst our guests. The benefit to the extended community is great in today’s climate. We have billed 2021 as the ‘Year of the Long Weekend’ and created a guest campaign to reflect this demand of shorter experiential breaks.

While luxury travel will always have its place, we’ve seen robust results for midscale and upscale properties across all markets due to their suitability to successfully operate within city, metro and regional markets. This flexibility to operate in diverse locations has allowed our Rydges, Atura and independently branded hotels to tap directly into what travellers want, which is increasingly linked to unique experiences complemented by value, service and quality.

The midscale sector can deliver guests unique community connections, bespoke food and beverage offers, tailored packages and local experiences alongside value for money, and this mix is what is driving demand. While international borders are predominantly closed, we’ve been able to take advantage of domestic travel trends, but we also see opportunity for continued growth within this segment as we move into a post-COVID environment.

HILTON

Tushar Raniga - Director of Development, Australasia

Hilton operates 27 hotels in premium destinations throughout Australasia and has an ambition to double its footprint in the next five years. The company sees increasing traveller and developer interest in uppermidscale to upscale brands as a result of the continued rise of the middle-class traveller and has been keen to understand their needs and adapt to meet their demands.

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EVENT HOSPITALITY

Peter Hill – Director of Development Hotels and Resorts

Event has a strong focus on the midscale and upscale sectors, with quality service and innovation underpinning consistent and strategic growth for our Rydges and Atura brands. Over the last six months, we’ve invested further in this segment with the launch of the Independent Collection by Event - a unique solution that offers hotel owners the ability to tap into the expertise of the group while benefiting from the flexibility that comes from maintaining a unique hotel brand.

The Kennigo Hotel recently joined Event Hospitality’s Independent Collection

hotelmanagement.com.au 47

DEVELOPMENT The Beachcomber Hotel and Resort, Ascend Hotel Collection on the NSW Central Coast

There is a huge opportunity to grow our award-winning focused service brand, Hilton Garden Inn. The brand is always optimising and innovating to create a bright-hearted stay experience. Quality food and beverage options are a huge priority for travellers, and as a recognised leader in its category, Hilton Garden Inn hotels offer a 24-hour graband-go retail store called ‘The Shop’, which offers guests the comforts of home along with tempting tasty treats.

Hilton Garden Inn satisfies travellers’ needs through its food and beverage offering, high-quality interior design, and guest services. For developers, the brand offers an efficient prototype set-up designed for the Australasian market that provides increased certainty over costs and allows them to efficiently adapt to evolving guest preferences with enhancements.

Developers can cost-efficiently expand their portfolios and streamline their operating model to drive returns. The Hilton Garden Inn model achieves market-leading performance by maintaining a lean, focused service operating model, while the Hilton name commands global recognition.

IHG HOTELS AND RESORTS Abhijay Sandilya – Vice President, Development – IHG Japan, Australasia & Pacific

Upscale has always been IHG’s largest segment in Australasia and makes up more than a third of our open or pipeline estate. Our extensive regional upscale network tends to include places where there is a strong MICE market, for example, Crowne Plazas in Hunter Valley, Hawkesbury Valley, Alice Springs and Surfers Paradise, as well as voco hotels in the Gold Coast and Hunter Valley.

Upscale hotels in CBD settings will always be popular for both

“In recent times, we have experienced a surge in the expansion of our select service brands.”

Richard Crawford, Marriott International 48 HM The Business of Accommodation

leisure and business travellers. Alongside our new and refurbished Crowne Plazas in just about every capital city, our voco and Hotel Indigo brands are really gaining momentum. We’ve had some major signing announcements for both brands in the last 12 months, which include voco Sydney Central, voco Brisbane and Auckland, as well as Hotel Indigo Brisbane, Hotel Indigo Sydney as well as Melbourne and Auckland. The 2019-21 period really has been our biggest years of signings and there’s no sign of slowing.

On the topic of regional destinations, we are seeing strong growth in the midscale segment in regional areas in Australia and New Zealand and we have a huge pipeline coming through including Holiday Inn Geelong, Queenstown Remarkables Park, Wagga Wagga and Holiday Inn Express Sunshine Coast – places where value for money is important for guests and efficient, low-cost hotels with strong brand awareness are important for owners.

