Australian Hotelier March 2018

Hotelier AUSTRALIAN

AUSTRALIA’S NATIONAL HOTEL INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

vol. 35 no. 2 - MARCH 2018

IN THIS ISSUE: GAMING | PUB LEADERS SUMMIT PREVIEW | ACCOMMODATION

CONTENTS | ED’S NOTE

Vanessa Cavasinni

Editor’s Note

W

hile the dust has barely settled on what was hopefully a frenetic and lucrative holiday period for your venues, it’s now time to start planning another year of activations, innovations, capex spending and hotel upgrades. While operators may take this year to focus on a particular stream of operations, one that we know needs constant attention is your food offering. Not only is this increasingly what sets venues apart, but the latest study from GlobalData has shown that by 2021, Australia’s foodservice sector will reach a value of $80.8 billion, with pubs, clubs and bars being the third most valuable category in the sector (more info on this on page 11).

But there are plenty of facets of pub operations to focus on, and in this issue we take a look at a few. We have the latest gaming news and products for you, starting on page 12, and we chat to Foxtel for Business about their new Foxtel Music product on page 20. On page 22 you’ll find a look at the swanky new Eatons Hill Hotel accommodation in Brisbane. We also give you a taster of what you’ll experience at the Pub Leaders Summit later this month on page 16 – make sure to grab those last minute tickets now!

Cheers,

26 16

Vanessa Cavasinni, Editor P: 02 8586 6201 | E: vcavasinni@intermedia.com.au

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Contents | March Special Features

Regulars

14

6

16

20

22

NEXT MONTH

ED’S PICK

Gaming: The latest happenings in the industry, plus some of the newest products on the market.

Pub Leaders Summit Preview: A taster of what you’ll experience at this must-attend event.

Audio: Foxtel for Business unveils its new audio solution, Foxtel Music.

Accommodation: Eatons Hill Hotel’s accommodation takes pubs stays to a whole new level.

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LIVE!

News: The latest happenings around the country.

Design and Build: Village Belle Hotel transforms to stay in step with the St Kilda area.

Sports Calendar: We bring you sporting highlights for March.

Foodservice • Pub Leaders Summit Review • Preparing for Winter

PUBLISHER: Paul Wootton EDITOR: Vanessa Cavasinni

PUBLISHED BY:

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GENERAL MANAGER SALES – LIQUOR & HOSPITALITY GROUP: Shane T. Williams

GROUP ART DIRECTOR – LIQUOR AND HOSPITALITY:

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Copyright © 2018 - Food and Beverage Media Pty Ltd

4 | MARCH 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Average Total Distribution: 5,680 AMAA/CAB Yearly Audit Period ending 30 Sept 2017.

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NEWS

WA GOVERNMENT TABLES LIQUOR LAW REFORMS

BY ANDY YOUNG The Western Australian Government has put forward its Liquor Control Amendment Bill 2018, which details significant changes for the state’s liquor laws. There are many positive changes for the state’s on-premise sector, which have been widely welcomed.

The Bill changes include the tourism benefits of liquor licence applications to be considered, licensed restaurants with a capacity of 120 people or less able to serve alcohol without a meal and patrons able to take home their unfinished wine bottle when out to dinner at a small bar or tavern.

The Government said that the changes reflect a sensible balance between harm minimisation and transforming the drinking culture in Perth by permitting venues to cater for the after-work drinks crowd and giving greater choice to visitors.

WA Premier Mark McGowan said: “We’re getting on with the job by introducing these reforms to cut red tape and bring in a more commonsense approach to liquor licensing.

“Our small bar scene changed the face of Perth, it drove new economic activity and injected life into the heart of the city and towns across our state – and it didn’t cost taxpayers a cent.

“I want to pick up from where I left off and encourage more vibrancy in our hospitality industry and make it easier for local businesses to do business.

“Since our first wave of reforms in 2006, 118 small bars are now operating across our State and with these further changes, we hope to see more innovative small businesses opening, creating more jobs for Western Australians.”

Tourism and Racing and Gaming Minister Paul Papalia added: “These reforms will mean venues that deliver cultural and tourism value will have a better chance of obtaining a suitable liquor licence.

FOR MORE INDUSTRY NEWS FOLLOW US ON 6 | MARCH 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

“This is just another example of the McGowan Government’s commitment to deliver a suite of changes that will elevate the importance of tourism in our state by modernising WA’s liquor laws.”

Bradley Woods the CEO of the Australian Hotels Association WA also welcomed the Bill, but did acknowledge that there were some “contentious matters” for the industry as a whole.

“Western Australia’s hotels, bars, pubs, taverns and restaurants will be the beneficiary of these important and long overdue reforms,” Woods said.

“We are pleased that the Government has recognised the importance of the hospitality sector to employment opportunities and the WA economy, which is reflected in this Bill.”

“For the first time the economic value of the hospitality and tourism industry will be recognised when assessing liquor applications – finally there is a formal appreciation of hospitality and tourism and the important role this plays in respect to job creation.”

“While there are many positive initiatives, the Bill contains some contentious matters which will divide sections of the industry, in particular the restriction on new liquor stores and bottle shops over 400 square metres.”

Woods said the AHA will be closely examining how the reforms will be implemented to ensure their intended benefits are realised.

“There are a number of important issues that are ongoing, in particular the need to address the serious and escalating risks posed by the abuse of occasional permits to operate large pop-up venues.”

“We look forward to continuing constructive and cooperative discussions with the State Government so that we can further support the growth of WA’s hospitality businesses and the tens of thousands of workers who rely on the health and growth of our sector.”

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NEWS

FIVE MINUTES WITH…

JUSTINE BAKER

JUSTINE BAKER, WHO HAS SERVED AS COO OF SOLOTEL FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS, AND BEEN WITH THE COMPANY FOR OVER A DECADE, MOVED INTO THE CEO POSITION AT THE END OF 2017.

BAKER DISCUSSES THE APPOINTMENT

HOW AND WHEN DID THIS ROLE CHANGE ABOUT? It was at the end of last year. It had been on the cards for a while. It was a decision made by Bruce [Solomon], Matt [Moran] and myself to change the structure of Solotel in order for the business to continue to grow. It’s an evolution of our merger [between Solotel and MorSol] that happened in 2016. It’s a much bigger business now – we’re running 32 venues with 2000 people.

We’ve actually moved into a fairly sizeable family business, instead of where we were before the merger, where we very much looked at ourselves as being a hospitality family business. It was understanding that the reality is that now we’re fairly large and we need to act with a bit of governance around that.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR BRUCE SOLOMON IN TERMS OF HIS ROLE IN THE BUSINESS? He’s still very much involved, he just moves to more of a strategic role. That was very much one of the drivers, enabling the family to really move to the strategic role that they wanted to be in.

Bruce is still incredibly involved in the business and is very linked to our customers as well, and Matt is seen within our businesses every week. So it’s a move to recognise the size of our group and where we want to go – and actually have someone look after that everyday.