The confidence from owners and their faith in our new and existing brands is what has led us to having our biggest year of openings on record. Hotel investors tend to view their investment as long-term and whilst a brand might seem new in market today, as we leverage it against IHG’s family of brands and it gains momentum, it will become more recognised. Often, new brands in market here are already wellrecognised and established abroad and thus, once international travel returns, the brand will gain further traction and further benefit from IHG’s loyalty and distribution platform.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL

Richard Crawford - Vice President of Hotel Development, Australia, NZ, Pacific

As the world’s largest hotel company, Marriott International manages and franchises hotels across all tiers of accommodation.

In recent times, however, we have experienced a surge in the expansion of our select service brands. Numerous factors are driving this shifting landscape, although our industry correctly points to ‘the changing needs of today’s travellers’ plus ‘high costs of land and construction’ as the dominant reasons for the proliferation of hotels with smaller rooms and fewer facilities in non-CBD locations.

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DEVELOPMENT

The current period of expansion will be remembered as a transformative time for Marriott International, not only for our growth, but also for the way our hotels have changed – because more than half of our pipeline projects are select service hotels. Our distinctive select service brands including Moxy and AC Hotels will soon make their debuts in Australia and New Zealand.

Together with our flagship brands, Four Points by Sheraton and Courtyard by Marriott, we have 13 select service projects under planning or construction in the Australia Pacific region. Crucial in our near-term operating environment (with international markets paused), select service brands are well placed to thrive in metropolitan and regional markets, where domestic travellers will always be primary source markets. The undeniable trend towards select service hotels speaks to the ‘less is more’ appetite of travellers and hotel owners alike, whose shared needs are changing the face of hotel development, at a time when more than ever, ingenuity and adaptability will be the keys to hotel investment success.

MINOR HOTELS

Craig Hooley – Chief Operating Officer

Any time change is thrust upon us, there is some degree of permanent change, which is how we evolve. The large injection of domestic expenditure has allowed regional destinations to be rediscovered, and I believe if we can deliver high quality services including accommodation, food and beverage and tours, there is a strong reason for domestic tourism to remain strong even once international borders re-open. We recently announced the launch of NH Hotel Wollongong - the first NH Hotel in Australia and a reflection of this market growth. The low cost of development in these areas also means these investments make good financial sense, and the local communities are eager for the tourism after a difficult year.

For Minor Hotels, when it comes to the placement of upscale and select service brands, it is not so much a question of city, suburban or regional environment for long-term potential, but rather we look at the

segments that would use the hotels in that location, and the reasons people travel to that destination.

We’ve particularly found great success for our midscale properties in locations with destination-specific experiences, particularly in Northern Queensland, Broome and Darwin. These guests would prefer to spend money on experiences such as a dive on the Great Barrier Reef, and choose a more affordable, yet comfortable option for their accommodation.

QUEST APARTMENT HOTELS

James Shields, General Manager of Growth and Capital Strategy

Quest is primarily focused on regional and suburban growth, underpinned by demand among the corporate segment, with business travellers seeking consistency and quality right around the country.

There is no doubt that Australia’s regions are poised to thrive.

Significant public and private sector infrastructure and investment will enhance employment opportunities, liveability, and productivity driving increased desirability among businesses looking to commit to regional locations. As such, there is an ongoing need for accommodation in the regions. In addition, the pandemic has inspired many to permanently relocate to regional areas, driving investment, new and existing business growth and increased visitation.

Prior to the pandemic, many of our regional towns were underserviced with quality accommodation, however the need has intensified with unprecedented demand for regional leisure tourism.

With clear corporate and leisure demand now and into the future, Quest is working closely with its trusted development partners who share our passion and commitment to the regions. Together, we have several exciting regional projects in the pipeline, with some of those likely to commence construction in the second half of 2021.

While COVID has inspired many travellers to spend a little extra on a more luxurious domestic trip or experience, we are planning for the

Marriott has two AC Hotels properties signed for Melbourne

“The current period of expansion will be remembered as a transformative time for Marriott International.”

Richard Crawford, Marriott International

50 HM The Business of Accommodation

FEATURE/NEWS

future with full confidence that the market will normalise.

Quality, contemporary, mid-upscale accommodation is a necessity for the regions, and one which Quest has a track record of delivering, reinforcing our capacity for further growth and success.