HAS ANYONE FILLED THE COO POSITION? At the moment we’ve just elevated the roles of our executive team, and made them a far more effective decision-making body. In the future that may change but at the moment that’s what we feel is the best thing for the business.

HOW DOES THIS CHANGE WHAT YOU DO AT SOLOTEL? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT TAKING A STEP BACK FROM OVERSEEING THE OPERATIONAL SIDE OF THE BUSINESS? It’s around me stepping into a role that has a real impact on the strategic direction of the group. Also especially on the cultural piece,

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Solotel’s three-storey Barangaroo House opened in late 2017

making sure that that’s at the heart of our decision making.

I’m still very much involved in the dayto-day of the venues, and I never want to lose sight of that. Especially that customer interaction and understanding what makes us tick and where our revenue is made.

But being able to have a team that’s really empowered to drive that will enable me to look at both big picture and where our present value is, so I will be able to switch between those two.

AS CEO OF SOLOTEL, WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES BOTH SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM? Short term, its embedding the growth we’ve had over the last two years, and really ensuring the capability of people and also our procedure and systems, and business information is strong. How we’re actually measuring our business – that is very much a priority that we’re working through at the moment. In terms of the long term and how we want to grow, that will be revealed in time! But enabling a team to really look after our daily business and making sure that that our eyes are never taken off that.

DO YOU THINK THIS IS A BIT OF A COUP FOR FEMALES IN THE INDUSTRY? I am really proud that a female is leading Solotel. I think it’s a fantastic thing, but I also think it’s pretty normal for me. We’re a big supporter of women in leadership. We do a lot of programs internally, and are a big supporter of the WOHO movement. For me it feels really normal. I don’t see it as momentous, but others in the business probably do. But I think it’s great glass ceiling cracker to make sure that there’s women out there pouring beers while they’re at university, and I’d love for them to be able then to think ‘That’s what I really want to do, that’s what I aspire to.’ We’re really passionate about continuing that succession plan and making sure that within our business there’s a very strong pipeline of women coming up through the business. I think it’s great.

NEWS

THE DUKE OF BRUNSWICK CELEBRATES 160 YEARS The Duke of Brunswick, or The dob as it’s affectionately known, celebrated its 160th anniversary on 24 February.

The inner-city Adelaide pub hosted celebrations for the milestone, starting with an 1858-inspired dinner, featuring dishes such as rabbit terrine, kangaroo ragout and a deconstructed trifle using house-made Anzac biscuits. The family of the original stonemason that worked on the hotel 160 years ago was tracked down and attended the dinner. The pub also hosted a family fun day in honour of the anniversary with a petting zoo for kids, and a truck full of Xboxes to entertain teens.

The celebrations were hosted by new licensee Simone Douglas, who took over the lease of the Gilbert Street pub in late October last year.

The hotel has gone through an insecure three years, with the old owner removing the former lessee in 2015 and closing the pub. They then reopened the pub and operated it themselves, before selling the freehold late last year. That’s when Douglas came on board.

Douglas – who worked for ALH Group for almost a decade in the early 2000s turning around under-performing pubs – has reinvented the pub into a community and business hub, activating the space in dynamic ways, and hosting community groups not generally associated with pub activity.

The dob hosts morning pilates classes twice a week, improv theatre nights most Thursdays, and art classes and Dungeons & Dragons one Sunday a month each. A pub choir will also be starting up this month.

“It’s not your typical pub, but it’s what I think a pub should be. I’ve been in the industry since I was 16. We ripped out the TAB, there’s no gaming, there’s no Keno. There’s only one TV screen in the whole pub.

It’s very much a community pub now,” explained Douglas.

“It’s a pub for people who wouldn’t typically go to the pub.”

Douglas has also capitalised on the second floor space, sub-letting it as offices. The licensee also has her own social media agency, which now runs out of an office on the dob’s second floor. Other businesses leasing

FAIRFIELD HOTEL CELEBRATES CHINESE NEW YEAR The Fairfield Hotel in western Sydney has celebrated the Lunar New Year with huge festivities throughout the venue. Fairfield is home to many residents of Chinese and Vietnamese descent, so the hotel has put on festivities for the Lunar New Year for the past six years.

“The Fairfield Hotel is right in the heart of Fairfield and since we have a lot of Chinese and Vietnamese patrons we like to put on a great event that ties in with their culture and an event that everyone can enjoy,” said Viet Phuc Andrew Do, General Manager of the Fairfield Hotel.

This year’s festivities celebrating the Year of the Dog kicked off with lion dancers and martial art displays.

Lucky red envelopes were also handed out to patrons, as per Chinese and Vietnamese cultures.

“Since it’s the year of the dog we called the celebrations, ‘Every dog has its day’ because it’s a saying that means everyone will be successful or lucky at some time in their life. We hope our event brought good luck and good fortune to all our patrons and we would like to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year,” Viet Phuc added.

10 | MARCH 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

space include a family lawyer and a couple of graphic designers. There’s also a more flexible co-working space.

The marriage of the community hub downstairs and the business hub upstairs has also meant that the hotel hosts a lot of corporate functions, from business lunches to networking events. It fits in with Douglas’ ethos ‘Seriously Social’, which is how she approaches all of her business ventures.

Since taking over, the pub has been trading well with revenue trending upwards, and Douglas credits her experience in both pub operations and the corporate world.

“Back in the days before the internet, good publicans were always the hub of their community. They knew who did what and where. So that’s very much my approach. I’ve had a whole heap of training on effective networking, referral marketing, how to build business communities. So we’re really just applying that to a pub model.”

NEWS

BIG PROFIT PREDICTIONS FOR AUSTRALIAN FOODSERVICE SECTOR The Australian foodservice profit sector is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.6 percent, and reach a market value of $80.8 billion between 2016-2021, according to data and analytics firm GlobalData. This boom in the sector is lifted by increasing urbanisation and disposable incomes.

GlobalData’s report ‘Australia – The Future of Foodservice to 2021’ suggests that the growth of the sector will continue to grow off the back of an increase in transactions, rather than the increase in food outlets. The willingness of consumers to eat out is credited as the reason for this.

Within the profit sector, quick service restaurants (QSR) was the largest channel with AUD$25.8bn value and 36.4 per cent of sales in 2016, followed by full service restaurants (FSR) with $17.9bn value, pubs, clubs and bars with $13.5bn value and cafes with $3.3bn.

Two major consumer trends affecting the foodservice sector were identified in the report.

The first, is the trend towards fresh, natural and pure foods, as consumers become more concerned with healthy eating. While this has put the most pressure on the QSR subsector, pub patrons are also looking for healthier options in venues, and are not satisfied with the traditional ‘pub grub’ only.

The other major trend in Australia is the ‘conversation culture’ surrounding food, thanks to social media. GlobalData found that 13 per cent of Australians share a picture of food or beverages they’ve consumed on a weekly basis, and that younger consumers lead opinion shifts among their social groups with these posts.

Kambu Ninad, foodservice analyst at GlobalData, summarised the findings.