At Quest, alongside our dedicated franchisees, we’re continuing to explore avenues to make the guest experience effortless, yet memorable - be it through neighbouring amenities, room service by Deliveroo or our budding Grab n Go amenity offering.

RADISSON HOTEL GROUP Mark Bullock – Managing Director, Australasia

At Radisson Hotel Group, we see significant potential for expansion in the midscale and select-service segments in regional locations across Australasia. We are experiencing interest from savvy developers seeking a more efficient operating model and stronger return on investment, while travellers in Australia and New Zealand will increasingly demand cost-effective ways to see their home countries. Brands such as Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson will provide the perfect opportunity to do so, and we look forward to welcoming guests at our new Park Inn by Radisson Lake Tekapo in New Zealand, which is scheduled to open in 2023. This shows how we are bringing select-service, upper-midscale hospitality to regional destinations.

There is significant pent-up demand in Australasia and we foresee opportunities to introduce many of our brands into new markets in the post-pandemic era. Owners are looking for opportunities to partner with brands that are globally recognised and have strong loyalty programs, corporate and MICE business. Localised lifestyle concepts such as Radisson Collection and Radisson Individuals offer this, while also maintaining their hotels’ unique characteristics. The Radisson Collection will soon launch in Queenstown, and we expect to add more locations across the region in future.

The concept of luxury has changed. Today, guests are seeking hotels that connect them to their destination, rather than simply focusing on facilities. We also expect midscale, select-service and lifestyle brands to thrive, offering high-quality stays and home comforts at a reasonable price point.

TFE HOTELS

John Sutcliffe – Development Manager

There’s no doubt that the work and travel of Australians will, to some extent, return to prepandemic habits and this in turn will provide much needed support to CBD hotels. However, we must expect that some people have changed their work/life patterns permanently and will therefore continue to demand high quality product in outer locations.

As a result, we are seeing sizeable suburban and regional masterplans, which include residential, commercial, retail and hospitality outlets, being created that will accommodate more flexible working and living arrangements. Hotels developed in these locations will benefit from ready-made demand drivers and provide long-term value for investors. This is a point not lost on developers who continue to look to fringe, suburban and regional locations as a viable alternative to a CBD.

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Our Adina brand has shown resilience during the pandemic and the flexibility of the apartment hotel style offering. We can provide various options to align with guest needs, whether they stay for a night or for months, and our ability to tailor the product to ensure a perfect local fit, providing long-term surety for owners, means we are well suited to these types of suburban locations and will continue to explore opportunities where our guests need them.

WYNDHAM HOTELS AND RESORTS Matt Holmes – Head of Development, SEAPR

With domestic travel in high demand across Australia and New Zealand, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts is focused more than ever on making travel possible for all in our region, catering to the expectations of the domestic market and the new experiences they are seeking, while positioning ourselves for the return of international travel.

With a travel boom being experienced in regional areas across Australia and New Zealand, we are finding the midscale sector is becoming increasingly popular and well positioned to take advantage of the growing number of travellers to these areas. Historically, such regional areas are ideal grounds for midscale brands, offering competitive room rates and highly efficient operating structures, which is why our midscale Ramada by Wyndham hotels have been performing so well.

In addition, our midscale properties are meeting the needs of a wide demographic of travellers, which is important as demand fluctuates. This segment is an ideal fit for all travellers and our brands have been popular with the drive market as more people are holidaying closer to home.

In the future, I see a double demand boom with domestic travellers staying local for the time being. In addition, as Australia and New Zealand have handled the pandemic well, those overseas travellers would also be looking at us as a destination for safer travel and new experiences. n hotelmanagement.com.au 51

INTERIOR DESIGN The modern interior design process is highly collaborative

PLATES WITH SO MUCH ON THE PROVERBIAL PLATE OF AN INTERIOR DESIGN IN THE FORMATIVE STAGES OF A NEW HOTEL, RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT IS ONE KEY ELEMENT THAT CAN EASILY BE OVERLOOKED. JUGGLING INNOVATIVE IDEAS AND ON-TREND MUSES WITH BRAND STANDARDS, COST PRESSURES AND OWNER / OPERATOR NEEDS CAN REQUIRE SOME AMENABILITY. CHADA

Juliet Ashworth – Creative Director / Owner

Hotel developers and owners – our clients - are more empowered when it comes to the owner-operator relationship. In the race for hotel companies to retain market share, develop new brands and grab available properties, at Chada we’ve seen a watering-down of operators’ brand standards which management agreements once enforced.

Many of our clients are increasingly confident, having developed a number of hotels and are more inclined to utter words to the effect of ‘it’s my money, so I’ll call the shots’. With so many brands to choose from, the power balance appears to have shifted. An operator will value a good owner who brings them multiple properties and will loosen the reigns on how they develop their hotels, within reason. My role requires 52 HM The Business of Accommodation

me to read that relationship and to carefully tread through the design process to both appease and please client and operator.

A declining appetite for cookie-cutter hotels has seen brand standards evolve into brand pillars – key features or philosophies that encapsulate the brand and provide its unique DNA and requirements such as minimum guestroom size and whether or not to include an executive lounge, down to the style of the desk chair or dimensions of the bathroom vanity are much more flexible. Operators are more likely to pick their battles and owners are more likely to have a strident voice.

And we designers get opportunities to create hotels that have a true sense of place and reflect the owner’s vision whilst reflecting the brand in a more meaningful way.

LUCHETTI KRELLE Rachel Luchetti

Sometimes it feels like having just one client can be challenging, let alone embarking on a hotel project with effectively two clients. When there is a delicate owner/operator relationship to contend with, it’s a constant juggle with ideas versus budget constraints, pushing boundaries whilst playing it safe and future proofing the asset.

In this situation, it’s especially critical that the designer gains a level of trust with all parties to allow the narrative to emerge and the identity of the hotel to be realised and celebrated. This can be quite difficult when dealing with larger brands or developers with foreign headquarters, where we may not have a direct line of contact with the ultimate decision makers.

Most people would be familiar with the term ‘design by jury’ and when it comes to dealing with multiple stakeholders, it seems everybody

INTERIOR DESIGN

has an opinion regarding design. Our most successful project outcomes, both creatively and more broadly, have been where we have developed a very close relationship with a visionary single decision maker or a very small brains trust where expert opinions are respected and the various stakeholders stay in their lanes! We welcome workshops and healthy debates. We must be agile enough to throw out an idea and think on our feet. As designers, we do like to be challenged, but the rhetoric must be constructive and not simply obstructive. Even if we have different agendas, we are all on the same team.

The soon-to-open Sofitel Adelaide

SCOTT CARVER

Angela Biddle – Director

Gone are the days of designers disappearing for weeks to then reveal their design for your project. Clients want to, and should, be taken on a journey that keeps them closer to the design process and outcome.

At Scott Carver, we find the most successful approach to client management is through tailoring the experience to each client and each project. Design is not a one-size-fits-all approach and client management shouldn’t be either. Whilst many hotel owners have experience building a new property or renovating an existing asset, we are increasingly seeing new owners embarking on this process for the first time. In either scenario, our role as designers is to translate the client’s objectives and ambitions into a resolved design and guest experience. Perhaps less known is the value we can provide in navigating what is often a complex design process: balancing client and operator ambitions with budget expectations, managing stakeholders, integrating sustainable initiatives and compliance items, and stepping through the approvals process. We act as advisors to our clients to streamline what can sometimes be a stressful and unexpectedly complex step towards building or renovating a hotel.

As we don’t have a ‘house style’ at Scott Carver, it is equally as important for our team’s design process as it is for a hotel owner, that we embark on this journey together. This allows us as designers to truly understand the owner’s objectives and ambitions for their project, the brand ambitions and the guest profile. From this we find a great design outcome tends to naturally evolve from the process, without the need for a ‘big reveal’.

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“We must be agile enough to throw out an idea and think on our feet.”

Rachel Luchetti, Luchetti Krelle

SUEDE INTERIOR DESIGN Clifford Rip – Principal

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There are many aspects we are constantly massaging as we form and progress relationships with our clients, but one of the biggest issues we often face is that some clients don’t really understand exactly what goes into doing a thorough, considered design. When I was growing up, my mother said to me ‘don’t go to hotel school, the hours are crazy!’ So instead, I decided to design hotels rather than run them. Now, I’m an Interior Designer, an Architect, Operator, Quantity Surveyor, Engineer, Art Consultant, Lighting Designer, Landscaper, DDA consultant, a Pinterest wizard that requires little sleep, vacations or fees, a psychologist that needs to understand and navigate the meandering route of a client’s psyche to graphically expose their inner closet interior designer, and a time traveller to make it all happen yesterday!