“As consumer desires become more complex and personal, operators can benefit by opening up their menus and allowing ‘al la carte’ access. Overall, profit sector channels will see increasing average transaction prices fuel the majority of future value growth in the country’s foodservice market. Transactions will also rise, driven by Australia’s growing population.”

FOODSERVICE SALES IN 2016

$25.8bn $17.9bn

$13.5bn $3.3bn

Quick Service Restaurants

Full Service Restaurants

Pubs, clubs and bars

Source: GlobalData, ‘Australia – The Future of Foodservice to 2021’.

Cafes

GAMING

THE LATEST SPIN IT’S EARLY 2018 BUT A LOT IS HAPPENING IN THE GAMING INDUSTRY, INCLUDING TWO RECENT EVENTS THAT WILL HAVE BIG IMPACTS GOING FORWARD. PLUS, WE LOOK AT WHAT THE BIG MANUFACTURERS HAVE PLANNED FOR AHGE.

O

n the political and legal front, there has been a lot happening in the world of gaming in the first quarter of 2018. The two most significant of these has been the dismissal of the claims in Federal Court against Crown Casino and Aristocrat, with the judge stating that the manufacturer and casino did not mislead or deceive the public; and Nick Xenophon’s SABEST announcing a restrictive gaming policy in the lead-up to the South Australian state election this month. Below we look at these two events in more detail.

FEDERAL COURT WIN In what has been touted as a landmark case for the gaming industry, legal action against Crown Casino and Aristocrat has been dismissed, with the Federal Court finding that the claimant Shonica Guy was unable to substantiate her claims.

Guy led a two-prong allegation against the two entities, targeting the Dolphin Treasure EGM manufactured by Aristocrat. Guy alleged that both respondents had misled the public on the odds of winning when gambling on the machines, through the design of the software and the game features made available to the public. Her second allegation was that both respondents preyed on problem gamblers when the machines would post a win that was less than the amount bet, and thus that the software was deceptive.

In her ruling on Guy v Crown Melbourne Limited, Judge Mortimer dismissed Guy’s claims, stating: “I have concluded that the applicant has not proven her allegations and… the application must be dismissed.”

Aristocrat welcomed the dismissal of the case in its entirety, noting its strict compliance with gaming regulation.

“As we have said throughout, Aristocrat is a high-integrity business that takes our regulatory obligations extremely seriously. We strive to

12 | MARCH 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

scrupulously uphold our obligations with respect to EGM compliance.

“We will continue to support balanced and fact-based harm minimisation initiatives, and do more where we can, recognising that these issues are complex and require collaboration across industry, regulators and the community.

In this vein, we will consider the Court’s judgment in detail.”

The Gaming Technologies Association (GTA) also welcomed the ruling, stating that it was the end to a long-winded smear campaign against the industry.

“This case has failed on all counts. The judgement clears the air after a vexatious campaign waged against the industry based on speculation and claims that have failed to withstand legal scrutiny,” said GTA CEO, Ross Ferrar.

“Justice Mortimer’s ruling is further evidence that Australian poker machines are robustly regulated and can be enjoyed with confidence.

“This is an important outcome for the gaming industry and the countless Australians who will continue to enjoy poker machines with the full knowledge they are playing games that adhere to world class standards.”

INDUSTRY BACKLASH FOR XENOPHON POLICY Nick Xenophon’s SA-BEST party has released its gaming policy as part of his campaign for the State Government election to be held on 17 March. The policy calls for a massive reduction in EGMs in venues, among other restrictive features.

The two major reforms that Xenophon’s party wants to introduce would restrict gaming in venues considerably. The first would convert all gaming licences to seven year licences from 1 January 2019, which would “put industry on notice not to invest beyond that time”, with licence extensions then to be considered by the end of 2022 – another election year.

The other significant reform would impose a

10 per cent reduction in EGMs per annum for venues with more than 10 gaming machines, for five years – reducing their EGMs by half over that period.

Other gaming reforms proposed in the SABEST policy include: • A maximum of $1 bets per spin, with a maximum $500 jackpot.

• Removing EFTPOS machines from gaming rooms within six months.

• Reducing the maximum number of trading hours for gaming rooms from 18 to 16 with only one continuous break.

• Enhancing the power of the Independent Gambling Authority to discipline venues, and introducing heavier penalties for breaches.

The Australian Hotels Association South Australia (AHA SA) was scathing in its response to the SA-BEST policy, and blunt in the repercussions it would have on the industry as a whole.

“This plan will decimate hotels across South Australia, wiping out many of the 26,000 jobs it directly creates,” stated AHA SA CEO, Ian Horne.

“It would result in many pubs being completely shut. Destroying the concept of the local and ruining the lifestyle so many of us enjoy in this state.”

Horne said the one certainty of the policy would be the loss of jobs within the industry, both direct and indirect in metropolitan and regional areas, and the closure of many country pubs. The CEO also suggested that SA-BEST has made no attempt to model the economic impact of its policy of punitive restrictions proposed for pub and club-based gaming, nor made any attempt to quantify the impact on the more than 26,000 jobs supported by these sectors.

The Gaming Technologies Association (GTA) also critiqued the claims of the policy and suggested that Xenophon and his party should rethink the strategy.

IT’S ALL ABOUT WHAT’S INSIDE

From the inspired artists at our design studios to the technical expertise of our mechanical engineers, our core value of passion drives everything we do. Our goal is to give you more of what works for you and your customers like our new range of Venue Management Solutions, and leading-edge cabinets to transform your floor.

Immerse yourself in our diverse portfolio that illustrates both choice and flexibility for your venue.

Visit us at stand 1 at the Australasian Hospitality & Gaming Expo to see how we can build on your success, together.

EVERY ELEMENT. EVERY INNOVATION. EVERYTHING WE HAVE .

GAMING

AHGE HIGHLIGHTS CHECK OUT WHAT TWO OF THE BIGGEST GAMING MANUFACTURERS WILL BE SHOWING AT THE AUSTRALASIAN HOSPITALITY AND GAMING EXPO (AHGE).

IGT PROPELS GAMING FORWARD At the 2018 AHGE, IGT will showcase a new range of machines and games to propel the gaming industry forward through evolving and innovating game play.

Last year, IGT ignited its local business in ANZ with an investment in people and technologies to develop new games and systems that offer variety and performance for more entertainment and more sustainable revenues. And the new line-up for the show continues this momentum.

Nigel Turner, IGT’s head of marketing – ANZ commented: “Last year was all about sparking a new direction for our company and delivering our first set of games to deliver a boost to our customers’ revenues. At AHGE we enter our next phase with a new cabinet – the CrystalCurve-i - and new games that are evolutions of old concepts or innovations that are new to market. Through our solid roadmap we will propel our customers’ business forward and deliver new game concepts for players.”

IGT’s new CrystalCurve-i features a 42-inch full HD portrait screen and a full suite of games including Wild Fury™ and Fortune Fury™, which are now available in the market. Initial performance figures have been very promising.