The reason we entertain this notion and do whatever it is that we need to do to make our clients understand that we don’t just wave a pen and a set of amazing PDFs gets sent to their mailbox, is because we love to design and create spaces. Once they understand that we love what we do and that when we do it, we do it with heart and soul and passion, will they then fully understand and trust that we are committed to creating a resolution to their problem, at any cost. It’s the prima donna pride in our DNA that we as designers are born with, a somewhat competitive nature to get it right and constantly out-design the norm. For a designer, a halfbaked design is worse than no design at all.

Therefore, our relationships with our clients are of utmost importance. They are the gate allowing us to do what we love. And it is this understanding that we focus on constantly to build trust, as it’s very difficult to sell a design without trust. Clients need to be comfortable with our comprehension, trust our vision and believe what we are trying to create for them will complete their vision, and fulfil our creative desire. After-all, design is a lifestyle, not a career. n

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REAL ESTATE

New Zealand IN FOCUS

Queenstown is currently one of the region’s most in-demand markets for hoteliers

COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL

Dean Humphries – NZ National Director, Hotels

New Zealand continues to attract strong global recognition for its leading governance of the COVID pandemic and its wider economic, social and environmental leadership. This is helping to fuel strong interest in the broader property sector, including hotel and tourism assets. Strong domestic demand, both leisure and business, has helped the wider hotel sector perform strongly, on a globally comparative basis, throughout the pandemic. With the Trans-Tasman bubble opening in June, this is expected to stimulate further recovery for the remainder of 2021.

Our nationwide vaccination program is also now in full swing and this will enable us to invite wider international travellers back to Aotearoa by Q1 2022.

New Zealand has been one of the highest economic performers during the global pandemic. As a result, investment demand is flourishing, fuelled primarily by private and institutional domestic capital and to a lesser degree, offshore parties, all looking to secure assets in a country widely perceived as a safe and environmentally responsible investment destination.

We are also continuing to receive healthy levels of enquiry for hotel assets from both domestic and offshore 54 HM The Business of Accommodation

SOME STRONG PARALLELS CAN BE DRAWN ON THE PERFORMANCE OF NEW ZEALAND IN MANAGING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, COMPARED WITH AUSTRALIA. HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME AREAS WHERE THE ‘LAND OF THE LONG WHITE CLOUD’ COULD BE DEEMED SUPERIOR.

parties. The challenge we have always faced is that hotel assets remain tightly held in what is seen as a relatively illiquid market. Those limited assets that have sold have been largely to domestic investors, with offshore parties having to review these opportunities remotely and rely on local resources to complete transactions, with the recent exception of Australian investors or those with local offices or special visa exemptions.

The Pacific Islands are more challenging at this present point in time, although most are predicting a V-shaped recovery across the board once borders do open. There is likely to be a wide range of investment opportunities opening up across the Pacific from 2022, particularly in the hotel and resort sector as these economies enter into an aggressive recovery phase.

REAL ESTATE

JLL HOTELS AND HOSPITALITY GROUP

Nick Thompson – Director of Hotels New Zealand

If we look back to pre-COVID, New Zealand enjoyed a positive investor view, given its perceived safe nature, strong economy, and removal from many of the geopolitical issues worldwide. Due to New Zealand’s effective management of the health crisis, for much of the pandemic the country has benefited from an open economy, comparatively normal day-to-day experience and consequently, a strong domestic tourism market. This has only strengthened its case as a safe haven for capital.

New Zealand has also benefited from the uncertainty of investment into some of the more opaque economies throughout Asia Pacific.

While the borders may still be closed to tourism and a cloud remains on the Trans-Tasman bubble, New Zealand’s domestic tourism economy has been thriving, which has eased the pressure on the hotels and hospitality industry in some destinations. We have seen significant interest in New Zealand from domestic and international investors and are continuing to receive enquiry from all parts of the world as they look to seize the opportunity to acquire assets that may not have been otherwise available.

As everyone knows, refurbishment when times are quiet is a great way to improve assets while mitigating disruption to your bottom line. The current environment presents a perfect opportunity. However, there has been a tightening on debt funding from lenders so investors and developers will require some certainty around recovery to ensure cash flows are available for upgrading and repositioning.