“At AHG there will be additional games for our Curve-i: Star Stax, a single level SAP with bonus levels that are driven by the denomination plus a rapid hitting jackpot feature and bonus chase; and Fortune Gong Link which kicks off with three different base games and sees the evolution of our successful Prize Disk game play,” stated Turner.

“For our CrystalDual-i cabinet, IGT will be showcasing two new games utilising IGT’s successful Waterfall game play, where one spin can affect the next. Dragon Sphere is a derivative of IGT’s Ocean Magic and provides players with the ability to bet down.

Pharaoh’s Gold offers an innovative wild feature and player selectable volatility during free game play.

“IGT’s multigame multidenomination offering – called Multistar - now includes Multistar Dazzling Diamonds and the new Multistar All Stars. Both these themes showcase our new graphics and layouts with games that have a flexible mix of volatility and denomination.

“In gaming management systems, IGT Advantage Club, continues to take remarkable leaps forward in performance and in additional innovative solutions enabling venues to better manage their patrons’ experience and customer service, drive loyalty and improve their bottomline performance.”

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ARISTOCRAT: IT’S ALL ABOUT WHAT’S INSIDE As you step into the Aristocrat stand at AHGE, immerse yourself in every element, every innovation. Experience its commitment and passion for every aspect of what sets its gaming experience, future forward planning and customer commitment apart.

Aristocrat’s goal is to give you more of what works for you and your customers including leading-edge cabinets to transform your floor and a diverse portfolio that illustrates both choice and flexibility for your venue.

Investing in every element of the gaming experience is essential in driving player engagement, innovation and performance. Aristocrat’s hardware and software solutions require collaboration from industry top talent to combine every element of its products including math, art, scripts, systems modules and music. As you step onto its stand, you will notice Aristocrat’s commitment to breadth and depth in product portfolio. Its diverse portfolio offers content category support across all cabinets to ensure you have the best performing products on your floor at all times.

As pioneers of the hold ‘n’ spin game mechanic, Aristocrat is committed to supporting and innovating in this space to address this significant segment. After the successful launch of Dragon Link™ in Queensland, the company is thrilled to roll out this market-leading product to other regions across 2018 to support the growing linked progressive category. You can expect to see the latest iterations of both Lightning Link™ and Dragon Link™ at the Aristocrat stand at AHGE. As a global sector leader, Aristocrat is giving everything it has for its customers’ success.

So join Aristocrat at AHGE 2018 as it showcases how “it’s all about what’s inside.”

Aristocrat looks forward to strengthening relationships with customers even further and gaining your valuable feedback on its portfolio. See you at the show!

In this exciting sequel to Silk Moon, INGOTCHA brings BIG REEL fun to players.

INGOTCHA is packed with Jackpots and Bonus Prizes and delightful free game features.

FOR A FULL LIST OF NEW AND UPCOMING TITLES, CONTACT RAY BROWN 0417 234 001 www.sggaming.com/australia Head Office and Showroom 4 Newington Road Silverwater NSW 2128 Phone: 02 8707 6300

Queensland Office 10/3986 Pacific Highway Loganholme QLD 4129 Phone: 07 3458 9180

PREVIEW

A MUST ATTEND THE PUB LEADERS SUMMIT 2018 PROMISES TO BRING MORE INSIGHTS, INNOVATIONS AND A WHOLE LOT OF INSPIRATION TO ATTENDEES.

N

ow in its third year, the Pub Leaders Summit 2018 will bring together top industry talent to discuss the most current issues and opportunities facing the industry, along with some of the best goods and service providers to demonstrate how their products can help pub operations.

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS In a new feature for the Pub Leaders Summit, in the middle section of the day the conference will branch off into two streams that will run concurrently, allowing attendees to choose between the most relevant sessions for their businesses. Operators can choose between a session on the modern gaming offering and new opportunities in food; a session on creating venue identity and the ins and outs of running a brewpub; and more.

In another highlight of the program, Mal Meninga, the head coach of the Australian National Rugby League team, and one of the most distinguished players of the game, will deliver the keynote at the 2018 Pub Leaders Summit.

With a professional sports coaching career going back two decades and spanning the Canberra Raiders, the Queensland State of Origin team and guiding the Australian team since 2016 – Meninga will discuss how to manage, lead and encourage staff towards optimal results, using examples from his playing and coaching career in the NRL. “I’m excited by it, it should be fun! I’m a big fan of the pub industry, I must confess,” stated Meninga.

The speaker line-up – like the sessions themselves – reflects the diverse nature of pub businesses, with industry heavyweights such as Ray Reilly (Reilly Group), Justine Baker (Solotel), and Jaz Mooney (Pelathon) taking part alongside single venue operators such as Kasie Ferguson of the Railway Hotel Parkes and Marty Secheny of Bidwill Hotel.

Other members of the line-up include Jackie Booth of Zagame Corporation, Annette Verhoeff of Red Rock Leisure, and Brad Jenkins of Lewisland Group (formerly Drinx Group). Three members of the Solotel team join the Pub Leaders Summit program, with CEO Justine Baker discussing growing a group in a specific geographic locale; Marlborough Hotel licensee Amanda Verratti chatting about creating a pub identity; and group marketing director Dan Lacaze sharing his creative expertise on how to market your business and use data to your advantage.

Three solo presentations have also been added to the line-up. Wade Curtis, director and former head brewer of 4 Hearts Brewery in Ipswich, Queensland, will give a talk on brewpub economics – running down the numbers on capex and profit, the systems needed, and his own learnings from opening a successful brewpub.

Mitchell Stapleton-Coory, founder of SHOUTback!, will discuss the new ways necessary to market to and engage with millennials. Mikey Enright, director of Barrelhouse Group, will take us through the process of opening his 18th Century, British-tavern inspired Duke of Clarence in the middle of Sydney’s CBD. He will discuss everything from the concept to sourcing building materials from the UK, to perfecting the venue’s unique offering.

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EXPO FEATURES The expo area will be activated throughout the day, with exhibitors including platinum sponsors Intrust Super and Big Review TV/ SHOUTback!. Sponsors will be highlighting everything from goods like kitchen equipment (Comcater and Silverchef), beverages (CUB, Redoak and Campari Group) and POS solutions (H&L and Bepoz).

Services of use to the pub industry will also be highlighted in the expo area, including real estate (JLL Hotels & Hospitality), cleaning services (CleanKings), security solutions (Prosegur) and HR, compliance and payroll servies (Employment Innovations).

Morning tea and lunch will be provided in the expo space, but expect some extra dishes from the likes of Comcater and Big Mal’s.

While Comcater will be creating tasty dishes showcasing their kitchen equipment range, Mal Meninga and the Big Mal’s First Grade team will be cooking up a barbecue to show off their meats and sauces range for the industry. You can probably snag a slider or two!

During the networking drinks at the end of the conference, some exhibitors will be activating their stands with competitions and demonstrations. Prosegur will be doing a cash safe demonstration using their smart safe, while Campari will have an Aperol brand ambassador on hand to show delegates how to make an Aperol Spritz. Bepoz will show attendees how to use their JoinApp to capture new member details instantly. You can also expect a giveaway from Intrust Super.

There will be plenty of great discussions and demonstrations at the Pub Leaders Summit on Monday 19 March at Royal Randwick Racecourse, and we can’t wait to share it all with the industry.

DON’T MISS OUT! This is your last opportunity to buy tickets to the Pub Leaders Summit!

If you want to attend, you can purchase tickets now at www.publeaders .com.au

OUR SPONSORS PLATINUM

Intrust Super is proud to once again be a Platinum Sponsor of the Pub Leaders Summit.

It has worked side by side with Australian pubs for 30 years and has watched the industry continuously grow and evolve. Much like the industry Intrust Super supports, it continues to innovate and improve its products and services to ensure clients and members receive the very best from their super fund.

For example, the fund’s insurance options continue to be viewed as the best value in the industry. At the end of 2017, Intrust Super won Money magazine’s ‘Best Value Insurance in Super’ award for the sixth consecutive year.

Please visit the Intrust Super stand to see how the team can assist you. www.intrustsuper.com.au

sliders and meatballs; as well as tomato, bbq, chilli and ranch sauces and dressings. The products are packed for foodservice and retail with lots of promotional incentive opportunities. www.bigmals.com.au

SILVER www.bepoz.com.au

www.camparigroup.com/en Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) is one of Australia’s most iconic companies. It locally brews some of Australia’s most famous beers including Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught, Pure Blonde, Great Northern, Matilda Bay and ciders Strongbow, Mercury and Bulmers; as well as distributing leading international brands including Corona, Stella Artois and Budweiser. CUB is a part of AB InBev, the largest global brewer, selling over 400 brands across 100 markets and employing 200,000 people. www.cub.com.au

www.cleankings.com.au

www.comcater.com.au

www.employmentinnovations.com

www.hlaustralia.com.au As the millennial generation comes of age, it is crucial that venues adopt digital engagement strategies to stay relevant. The Big Review TV and SHOUTback duel-product offering provides venues with an end-to-end video marketing solution, tailored specifically to engage an audience of digital natives. Big Review TV offers the production of high-quality promotional video at affordable rates, allowing venues to ‘videofy’ their business quickly, and within budget. We then integrate this content into the SHOUTback marketplace, a new video discovery platform where venues can dynamically market themselves through the sale of products and services, direct to the consumer. www.bigreviewtv.com www.shoutback.com.au

GOLD

Big Mal’s First Grade Food Group is a collection of premium meats and sauces designed by Rugby League icon Mal Meninga. The Big Mal’s First Grade range includes beef burgers, sausages,

18 | MARCH 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group has completed more transactions than any other hotels and hospitality real estate advisor over the past five years, totalling more than $77.5 billion worldwide.

Whether you’re looking at buying a hotel or are ready to sell, the pubs team can help using its hospitality industry knowledge and relationships to put the right parties together and execute a bespoke deal that exceeds your objectives. www.jll.com.au/hospitality

Established in Sydney in 2004 by brewer David Hollyoak and his sister Janet, Redoak Brewery is Australia’s most awarded brewery having won accolades locally, in the US, UK and in Europe.

Redoak brews an expansive list of beer styles including pale ales, lagers, wheat beers and sours. Redoak Brewery uses 100 per cent solar energy and works closely with local farmers. www.redoak.com.au

www.prosegur.com.au

www.silverchef.com.au

Knowledge on tap

• • • •

Market-leading team with over 60 years of combined experience Strong relationships with our clients, buyers and sellers In-depth expertise covering all tenures, asset class and locations Leveraging off our wider group to cover all industry disciplines

Whether you’re buying, selling, repositioning or exploring the hotels and hospitality market, our team has the experience and knowledge to position your asset to achieve your desired outcome. jll.com.au/hospitality

John Musca – NATIONAL 0424 257 004 Mathew George – VIC, SA, TAS 0400 663 840 Tom Gleeson – QLD 0449 289 845 Alex Richardson – NSW 0403 959 730

AUDIO

FOXTEL BUSINESS HAS LAUNCHED FOXTEL MUSIC, A NEW BACKGROUND VIDEO AND AUDIO MUSIC SERVICE FOR VENUES AND OTHER BUSINESSES. DIRECTOR OF FOXTEL BUSINESS, RAELENE SMETHURST SPOKE TO AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER ABOUT WHAT THE PRODUCT BRINGS TO A PUB’S OFFERING.

CREATE THE RIGHT SOUND Q WHY DID FOXTEL BUSINESS DECIDE TO LAUNCH FOXTEL MUSIC? Foxtel Business is always looking at ways to provide even more value to its customers, so it has joined with global music provider Stingray to offer Foxtel Music. With its extensive music catalogue, this scheduled audio and video music service for businesses provides the perfect way to create an exciting and enhanced atmosphere for customers in venue. Foxtel Music complements Foxtel’s quality line up of sport, entertainment, news and other linear music content and also provides businesses with the added benefit of being able to schedule their own in-house promotional messages, which is an ongoing requirement of many SMEs. While the Stingray brand is not a known brand in Australia, Stingray is not new to the world of music curation. The Stingray collaboration with Foxtel brings a wealth of music knowledge and 65+ years of expertise, strengthened by Stingray’s acquisition of SMA, SBA and DMD in the Australian market.

We are now increasing our activity with an above-the-line launch in March.

Q WHAT ARE THE PRACTICALITIES OF USING FOXTEL MUSIC? Foxtel Music is an effortless and cost effective music solution, with expertly curated music delivered to our customers – so all the hard work is done. It is a simple plug-and-play service: customers receive the small Foxtel Music device, which has already been loaded with the customers chosen genres/station, they then simply have to connect it to a screen via a HDMI cable and to the internet via an Ethernet cable.

Foxtel music comes with an easy to use selfserving interface (accessible via desktop, mobile and tablet device) which allows the customer to

20 | MARCH 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

The Foxtel Music device schedule different music stations. There is also the ability for the customer to upload their own in-house promotions (offers/events) to run at days/times suitable for their business.

Q WHAT BACKGROUND AUDIO/VIDEO SOLUTIONS DOES FOXTEL MUSIC OFFER FOR BUSINESSES? Foxtel Music is a combination of audio or video catalogues that have been customised to suit the Australian market, plus you have the additional benefit of being able to select from exciting world music catalogues. Both catalogues cover today’s hits, 80s, 90s, R&B, Jazz, Rock and much more. Customers are able to select from a wide range of music genres and can schedule their music selection by the hour to suit the listening needs of customers and staff. Foxtel Music provides screened and sanitised content to ensure there is no offensive content and the music is appropriate for the ears of every generation.

Q HOW DOES FOXTEL MUSIC LEND ITSELF TO DIFFERENT VENUES, AND DIFFERENT SPACES WITHIN VENUES? The system can be personalised to represent the customer’s brand. Music can be scheduled at the individual venue level, or for group-run pubs it can be organised at head office, providing consistency of music channel line-ups . There is also the ability to day-part and schedule different music in various areas of the venue.