Suva is coming into its own as a hotspot for new hotels

“New Zealanders have spent an extra NZD$1.1 billion on domestic travel compared to pre-COVID levels.”

Ian Crooks, ResortBrokers

RESORTBROKERS

Ian Crooks – Founder and Chairman

A conga line of major brands are moving into Auckland

On my regular visits back to New Zealand, including during the pandemic when the travel bubble was opened, one of the key factors affecting the NZ market are similar to what is happening in Australia. Domestic and drive tourism is on a tear and, while it hasn’t fully absorbed the loss of the lucrative international market, it has driven encouraging additional revenue into the industry which has come as something as a surprise, and a welcome one at that.

Research out of Tourism New Zealand shows that since May 2020, New Zealanders have spent an extra NZD$1.1 billion on domestic travel compared to pre-COVID levels, reaching NZD$8.37 billion. This is on the back of a series of dedicated marketing campaigns to get Kiwis to explore their own backyard.

Domestic visitors have always been the foundation of the country’s tourism industry, and investors are aware of this. I’ve seen a few high-profile deals done in recent months, including the opening of Imagine Beach Road in Auckland Central, and Langham Hospitality Group’s 244 room expansion of Cordis Auckland Hotel, set for later this year. One of Dunedin’s best hotels, The Heritage Dunedin Leisure Lodge, was also sold in an off-market deal to Distinction Hotel Group. This action confirms the strong demand for New Zealand hotels which will increase once international borders begin opening. n hotelmanagement.com.au 55

LEGAL MATTERS

Lease OF MIND

There are some sizeable legal hurdles to clear with a hotel lease

WHILE HOTEL MANAGEMENT AGREEMENTS ARE OFTEN THE STRONG FAVOURITE PATH FOR A HOTEL OWNER TO FOLLOW, THE OPTION OF A LEASE REMAINS IN CONSIDERATION, BUT MUST BE CAREFULLY ASSESSED TO SEE IF IT IS BEST PLACED TO MEET OBJECTIVES.

BAKER MCKENZIE

Graeme Dickson - Partner

The legal relationship between a hotel owner and operator can be cast in a variety of ways. Generally, it comes down to a decision between a management agreement or a lease. In Australia, management agreements are the overwhelming favourite.

Very few operators are prepared to enter into a lease because the economic risk of operating a hotel moves from the owner to the operator. Not surprisingly, operators prefer the relative simplicity and predictability of receiving management fees as opposed to the economic uncertainty and risk of being required to fund any ongoing operating losses which a lease relationship entails.

Further, if the hotel fails, then all costs associated with the failure including potentially very expensive employee redundancy costs are borne by the operator. Additionally, accounting standards usually require that rent and other lease payment obligations for the term of the lease need to be accounted for on the operator’s balance sheet, with consequential negative impact on the operator’s ability to borrow and engage in other investment activities.

Owners generally prefer leasing a hotel to an operator because of a perception that this is a less risky alternative 56 HM The Business of Accommodation

to operating the hotel itself, albeit with the assistance of a highly qualified operator. This perception of risk can be misplaced. If the hotel fails and the operator goes out of business, the owner is then faced with the prospect of finding another operator prepared to take on similar financial exposure to the failed operator, which can be a big ask. Further, as the pandemic has shown, severe adverse economic circumstances can lead to the operator simply refusing to pay rent for a potentially significant period. Lastly, the owner as lessor may have less control over aspects of a newly built hotel including fit-out, which may lead to significant issues when the relationship with the incumbent operator ends. Even if owners intensify their efforts to lease a hotel rather than operate it, current indications suggest that there is no significant appetite on the part of an overwhelming majority of operators to agree to such a legal arrangement and the financial obligations that it entails.

HFW AUSTRALIA

Thomas Wait - Partner

A number of factors will influence a hotel owner as to whether it operates its hotels under a hotel management structure or a lease structure. Typically, risk plays a large factor in these decisions, and operating a hotel under a lease structure is seen as a more passive and less risky investment. The underlying economic environment also impacts on this decision making.

In the current environment, a lease structure provides certainty to both the owner and operator. With the owner, there can be certainty of return being the rental income it will receive and fixed increases in that return.