Venues can also benefit by opting to include in to their schedules Foxtel-developed promotions (eg upcoming UFC or boxing events), to promote key sporting events/content shown at your venue.

Q WHAT ABOUT LICENSING FEES – HOW DOES THIS AFFECT PRICING? With Foxtel Music all your PPCA fees are included in your monthly music subscription fee, however there is a legal requirement that APRA fees are still payable by the customer.

Q HOW OFTEN IS THE MUSIC LIBRARY UPDATED? There are regular updates to the music stations (via the internet) to ensure we are always delivering the latest songs and avoiding constant repetition. Each station covers between 300-450 songs so there is always a great selection playing. The updates of the station can also be scheduled to suit your business needs, it is recommended to schedule these during your closing hours.

Q HOW DOES IN-VENUE PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITY WORK WITH FOXTEL MUSIC? Via the simple-to-use interface, venues can easily upload in-venue promotional material (MP4 file format required) to the box and schedule their latest offers or events to air at intervals throughout the day.

Q WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESPONSE FROM PUBS TO FOXTEL MUSIC SINCE LAUNCHING? We have received positive feedback from customers since the service has launched.

Customers have informed us that the type and categories of music on offer and the ambience and mood it creates has been beyond their expectations.

Introducing Foxtel Music.

Now there’s a new way to engage your customers: Foxtel Music.

Whether you’re looking for the visual impact of video or the power of audio, with Foxtel Music, you’ll always create the right ambience for your venue and your customers – time after time.

• Extensive library of regularly updated music • Program specific music to play at specific times of the day and in different areas • On-screen messaging enables you to tailor your business promos to run throughout the day • PPCA fees included

Find out more at foxtelmusic.com.au or call 1300 788 215

Powered by

Some features require internet. Data charges may apply. Foxtel marks are used under licence by Foxtel Management Pty Limited. ACN 068 671 938, 5 Thomas Holt Drive, North Ryde, NSW 2113.

BUS0114_0218_4

ACCOMMODATION

Luxury in the suburbs

THE COMISKEY GROUP HAS OPENED ITS 4.5 STAR HOTEL, COMPLETING THE $45 MILLION DOLLAR ACCOMMODATION AND RETAIL COMPLEX ADJACENT TO ITS AWARD-WINNING EATONS HILL HOTEL. THE OFFERING TAKES PUB ACCOMMODATION TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF LUXURY.

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One of two penthouse suites

A corner suite

Artworks by Andrew O'Brien

“We don’t do things by half.

We’re seen as massive risk takers because we do stuff that people don’t usually do, but we see it as a calculated risk.”

King Furniture is used throughout the rooms

T

wenty-five minutes north of Brisbane’s CBD, the famed Eatons Hill Hotel is nestled in Queensland’s Moreton Bay region. The pub is famed as a large-scale entertainment venue on over three hectares of land, hosting everything from boxing matches to an annual rodeo. It’s also known for holding epic concerts on its lawn and in its main function room, having had the likes of Prince, Boyz II Men and many more play at the venue.

While a huge venue in its own right, the Comiskey Group had always planned to include a standalone accommodation and retail offering on the property. Nine years later and the Eatons Hill offering now includes a 90room, 4.5 star hotel building, plus a connected retail village that includes a Woolworths supermarket, bottleshop, pharmacy, hairdresser, barber, café and more.

“We always saw it as a natural complement to the pub,” says director Rob Comiskey.

The hotel capitalises on several different accommodation markets, the most significant being the corporate stay. The property is adjacent to Brendale, a growing industrial estate, which when fully developed will be one of the largest in the country. It currently houses businesses like Super Retail Group and Aldi.

The property is also adjacent to the South Pine Sports Complex that hosts many state and national competitions for a variety of different sports – where those coming from afar would need somewhere to stay for the night. There are also many wedding venues in the area, giving the

Eatons Hill Hotel a vast market to draw from.

To oversee hotel operations, Comiskey Group have brought on Murray Rowbotham as general manager. Rowbotham has an extensive history in Brisbane accommodation, including at Stamford Plaza, Emporium Hotel and Gambaro Group. He began working with the Comiskey Group on the project six months before opening, bringing his own understanding as to what features and services make for a lavish accommodation experience.

“The Comiskeys know hotels and they do it so well, but I’ve been able to help bring some insights into the accommodation side of things – looking at the products we needed to bring through and where we sourced them from, and then bringing them here to bring a similar standard, to bring that 4.5 star feel.”

ROOM FEATURES With construction, architecture, and interior design backgrounds throughout the Comiskey family, the group was hands-on with Cox Architecture in designing the luxurious hotel with finishes deserving of the most grand of hotels. Three architects from the firm worked on the design of the mammoth hotel for a year, with Rob and brother Dave, consulting and making changes with the team on a weekly basis.

The result is a grand and lavish hotel that vastly exceeds expectations of what both pub and suburban lodgings should look like.

The hotel is made up of 77 king rooms at 30 sqm, five king deluxe rooms at 44 sqm, six corner suites between 51 and 57 sqm that

include kitchenettes, and two double-storey penthouses at 150 sqm each. The penthouses feature two bedrooms, two living room spaces and standalone bathtubs in the bathrooms.

With the interiors designed by Kate Comiskey – sister to Rob and Dave – the rooms utilise a modern palette of grays and pale blues, with pops of brighter colour from cushions, and artworks commissioned by Melbourne artist Andrew O’Brien (each of which is a different piece). But it’s the upmarket features of each room that impress.

Each bed uses a Sealy Dynasty mattress – used by some of the most lauded accommodation hotel groups in the country – with both a pillow topper and feather and down topper. The curtains are made with Warwick fabric to block out the sun for a good night’s rest. The bathroom amenities are from the Appelles Black Label range, while the mirrors in each bathroom are backlit to ensure that no shadows are drawn across the face while applying makeup. On the technological front, the TVs in the rooms are each equipped with a premium Foxtel package, and Netflix compatibility, so guests can watch exactly what they want to at any time.

The hotel is far more luxurious than was originally planned but Rob Comiskey says that is generally the way his family operates, having spent $30 million each on the Eatons Hill Hotel pub, and their other venue Sandstone Point Hotel.

“We don’t do things by half. We’re seen as massive risk takers because we do stuff that people don’t usually do, but we see it as a

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER MARCH 2018 | 23

ACCOMMODATION calculated risk. We always say if you build something special, it’s like that Field of Dreams thing, ‘if you build it then they’ll come.’”

Eatons Hill Hotel’s luxury extends further than the rooms, with a striking lobby/foyer area that features cashmere gold granite imported from India, tasteful brass finishings, the fully stocked Lounge Bar for patrons, and a massive eye-catching artwork from O’Brien. The building also houses a heated pool and gym, and the Hills Room function space, that can be used for anything from board-room style meetings to dinners for 300 people.

A penthouse bedroom

THE COMPLETE PACKAGE One feature you will not find in the rooms is the traditional stocked mini bar. Instead, each floor has vending and ice machines near the elevators. The main reason for this strategy is the utilisation of the adjacent retail village.