For the hotel operator or lessee, it will have an interest in the land and exclusive possession to operate the hotel and certainty of tenure. Under a hotel management structure, which can be preferred by more experienced

LEGAL MATTERS

hotel owners, there can be more control by the owner and greater returns.

When negotiating a lease, there are some things both the hotel owner and operator need to consider. Will the lease deal, specifically with pandemic events, such that there will be rent relief where occupancies are affected?

No rent relief would have been available for a number of hotel operators under a lease structure as they would not have been classified as an ‘impacted tenant’ under the COVID legislation.

Next, as legislative protection was not always available, the parties may want to consider a rental structure where the risk is shared with a lower base rental and a ‘performance rent’ being payable as a share in the upside when occupancies improve. Owners will also want greater security in the form of higher bank guarantees or parent company guarantees to protect against default risk. Finally, tenants will want shorter lease terms or flexibility to exit the lease arrangements in the event the hotel does not perform, such as break rights where financial metrics are not achieved, with payment of an early surrender fee. The current economic landscape has changed how parties must approach a hotel operating lease and the traditional landlord/tenant relationship may need to evolve to a more collaborative joint venture approach.

“In the current environment, a lease structure provides certainty to both the owner and operator.”

Thomas Wait, HFW Australia

MINTER ELLISON

Alice Langham – Partner

While hotel management agreements are the predominant operating structure for city centre or larger branded hotels in Australia, we are seeing more hotel leases enter this space.

Under a hotel lease, the owner of the hotel leases the hotel to the tenant, who occupies the hotel to run its hotel business. A hotel owner may be interested in a lease if it does not want to take on all the business risk associated with the hotel operations. The rent payable under hotel leases depends on the risk that the owner/ landlord wants to take and can include a base and fixed rent per key, indexed or increased by a fixed percentage and/or a turnover rent, based on a percentage of the hotel’s revenue, or a combination of the above.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, some hotel tenants have been seeking to require that their hotel leases include provisions which seek to defer or reduce the rent payable by the tenant if an event occurs outside their control, also known as a ‘force majeure’ clause.

Such provisions should be carefully considered by an owner as these clauses could significantly change the risk profile of the lease.

Most hotel leases require the owner/landlord to provide the hotel to the tenant at a ‘warm shell’ stage.

The tenant is then usually responsible for installing the FF&E items (with the parties to agree who is to fund those items). It is important that the hotel lease includes provisions regarding the tenant’s obligations to repair, maintain and replace the FF&E during the term of the lease.

Hotel owners can prefer leases as it spreads some of the property’s fiscal performance

WATSON FARLEY AND WILLIAMS

Robert Williams – Head of Hotels and Hospitality Asia-Pacific

Hotel operating leases in Australia and New Zealand need an introduction for some context.

They remain a niche model for mainstream hotels here, with new hotel development dominated by HMAs. There are exceptions, mainly for serviced apartmenttype product. Quest Apartment Hotels has of course rolled out leases and has scale, underpinned ultimately by franchisees, and Veriu Group (including under its Punthill brand) has built critical mass too.

Other hotel leases in this market have been deal or situation specific - think the Tuckerbox/TFE Hotels leases, QIC/Next Story Group, some of Mantra’s CBD properties and the AccorInvest assets.

Operating leases do however present an opportunity to differentiate from the usual HMA offering, particularly when HMA guarantees are thinning and financing is tough. A number of privately-held regional and local operators, as well as one or two of the most ambitious globals will never say never – they will continue to use leases selectively to unlock key opportunities, particularly with local capital.

We are currently negotiating a number of lease deals – the main shift is that aggressive base rents with yearly CPI ratchets are gone. We recently heard a financial investor suggesting rent tracks RevPAR – that is nothing short of revolutionary.

One learning in structuring and documenting hotel operating leases is to park much of your HMA experience. Leases are different, with ‘risk’ very much on the table for discussion. But key areas for focus will be familiar. These include rent (fixed/variable, increases and reviews), design, fit-out and delivery, CapEx, performance, covenant and (predictably) force majeure.

Through 2020 and 2021, landlords and operators with existing leases were in a very different position to those with HMAs. Leases are binary – if the tenant doesn’t pay rent, they will likely leave the property (code of conduct permitting). But landlords have needed to answer the question ‘who goes into the property next?’ Relatively few hotel leases have terminated, and parties have worked hard to achieve some balance between preserving value and rent payment certainty.

The importance of the tenant’s covenant and conduct in underpinning valuation has been highlighted, which is a lesson to consider at the front end too. n hotelmanagement.com.au 57

PEOPLE

Living Nesu Daiwa to

Ho ldi

ng s

C ark ,M EO

feldt.

Ron

People on the Move The latest key HR movements across the hotel industry

Scenic Hotel Group has welcomed Karl Luxon as its new Chief Operating Officer. With over 20 years’ experience at Millennium Hotels and Resorts New Zealand (MCK), Luxon not only brings essential skills, but also the core values and motivation required to drive and build momentum for the Group post-COVID.

Getting To Know...

Mark Ronfeldt

HM catches up with Daiwa Living Nesuto Holdings Chief Executive, MARK RONFELDT, in which he divulged one of those ‘you had to be there’ moments from a former role.

What was your first job in the accommodation industry?

Food and Beverage trainee at the Sydney Hilton.

Can you tell us a funny, embarrassing or memorable story from the early part of your career?

When I was a young GM – my third role as GM – I had been posted to Darwin with a company called Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation (SPHC). After working to gain the trust of the Gagadju Association, I was given the opportunity to run their fantastic properties in Kakadu.

Some months later, we were ready to sign the Management Agreement. The owners had a regular monthly meeting and on the agenda was the task of finalising the management agreement. I arranged to fly the Chairman of SPHC from Sydney to Darwin and transport him out to Kakadu to finalise the deal and sign the contracts in person. We had a great dinner with the owner’s representative the night he arrived and all looked on track. The owners meeting however did not take place the next morning because they had decided it was a great day to go hunting for turtles instead.

So, I had this major dilemma to deal with. How do I tell the company Chairman that I have wasted his time and the deal won’t get done today? I decided honesty was the best policy and when I explained to the Chairman what had happened and that the owners had gone hunting instead, the Chairman’s comment to me left me stunned. His reply was simply “The contract can be dealt with at any time. I wish they had taken me with them so I could learn more about their amazing culture.”

He was of course right. The agreement was signed and many, many years later, when the Management Agreements were up for renewal, the owners in Kakadu consulted me to ask whom they should hire to manage their incredible assets for the next 20 years.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give to young people assessing whether hospitality or tourism is right for them as a career?

The joy of being in hospitality is you will always be part of a passionate team. You should choose to be in this industry if you are driven and passionate, but more importantly have a love for travel, service and caring for others. The best part though is the challenge that each and every day is different – so you will always be learning. n 58 HM The Business of Accommodation

Ahead of its 2022 opening, Langham Hospitality Group has hired Nick Clarke as the Director of Sales and Marketing for The Langham, Gold Coast, which will form part of the Jewel Complex being developed on the beachfront near Surfers Paradise.

Frasers Hospitality Australia (FHA) has appointed Jip van Driest as Director of Development Australia. In this newly created role, van Driest is responsible for building FHA’s portfolio to drive business and growth in the Australian market.

QT Auckland has welcomed two of Australia’s most experienced hospitality professionals, James Kelly and Egor Petrov, to lead the hotel’s seasonal food and beverage offerings. Kelly, appointed as Food and Beverage Director, brings creativity and passion to Rooftop and Esther at QT Auckland, along with extensive experience across iconic Auckland restaurants.

Crystalbrook Byron has appointed two new chefs in Jordan Staniford and Clement Fouquere. Staniford brings skills honed across Vietnam, the Mediterranean and Australia to his new role along with skills developing new menus showcasing seasonal produce and sustainable dishes.

Ahead of its reopening, Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside has welcomed industry expert Kim Blain as its new Director of Sales and Marketing.

Blain brings over 35 years’ experience in hospitality across major hotel chains and is eager to reintroduce new services and offerings across the property’s rooms and suites.

Experienced chef and Perth local, Andrew Barkham has been promoted to Executive Chef at the award-winning restaurant, Santini Bar & Grill at QT Perth.

Global architecture and design company, Design Worldwide Partnership (dwp) has appointed Mat Dalby as Interior Design Director, Australia & New Zealand. Based in Sydney, Dalby brings two decades of international experience designing, delivering and managing hospitality projects with high profile brands, manufactures and designers.

IN T

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