“The reality [with mini bars] is that when you don’t get it 100 per cent right you can lose corporate clients over it, it really upsets people.

But on the other hand we’re leaving our guests with a Woolworths, the bottle shop, so many facilities downstairs,” explains Rowbotham.

In fact, Comiskey envisioned that the retail village would allow guests to have convenient and indulgent stays in the area, without ever having to leave the property.

“Say you’re coming to a ball here. You check-in, get a massage, get a pedicure and manicure, get your hair done, and grab a bottle of champagne and some snacks to have while you get ready.

Everything is in one place and you don’t even have to leave the village,” suggests Comiskey.

For patrons who are just looking for a quick beverage without leaving their room, the group has also thought of a simple solution.

The hotel offers branded six-packs where you can choose any six beers from a menu and have it sent up to your room. There are also mini bottles of spirits at the Lounge Bar that can be sent up to a room with the requested mixer.

And in terms of the pub itself? Comiskey says the pub and accommodation will help bring each other business with the new systems that have been set it in place.

“When you check in, our staff will ask ‘Would you like us to book you dinner tonight over at the restaurant?’ Then you can take your room card and run up all your food and beverage at the hotel, and it gets automatically charged back to your room.”

Likewise, when a concert or other event is on at the pub, attendees can book a room to stay the night.

The Lounge Bar

TEST RUN

The best way to ensure that your accommodation offering checks all the boxes is to test it out yourself – which is what the Comiskey family did.

“We were all staying here in a different room each night, and one night I took a sparkling water up to my room. But I couldn’t open it, as there were no bottle openers in the room,” recalls Rob Comiskey.

“So you pick up small things like that. The next day a hundred bar blades went up into all the rooms.”

The hotel has hired at least a dozen extra full-tim employees

SPREADING THE WORD With the accommodation complete, the next test was making people aware of the new offering. In some ways it was simple, with the group already having a large database for the pub, and could easily alert people familiar with the pub. But other markets required different strategies.

First, to kick off stays from people in the greater Brisbane area, the venue teamed up with radio station Nova to give away a car to a one of the first guests of the hotel – promoting patronage to the hotel. The car giveaway and radio show was then broadcast live from the hotel lobby, giving the venue constant positive coverage.

Another marketing strategy has been to put up the artists performing at the hotel.

“We’re getting that marketing when they stay here. The perks of that have been massive for us, so we’re getting a better kind of marketing [with fans] without having to spend as much,” states Comiskey.

Plus, when someone buys a ticket to an event, they are sent a prompt to see if they would also like to purchase a night at the hotel.

But when it comes to the main corporate market, a more direct approach has proven to be most successful – sending out collateral that encourages inspections of the property. One such company booked the equivalent of 15 nights for some of their team members in the first week,

24 | MARCH 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

after such an inspection.

The marketing has worked, with Comiskey saying that the feedback from guests has been overwhelmingly positive. At the time of writing, the hotel has a rating of 4.7 out of five on Expedia, and 9 out of 10 on Booking.com.

Bookings are increasing from every market the group is targeting, and stays are expected to increase significantly this year, now that the hotel has been in operation for a few months.

“During our second month of opening in November we could feel the future potential of the business and the demand from the local area. As 2018 commences enquiries continue to increase and the team are looking forward to an exciting year ahead,” states Rowbotham.

“The adjacent suburb of Brendale as expected has provided the mid-week corporate activity while the new function rooms have provided the same market a conferencing alternative with technology that would compete with an new inner-city luxury hotel.”

With stays well underway at Eatons Hill Hotel, there’s no slowing down for Comiskey Group on the accommodation front, with a different kind of offering in the works for Sandstone Point Hotel.

“We’re starting a Big4 caravan park out there in the next couple of months, which is going to be amazing and being on the water will play a part. We’re investing around $6 million on that. And we’ve also got approval for a six-storey high rise accommodation tower on the property. So we’ll see what the need is out there, but that’s more of a tourist area."

Each room was styled

by Kate Comiskey

The Hills Room function centre

Bridgeview Hotel, Sydney NSW

TURN YOUR UNOCCUPIED ROOMS INTO CASH! With more than 60% of all accommodation bookings being made online Pubs and Hotels can no longer ignore this valuable revenue channel.

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Contact: Jeannie Armstrong E: info@pubrooms.com.au P: 02 9046 0989 W: www.pubrooms.com.au

ASSOCIATE PARTNER 2018

Guildford Hotel NSW

DESIGN & BUILD

The Heritage Bar

Past, present, future THE VILLAGE BELLE HOTEL IN ST KILDA HAS UNDERGONE A $15 MILLION RENOVATION THAT CELEBRATES ITS 120 YEAR HISTORY, WHILE BRINGING THE PUB TO THE FOREFRONT OF MODERN VENUES.

26 | MARCH 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

J

ust like its locale, the Village Belle Hotel has gone through various iterations in its 120-year history. The building has seen additions and changes in its time, but has had none under its current ownership until late last year.

David and Michael Shannon, Mark Burnett and Brett Cuthbert have owned the hotel for 11 years, and decided in early 2015 that the venue was due for a major refurbishment. Not only was the pub itself run down, but the St Kilda area had changed drastically in the time the four partners had owned the hotel.

Since the 60s, St Kilda had been a hub for Melbourne’s bohemian, punk and LGBT scenes and was a low-cost housing area. Slowly since then – and rapidly in the last decade – the area has become gentrified, creating an eclectic location that houses several different demographics. With higher-income residents entering the suburb, the tastes and requirements of the local patronage has changed.

“St Kilda has certainly changed a lot. The expectations of the customer base has lifted somewhat, and we found that the local market isn’t particularly looking for that grungy sort of feel anymore,” explains David Shannon.

With that in mind, the owners wanted to overhaul the venue, making it worthy of some of the best pubs across the country. As they gathered inspiration for the venue, the two main directives they gave to the design team at Technē Architecture + Interior Design was that they wanted to incorporate a beer garden into the hotel – an offering it hadn’t had previously – and to redo the public bar and give it a heritage feel that reflected its history.

The Garden Bar

Public bar trade is a significant source of revenue at Village Belle

The Doulton Lounge

THE GARDEN BAR The Village Belle’s beer garden, the Garden Bar, is the main space of the revamped venue. When putting together the concept for the beer garden, the owners and design team threw around various ideas for the space.

“We looked at that from a few perspectives, as in should that be a hidden and private feeling garden space, or should it really be exposed and part of the visual appeal of the building, as part of the call to enter from the street?” states Justin Northrop, director of Technē Architecture.

“After a few iterations and alternate layouts, we decided collectively that it really should be front and centre. It should be a big, visible, open space that you can see down Ackland St and when approaching on Barkly.”

And big it is. The double-storey height beer garden is a huge space made to feel even bigger with a retractable glass roof and retractable glass façade that opens up in good weather completely to the street. In inclement weather and in the chilly Melbourne winter, closing the roof and façade and heating the space allows people to feel like they’re dining and drinking outside, regardless of the weather.

“Our brief was that we wanted a beer garden, but we wanted to be able to use it 52 weeks of the year,” says Shannon.

The space is very modern in its aesthetic, using basic outdoor materials in a deliberate move to reinforce the idea of the space.

“The beer garden itself was really focused on using outdoor materials, just to say unequivocally that this is a beer garden, it’s not a room with plants and a glass roof – it’s an outdoor space,” affirms Northrop.

Flooring consists of concrete, bluestone and brick pavers, while timber, steel and red brick are used throughout the space to create a robust and strong feel. These hardwearing materials are then softened through the

significant planting throughout the space.

A popular area to enjoy in the sunshine, Shannon is most surprised by how pleasant of a space it is at night, stating that the right lighting has created the perfect night-time atmosphere in the Garden Bar.

THE HERITAGE BAR While the Garden Bar represents everything that is modern and new about the Village Belle Hotel, the reworked public bar is all about showcasing the heritage elements of the pub. It’s also a strong revenue provider for the hotel, as one of the spaces where the most demographics frequent – everyone from tradesmen in the area to younger patrons and local residents.

“We’ve always had a very good public bar trade. It’s a very strong focus of the business, so our intent was to redo the public bar but do it with a bit of a heritage feel to it. It doesn’t necessarily feel like it’s been there five minutes even though its new. It’s done with a good heritage feel,” explains Shannon.

Dubbed the Heritage Bar, the public bar has been reworked into a very traditional pub space, featuring a dominant central bar with brass detailing and ceramic tiles. The use of greens and neutral tones plus painted wall panellings further emphasise that traditional look. “[It’s] evocative of traditional colours, if not actual traditional detailing,” states Northrop.

The layout of the room also allows patrons to choose what type of pub experience they are after, with a few booths tucked away in corners partially hidden by structural columns for those wanting some privacy; or a mixture of high and low seating in the middle of the room for more visibility.

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER MARCH 2018 | 27

DESIGN & BUILD

THE RIGHT PARTNERSHIP

Doulton Lounge is an ode to the past nightlife scene of St Kilda

Picking the right design firm to carry out your vision is very important – especially when working on a project as significant as completely transforming a hotel. Shannon and his partners made sure that Technē Architecture were on the same page with them in terms of design ideas before forging ahead with the partnership.

“They specialise in hospitality, so we visited a lot of different hotels and we really liked their work. We had meetings with them to make sure that they saw the vision we saw. We laid out our general layout and ideas that we had for the venue. We wanted to be comfortable that they saw our vision and didn’t have a different take on it.

“They loved the idea that we had and the concept and they ran away with it and came back with some ideas on top of all that. It was a great collaboration.”

The heritage theme is most pronounced in the façade of the Village Belle Hotel. Having been built in 1891, the external outlook of the heritage-listed hotel had fallen into disrepair over several decades, with Shannon noting that “a lot of heritage features had long since crumbled away”.

With no original plans to work off, historic photos of the hotel were found at the state library. The design team used these as a guide to strip back a lot of the old signage and recreate the heritage features they found in the imagery – recreating the original look of the hotel.

DOULTON LOUNGE Village Belle Hotel’s late night offering is the upstairs cocktail bar, Doulton Lounge. The space utilises the second floor of the hotel which had previously been used largely as storage and office space.

“Typical to this sort of building, the upper level was totally neglected.

They become 50 years of collected broken furniture, staff rooms and storage spaces,” states Northrop.

In creating the Doulton Lounge – the name an ode to the previous Doulton Bar on the ground floor – the owners and design team decided to create a late night space that evokes the fun nightlife scene of St Kilda in the 1980s and 90s.

The room is a vivid cornucopia of pink walls, pink and navy upholstery, blue painted screens and interesting shapes throughout. There are also gold accents and a marble bar to give the lounge some opulence. Taking advantage of all the old rooms that used to frequent the second storey, a lot of the heritage archways have also been retained.

“Upstairs is a bit retro and bit daggy, but also glamorous,” suggests Northrop.

The space is created for a fun, casual night out for large groups of people to enjoy, without being a nightclub or overly formal – very much in the style of St Kilda itself.

Traditional colours are used in the Heritage Bar

THE COMPLETE PACKAGE Trade has been very good at the Village Belle Hotel since reopening in December, exceeding expectations. However, Shannon remains cautious in his optimism.

“It’s been overwhelming. We’ve certainly been [trading] above what’s been expected. We couldn’t be happier with how it’s going, albeit we’ve only traded the best two months of the year.”

Part of this success, Shannon believes, is that the hotel offers anything a pub-goer could want – from a beer garden, to dining, to gaming, to a cocktail lounge. Most venues in St Kilda focus on one specific part of a pub offering, whether that be live music, their restaurant offering, craft beer etc.

But for Shannon and his business partners the Village Belle is all about offering patrons a variety of experience to choose from.

“Our tagline on a lot of things is ‘St Kilda’s pub’ and that’s the way see ourselves. We’re here for everybody, we’re a traditional pub. And that’s more where we’ve come from. Essentially we’re traditional hoteliers. That’s what we wanted to do, not just target a certain segment of the market. Which is what the pub always was.”

28 | MARCH 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Plantings add softness to the Garden Bar aesthetic

CALENDAR

SPORTS FIXTURES CHECK OUT THESE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH – THEY’RE SURE TO BRING IN A CROWD TO YOUR VENUE!

FOOTY

BASKETBALL

Both of Australia’s most beloved footy codes are back this month, starting with the NRL at the beginning of the month, and the AFL at the end of the month. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of one code or appreciate both games, it’s going to be a great month for footy!

NRL: Starts Thursday 8 March, 8pm. On Channel 9 and Fox League.

AFL: Starts Thursday 22 March, 7:30pm. On Channel 7 and Fox Footy.

There’s plenty of basketball happening this month, with the NBA Finals Series and the NBA in full swing. But for two weeks, the NCAA’s March Madness college tournament is on, with 68 teams fighting tooth and nail to win this straight-elimination tournament. Expect some riveting games.

When: 14-27 March, generally from 9:30am.

Channel: ESPN.

FORMULA 1®

UNION

Racecourse action heats up in March, with the 2018 FIA Formula 1® Championship kicking off with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

This year’s Championship sees the Malaysian Grand Prix drop off the enlarged 21-race calendar as France and Germany regain hosting rights.

When: 22-25 March, from 10:30am.

Channel: Fox Sports 5.

The biggest clash in the Vodafone Super Rugby calendar happens at the end of the month, with rivals the Brumbies and the Waratahs going head-to-head in this match-up between two of the best teams in the game. Not to be missed!

When: Saturday 31 March, 7:45pm.

Channel: Fox Sports 1.

NEXT MONTH Aussie hero Jeff Horn takes his welterweight title reign on the road next month when he meets American Terence Crawford at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Horn is coming off two fantastic victories over Manny Pacquiao and Gary Corcoran.

When: Sunday 15 April.

Channel: Main Event. *All times are AEST

30 | MARCH 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER