HM December 2020

IN THIS ISSUE

FULL WRAP-UP FROM THE 2020 HM AWARDS MAXIMISING F&B EFFICIENCY THROUGH FOODSERVICE HAND SANITISERS GO STYLISH THE BUSINESS OF ACCOMMODATION IN ASIA-PACIFIC Vol.24 No.6 Bi-monthly December 2020

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CONTENTS

26 AUSTRALASIA'S FINEST

December

The 2020 HM Awards, presented by Sealy Posturepedic, proved that the industry is ready to journey down the long road to recovery.

2020

Vol. 24 No.6

50 FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Leading designers discuss ways for hotel eateries to attract locals as well as guests.

52 FEAST, NOT FAMINE

As hotels continue to tighten their operational belts, we look at the growth in food outsourcing.

54 C LEAN HANDS

Hand sanitisers are firmly in the spotlight, with hotels getting creative to find ways to encourage guest use while adhering to brand standards.

56 L ESSONS IN RESILIENCE

The pandemic has provided opportunities to upskill and many workers have hit the books.

58 GREEN BEANS

Coffee has cultivated a green, sustainable supply line in recent years, with even the most popular blends now more environmentally friendly.

60 WATER FOR LIFE

Bottled water is all about purity and the global ‘Carbon Neutral’ drive has helped major mineral water brands put new trees in the ground.

26 52

62 CARE FACTOR

Hotel franchisors have rallied around members, introducing initiatives to help business owners to stay on their feet and ready to rebuild.

The hybrid HM Awards in November were a smash hit Foodservice can help hotels run a restaurant while still cutting costs

HM Q&A

20 MICHAEL ISSENBERG

After 26 years, the Accor legend takes a bow.

Regulars

06 EDITOR’S LETTER

James Wilkinson on a stellar career and lifetime of service from Michael Issenberg.

08 NEED TO KNOW

The 10 essential news stories you need to know this month – spanning operations, development and tourism industry news

On the cover

Quest Apartment Hotels COO, David Mansfield, with the franchisee team at Quest Preston.

16 20

Outgoing Accor Asia-Pacific CEO, Michael Issenberg

COVER STORY

Presented this month by Quest Apartment Hotels

66 ON THE MOVE

A look at who's moving where this month hotelmanagement.com.au 5

EDITOR’S LETTER

Accor says farewell to a true industry legend

Managing Director

F

Simon Grover

or the past 26 years, Accor’s COO and Chairman of Asia-Pacific, Michael Issenberg, has been a loyal executive, mentor and importantly, a friend to so many in the hotel industry.

His dedication to his employer for such a long period of time is a testament to Michael’s character and now, as he prepares to depart the business following a global restructure, he’s still as positive as ever about a company he’s helped grow on a global scale.

I first met Michael almost 20 years ago when I took over as the Editor of HM magazine and in that time, I have first-hand seen his brilliant leadership, mentoring ability and respect within the industry.

At the 2020 HM Awards for Hotel and Accommodation Excellence, presented by Sealy Posturepedic, which we held against all odds in person in Sydney on November 27, Michael was recognised as our Hall of Fame inductee. He was also named Asia-Pacific Hotelier of the Year.

Both at the event and following its conclusion, at least 80 people – from all hotel groups – have mentioned to me how fitting it was that he received both of those and not because he is departing Accor, but his performance in 2020 and recent years made him an incredibly worthwhile recipient.

On pages 20-21 you can find an exclusive interview I did with Michael following the HM Awards where we look back on some of his achievements and what’s next and I trust you will find it to be a thoroughly insightful read.

You can also catch all the action of the HM Awards from page 26. It was an event we were incredibly proud to host in 2020 and recognise some incredible work by so many in the industry in the toughest year it has ever faced.

Enjoy the read and I look forward to your feedback.

Yours in hospitality, Michael Issenberg was on hand to open the Hotel Chadstone in Melbourne in 2019

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 and Dean Long,

Production Manager Jacqui Cooper jacqui@intermedia.com.au

Subscription enquiries

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a ic h M el

st at us

In association with

y Iss ar enb nd e g erg h as earned le

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

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10

Need To Know

The essential hotel and travel industry news and trends from across the globe.

Read more at HotelManagement.com.au.

Mondrian Gold Coast will sit on the Burleigh beachfront

01

New brands landing in Accor’s Pacific portfolio Mondrian and Movenpick set for Gold Coast and Hobart

ACCOR HAS SIGNED new management agreements which will see it bring two of its most exciting brands to newbuild properties in rapidly growing destinations.

As one of nine new Mondrians signed around the world, all on track to open by 2022, the brand’s forthcoming Australasian debut will come in the form of a dual-tower beachfront development which will link 89 residential apartments with a 208-room hotel via a three-level podium doubling as the complex’s common recreational spaces, including a pool, fitness centre and day spa.

The Accor development is a joint mixed-use project with Vitale Projects and will be located on the corner of The Esplanade and First Avenue in Burleigh Heads, with guests and residents to enjoy direct beach access.

Down in Hobart, the 221-room Mövenpick Hotel Hobart will expand into Australasia, building on its collection of more than 100 locations across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The Swiss-born brand will open in the Tasmanian capital in early 2021 and will introduce its popular brand of guest experiences, including its renowned ‘Chocolate Hour’.

A flexible function space with room for 100 patrons will also be available, with the spaces able to be divided up for smaller gatherings.

The hotel will also feature a fully-equipped fitness centre.

8 HM The Business of Accommodation

Hobart will serve as home of Australia’s first Mövenpick

NEED TO KNOW 02

Wyndham Grand to soar over Adelaide in brand debut The Equinox Property development is on track to open in 2024

A TOWERING NEW AUD$150 million landmark development set to begin construction in Adelaide will become home to the maiden Australasian presence of the upper-upscale Wyndham Grand label.

As first revealed by HM last month, the 120-metre tower will, once complete, hold the mantle of Adelaide’s tallest hotel. Wyndham Grand Adelaide will sit on King William Street in the Adelaide CBD, offering 347 guest rooms with a modern interior featuring green walls, marble fixtures and colourful, contemporary furnishings. Floor-to-

ENABLERS OF EVENT SUCCESS

Once open, the hotel will be the city’s tallest

ceiling windows will ensure all public and guest spaces are naturally lit, with views overlooking the surrounding city and urban parklands.

Guest facilities will include a fine dining restaurant with wine bar, a rooftop restaurant and sky bar facing the Adelaide Hills, which will feature alfresco seating. The hotel will also feature an infinity pool with sun deck and poolside bar, fitness centre and day spa with sauna and treatment rooms.

03

AUDIO

LIGHTING

VIDEO CONFERENCING

VISION

THEMING & DECOR

STAGING

Rydges on Swanston to rebrand to Crowne Plaza Follows asset purchase by Ross Pelligra’s Carlton Property Group

WEBINARS TECHNICIANS & STREAMING

ol

Cr ow

po

CROWNE PLAZA WILL add a second refurbishment. Once open under its new property in Melbourne in early 2021, moniker, the hotel will feature a new allwith parent company InterContinental day restaurant and bar, fitness centre as Hotels Group announcing it has signed a well as a rooftop swimming pool and bar. management agreement for the property Meeting and event facilities will consist on the city’s fringe. of nine individual and flexible spaces The 107-room hotel is currently measuring a total of 652 square metres, operating as Rydges on Swanston and has including a 300-seat space in theatre style. now been purchased by Carlton Property Group – the entity owned by Ross rlt urne Ca on will offe ra Pelligra, who also owns three Holiday Inn elbo M roo za ft o a l branded hotels – one at Melbourne P p e n Airport and two future sites in Werribee and Richmond.

Prior to debuting as Crowne Plaza Melbourne Carlton, the hotel will undergo an exterior refresh as well as a full internal

1300 284 782 www.avisual.com.au

NEED TO KNOW

The lobby of MH Hotel by Lancemore

Boutique brand adds Brisbane and Adelaide to network map

it y ec

th

la nd w

nd

in

ck Au

Lancemore breaks ground in two new states

y Mox

04

o il l b sec e the company’s 06

BOUTIQUE HOTEL OPERATOR, Lancemore Group, has signed on to manage a new waterfront property in Port Adelaide, the move seeing another new state added to the company’s network as its rapid expansion continues.

The signing marks the second new Australian state to be added to the company’s portfolio in as many months, following the opening of ‘The Constance’ in Brisbane in October and the adoption of a bold and striking new colour scheme.

In Adelaide, Lancemore’s new signing will form part of the Dock One project by Starfish Developments. The former Marine and Harbours building in Port Adelaide – originally constructed in 1978 as a fishing licensing centre – will be converted into the 100-room ‘MH Hotel by Lancemore’ which will include a number of ‘floating’ suites running along the waterfront promenade.

Marriott moves on Auckland with new Moxy signing New signing follows Four Points by Sheraton, Auckland

05

TRYP broadens its wings into New Zealand Wyndham’s social brand set for two major NZ cities

10 HM The Business of Accommodation

wn

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TWO NEW HOTELS to be operated under the TRYP by Wyndham brand have been vi o ew st en fro signed in New Zealand – marking the label’s e u mT RYP Re arkables Q introduction to the country. m The new signings include a 212-room TRYP by Wyndham Remarkables Park in Queenstown, with a 76-room TRYP by Wyndham Wellington to be built on Tory Street. Both will be developed by the Safari Group, already a longstanding franchise partner of Wyndham’s in the country.

TRYP by Wyndham Remarkables Park in Queenstown will begin construction in 2021 with a view to completion in 2023. The newbuild will combine hotel rooms with serviced apartments and offer views over the nearby mountains and ski slopes.

North in Wellington, the TRYP by Wyndham Tory Street Wellington will also begin its development next year, however, is expected to be open a year later in March 2022. Reminiscent of ‘Old Chicago’, the property will reflect a 1920s art deco theme across its 76 rooms.

CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW hotel development in the ‘Learning Quarter’ of Central Auckland will be managed by Marriott International under its booming and highenergy brand, Moxy Hotels.

Tipped to open in January 2023, the new Moxy Auckland will be located near the University of Auckland, Art Gallery and Auckland Domain. True to brand hallmarks, the new hotel will feature compact but hightech rooms loaded with youthful exuberance, inviting communal areas and stylish, sociable bars and entertainment areas.

The hotel will feature 185 flexible rooms which guests can adapt to suit their preferences. Facilities will include a fitness centre, meeting rooms and a communal table in the lobby where guests can plug in their devices, communally work or socialise.

In addition, the Moxy Kitchen and Bar will offer guests an a la carte dining option, with an inner courtyard providing a tranquil escape from the busy surrounding streets.

Moxy Auckland will be its second to join the New Zealand pipeline, with plans announced late last year for the brand to make its Kiwi debut in Queenstown in 2022.

PROMOTION

SEALY NEWS

The Sealy Posturepedic Dynasty Series

RISING AND SHINING What began in Brisbane in 1923 remains there to this day. The Sealy of Australia story and its core locallymade principles are woven into the hearts of its people and communities nationwide.

T

he phrase ‘Made In Australia’ is rooted deep in the national psyche and associated with a sense of pride afforded to only the most endearing, enduring local success stories. Think Qantas, Vegemite, Arnott's, Rosella and Holden. And Sealy of Australia.

Sealy began in Brisbane in 1923 making furniture and bedding parts and has never left, although the company amended its original name and took on the Sealy of Australia marque in the 1960s as part of its licence agreement with America’s Sealy Inc. Wholly owned and operated in Australia, Sealy of Australia has never wavered from its commitment to local production and today operates manufacturing plants in each mainland Australian state.

Over the past 50-plus years as Sealy of Australia and nearly a century overall, the family-owned company has become synonymous with quality local production. This pledge has seen it gradually grow its reach into the wider Asia-Pacific, with more than a dozen international partners taking the brand into bedrooms in China, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, India and more.

Critical to this local and international success has been its people.

Sealy of Australia employs more than 750 Australians around the country, many of whom count their tenures in decades, not years.

For National Commercial Account Manager, Anthony Raiteri, his quarter century with the company has firmly embedded Sealy as a member of his own family.

“Sealy is a leading well-known and loved brand in Australia,” Raiteri said.

“As [a] family owned and operated business, it has a great history of delivering quality products made by hand right here in Australia.”

These family values that Sealy’s team share with their colleagues extends to many of its customers, who have been buying for many years

and in many cases, decades. According to Raiteri, that longevity often sees professional relationships evolve into personal friendships.

“Customers are proud to be associated with the Sealy brand,” he said.

“They use the Sealy label as a bit of a badge of honour for their properties. The relationships that develop between Sealy staff and our customers goes beyond just servicing our customers' business.

“We see time and time again those relationships transitioning from customer to personal friendships,” Raiteri added. Over his quarter century with the company, he is emblematic of this philosophy, tracing many of his closest friendships back to their origins as Sealy customers.

Like all good friends and family, Raiteri says the bonds that unite the Sealy workforce translates into a robust support structure which sees the business rally around colleagues going through hard times.

“February this year saw a milestone for Sealy, building a new bigger NSW factory enabling Sealy to better service their customers throughout NSW. “With Melbourne in lockdown for such a long period this year, the NSW factory had the capacity to service both the NSW and Victorian retail and commercial market,” Raiteri said.

“This really demonstrates the strong contingency plans we have in place enabling us to cover any unforeseen Sealy’s locally-made events that may springs are all rigorously tested impact production and supply of Sealy products which in turn guarantees continuation of supply throughout the country.”

It’s said that a product is only as good as the people who make it.

No wonder then why Sealy has been at the top of its game for so long. hotelmanagement.com.au 11

PROMOTION

Dyson prepares QT Auckland’s ‘Directors of Chaos’ for daily duty 12 HM The Business of Accommodation

DYSON NEWS

DYSON TECHNOLOGY MEETS QT CHAOS S

On paper, you could be forgiven for thinking a hotel employing a ‘Director of Chaos’ seems counter-intuitive. Neither Dyson nor QT Auckland would have it any other way.

locals but which can be shared with guests to help them better discover Auckland during their visit. Additionally, the DOCs are tasked with tackling all of those little eccentric and weird-only-to-everyoneelse requests to make a guest’s stay more comfortable and personable.

Nothing is too difficult – from providing adequate stock for a pillow fort to colour sorting M&Ms – it can be done.

Key attributes for a role as a Director of Chaos are personality, personality and personality. The science of style is where Dyson comes in - amazing hair is needed to project confidence, charisma and individualism. Backed by a green room equipped with the award-winning Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer, a Dyson Corrale™ straightener and Aleph make-up - the ingredients to make daily magic are all in place.

Engineered for fast-drying and prevention of extreme heat damage to protect natural shine,

the ponytail. The final style is a high ponytail with a beachy curl. Voila – one Director of Chaos.

Directors of Chaos aren’t complete with just stunning hair. To

complete the image, QT Auckland has partnered with Kiwi fashion visionary, Maggie Marilyn, to ideate that memorable first impression guests will never be able to forget. In a true collaboration, the QT and Maggie Marilyn teams went to work and came up with a capsule of pieces including the aptly-named ‘You Give Me Strength’ coat. Spunk, sureness, spirit and sophistication all in one neat little package.

And if guests get jealous of the team’s great hair, they have their own Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer in their room.

“The noblest art is that of making others happy.” Right again Mr Barnum.

QT Auckland is now open in the heart of Viaduct Harbour. n To find out how Dyson technology can help your business, please email AUCommercial@dyson.com, phone 1800 426 337 or visit https://www.dyson.com.au/for-business/overview/hotels.

uc k QT A

No vem be

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on ys eD

tr aig ht

Th

the Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer is perfect for each DOC’s unique hair types. DOCs use the Dyson Corrale™ straightener to smooth their hair with its patented Dyson flexing copper plates that Su shape to gather hair, delivering es pe ral rso r o enhanced style with less hair damage. n ic hair d on C ryer and Dys It’s not only cord-free and quicker but also reduces frizz and flyaways.

How to accomplish the DOCs signature look? After drying their hair with the Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer styling concentrator attachment, the DOCs use the Dyson Corrale™ straightener to create a beachy wave curl in the mid lengths of the hair – not too tight – and curling

land opened to gue sts i n

ene r

o just what is a Director of Chaos, you ask? Primarily, the duties of this unique role – see if you can find another one – is to be a walking ‘little black book’ of secrets known only to

sections alternately from left to right.

Next, spray the hair lightly. Once the curl has cooled, the hair is brushed into a high ponytail and set in place with an elastic band. A small section of the underside of the pony is wrapped around the base to hide the elastic and pinned in place. Using a small bristle brush to tame flyaways, the final step includes adding an on-trend headband and respraying the back of

hotelmanagement.com.au 13

The newbuild Garden Inn is on track to open in 2022

NEED TO KNOW 07

Hilton Garden Inn signed for Busselton Signing will be the fourth Garden Inn in Australia

A year like no other

By Dean Long, CEO, Accommodation Association WITH THE END of the most challenging year many of us have had to experience almost here (thankfully), we are hopeful that the elimination strategy adopted by most states and territories will ease and we can begin to welcome guests again.

December represents a turning of the tide, with an end to many restrictions and people encouraged to head back to the office and travel again. The scenes at Sydney and Melbourne Airports at the end of November and the surge in uptake of flights demonstrated the impact of the border closures, not just on the economy but also the fabric of our community.

The Accommodation Association Board met in November and we welcomed our newest Director, David Mansfield, COO of Quest Hotel Apartments. David is a fantastic addition to our Board and has been a vocal and valuable contributor as we finalised our advocacy agenda for 2021. Our focus for the year ahead will be through three themes: asset management and protection, developing a competitive workforce and driving demand growth. We know by successfully advocating across these three areas that we will actively support all segments of our industry.

The most critical element of our recovery will be rebuilding confidence in travel and I know each of the hotel groups have clear plans, and practices in place to ensure this occurs.

As we enter this Christmas and holiday period, many of us will be reconnecting with families and friends, some for the first time since March. Enjoy this time and take the time to recharge for the year ahead. I personally wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and I look forward to seeing everybody in 2021.

14 HM The Business of Accommodation

HILTON’S GARDEN INN brand has signed its second location in Western Australia, with a newbuild hotel to debut in the Margaret River wine region in 2022.

The 112-room Hilton Garden Inn Busselton is expected to open in 2022 at this stage and will be the fourth Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Australasia.

The hotel will be built in the centre of Busselton’s 38-hectare commercial, cultural and public space foreshore precinct, taking advantage of the City of Busselton’s strategic investment in the area including a new Entertainment, Arts and Culture Hub. Hilton Garden Inn Busselton will be located 9 kilometres from Busselton Margaret River Airport and will feature ocean views across Geographe Bay and Busselton Jetty.

The property will include an all-day dining restaurant serving Hilton Garden Inn’s signature cooked-to-order breakfast, a bar serving shareable small plates and handcrafted cocktails and craft beers, a fitness centre, 242sqm of flexible meeting space, and onsite parking for 60 vehicles.

Accor Pacific CEO, Simon McGrath with Qantas Loyalty CEO, Olivia Wirth

08

Accor takes off with Qantas in new loyalty deal Eligible members can earn points simultaneously OPPORTUNITIES TO EARN points concurrently on flights, hotels and other elements of the travel journey will be possible from early 2021 under a new loyalty partnership between Accor and Australia’s national airline, Qantas.

Under the tie-up to launch in mid-2021, eligible members of both programs will be able to link their accounts, enabling them to earn Accor Live Limitless (ALL) points on both their Accor accommodation booking across the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the Qantas flight they may have taken to reach their destination. Conversely but singularly, ALL points will also be credited on qualifying Qantas flights across its global network, while Qantas points can be earned on qualifying Accor hotel stays.

In addition, points from both programs will be able to be redeemed for eligible hotel stays and flight bookings, with a range of exclusive rewards available for top-tier members of both programs. Members of the two programs can currently convert their ALL and Qantas points into each other’s respective currencies at the rate of 1:1.

The partnership is the first in Australia of its kind between an airline and a hospitality group in the Asia-Pacific region.

NEED TO KNOW 09

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of

the So

u nd

Canada beckons for Baillie Lodges

Cla yoqu ot

e odg Wilderness L

s si t

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th

HOME-GROWN LUXURY boutique accommodation brand, Baillie Lodges, has ventured into the Northern Hemisphere for the first time, announcing the addition of Clayoquot Wilderness Resort on Vancouver Island to its portfolio.

Featuring 25 luxury glamping-style tents, Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge is open seasonally during the warmer North American months and will run its 2021 season from May 13 to September 30. Prior to next season, the tents will undergo a

Luxury lodge operator ready for foreign shores

significant refurbishment with new king beds, linens and bespoke furnishings, while the main Cookhouse Restaurant will also be refurbished with a new bar and dining facilities.

Baillie Lodges Founder, James Baillie, said the addition of Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge marks a major step in the company’s evolution to become an international collection of luxury lodges and is emblematic of the positive influence provided by its investment partner, KSL Capital Partners.

The Hoxton Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY 10

Accor revamps lifestyle in Ennismore tie-up New lifestyle entity sees Accor add new brands

ACCOR AND ENNISMORE, owner of the popular Hoxton brand, are set to form a new lifestyle business encompassing some of the biggest names in the hotel industry.

Exclusive negotiations have now begun to form what they say will be “the world’s leading lifestyle operator in the hospitality sector, focusing on one of the fastest growing segments of the industry”.

The announcement of the new business came alongside the news Accor was taking

full ownership of sbe’s hotel asset light business including the Delano, Mondrian, SLS, and Hyde hotel brands along with most of sbe’s food and beverage brands and the expansion of Tribe Hotels to Paris.

Sbe currently operates 22 hotels, with more than 40 in the pipeline, which has more than doubled since Accor’s initial investment in sbe in 2018, with upcoming openings such as Mondrian Gold Coast, Mondrian London and SLS Dubai.

Better days ahead

By Michael Johnson, CEO, Tourism Accommodation Australia

USUALLY, MY FINAL column of the year is full of positivity about the great year we have all had. However, as we know all too well, this has been a year like no other. Certainties and norms have been tipped on their heads ever since the first bans were put in place on international travel from China in February.

We thought that was shocking enough, but within weeks NSW was in lockdown, the industry shut down along with most of the economy.

Many hotels became quarantine centres doing their bit in their fight against the pandemic which was wreaking havoc globally. We can be justly proud of the role we have played here in NSW with over 80,000 of returning travellers quarantining in our venues.

But we have paid a heavy price with thousands put off, many hotels shut down and some of our best known hotels in the Greater Sydney area operating at less than 20 percent capacity for most of the year. Internal border closures and the loss of international travel has left the industry decimated – at the time of writing, it is good to see interstate travel between Queensland, NSW and Victoria start in time for Christmas.

There is some hope in regional NSW too, with areas like the Blue Mountains, Hunter, Byron and South Coast benefiting from intrastate travel. As restrictions safely lessen, TAA has been at the forefront of bringing the concerns of our struggling sector to Government at the highest levels and we will continue to do so. I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a merry Christmas – under the circumstances – and I join you all in looking forward to a happier 2021.

hotelmanagement.com.au 15

PROMOTION

Quest COO, David Mansfield, with franchisees Mark and Ky O’Shea and business partners Liz and Steve Galea

HOME IS WHERE THE

HEART IS

Families rally around each other in times of crises and in 2020, the Quest Apartment Hotels franchisee community has done just that. As Quest COO David Mansfield attests, the company has continued its momentum with six new locations opened and even more coming in 2021.

David, tell us a bit about the team spirit and the camaraderie within the Quest franchisee community that has held everybody together during the challenges of 2020?

W

hile 2020 has been a challenging year in the accommodation sector and for Quest, we have been

warmed by the unity, resilience and optimism exhibited by the franchise network. Quest has worked hard to provide clear and consistent advice to franchisees and ensure they have the resources required to navigate an incredibly complex period and see themselves through to the other side.

Positively, franchisees have mirrored the same camaraderie among themselves, leaning on one and other for guidance and friendship. It 16 HM The Business of Accommodation

has been a stressful time for operators, but we are thankful that the nature of franchising really lends itself to such a powerful spirit of togetherness. We firmly believe our ability to emerge from this period is almost entirely contingent on the strength of our relationships with stakeholders and spirit of unity among the Quest team. Now more than ever, it’s essential we look at ourselves, not as individual operators under a brand, but as a cohesive unit which thrives as a collective.

What have been the key foundations about the Quest franchising model that has helped it weather the storms of COVID-19?

The business format franchise model which Quest Apartment Hotels is founded on provides operators with the complete resources to run profitable and efficient businesses, while delivering a consistent, high quality experience for guests at over 170 locations globally. This encompasses everything from operations, legal guidance, sales and marketing, to human resources and franchising specialist support.

Our model promotes autonomy among franchisees, allowing them to explore opportunities unique to their locations and specific business interests. For example, throughout the pandemic, many of our properties in suburban locations had significant success accommodating healthcare workers. Similarly, our properties in Western Australian found

COVER STORY

“There continues to be enormous appetite among prospective franchisees.”

David Mansfield, Quest Apartment Hotels opportunity in the mining and resources sector. While our national sales team works hard year-round to secure contracts and ongoing opportunities for the network, business development managers and local sales staff play an important role sourcing opportunities at a local level.

You’ve just completed another year of openings, which is particularly impressive considering market conditions. How has the focus on suburban and regional areas helped to set up Quest for the post-pandemic resumption of corporate travel?

Our strategy is clear – to be where the corporate traveller needs to be, and this is suburban and regional Australia, where often there is a clear gap in the market. Take Quest Wangaratta for instance, which opened on November 9. The property fills a genuine need in the area and has therefore been applauded by the Mayor and other prominent members of the community.

While there continues to be a lot of discussion around the future of business travel, when it will return to pre-pandemic levels and how it will look, what has become self-evident over the course of 2020 is the importance of having the ability to ‘stay your way’ in a COVID-safe environment, human connection and face to face interaction.

Quest Preston is a joint venture held by some seriously experienced Quest franchisees. What are some key benefits of franchisees joining forces to amplify the success of a new property?

That’s right. Quest Preston is owned by Mark and Ky O’Shea alongside business partners Liz and Steve Galea. Collectively, the group has over 25+ years of experience in the Quest network, working in both corporate office and franchisee functions. The addition of Quest Preston to Mark & Ky’s portfolio marks the third Quest property for the couple in Melbourne’s north, meaning they now have a foothold in the area.

As a lucrative business opportunity, Quest franchises are a significant investment, so it’s not uncommon for joint ventures to occur. In fact, in

the current landscape, we are seeing increased interest in the approach, as banks and individuals look for ways to de-risk their asset and set a robust framework for ongoing success.

Are there any major advantages that previous hotel industry experience provides to new franchisees, especially if people are already accustomed to Quest’s operating model?

While hospitality experience can be advantageous, Quest engages franchisees from a variety of backgrounds who have demonstrated the vitality and devotion needed to develop a business.

We use an open yet rigorous selection process which aims to provide parties the opportunity to understand whether the partnership is the right fit. It certainly takes an incredibly strong work ethic to operate a Quest Apartment Hotel.

A few years back, we introduced a formal program and process – The Franchisee Accelerator Program (FAP). The FAP was developed specifically to educate aspiring team members about what it takes to own a Quest franchise, matching participants with existing business owners to look at buying their own Quest property.

Quest continues to open 8-10 new properties each year on average.

This growth creates opportunities for our franchisees to expand their portfolio, and new franchisees to join the network. Our franchise recruitment team is happy to speak to anyone who dreams of one day owning and operating their own hotel.

What details can you provide about the next 12 months for Quest, and what appetite is out there among the franchise community for forthcoming developments?

Quest Apartment Hotels will have opened six new properties by Christmas 2020. In New Zealand, there are an additional five properties under construction, all slated to open in 2021, while in Australia, nine agreements for lease are currently signed, with construction due to commence on all in the next 12 months. All this activity ultimately means there will be movement in the network, with both new and existing properties set to come onto the market.

We know it will be a long road back to complete recovery in the tourism sector, but we are confident that our growth strategy and apartment-style product is fit for the emerging landscape and modern traveller.

Backed by parent company and global powerhouse The Ascott Limited, it’s certainly an exciting time for the Quest brand, franchisees and those looking to join us. n

Quest Preston opened in November

hotelmanagement.com.au 17

PRESENTS

COVID-safe plans for small and independent hoteliers Developing a COVID-safe training webinar for smaller hoteliers

IN RESPONSE TO members request in Victoria to meet the government requirement to reopen and to operate safely with a COVIDSafe Plan, the Accommodation Association partnered with The Gourmet Guardian Managing Director, Gavin Bucket, to design and deliver a training webinar. The webinar was created for small and independent accommodation operators to ‘Reopen Safely with a COVID Safe Plan’.

The webinar provided practical solutions for accommodation business to implement to ensure they operated efficiently in a COVID-safe environment. It also gave operational examples of how other accommodation operators have created a COVID-safe environment.

Gavin Bucket’s tips to efficiently operate in a COVID-Safe environment included: • Train and empower your employees with the COVID-safe controls that you have developed.

• Practice what you preach and/or follow the leader (make sure your employees are applying the same practices that you are asking your guests to).

• Tell your customers what you have done and why you have done it (i.e. to keep them safe).

• Role play and test the controls you have implemented. (i.e. do they actually work/can they be done).

• Have a visual system so that guests and employees can easily tell what has been cleaned and/or what needs to be cleaned (i.e. signs on the restaurant tables, checklists in

bathrooms, separate containers for clean and used items etc).

• Remove all unnecessary (potentially) frequently touched points from restaurant tables and guest rooms (less to clean so less risk to your business).

• Have a contract tracing system that is easy to use for guests (and easily accessed if the government needs to).

All participants were provided with complimentary access to Olive Learning’s ‘COVID-19 Return to Work (Hospitality)’ course. This online, 30-minute, non-accredited course is designed specifically to provide hotels, accommodation employees and employers with a sound understanding of new regulations and enhanced hygiene and physical distancing practices for the post COVID-19 workplace.

Visit the Accommodation Association website to view the training webinar and to access the Olive Learning’s COVID-19 Return to Work (Hospitality) course.

Gav

in Bucket

Welcome to new corporate partners The Accommodation Association is pleased to welcome our new corporate partners

KEY SIGNATURES IS a locally owned and operated company, created to provide suitable and affordable Personal Protective Equipment for Australian businesses. It offers an affordable range of face masks, wipes, sanitisers, aprons, and more, both locally made and imported.

ReZme and Grip Marketing is an innovative platform that allows hotel and restaurant operators to easily design and manage their proprietary websites and drive more direct bookings.

As an association, we strive to give our members access to the key industry suppliers, giving them the best chance to thrive.

Planning for the Post-COVID-19 Future

Management of the physical aspects in a hotel is essential for maximum efficiency TO ASSIST WITH post-pandemic recovery and to better prepare members and hotel owners for the post-COVID-19 future, Accommodation Association in conjunction with nem Australasia is offering members a free appraisal and functional review of their physical infrastructure to ensure their facilities continue to provide optimal

18 HM The Business of Accommodation

services and that the hotel facilities operate at maximum efficiency. This free service by an expert consultant will include a review of the scope and effectiveness of Technical Services Vendors and respective Service Contracts as well as review and identify the effectiveness of the hotel plant and equipment. The report will also summarise the cost of energy used by

a hotel and identify performance efficiency of its plant and equipment. In addition, the report will provide recommendations for Capital Expenditure considering the age and condition as well as performance effectiveness of the existing plant and equipment. This service is offered to all Accommodation Association members and is valid until 1 February 2021.

KEY NEWS

New addition to NABE Board The Accommodation Association has added to its National Employment Board

N AB

EC

ld ie nsf a h a ir man, David M

HOSTPLUS STATE MANGER, Jane Sheridan, has been appointed to the Accommodation Association National Employment Advisory Board (NABE). Launched in April 2019, the NABE’s primary purpose is to provide strategic direction on behalf of the accommodation industry to execute a number of key initiatives to support the growing requirements of the industry.

“I am thrilled to join the NABE advisory board and look forward to the many opportunities this presents,” Sheridan said.

“Our industry has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic and so support for our sectors is more important today than ever before. For more than a decade, I’ve been fortunate to work with talented and passionate hospitality and accommodation professionals.

“Throughout this time I’ve advocated for the significant value of the work they do now, the legitimate career paths on offer within these sectors and the ways in which each worker is actively contributing to their own security and dignity in retirement.

“As we move to a new chapter in the proud history of Australian hospitality and tourism, it’s my belief that recruitment, retention and education at both an individual and company level will prove critical to the recovery of our sectors. I look forward to working with the highly accomplished members of the NABE and to supporting our industry, together.”

David Mansfield, NABE Chair and COO of Quest Apartment Hotels, added: “I am delighted to welcome Jane onto the NABE board. Her passion for our industry and understanding of the current needs of the workforce will complement the strength, skills and wealth of knowledge of our board.”

Market8 Reports recommence Reports provide insight into markets’ future employment needs.

The Association resumed its monthly Market8 Reports in September to enable the industry to benchmark performance and sentiment across key markets as they recover and understand the impacts of new supply.

The Sydney, Greater Sydney and Brisbane reports recommenced in September, with Melbourne reports restarting in November, following the slow easing of restrictions in that market.

Labour and Skills underpin industry recovery in the future. The employment and skills measures and funding in the budget will be critical to the industry being able to scale to meet the demand of the future. The Association, with input from members, has been mapping the future employment needs of the industry to the newly formed National Skills Commission (NSC), which has a key role in providing independent labour market advice to government. The NSC will produce the Skills Priority List (SPL) which will assist policy makers to understand the skills needs of

the Australian economy and be used to inform policy responses to shortages such as skilled migration and training and employer incentives.

Industry Research and Performance webinar series The latest from the Accommodation Association’s popular webinar series

OVER THE PERIOD from May to November 2020, the Association has been active in holding webinars with industry experts to assist the sector understand different scenarios to recovery. These sessions have been vital, in a period of high uncertainty, in informing owners and operators of the recovery timelines and impacts. Topics and speakers have included: • Tracking and leveraging travel sentiment in the domestic consumer and business markets Tourism Australia and My Business Research.

• National Capital City Market Outlook & Insights – AHS Advisory • The Uncertain Outlook for Travel and Implications for the Accommodation Sector – Tourism Economics & STR • The Evolving Traveller, Understanding and Capitalising on Changes in Travel – Amadeus • Border Openings and Implications for the Visitor Economy – DFAT and Oxford Economics • Third Australian Hotel Sentiment Survey – IMPACT OF COVID-19 – AHS Advisory and Horwath Singapore, Korea, Japan and New Zealand.

The latest release of the Sydney Market Report hotelmanagement.com.au 19

Michael, congratulations on a successful career with Accor spanning some 26 years. Tell us about your career path and a few of your personal highlights.

‘I ALWAYS SET OUT TO BUILD THE BEST POSSIBLE TEAM’ AFTER 26 YEARS OF LOYAL SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP, ACCOR ASIA-PACIFIC CHAIRMAN AND COO, MICHAEL ISSENBERG, WILL LEAVE THE BUSINESS IN THE COMING MONTHS FOLLOWING A GLOBAL RESTRUCTURE. FOLLOWING HIS HM AWARDS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION, JAMES WILKINSON SPOKE EXCLUSIVELY WITH THE OUTGOING ACCOR ASIA-PACIFIC CHIEF.

I

t’s the end of an era and Michael Issenberg’s departure from Accor Asia-Pacific has been met with sadness and fondness. Over nearly three decades, the brilliant leader has taken the global chain to heights some never thought imaginable. He has nurtured rising stars, led partnerships and collaboration and helped create opportunities for thousands in the industry. Our 2020 HM Awards Hall of Fame inductee is a person who commands legendary status.

20 HM The Business of Accommodation

The path has been somewhat winding, from Andover, Massachusetts to Ithaca, New York, on to San Francisco, across the Pacific to Sydney and then up to Asia and Singapore. Whilst I have never lived in Paris, I think 26 years with Accor and probably more than 100 visits to France might qualify me as a part-time resident.

Needless to say, there have been so many highlights.

An early one would be during my days at Mirvac. When we launched the first Quay West in Sydney, there was a queue down the street to buy the strata apartments and we sold out the hotel portion in days. And this was in 1991, during the recession “we had to have”.

Relatively early in my time at Accor, we won an operator selection with AMP to take over the management of The Regent Melbourne and convert the hotel to a Sofitel. That might not sound like a big deal now, but back then we had maybe 30 hotels in Australia and NO luxury hotels. Even more satisfying was the flawless execution that followed.

Overseeing the rebuilding of Raffles Hotel Singapore was an amazing experience. In the economy space, we co-developed the Ibis Bencoolen in Singapore. This was the first purpose-built internationally branded economy hotel in Singapore. We secured the site, managed the construction and then sold the hotel with a 40-year contract in place after completion in partnership with Lasalle Investment Management.

The biggest highlight is easy. Not long after I arrived in Sydney, Horwath and Horwath was retained to provide a food service strategy for the yet-to-be-developed Festival Market Place at Darling Harbour. The day I presented the strategy, there was a beautiful young blonde lady in the room who had moved from Brisbane to Sydney to join Merlin International Properties to do the leasing for the centre. I must have done a good presentation because that lady, Elizabeth, became my wife.

You oversaw three major acquisitions and integrations during your time at Accor – Mirvac Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont Raffles and Mantra Group – tell us about some of the things that stood out for you, from bringing together so many staff, rebranding hotels and working with so many more owners.

Speaking of highlights, there is no question these acquisitions were among the best. I learned early on that the keys to a successful integration are meticulous planning during the acquisition stage, identifying the best talents that made these companies successful and then setting about winning the hearts and minds of your future colleagues. What I have found is that what is most important when developing relationships with owners, is that transparency and results are what really matter.

Be very honest in what we can do for their hotels up front, and then deliver on the promise.

HM Q&A

Choosing standout colleagues is like asking me which one of my children is my favourite. Not possible! I can say I have been privileged to work with thousands of outstanding colleagues throughout my career.

I cannot say I have had a particular mentor in my career. What I have been able to do is learn from many great executives. Most recently with Sebastien Bazin, I have admired his contrarian view of the industry and charisma. With Gilles Pellison, it was the energy and rigour that he brought to a global organisation. From David Baffsky, it was his entrepreneurial drive and, to be honest, his mastery of working with the Paris head office. Bob Hamilton, Managing Director of Mirvac was one of the most humble and approachable leaders I have worked with. All the way back to when I moved to San Francisco, I learned in this great city the importance of diversity. Having grown up in a small town, it was an eye-opener to be exposed to such an incredible range of personalities and showed me that diversity helps build a stronger team. I believe that diversity and inclusion lead to a diversity of ideas, more creative thinking and better outcomes. I was also lucky enough to work for three dynamic young women. This trio shaped my view of gender diversity from the very beginning of my career.

You are leaving the business having helped grow the company from a handful of hotels when you joined to over 1,200 in Asia. That’s a very significant legacy for anyone who has ever worked in the hotel industry in AsiaPacific. Tell us your thoughts on this.

If there is one piece of advice you could have given yourself over your career, what would it be?

I think to be patient. To be a leader and create a great company, you need a great team, clear strategy and execution. But you also need to be decisive. The expression that ‘it is lonely at the top’ can sometimes be true. Perhaps the reason for that is you have to make so many important decisions. In the moment, making that decision is very important, but maybe sometimes taking a little more time to get the decision right could be better in the long-term. A few more moments to answer a critical question, an extra day or two to reflect on the right appointment of a key executive, maybe a few more weeks to get the best deal possible on a major contract or transaction. Of course, that is easy to say in hindsight.

“Without question, I am very proud of the success so many members of my team have achieved.”

Michael Issenberg, Accor Asia-Pacific

Last but not least, where to from here for Michael Issenberg?

First is to ensure that the three hubs of Greater China, South East Asia and the Pacific are set up for success. Then perhaps something more entrepreneurial to take advantage of the opportunities that will arise in the post-Covid world. I think the best advice I have received in the last couple of months is to take some time to decompress, relax and spend time thinking about what I want to do in the next chapter. I think that is pretty wise advice. n

ich ae

M

I have been asked this question a few times over the last few months. I have not really had the time or head space to properly reflect on the past 26 years. I can say it has been such an amazing journey. I certainly never set out to build a legacy but just to build the best company I could.

Did that turn into a juggernaut? I think it may have. I always set out to build the best possible team, have a clear strategy and to deliver results.

As I now reflect, I think perhaps what I hope will be my legacy is to see the three hubs that have been created out of what was Accor Asia Pacific continue to build on the culture that was created, to thrive and grow and each ultimately become as large and successful as the Asia Pacific region was.

Graham Wilson, Chief Commercial Officer have all become members of the Global Executive team for Accor.

To see Simon and Garth begin their tenure in hotels in Australia and now become CEOs of two of the three hubs in what was Asia Pacific is very satisfying. Without a doubt, the most rewarding part of my career is to have given so many colleagues opportunities and then seeing their careers blossom.

Michael was a popular leader with colleagues, owners and corporate clients alike

ak nJ o s ith Eliza and beth, his wife,

e

Who are some of the standout mentors and colleagues you've worked with during your career?

lw

You have helped so many leaders in Accor shine – including Simon McGrath and Garth Simmons in their new CEO capacities – and you must be proud of how well so many colleagues and friends have done.

Without question, I am very proud of the success so many members of my team have achieved. Three of them: Gaurav Bhushan, Chief Development Officer; Kingsley Amose, Global Design and Technical Services; and hotelmanagement.com.au 21

PRESENTS

Melbourne’s hotels are back in business

Code Of Conduct levels playing field NSW recently joined the list of states rolling out new regulations for the short-term rental industry

Relief for Victorian hotels After months of heavy restrictions and two lockdowns, there was finally some good news for accommodation hotels in Victoria

TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA CEO, Michael Johnson, said after months of active engagement by the Association’s Victorian branch, led by General Manager Dougal Hollis, there had finally been some movement in the right direction with accommodation venues starting to re-open in Melbourne from November. This follows the re-opening of accommodation hotels in regional Victoria in mid-September.

“It is great news for our members down in Victoria who have been completely shut down for longer than almost anyone else in the world,” Mr Johnson said.

“It will be a long road to anything like recovery, but we are beginning to move in the right direction just in time for summer.”

Mr Johnson congratulated Mr Hollis, AHA (Vic); CEO Paddy Sullivan, AHA (Vic); President David Canny and the AHA and TAA teams in Victoria for their tireless work on behalf of members during the last few months. At the time of writing, metropolitan and regional trading restrictions have aligned to enable hotels to reopen across the state, with no limit on the number of accommodation bookings a property can take.

However, bookings must be from only a single household or intimate partners, or members of a single household, plus two adults (from any household), including any children or dependants. Separately booked groups must not share bedrooms.

These changes were accompanied by an announcement Victoria would also launch a ‘Stay Close, Go Further’ regional tourism campaign to “help rebuild Victoria’s visitor economy by promoting visitation and expenditure within the state.”

Mr Hollis said hoteliers are experiencing a solid uptick in leisure business as guests

THE NEW MANDATORY Code of Conduct for the short-term rental industry will help level the playing field for established accommodation hotels in NSW. Tourism Accommodation Australia CEO, Michael Johnson, said the code announced by the NSW Government on 27 October 2020 includes obligations for hosts, guests, on-line booking platforms and letting agents, as well as a complaints process for anyone to complain about breaches.

He said the new laws will come into effect in December and TAA NSW had led the way in advocating for these reforms.

“TAA thanks the NSW government for listening to our concerns and implementing these much-needed changes,” said Mr Johnson.

“With the new code of conduct and registration and planning laws in place, we can hope to see a regulated short-term rental accommodation environment that complements the accommodation sector rather than disrupting it.”

Mr Johnson said the code also refers to an ‘exclusion register’ and a ‘mandatory premises register’ which will come into play from June 2021 and will ultimately complete the STRA reform.

Mr Johnson said the Code of Conduct comes at a crucial time for the industry.

“We have long had concerns about quasi-hotels disrupting communities and operating without any of the controls required of our industry, like insurances; fire and safety provisions; security; liquor licensing, taxation and employment under Fair Work,” said Mr Johnson.

“TAA NSW member hotels pay tax, create jobs and contribute to the NSW economy and this Code of Conduct will help level the playing field.”

return to hotels to enjoy staycations, reconnect with family and friends and restore a sense of balance and normality in their lives.

He said 14 consecutive days of zero virus transmissions and deaths in Victoria should provide the Victorian Government with the requisite confidence to increase

venue patron limits as planned in November, enabling venue capacities of 100 indoors and 200 outdoors.

“Hoteliers are also eagerly awaiting further news of what ‘COVID Normal’ trading conditions will look like, to ensure they have clarity on more liberal trading conditions in the lead up to the busy Christmas period,” he said.

“They are hopeful this includes increased capacity allowances for indoor pools and gyms, to ensure all guests get to enjoy a hotel’s full hospitality offer.”

22 HM The Business of Accommodation

Short-term rentals in NSW will be governed by a Code of Conduct from this month

WORLD OF TAA

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Jo hn so n( righ t) w

,S ith Australian PM

An audience with the Prime Minister Scott Morrison is passionate about Australian tourism

TAA NATIONAL CEO, Michael Johnson, recently had the opportunity to discuss all things hotels and tourism with Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.

Hunter Valley leading the way Intrastate tourism has put the region in the driver’s seat on NSW RevPAR recovery SPEAKING TO A gathering of hotel General Managers at Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort, Pokolbin, recently, Tourism Accommodation Australia NSW CEO, Michael Johnson, said the region’s hotels have seen a 12 per cent increase in occupancy and revenues compared to the same time in 2019.

“The revenue per average room stay in the Hunter region is up 12 per cent on this time last year, which is great news for hotels which have suffered through their worst year in memory,” said Mr Johnson.

Aussies are taking advantage of government incentive schemes

Voucher schemes promote tourism accommodation Financial incentives can boost jobs and help businesses reopen THE STATE’S LEADING tourism accommodation body said it was disappointed with aspects of the 2020/21 NSW Budget, with accommodation mostly left out of the ‘Out and About Voucher’ initiative.

Tourism Accommodation Australia NSW CEO, Michael Johnson, said members welcomed aspects of the Budget (including AUD$200m funding for Destination NSW), but were disappointed the voucher scheme – which will see adults eligible for four AUD$25 vouchers to spend in the hospitality, arts and cultural sectors – didn’t include accommodation.

“Many Sydney CBD accommodation hotels are still operating at below 20 per cent occupancy and really need the support,” said Mr Johnson.

“Other states and territories included accommodation in their voucher schemes and the impact on the sector was almost immediate.

“While we welcome the fact two of the NSW vouchers can be used for dining out in accommodation hotels, we really need the scheme to include actual overnight stays to make a big difference and bring people back into the greater Sydney area.

“We hope after the pilot period in December, the full roll-out may be expanded to include accommodation and encourage people to stay at one of our great venues.”

Mr Johnson said he was pleased to see AUD$782M in funding set aside over the next four years for tourism marketing.

“The AUD$200m funding for Destination NSW in the next financial year will help put both Sydney and NSW front of mind for intrastate and interstate travellers as we continue to wait for the return of our international markets - we applaud Minister Stuart Ayres for that initiative,” he said.

Michael Johnson, TAA with Amy Cooper, CEO Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association; Shaun O’Bryan, GM Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort and Glenn Caldwell, GM Destination Sydney Surrounds North

Mr Johnson said the continued focus on the Western Parklands City, on-going investment into the Parramatta Light Rail and the Powerhouse Museum project will also bring much-needed visitors into Western Sydney.

TAA NSW also welcomed other measures in this year's Budget including Payroll Tax changes which will see a temporary reduction in the PT rate, from 5.45% to 4.85% for two years and a permanent increase in the PT threshold, from AUD$900,000 to AUD$1.2 million from 1 July 2020. hotelmanagement.com.au 23

PROMOTION

ACCOR EXPANDS

LUXURY PORTFOLIO Accor is bringing some of the most iconic and prestigious hotel brands in the world to Australia.

Fairmont Port Douglas has been designed to give back to the environment

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ccor is taking great strides in the Pacific region as it grows its luxury portfolio in the Pacific region. Accor will increase its presence in Australia with Mövenpick, scheduled to open in Hobart in January 2021, and in 2023 will be opening Fairmont Port Douglas, SO/ Melbourne and Mondrian Gold Coast.

Simon McGrath, Chief Executive Officer for Accor Pacific, said that this investment into the Pacific region is a major milestone for the travel industry, signalling a return of confidence for the sector.

“The expansion of these incredible brands into Australia reflects our commitment to developing world-class hotels with our partners,” he said.

“We are concerned with providing our residents and guests with elevated hospitality experiences that match the beauty and vibrancy of our region. Australia is one of the most desirable destinations in the world, and with our coastline, culture and high standards in style, service and amenities, we are setting the global benchmark in luxury. We are also now actively seeking opportunities for our ultra-luxury hotel brands, Raffles and Orient-Express.

“Looking to the future, this region will remain strong and it will hold great appeal for domestic and international tourists.”

FAIRMONT

Accor will bring the luxury Fairmont brand to Australia in 2023 with the opening of Fairmont Port Douglas in Far North Queensland. Set on the edge of two UNESCO World Heritage sites – the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest – the hotel has been sustainably designed to give back to the environment. Fairmont Port Douglas will boast 253 glamorous 24 HM The Business of Accommodation

rooms, several restaurants and bars, a decadent day spa, a treetop walk and panoramic conference and wedding facilities, designed around resortstyle pools and built to blend seamlessly with nature. From the organic architecture to copious green spaces and natural light, the resort brings nature close, with butterfly nets above the children’s swimming pool, an intimate lobby inspired by birds’ nests and verdant tropical gardens.

Established in 1907, Fairmont hotels are unforgettable places where occasions are celebrated and history is made. Fairmont Port Douglas will join some of the world’s most iconic hotels including The Savoy London and The Plaza New York (both managed by Fairmont); the Fairmont Peace Hotel; Fairmont Banff Springs and Fairmont Century Plaza LA.

SO/

Accor’s vibrant and playful SO/ luxury brand will debut in Australia with the opening of SO/Melbourne in 2023. This bold, fashionable and luxurious designer hotel, located in a prime CBD position overlooking Flagstaff Gardens, is within close reach of Melbourne’s key commercial, retail and leisure attractions. The first SO/ branded hotel for Australia and second in the region following SO/Auckland, will boast 288 avant-garde guestrooms and suites, some with outdoor terraces, combined with exceptional signature services, social events and opulent experiences. The hotel will feature a signature club lounge and private meeting room, specialty restaurant, bar and sky deck, all-day dining and outdoor terrace, lobby lounge, café and a ballroom. Wellness facilities will include a SO/SPA and SO/FIT wellness and fitness centre as well as a swimming pool.

ACCOR NEWS

Daring and exuberant design is at the heart of the SO/ brand, and like all other SO/ properties around the world, SO/ Melbourne will be brought to life by a celebrated fashion designer who will lend their artistic vision to the property. With fashionable properties located in the most dynamic destinations worldwide, SO/ is one of the fastest-growing lifestyle brands in Accor’s luxury portfolio.

MONDRIAN

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on

dr ian

MÖVENPICK

Mövenpick Hotel Hobart is set to be a warm, contemporary designed hotel with a cosmopolitan vibe that invites exploration and discovery.

Located on Elizabeth Street - one of Hobart’s principal heritage streetscapes - and close to the bustling waterfront, the newbuild hotel is within close reach of the city’s key commercial, retail and leisure attractions and will boast 221 guestrooms and suites with spectacular views of Hobart’s historical city and harbour, an onsite restaurant, gymnasium and meeting facilities. A range of Mövenpick brand signatures will also be offered at the hotel, such as a daily ‘Chocolate Hour’ for guests to enjoy. With a Swiss heritage dating back to the 1940s, Mövenpick offers a unique blend of contemporary city and resort hotels in more than 82 locations across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. n

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Accor and sbe have announced Australia’s first Mondrian hotel and branded residences will open on the iconic Burleigh Heads beachfront on the Gold Coast in 2023. Mondrian Gold Coast will boast 262 feet of ocean frontage, providing guests and residents with direct access to the signature white sands and world-famous

surf of Burleigh Heads beach. Mondrian Gold Coast will feature two distinct towers to separate the residences - comprised of 89 luxury residential units - from the hotel, which will encompass 208 guestrooms.

The buildings will be united by a three-level podium that acts as the building’s common space and hub of activity, including a state-of-the-art fitness centre, spa, restaurant and swimming pool, all overlooking the waterfront beaches below.

t wil o as l arr ive on the Gold C

The luxury SO/ Melbourne will also open in 2023

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“This region will remain strong and it will hold great appeal for domestic and International tourists.”

Simon McGrath, Accor Pacific

A look at the lobby inside Mövenpick Hobart

hotelmanagement.com.au 25

AUSTRALASIA’S

IN A HIGHLY MEMORABLE EVENING, THE HOTEL INDUSTRY'S BEST OF THE BEST WERE CELEBRATED IN A GLITTERING CEREMONY AT HYATT REGENCY SYDNEY

T

he winners of the 2020 HM Awards for Hotel and Accommodation Excellence, presented by Sealy Posturepedic, have been announced at a black tie event in Sydney for 216 people in person and broadcast live to over 2,000 across the region.

For the 18th time, the HM Awards recognised the biggest and brightest stars in the accommodation industry across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, from individuals to properties, departments, brands and chains.

26 HM The Business of Accommodation

HM Awards Chief Judge and Founder, HM Magazine’s Editor-In-Chief, James Wilkinson, said this year was more important than ever to recognise the hard work and dedication of so many individuals and teams.

“HM was proud to produce and present the 2020 HM Awards, particularly one that has been the most challenging in history for the Australasian accommodation industry,” he said.

“We received over 1,000 entries for the 2020 HM Awards, only slightly down on 2019, and amongst them were so many stars from this amazing industry.

“The entries this year – from chefs to housekeepers, fivestar resorts and apartment hotels – were incredible and it was terrific to see so many staff and properties highlight so many achievements in challenging times,” Wilkinson said.

Winners were announced in 48 categories at the 2020 HM Awards on the night and major gongs went to Accor (Hall of Fame, New Zealand General Manager, Service to the Community, Australasian Hotel and

Co-hosted by

Asia-Pacific Hotelier), InterContinental Hotels Group (Service to the Industry, Australian General Manager and Accommodation Chain), Marriott International (South Pacific General Manager and Service to the Community), Quest Apartment Hotels (Service to the Community

and Accommodation Chain), Hilton (Hotel Brand and Australasian Hotelier), Ovolo Group (Hotel Brand) and Hamilton Island (Australasian Hotel).

“Once again this year, the HM Awards recognised some of the finest staff and hotels in the world and especially in 2020 they should be very proud of these amazing achievements,” Wilkinson said.

There was a panel of over 30 judges for the 2020 HM Awards, from leading travel editors to airline executives, hotel industry consultants and for the peer-voted major awards, the leading VPs, CEOs and COOs of hotel chains across Australasia and Asia-Pacific.

On the night, guests at the event in person at Hyatt Regency Sydney and those watching live from across

the Asia-Pacific region were treated to an exciting show that included not only the 48 HM Awards being handed out, but over an hour of live entertainment with stellar performances by Boys in the Band’s ‘Rat Pack Reloaded’ and the ever-popular and energetic group, The Diamonds.

The 2020 HM Awards were able to proceed thanks to the support of the event’s major partners, including the presentation partner Sealy Posturepedic, co-hosts AHS, Intrust Super, Torrens University Australia and the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School, in addition to AV Partner Foxtel Business and Live Streaming partner, Encore.

Other key sponsors included Assa Abloy, Dyson and HoneyBadger, while supporting companies included Accolade Wines, Gage Roads, S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, Time Out Australia, Travmedia, Vittoria, Wayfarer and Withers Worldwide. Support also came from leading industry bodies, the Accommodation Association and Tourism Accommodation Australia. n hotelmanagement.com.au 27

1. Serviced Apartment Property Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Adina Apartment Hotel Bondi Beach, NSW Quest Orange, NSW HIGHLY COMMENDED: Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour, NSW Silkari Suites at Chatswood, NSW

Award presented by Ash Munce, Sealy Australia and received by Emma Hynes, Adina Bondi Beach and Amy Van De Ven, Quest Orange

Award presented by Dean Long, Accommodation Association and received by Kathryn Carling, Doma Hotels

2. Economy Hotel Sponsored by

accommodation association

WINNER:

Brassey Hotel, ACT HIGHLY COMMENDED: Adabco Boutique Hotel, SA Breakfree Alexandra Headland Beach, QLD ibis Styles Hobart, TAS

3. Midscale Hotel Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Atura Adelaide Airport, SA Mantra Epping, VIC HIGHLY COMMENDED: Four Points by Sheraton, Central Park, NSW Little National Hotel, ACT Award presented by Simon Pawson, Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School and received

by Lindsay Leeser, Accor and James Hensby, Atura Adelaide Airport 28 HM The Business of Accommodation

Co-hosted by

Award presented by Kylie Maxwell, ahs Hospitality and received by Lisa Rangitutia, Crowne Plaza Sydney Coogee Beach

4. Upscale Hotel Sponsored by

WINNER:

Crowne Plaza Sydney Coogee Beach, NSW HIGHLY COMMENDED: Ovolo Nishi, ACT Pan Pacific Melbourne, VIC Peppers Silo Launceston, TAS

5. Upper-Upscale Hotel Sponsored by

WINNER:

Riley, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort, QLD HIGHLY COMMENDED: QT Sydney, NSW The Calile Hotel, QLD The Westin Perth, WA

Award presented by Michael Benikos, Assa Abloy Global Solutions and received

by Geoff York, Katie Malone and Megan Knoetze, Crystalbrook Collection

6. Luxury Hotel Sponsored by

WINNER:

Park Hyatt Sydney, NSW Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, NSW HIGHLY COMMENDED: Mayfair Hotel, SA The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, WA

Award presented by Aimi McEwen and received by Renae Trimble, Accor and Jane Lyons, Hyatt Hotels hotelmanagement.com.au 29

Co-hosted by

7. Australian Lodge Sponsored by

WINNER:

Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge, TAS HIGHLY COMMENDED: qualia, QLD Ramada Resort by Wyndham Dinner Plain, VIC Saffire Freycinet, TAS Award presented by Michael Johnson, Tourism Accommodation Australia and received by Lindsay Leeser, Accor

Award presented by Ben Chapman, Intrust Super and received by Ronald Van Weezel and Heidi Kunkel, Hilton and UNIDENTIFIED, Hotel Realm

8. Business Hotel Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Hilton Sydney, NSW Hotel Realm, ACT HIGHLY COMMENDED: Pan Pacific Melbourne, VIC The Westin Perth, WA

9. Resort Sponsored by

WINNERS:

InterContinental Hayman Island Resort, QLD qualia, QLD HIGHLY COMMENDED: Byron at Byron, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort, NSW Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort, QLD Award presented by Jerome Casteigt, Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School and received by Jennifer Brown, InterContinental Hayman Island Resort and Stephanie Inglis, Hamilton Island 30 HM The Business of Accommodation

Proud sponsors of

Sealy® would like to congratulate all the winners of the 2020 HM Awards.

Designed and developed for hospitality.

Sealy® Commercial have developed an extensive range ensuring an exceptional sleep experience for your guests. At the heart of every Sealy® mattress is the optimal balance of comfort, support and durability for years of guest comfort and sleep satisfaction.

National Sales | (07) 3718 2126 commercialsales@sealy.com.au sealy.com.au/commercial

Sealy of Australia has manufacturing centres in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. *Used under license from the Trademark proprietor by MADAD Pty Ltd trading as Sealy of Australia. ABN 57 009 678 344.

Award presented by Gina Lawrance, Sealy Australia and received by Florencia Aimo, Marriott International

10. Hotel Interior Design Sponsored by

WINNER:

The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, WA HIGHLY COMMENDED: Hotel Chadstone Melbourne, MGallery by Sofitel, VIC Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge, TAS Wildlife Retreat at Taronga, NSW

11. Boutique Hotel Sponsored by

Award presented by Heinrich Saayman, HoneyBadger Technologies and received

by Carl Rickards, Taronga Zoo and the team from Ovolo Woolloomooloo

WINNERS:

Ovolo Woolloomooloo, NSW Wildlife Retreat at Taronga, NSW HIGHLY COMMENDED: Lancemore Lindenderry Red Hill, VIC The William Inglis, MGallery by Sofitel, NSW

12. New Hotel Sponsored by

WINNER:

Wildlife Retreat at Taronga, NSW HIGHLY COMMENDED: Hotel Chadstone Melbourne, MGallery by Sofitel, NSW Quest Orange, NSW The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, WA Award presented by Gina Lawrance, Sealy Australia and received by Alex Emson, Taronga Zoo

32 HM The Business of Accommodation

Co-hosted by

13. Meetings and Conferencing Property Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Hyatt Regency Sydney, NSW Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park, NSW HIGHLY COMMENDED: Parkroyal Melbourne Airport, VIC Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, NSW

Award presented by Jerome Casteigt, Torrens University Australia and received by Anton Van Den Brink, Marriott International and Jane Lyons, Hyatt Regency Sydney

Award presented by Deb De Smet, ahs Hospitality and received by Silvia Kypriotis, Harbour Rocks Hotel on behalf of Fairmont Resort & Spa Blue Mountains, MGallery

by Sofitel, NSW and Katie Malone, Geoff York and Megan Knoetze, Crystalbrook Collection

14. Regional Property Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Byron at Byron, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort, NSW Fairmont Resort & Spa Blue Mountains, MGallery by Sofitel, NSW HIGHLY COMMENDED: Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Port Douglas, QLD voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley, NSW

15. Day Spa Sponsored by

Award presented by Ben Chapman, Intrust Super and received by Wayne Toomey, Mantra Wollongong on behalf of Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge

WINNER:

Waldheim Alpine Spa, Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge HIGHLY COMMENDED: One&Only Spa, Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley, NSW The Ritz-Carlton Spa, The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, WA Ubika Day Spa, Fairmont Resort & Spa Blue Mountains, MGallery by Sofitel, NSW

hotelmanagement.com.au 33

16. Hotel Bar Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Republic Tavern, Mantra Epping, VIC Zephyr, Hyatt Regency Sydney, NSW HIGHLY COMMENDED: HENNESSY Rooftop Bar, Mayfair Hotel, SA Songbird Bar & Lounge, The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, WA

Award presented by Michael Rodrigues, Time Out Australia and received by Joe Poovaiya, Hyatt Regency Sydney and Sarah Derry, Accor

17. Hotel Restaurant Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant, Mount Lofty House, SA Nineteen at The Star, The Star Gold Coast, QLD

Award presented by Michael McIntosh, Accolade Wines and received by Jason Alcock, The Star Entertainment Group and Jesse and Fenella Kornoff, Mount Lofty House

18. Tech Hotel Sponsored by

WINNER:

Little National Hotel Canberra, ACT HIGHLY COMMENDED: InterContinental Hayman Island Resort, QLD Mount Lofty House, SA The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, WA Award presented by Shayne Borg, Foxtel and received by Kathryn Carling, Doma Hotels

34 HM The Business of Accommodation

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Alibi Bar & Kitchen, Ovolo Woolloomooloo, NSW Me-Gal, Wildlife Retreat at Taronga, NSW

Co-hosted by

19. New Zealand Hotel Sponsored by

WINNER:

The Rees Hotel, Queenstown HIGHLY COMMENDED: Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa Ramada by Wyndham Queenstown Central Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour Award presented by Aimi McEwen, Dyson and received by Caroline Davidson, The Rees Hotel Queenstown

International Hotel Leadership Online short courses now free for HM readers. Use coupon code TUABMHMM2020 Visit: bluemountains. torrensonline.com Torrens University Australia Limited ABN 99 154 937 005, CRICOS Provider Code: 03389E. RTO No. 41343. TUA-1216

1216 - BM Half Page Horizontal Ad HM Magazine.indd 1

29/7/20 9:45 am

hotelmanagement.com.au 35

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20. New Zealand Regional Property Sponsored by

WINNER:

Peppers Parehua Martinborough HIGHLY COMMENDED: Craggy Range Winery Cabins Hilton Lake Taupo Novotel Tainui Hamilton

21. New Zealand Lodge

Award presented by Tara Ducrou, AHICE and received by Sarah Derry, Accor

Sponsored by

WINNER:

Grand Mercure Puka Park Lodge HIGHLY COMMENDED: Huka Lodge The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Wharekauhau Country Estate

22. Fijian Property Sponsored by

WINNER:

Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay HIGHLY COMMENDED: Club Wyndham Denarau Island Kokomo Private Island Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa Award presented by Rob Williams, Withers Worldwide and received by Florencia Aimo, Marriott International

36 HM The Business of Accommodation

Co-hosted by

Award presented by Heinrich Saayman, HoneyBadger Technologies and received by Tara Ducrou, HM on behalf of Pacific Resort Aitutaki

23. South Pacific Property Sponsored by

WINNER:

Pacific Resort Aitutaki, Cook Islands HIGHLY COMMENDED: Ramada Resort by Wyndham, Vanuatu St Regis Bora Bora Resort, French Polynesia The Stanley Hotel and Suites, Papua New Guinea

24. Marketing Campaign Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Ovolo Hotels (Wonder. Full) Quest Apartment Hotels (On The Road Again) HIGHLY COMMENDED: Accor Pacific (Salute to Australian Healthcare Heroes) Minor Hotels (Together Again)

Award presented by James Wilkinson, Wayfarer and received by Stephen Howard & Chris Lee, Ovolo Group and David Mansfield and Madeleine Maher, Quest Apartment Hotels

Award presented by Paul McDonough, Sealy Australia and received by Renae Trimble, Accor and Carl Rickards, Taronga Zoo

25. Environmental Program Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Accor Pacific (Single Use Plastics Program) Wildlife Retreat at Taronga (Environmental Initiatives) HIGHLY COMMENDED: Crystalbrook Collection (#ResponsibleLuxury) Little National Hotel (Environmental Initiatives)

hotelmanagement.com.au 37

26. Concierge Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Enrico Angeletti, Pullman Adelaide, SA Stefanie Wee, The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, WA HIGHLY COMMENDED: Ian Frenkel, Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, NSW Jonathan Farrugia, Brisbane Marriott Hotel, QLD Award presented by James Wilkinson, Wayfarer and received by Luis Oviedo, Marriott International and Sarah Derry, Accor

27. Hotel Chef Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Corey Hume, The Rees Hotel, Queenstown Jim Choi, Mount Lofty House, SA HIGHLY COMMENDED: Kenny Tse, Ovolo Nishi, ACT Sefanaia Vakacokasai, The Westin Denarau Island Resort and Spa

Award presented by Michael Rodrigues, Time Out Australia and received by Caroline Davidson, The Rees Hotel Queenstown and Jesse Kornoff, Mount Lofty House

28. Food and Beverage Associate Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Justin Do, Hilton Auckland Nicole Wright, Holiday Inn Melbourne on Flinders

Award presented by Michael McIntosh, Accolade Wines and received by Heidi Kunkel, Hilton and Lynda Ugarte, IHG 38 HM The Business of Accommodation

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Liinaa Berry, Mount Lofty House, SA Philomen Joe Poovaiya, Hyatt Regency Sydney, NSW

Co-hosted by

30. Sales and Marketing Associate Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Allison Roberts, TFE Hotels Javed Shameem, Marriott International Hotels and Resorts, Fiji Award presented by Kylie Maxwell, ahs Hospitality and received by Jennifer Roach, View Hotels and Ashish Vatsa, Wyndham Destinations

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Christine Lee, Ovolo Hotels Marie Heritage, InterContinental Sydney, NSW

29. Human Resources Associate

Award presented by Ben Chapman, Intrust Super and received by Thu Pham, Marriott International and Allison Roberts, TFE Hotels

Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Jennifer Roach, View Hotels Simon Tufrey, Wyndham Destinations Asia-Pacific HIGHLY COMMENDED: Deborah Cunningham, Fairmont Resort and Spa Blue Mountains, MGallery by Sofitel, NSW Nicole Downs, Ovolo Hotels

New Times New Services New Standards

When you're ready, we're ready

Call us on 1800 026 036 or visit our website at www.ahshospitality.com.au

31. Communications Associate Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Jodi Clark, TFE Hotels Chiara Dichiera, The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, WA

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Chris Logan, Wyndham Destinations Asia-Pacific Sarah Davis, Pier One Sydney Harbour Award presented by Nick Wayland, TravMedia

32. Front Office Associate Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Dakotah Bishop, Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour Luis Oviedo Vergara, Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Central Park, NSW

Award presented by Min Paing, Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School and received by Sarah Derry, Accor and Luis Oviedo Vergara, Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Central Park

33. Finance Associate Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Lester Adams, IHG Western Australia Wendy Van Der Walt, Accor New Zealand HIGHLY COMMENDED: Chloe Nguyen, Ovolo Hotels Shannon Shi, Melbourne Marriott Hotel Award presented by Ben Chapman, Intrust Super and received by Chris Waite, IHG and Renae Trimble, Accor

40 HM The Business of Accommodation

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Benjamin Kiss, Wildlife Retreat at Taronga, NSW Jessica Sykes, The Star Gold Coast, QLD

Co-hosted by

34. Revenue Management Associate

Award presented by Emma Wong, Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School and received by Jennifer Roach & Marta Wheeldon, View Hotels and Fready Goenawan, Ovolo Group

Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Fready Goenawan, Ovolo Group Joanna Millwater, View Hotels HIGHLY COMMENDED: Gillian O’Keefe, Pullman Sydney Airport Rosalind MacDonald, Crowne Plaza Sydney Coogee Beach

35. Housekeeper Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Tiffany Egan, Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise Sharleen Wells, ibis Styles Kingsgate

Award presented by Kylie Maxwell, ahs Hospitality and received

by Justin Jones, ahs Hospitality and Andrew Morley, IHG

36. Hotel Engineer Sponsored by

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Irina Rynne, Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Port Douglas, QLD Christian Tapia, Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour, NSW

Award presented by Danyal Hizbas, HoneyBadger Technologies and received by Anton Van Den Brink, Marriott International and Stephane Balande, IHG

WINNERS:

Paul Raju, The Westin Denarau Island Resort and Spa, Fiji Warren Franks, InterContinental Sydney Double Bay HIGHLY COMMENDED: Cameron Wells, Mantra Esplanade, QLD Gerard Johnston, DoubleTree by Hilton Perth Northbridge, WA

hotelmanagement.com.au 41

37. Rising Star Sponsored by

Award presented by Ben Chapman, Intrust Super and received by Natasha Rasheed, Marriott International; Yasmin Keen, Accor and Jadene Croft, Ayers Rock Resort, also pictured with Kristin Howden and Ravinder Kalvakuntla, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia

WINNERS:

Ashleigh Robertson, The Westin Melbourne, VIC Jadene Croft, Ayers Rock Resort, NT Stephanie Scott, Pullman Sydney Airport, NSW HIGHLY COMMENDED: Amanda Miyagusuku, Novotel Queenstown Lakeside

38. Ashley Spencer Service to the Industry Award Sponsored by

WINNER:

Leanne Harwood, IHG Award presented by James Wilkinson, HM Magazine and Heidi Kunkel, Hilton and received

by Leanne Harwood, IHG

39. South Pacific General Manager Sponsored by

WINNER:

Neeraj Chadha, Marriott International Fiji and Samoa HIGHLY COMMENDED: Marcus Niszow, Pacific Resort Hotel Group Justin King, VOMO Island Fiji Vincent Macquet, Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa

42 HM The Business of Accommodation

Award presented by Ash Munce, Sealy Australia and received by Natasha Rasheed, Marriott International

Co-hosted by

Award presented by Kylie Maxwell, ahs Hospitality and received by Renae Trimble, Accor

40. New Zealand General Manager Sponsored by

WINNER:

Jo Finnegan, Hotel St Moritz, Queenstown HIGHLY COMMENDED: Jamie O’Donnell, Oaks Wellington Hotel Mark Rose, The Rees Hotel, Queenstown Zac Lumsden, Grand Mercure Auckland

41. Australian General Manager Sponsored by

Award presented by Paul McDonough, Sealy Australia and received

by Jennifer Brown, InterContinental Sydney

WINNER:

Jennifer Brown, InterContinental Sydney, NSW HIGHLY COMMENDED: Emma Hynes, TFE Hotels Jesse Kornoff, Mount Lofty House, SA Michael Collis, Mayfair Hotel, SA

42. Service to the Community Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Award presented by Caroline Camargo, Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School and received by David Mansfield and Madeleine Maher, Quest Apartment Hotels, Sarah Derry, Accor and Luis Oviedo, Marriott International

Accor Marriott International Quest Apartment Hotels HIGHLY COMMENDED: Atura Blacktown

hotelmanagement.com.au 43

43. Hotel Brand of the Year Sponsored by

WINNERS:

Hilton Ovolo Hotels

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Little National QT Hotels and Resorts Award presented by Ash Munce, Sealy Australia and received by the teams from Ovolo Group and Hilton Australasia

44. Accommodation Chain of the Year Sponsored by

WINNERS:

InterContinental Hotels Group Quest Apartment Hotels HIGHLY COMMENDED: Accor and Hyatt Hotels and Resorts Award presented by Ben Chapman, Intrust Super and received by Leanne Harwood, IHG and David Mansfield, Quest Apartment Hotels

44 HM The Business of Accommodation

Co-hosted by

Award presented by Paul McDonough, Sealy Australia and received by Stephanie Inglis, Hamilton Island and Melinda Lamper, Pullman Sydney Hyde Park on behalf of Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, Accor

45. Australasian Hotel of the Year Sponsored by

WINNERS:

qualia, QLD Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, NSW HIGHLY COMMENDED: Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge, TAS The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, WA

46. Australasian Hotelier of the Year Sponsored by

WINNER:

Heidi Kunkel, Hilton HIGHLY COMMENDED: Barry Robinson, Wyndham Destinations Jure Domazet, Doma Group Simon McGrath, Accor Award presented by Tara Ducrou, HM Magazine and received by Heidi Kunkel, Hilton

hotelmanagement.com.au 45

47. Asia-Pacific Hotelier of the Year Sponsored by

WINNER:

Michael Issenberg, Accor HIGHLY COMMENDED: Alan Watts, Hilton Craig S. Smith, Marriott International David Udell, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts Award presented by James Wilkinson, HM Magazine and received by Renae Trimble, Lindsay Leeser and Sarah Derry, Accor

48. Hall of Fame Sponsored by

WINNER:

Michael Issenberg, Accor Award presented by James Wilkinson, HM Magazine and received by the team from Accor

46 HM The Business of Accommodation

Co-hosted by

Presentation partner message

AS PROUD SPONSORS for the 12th year of the HM Awards, Sealy Commercial would like to congratulate all of the 2020 award winners.

Once again, Sealy returned to the HM Awards as presentation partner for what is, in our eyes, the jewel in the crown of the Australian accommodation scene.

There are so many people to thank and congratulate but there were a few special performances on the evening which deserve special mention. It has been a difficult year for many of us and the decision by HM to go ahead with the awards night at the Hyatt Regency Sydney in the hybrid format that it was is a credit to their team.

Although the event was significantly different and couldn’t accommodate the number of guests we had in 2019, it was again an outstanding success and definitely a highlight for those who were lucky to

attend. We would like to say congratulations and thank you to the HM team for their commitment and professionalism in the way the event was managed.

Thank you also for everyone who kindly donated towards the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation via the pledge cards and the silent auction items.

And finally, on behalf of Sealy we’d like to thank everyone who attended on the night as well as those supporting the evening virtually and in particular all the people and properties nominated for awards and the lucky few who won. We can’t wait to be back in 2021.

hotelmanagement.com.au 47

Co-host partner message WHAT A YEAR it has been for our industry, but more importantly what a year it has been for our learning and business agility. As a proud and continued sponsor of the HM Awards, ahs Hospitality could not be here today without the support from industry partners and, most importantly, our valued clients.

In 2020, we presented 21 finalists across Australia, two of which are our true rising stars. Without a doubt, this hardworking group of individuals deserve the recognition they are receiving for their contributions and commitment to the hotel industry in 2020. We could not be prouder of Sharleen Wells for winning Housekeeping Manager of the year followed by her colleague, Christian Tapia, who was highly commended in this category.

We now look towards 2021 as we see the industry re-build, bigger and better than ever. As ahs Hospitality continues to develop new partnerships and maintain those existing, we are focused on delivering enhanced quality service to guests, creating even safer environments within our places of work, development of advanced technology and further striving for a sustainable, environmentally sound, future. Our commitment is to continue development and demonstrations of initiatives that will benefit our teams and our hotel partners.

As the largest outsourced housekeeping service provider in Australia and New Zealand, ahs Hospitality thrives on supporting the accommodation and tourism industries. Our partnership with HM Magazine is a perfect example of our commitment to the industry, and our continued relationships with partners alike.

Co-host partner message HOW FANTASTIC IT was to witness truly committed industry professionals being recognised for their dedication, perseverance and commitment to excellence at the 2020 HM Awards. We celebrate your incredible resilience and tenacity through a highly disruptive year for the industry – it has been truly inspiring.

To our 13 sensational BMIHMS Alumni nominated for an award – congratulations! We are beyond proud of your achievements and for being recognised as industry leaders in Australia and across the globe.

This year, the HM Awards is about so much more than just recognising success. It has become a bold statement of the bravery and adaptability of the industry – one that continues to inspire.

After enduring a year of devastating bushfires, a crippling global pandemic, this message of strength will reverberate beyond the event and instil hope for young aspiring hospitality professionals, much like our very own BMIHMS students who volunteered on the night of the event.

48 HM The Business of Accommodation

To help those impacted by this year, BMIHMS and Torrens University Australia stepped up in a big way, providing a suite of free short courses to the public throughout the year.

It allowed many in the industry the opportunity to upskill and set themselves up for future success. With over 18,000 courses and 23,000 hours of learning completed – valued at over two million dollars - we have been proud to play our part in supporting the hospitality community as well as the broader public.

This celebration and the incredible achievements of these exceptional professionals exemplifies the hope we have for the industry.

As the industry continues to recover, the need for passionate, skilled talent will remain. It’s why BMIHMS is thrilled to expand its course offerings to our Adelaide campus this year to meet the need. Once again, we congratulate all the winners of the 2020 HM Awards and wish them the very best in future endeavours.

Co-hosted by

Co-host partner message AFTER A YEAR of extraordinary challenges, it was fantastic to spend a night recognising the incredible achievements of the accommodation industry in 2020. As a proud sponsor of the 2020 HM Awards for Accommodation Excellence, we loved having the opportunity to help HM recognise the accommodation industry’s finest employees, properties and brands.

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists. We hope you enjoyed the welldeserved evening to celebrate your achievements. This industry has faced some of its biggest challenges in 2020, and it is thanks to everyone’s hard work, innovation and commitment to the industry that we can now look towards a recovery in 2021.

As Australia and the rest of the world continues to face the challenges of COVID-19, Intrust Super will continue to support our business partners and members on this next part of the journey. Personalised service has always been a cornerstone of Intrust Super’s offering. We’ve been supporting our business partners and their staff with free Super Health Checks and virtual education sessions and seminars. These are designed to help staff rebuild their savings and consider what’s next for their super.

In the new year, we’ll be rolling out our Service Program to business partners, offering a variety of virtual and physical services to help improve the financial wellbeing of hospitality and tourism staff in 2021. Congratulations once again to all those recognised at this year’s HM Awards – and to all those in the accommodation industry across Australia for your incredible efforts in 2020. We are incredibly excited to see what you can achieve in 2021!

AV and Entertainment Partner message FOXTEL BUSINESS WAS delighted to return to the HM Awards in 2020 as AV and Entertainment Sponsor. It was a fantastic evening and very humbling to see and hear the camaraderie in the room after what has been a hugely difficult year for everybody in the accommodation industry.

Foxtel has been a key part of the in-room entertainment delivery for over 20 years, but this year more than ever has highlighted the need to provide high quality technology and entertainment to guests. Our world-

class technology platform - the Business iQ - has already begun transforming the guest experience in many of our key accommodation partners.

The Business iQ delivers 90 satellite channels with HD and 4K readiness, freeto-view guest access to Foxtel’s Video On Demand library (featuring over 1,000 movies and 4,000 TV episodes), Free-to-Air TV and Casting, all in an easy-to-navigate user interface. Additionally, hotels can provide a digital compendium and concierge, insert

their own customer channels and pause live TV. Supported by Foxtel and without the need for separate systems, Foxtel can be the one stop shop for all guest engagement and entertainment.

Foxtel Business was proud to present the award for Tech Hotel to Little National Hotel, Canberra and would like to congratulate all the nominees and winners at this year’s awards - they are all truly deserving of recognition. hotelmanagement.com.au 49

INTERIOR DESIGN

FOR THOUGHT

Flying Fish restaurant at The Star, Sydney

A GROWING TREND AMONG HOTEL F&B HAS BEEN ABOUT POSITIONING DINING VENUES AS SEPARATE ENTITIES TO APPEAL BOTH TO LOCALS AND GUESTS. HM GETS THE SCOOP FROM SEVERAL LEADING DESIGNERS

Luchetti Krelle

Rachel Luchetti – Director

The integration of a standout dining experience within a hotel can draw from culinary culture in a way that nourishes the brand and drives up occupancy numbers. It is crucial to attract locals as well as in-house guests to bring that vital energy of community spirit that forms a unique sense of place.

Sometimes this can be a major design challenge – particularly when the restaurant doesn’t have a direct entry from the street as there is a psychological barrier to overcome when crossing traditional hotel lobbies in order to reach a restaurant or bar. These often lack the buzz and excitement of stepping into a thriving establishment. Hotels often become a bubble to the outside world and there is a real stigma in penetrating that bubble. For too long, we have seen empty lobbies in prime locations in our cities going to waste – with a lack 50 HM The Business of Accommodation

of activation and inspired fine grain food and beverage insertions. Sometimes it seems that the service staff lack passion and energy and the challenge of designing to accommodate a breakfast offering that has to somehow magically transform into an evening dining experience leaves hotels floundering and falling short of the mark in the name of flexibility.

Interestingly, as a result of COVID we are now seeing a major spike in ‘staycations’ and there is a sense of luxury in the idea that you might drink, dine and stay – all under the one roof. With this recent shift in focus onto the domestic traveller, now, more than ever before, we need for our hotels to step up their offering and see the value in brand growth through their commitment to providing amazing food and beverage. And of course – investing in design excellence for integrated and immersive experiences.

Paul Kelly Design Paul Kelly – Director

Paul Kelly Design has been in operation for almost 23 years

and has opened close to 600 Food and Beverage spaces in Australia.

Through this time, we have developed an understanding on what can be done to entice guests to stay in house during their stay, and not to see the in-house food and beverage as the second choice or convenience or the value proposition. In our opinion, it should start from the initial planning of the venue – when the developer is starting the process – prior to any branding taking place.

INTERIOR DESIGN

The Australian market is spoilt for choice, and specifically, Australian travellers are adventurous and enjoy ‘hunting’ for the best in class F&B on offer. What we have started to do is to place dining venues facing out of the development, giving them street appeal and making them a stand-alone success in the eyes of the customers, both internally and externally. The operation of the venue is external to the hotel, with a rental deal that is mainly based around the success of the venue operator, so the hotel can receive some of the kudos for being associated with success.

Some of the best examples of this are the restaurants we have completed at The Star in Sydney, where we have designed and built Sokyo, Black and more recently, Flying Fish. All of these venues are perceived to be external operations, away from the core – in this case, hotel and casino, allowing customers to choose their food and beverage strategy with a name that they are familiar with and without the feeling of missing out on the local experience. Success leads to success and that has been our ethos since day one. It works.

Suede Interior Design Clifford Rip – Principal

In foodie cities such as Melbourne, Paris or Tokyo, the theatre and creativity of the food and guest experience in a restaurant is more relevant than any other public space. Restaurants are fickle spaces, and often fail because we over think them.

When we design a new F&B venue, we need to always remember the basics – good food first, then good and efficient service, and only then, design.

As much as good food requires an efficient kitchen, it’s not to say that size matters. Gone are the days when a ratio of one third the size of your F&B venue needs to be kitchen. We’ve moved into an era where some of the most tasty and beautiful dishes are coming out of food trucks and pop-up venues, where storage, prep and plate up are

Za Za Ta Bar and Kitchen at Ovolo The Valley, Brisbane all done in a space no more than four square metres for a day’s offering. Yes, it’s not ideal setting your Sous Chef alight while flambéing your Steak Diane, but it’s not to say that it cannot be created in a caravan.

Just as design is constantly being squeezed to its bare minimum, so should the kitchen. Reducing these excessive initial costs will encourage chefs to be more creative. Designers also don’t need to have six layers of design on every surface. In fact, it could be as simple and clever as a white room with selective lighting washing off surfaces and textures, or merely a few stools in the field around a fire and a prep table, to be a successful complement to the food. However, with this sort of minimalism, it would need to be ensured that the Interior Designer is fully immersed in the cuisine and menu first to be able to successfully create a concept that marries the menu, service and experience all together. n

“Gone are the days when a ratio of one third the size of your F&B venue needs to be kitchen.”

Clifford Rip, Suede Interior Design

Four Points by Sheraton wins major NZ design award The Marriott International hotel has been recognised by the NZ Property Council.

Four Points by Sheraton, Auckland has claimed a major national property accolade, taking out ‘Best in Category’ for Tourism and Leisure at the Property Council New Zealand Awards recently.

The successful submission came from the Russell Property Group, who was in charge of the development and supported with architecture from Dalman Architects.

Dalman Architects Managing Director, Richard Dalman, said the recognition was highly valued and was a great endorsement for the whole team.

“The 17 finalists included hotels, hot pools, fitness centre, Koru lounge, airport building, and other tourist developments” he said.

hotelmanagement.com.au 51

FOOD & BEVERAGE

COVID-safe dining doesn’t mean quality has to be compromised

NOT FAMINE HOTEL EXPENDITURE HAS THIS YEAR BEEN FORCED ONTO A DIET, WITH MANY OPERATORS TIGHTENING THEIR BELTS, PARTICULARLY AS IT RELATES TO DINING. EVEN IN THE KITCHEN, THE PERFECT RECIPE INVOLVES COOKING SMARTER, NOT HARDER.

“Over the last 12 months, we’ve worked with clients to reimagine the dining room by changing away from buffets.”

Andrew Brightmore, FoodBuy

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hew on this. According to the University of California, nearly one third of all of the food produced in the world each year is wasted.

One third. Amounting to around 1.3 billion metric tonnes each year. That’s a difficult fact to swallow.

Food waste has been a problem that the hotel industry has been highly proactive about addressing in recent years. Through various food rescue agencies, many hotel groups are now donating what stock they can from what is still perfectly usable but edging closer to internal use-by dates. These ingredients are then turned into hundreds, maybe even thousands, of meals distributed by charities and in turn, helping hotels fine tune their order sheets to minimise waste.

Similarly, another way hotels can improve the efficiency of their dining facilities has been to partially, or fully, outsource to a third party.

For a company such as FoodBuy, outsourcing elements of a hotel’s F&B operations can make significant, but not detrimental, inroads to trim unwanted fat from a hotel restaurant’s balance sheet. The company’s Executive Director, Andrew Brightmore, said the company had the benefit of scale and buying power to help hotels significantly lower the procurement costs of their restaurants and dining operations.

“We’ve got over 5,000 suppliers [and] over 200,000 products. And if we haven’t got it, we’ll find it,” he said.

FoodBuy is part of the global multinational Compass Group, the world’s largest foodservices company which operates catering and dining divisions for companies

52 HM The Business of Accommodation

and industries all the world – whether customer facing, employee facing or resident facing. Operating in 45 countries and backed by more than 600,000 employees, the company works to take the complex nature of dining out of a business’ hands to allow them to focus on doing what they do best and leaving the culinary health and wellbeing of their workforces in their hands. Industries such as aged care, hospitals, mining, entertainment, education and others have simplified their catering operations with the help of partners such as FoodBuy. The company has been highly active in the hotel scene during the pandemic, turned to as a critical partner by many hotels catering to quarantined returning travellers to provide daily sustenance and nutrition. From menu design to picking and packing three square meals each day, the company served more than half a million meals around Australia by August.

Some of the key benefits available by entrusting catering and procurement to an outsourced partner include being able to take advantage of immense buying power, which by virtue of massive bulk orders, allow businesses to lower their own costs by piggy-backing on that competitive advantage.

Ordering volume is one way hotels can save money by adding their own supply requirements to a bulk outsourcer," Brightmore says. FoodBuy is able to assist by providing chefs and wait staff, linen, crockery and cutlery and even assist with menu design if needed. Many hotels however hire their own culinary expertise and service staff and FoodBuy works closely with existing culinary

FOOD & BEVERAGE

teams to lower costs in other areas, which in the majority of cases can be double-digit.

“The absolute vast majority of everything we’ve done has been double digit. We’ve seen product savings as high as 35% to 50% in some instances.

“Most of these organisations, they run very lean, they always have done, and they invest a lot of labour in looking after the consumer experience. And sometimes that means they don’t have the kind of procurement and supply chain experience in their business to get the results they should.

“Right now I’ve got 50 people in my business right across Australia who do nothing but procurement, supply chain and supply relationships. That’s what they do for a living. So what we essentially do is we take that capability and the whole supply chain that these guys have built, and we bring that to a hotel. So a hotel doesn’t have to invest in that capability themselves. We provide the benefits to them as a service,” he said.

With fewer guests in house this year, coupled with the health implications of COVID, the majority of Australian hotels have been forced to radically alter much of their operational protocols in 2020. Aside from social distancing and a far greater focus on personal hygiene, masks and routine cleanliness, hotels have also descaled restaurant operations to adhere to government restrictions.

For FoodBuy, part of its service in 2020 has involved helping its clients adapt to regulations through altered seating patterns, new menus and ensuring continuity of service though rapidly changing trading conditions.

“Over the last 12 months, we’ve worked with clients to reimagine the dining room by moving away from buffets and into more COVID safe environment,” Brightmore added.

“We’ve worked with clients to adjust menus significantly in response to COVID by looking at more individual or takeaway or delivered meals instead of the traditional dining experience. That’s been massive and a fantastic experience to work with clients.

“It really is all about helping clients manage cost, along with food safety, food supply, supply continuity, and giving people confidence and assurance.” n

We are here for you

FoodBuy provides food and services to nearly 700 locations Australia-wide

As our industry recovers from a challenging year, Foodbuy stands ready to deliver and bring you our national procurement capability, the highest quality supply chain and the competitive advantage that all Foodbuy Clients enjoy.

The Procurement and Supply Chain team behind Australia’s largest food and support services organisation.

Meet the team behind 70 million meals a year at www.foodbuy.com.au TRUSTED • INNOVATIVE • ENGAGING • TRANSPARENT

ROOMS DIVISION

Hand sanitisers are here to stay, and that’s a good thing

CLEAN THE DEMAND FOR HAND SANITISERS ON THE BACK OF THE PANDEMIC HAS LED TO SOME INVESTMENT IN HOW THE PRODUCT IS OFFERED AND DISPENSED.

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ewind the clock back a year. Walk into any hotel in Australia and it’s likely you wouldn’t see numerous bottles of hand sanitiser along with signposted directives encouraging, or even mandating use. You probably wouldn’t see a team member armed with gloves and a bottle of his or her own approaching with a smile and inviting a spray on your hands. No social distancing. No QR codes to register your presence. None of it.

That’s not to say hand sanitisers wouldn’t have been there at all. Many businesses of all shapes, sizes and industries – especially anything involving food service – have obviously been sanitising and disinfecting hands and surfaces forever. But it’s fair to say they wouldn’t have been as obvious and as much of a standout item as the COVID-19 pandemic has now made them to be.

Now, dictated by global circumstances, hand sanitisers and dispensary stations are no longer a sign of an inherent hygiene problem or infection. Rather, quite the opposite. The pandemic has brought to light a variety of hand sanitiser products, spurred development in improving products, upped production significantly 54 HM The Business of Accommodation

and heralded investment in a catalogue of supporting products including automated and manual dispensers that fit perfectly with a hotel’s own branding.

For all the economic and emotional pain, many would agree Australia has done a stellar job in combating the spread of the virus – especially when compared to foreign counterparts. And now, hand sanitisers have woven their way into our subliminal routine. As such, hotels are now able to take a breath and find ways to place the product in the path of all its guests as they move about the hotel. This involves designing visually appealing dispensers which blend with their overall décor.

“With the immediate threat of COVID subsided, hotels are now looking for visually attractive dispensers, as the need for hand hygiene will be ongoing,” says Swisstrade Principal, Peter Weingartner.

“With the new Magnum Dispensers and Floor Pedestal from Leif, Swisstrade offer a design statement and an Australian brand story at the same time.”

To help hotels deliver on hand sanitiser requirements for its guests, the company has designed a smart looking pedestal which can be placed in high movement areas to encourage guests and visitors to partake in some hand hygiene. The products are compatible with many different bottle sizes, or clients can order some of the new bulk-size Hands-On gel sanitisers in stock, which is now available as a 1.5-litre pump bottle.

“The aromatic gel formulation has an invigorating scent with a velvety texture that wipes out 99.9% of germs,” Weingartner said.

The new 1.5-litre ‘Hands On’ from Leif and Swisstrade

“Native essential oils supercharged with antibacterial properties are delivered in a 70% alcohol base derived from natural cane sugar.”

Throughout the pandemic, Hunter Amenities has been working closely with its suppliers to boost its range of on-trend hand sanitisers.

“Ensuring our hotel partners have exceptional and high- quality sanitising products with beautiful and distinctive designs has been our number one priority” said Mike Matulick, Hunter Amenities Managing Director APAC/ME. Hotels have been responding favourably to several new brands which have been forced to leap head first into the commercial quantity landscape as demand for sanitiser products has understandably skyrocketed in 2020. Socially conscious brands such as Thankyou, Native Secrets and several other ‘Do Good’ labels have been well received, with extra support received for their humanitarian ventures such as Soap Aid which collects and recycles discarded soaps to turn them into new products for less fortunate members of society.

“The Appelles Hand Sanitiser has been a real success,” says Vanity Group.

“Hotels are looking for an elevated high performing option for their guests and staff, where they don’t feel

generic brands are an option,” said Vanity Group Director of Sales and Marketing, Nicholas Mina.

“Hotels are using the 500ml bottles at reception and public areas and the convenient 50ml bottle for personal use. It also makes for a great turndown gift.

With 70% ethanol and the refreshing scent of lemon verbena, it offers the hotel a luxurious product that keeps their guests safe. Hand Sanitiser has now become an expectation from guests across all hotels,” he added.

Fast forward a year from now and it is likely that on a long-term basis, the regular use of hand sanitiser will become part of everyday life. Now that production and supply is readily available and the scope of product broad and plentiful, it can only be a good thing. n

“Personal hand sanitiser makes for a great turndown gift” Nicholas Mina, Vanity Group

Bemboka Hotel Robes & Blankets

JVD Guest Room Equipment

Creating memorable guest touch-points and hospitality lifestyle since 1997.

Lifestyle Accessories swisstrade.com.au

Ascolia Carts & Trolleys

Ruark Sound Systems

Australian Hotel Amenities

HUMAN RESOURCES

LESSONS IN

A LOT OF WORDS HAVE BEEN USED TO DESCRIBE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF THE PANDEMIC. BUT TWO KEY LABELS – RESILIENCE AND ADAPTABILITY – HAVE STUCK MORE THAN OTHERS.

Many students are moving into post-graduate study in hotel management

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esilience and adaptability are two key focus words associated with industries and their workforces as they navigate the pandemic.

And few would argue that the accommodation and hospitality industry has demonstrated more than its fair share throughout.

Despite government wage subsidy programs saving large swathes of the industry’s workforce through the darkest days of the pandemic earlier this year, not all jobs and workers were spared as responsibilities were consolidated and employers were forced to tighten their belts. Now, as borders begin to reopen, travellers are venturing out once again and hotels are calling their troops back to their posts.

Only this time, many of these workers are returning armed with new skills, new qualifications and knowledge far beyond what they left with. These workers have redefined resilience by not throwing in the towel and instead, putting their heads down and getting on with improving their own professional prospects. As a result, leading industry educators have not reported any 56 HM The Business of Accommodation

major downturn in numbers of students progressing on from their Bachelor Degrees and onward into PostGraduate study.

BMIHMS Associate Dean, Dr Simon Pawson, said the two focus words of resilience and adaptability were perfect synonyms with how workers have fared during the pandemic.

“Over the course of the 20th Century and into the 21st Century, the tourism industry has endured numerous crisis – from world wars, to terrorism, natural disasters and more recently a global health pandemic, all substantively impacting the industry,” Dr Pawson said.

“Tourism, hospitality and hotels have proven their resilience through crisis and ability to quickly recover. The industry has also demonstrated how it can successfully adapt its services and products as a result of a crisis.”

Mid-level management and those with three years supervisory experience can enrol in the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School’s (BMIHMS) Postgraduate Master Degree program in International Hotel Management, which is a two-year program.

HUMAN RESOURCES

Like other BMIHMS courses, this post-graduate study is currently being delivered entirely online for students to undertake from home or their office.

Adelaide’s International College of Hotel Management (ICHM) has witnessed similar trends in 2020, with students moving from undergraduate to post-graduate study opting instead to increase their study loads, with a shift to online learning also proving no barrier to taking on more subjects.

ICHM Principal, Dr George Brown, said students have shown a remarkable resilience during the pandemic.

“A number of our students completing their undergraduate program at this time are moving into our Master of International Hotel Management, seeing this as an opportunity to invest their time wisely with a post graduate qualification,” Dr Brown said.

“During the initial COVID stand-downs, it was evident that our students were highly resilient, and despite the initial shock, stood their ground and demonstrated a real desire to soldier on and complete their qualifications.

“Our swift move to online delivery was monitored closely, and to our delight, we received resounding positive support from our students. Those students on Industry Placements took it upon themselves to take on additional subjects online so that that they could maximise the use of the stand down time and move further in their study programs.

Looking further ahead at hopefully calmer times to come, Dr Brown said the best investment one can make as the ‘new normal’ is identified is in education.

“Tourism, hospitality and hotels have proven their resilience through crisis.”

Dr Simon Pawson, BMIHMS

“Studying and engaging in scholarly discourse about the challenges at hand can but only empower our students to navigate through these uncertain times,” he added.

As Confucius himself said – ‘Education breeds confidence’ – and as the pandemic subsides in Australia and eventually around the world, Dr Pawson from BMIHMS says the industry will always need future leaders, with its focus not wavered from building confidence with both existing and future students.

“One of the outcomes of the pandemic has been the move toward upskilling, particularly those who may have had their previous employment impacted,” Dr Pawson added.

“Through the pandemic BMIHMS has been able to offer a flexible selection of courses that range from ondemand courses, short courses through to masters, an MBA in International Hotel Leadership and doctorates.”

The key narrative through this pandemic has been ‘Stay Strong’. The industry has done just that. n

Educators are seeing students increase their workload during the pandemic a Le

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FOOD AND BEVERAGE More stages of the coffee journey are now highly sustainable

GREEN THROUGH EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION, COFFEE FARMERS ARE RECEIVING SIGNIFICANT LEVELS OF SUPPORT FROM DISTRIBUTORS TO PRODUCE THEIR PRODUCT GREENER THAN EVER. 58 HM The Business of Accommodation

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offee lovers – millions, maybe even billions of them – are a fickle bunch. They know what they like, rarely deviate from it and stick with it for life. Such dedication serves as a standout testament to Australia’s coffee importers, roasters, brewers, distributors and baristas that they have been able to ever-so-gradually tinker with many different blends to make the supply line and source markets greener, leaner and more environmentally sustainable without changing the taste loved by their loyal customers.

While pretty much any of the world’s 120 or so varieties of coffee beans can be found, purchased or imported to Australia, most Australian coffee consumers get their daily fix from Arabica or Robusta beans. Both are highly robust varieties which offer either a smooth or bolder taste and that addictive coffee aroma.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

“Nescafé is on track to distributing 220,000 coffee plantlets in 2020.”

Nescafé Professional

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ew

o rl d

Consumers are rapidly moving away from disposable cups and towards reusables

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em ar re T he

Nescafé Professional has a multi-pronged approach to the business, implementing the group’s strategy across sustainability, which begins right at the beginning in the all teams and processes. farming process.

In its most recent Sustainability Report, published “Through our network of about 300 agronomists, we in 2019, De’ Longhi says it is committed to managing actively work with coffee farmers across 15 coffee producing energy resources, respecting fair working conditions countries, visiting more than 30,000 coffee farms per year throughout its supply chain and contributing the growth and providing training or assistance to about 100,000 of its farming and production communities. coffee farmers every year,” the company said.

At two of the company’s Italian production plants, “Nescafé also runs the largest private coffee plantlet new systems have been put in place to drastically cut distribution program in the world [and] we are on track energy usage. At its Mignagola Plant, nearly 10% of its to distributing 220,000 coffee plantlets in 2020, as well energy use is generated through photovoltaic panels as assisting coffee farmers to renovate their tree stock installed on the roof. At its Cluj plant, traditional with improved material.” lighting systems were replaced by LED lamps, reducing At a grassroots level, literally, the company’s ‘Nescafé energy consumption whilst maintaining performance.

Plan’ is a company-wide initiative designed not just Furthermore, a new warehouse heating system was fitted, to support farmers and nurture future generations of utilising excess heat from its drying areas and thereby coffee farmers, but to cultivate a long-term green and reducing the natural gas loads needed to power the sustainable supply of its coffee for years and decades to boilers. In China, plastic moulding machinery has been come. This is done by adopting science-based research replaced by equipment which runs on electricity over and formulating plans to mitigate and adapt to the pneumatic power, cutting power consumption by 25%. effects of climate change.

Fun fact in closing. Did you know that around the Transparency is key to ensuring that this is maintained world, more than 25,000 cups of coffee are consumed through its supply chain, while independent and thirdevery second of the day? Along with tea, it’s the world’s party consultants are tasked with the job of checking most popular drink and now that sustainability is firmly that the right social and environmental conditions are rooted in the supply, production and consumption in place. aspects of coffee, there’s no longer a reason Perhaps the most innovative approach to Nestle’s your daily coffee needs to be a green coffee production line involves the rapid guilty pleasure, but simply, escalation in plant-based milks moving into the market, a pleasure. n coupled with the rise in vegan and free-from lifestyles that more Australians are adopting. Milk varieties such as soy, almond, macadamia, oat, cashew, pea, rice and coconut all provide something different to your regular coffee and while they might not all be your liking, they are bound to appeal to some.

Vittoria is highly active in greening the consumption stage of coffee, continuing to promote and distribute its range of ceramic and stainless steel coffee cups in cafes to reduce the use of takeaway single-use cups.

Thousands have been given away to encourage consumers to make the switch permanently. The company is also currently trialling a new biodegradable and compostable cup, along with a fully recyclable cup which can be recycled with paper products.

In its production and supply chain, Vittoria also continues to educate and support sustainable farming practices through its decade-long partnership with Rainforest Alliance to ensure ecosystem preservation.

For the De’ Longhi Group, its sustainability ecosystem is based on three pillars – its people, products and processes – with input from each helping to shape the company’s environmental deliverables.

Starting right at the top, the De’ Longhi Sustainability Steering Committee has recruited or un et Sustainability Ambassadors right across ro ha a s n 12 e ieti 0 coff ee bean var

hotelmanagement.com.au 59

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

OF THE EARTH THE RICH HISTORY BEHIND AUSTRALIA'S IMPORTED MINERAL WATER BRANDS IS ELEVATED FURTHER WHEN CONSIDERING THE IMMENSE JOURNEY THE WATER HAS TRAVELLED TO REACH YOUR TABLE

60 HM The Business of Accommodation

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

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ome could say natural Italian mineral water is a bit like a mortgage – it takes 30 years before it’s truly yours.

But in all seriousness, anything that take three decades to mature and come to fruition must be something worth waiting for. And in the case of a cold bottle of mineral water, there’s a freshness about the taste that is hard to beat, even if you’re blissfully unaware of how fat that water has travelled before reaching you.

Two of Australia’s leading imported natural Italian mineral waters – S.Pellegrino and Santa Vittoria – both trace their product back to the Italian Alps near the town of Bergamo in northern Italy. The mountains rise to an elevation of 3,343 metres above sea level and enjoy plentiful snow and rainfall, with that outflow slowly trickling its way and finally arriving at its source at the foothills of the mountains, 350 metres above sea level.

That rain however is where the mineral water journey begins. The area has been known since the Middle Ages for the health benefits of its water. For S.Pellegrino, as the water moves on its three-decade journey, the physical and chemical composition naturally changes, absorbing minerals as it travels through the limestone mountains towards its outflow. This magnesium, calcium, salts, natural sulphates and other minerals mix and travel all the way down into three deep springs in the little Italian village of Val Brembana where it is lightly carbonated prior to bottling. Depending on where the water emerges, it can have distinctive differences in its taste.

S.Pellegrino says it is committed to safeguarding water resources as an active member of the Alliance for Water Stewardship, with a certified sustainable plant opening in 2022 tipped to become a local tourist attraction.

This certification involves participation in the sustainable management of local water resources in order to guarantee the quantity of water used doesn't exceed the source's natural capacity for refilling.

Santa Vittoria sources its water in a similar way, with the product then imported to Australia and distributed by the third-generation Cantarella Brothers family business.

As an importer, Santa Vittoria has invested heavily in its supply and distribution chains in order to complement the purity and quality of the final product.

The company works as a Platinum Partner of the ‘Carbon Neutral’ and offsets emissions generated through its importations by contributing to programs to plant new trees. In two decades, the Carbon Neutral campaign is approaching 30 million new trees planted. More than 46,000 tonnes of carbon emissions have been offset through Vittoria’s participation in this program.

“We strive to provide our clients the purest mineral waters available but we also care about the planet’s wellbeing,” says Vittoria Brand Manager, Joshua Passaro.

“We aim to deliver Santa Vittoria from the source in Northern Italy to consumers with as little environmental impact as possible. We do this by offsetting the carbon emissions generated from the importation of Santa Vittoria mineral water into Australia and New Zealand.

“We believe this commitment is a significant step towards a more sustainable future and partnering with a recognised organisation such as Carbon Neutral adds another level of integrity to our environmental actions.” n

“We offset the carbon emissions generated from the importation of Santa Vittoria into Australia.”

Joshua Passaro, Santa Vittoria

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DEVELOPMENT Holiday Inn Express Sydney Airport opened in late October

FACTOR Accor

Lindsay Leeser – Senior VP President Development & Franchise Pacific

Despite the uncertainty of 2020, Accor has continued to remain active in securing new franchisees. We have a very strong franchise development pipeline with a number of projects underway for 2021 and more currently in the final stages of negotiation.

We recently announced three new The Sebel properties have joined our network – The Sebel Yarrawonga opened in November 2020, and The Sebel Melbourne Ringwood and The Sebel Wellington Lower Hutt will both welcome guests from 2021. In the past 12 months, we also opened Mantra Melbourne Melton at Tabcorp Park, along with Mercure Rockhampton and Mantra Mackay in North Queensland.

Now, more than ever before, investors are seeking out the comfort and security that comes from partnering with Australia’s largest hotel operator – one which is backed by the power of some five million ALL loyalty members in the Pacific and global distribution channels to capture domestic tourism.

With 70% of our franchise network located in key regional and leisure destinations, many of our franchise properties have experienced strong demand this year as domestic travellers seek out holiday destinations closer to home. To inspire and encourage travellers to re-discover the beauty of their own countries, Accor recently launched multi-million 62 HM The Business of Accommodation

HOTEL FRANCHISEES WILL PUT UP A COMPELLING ARGUMENT THAT THEY HAVE ENDURED ONE OF THE HARDEST BUSINESS YEARS ON RECORD. BUT BACKED

BY THEIR PARENT COMPANIES, A VARIETY OF INITIATIVES HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED TO SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH AND ENSURE NEW INVESTORS AREN’T DETERRED.

dollar domestic tourism marketing campaigns in both Australia and New Zealand with great results.

As a Group, we continue to prioritise the wellbeing of our team and partners. In April 2020, Accor launched its ALL Heartist Fund to support and provide vital aid to employees and partners suffering personal financial hardship due to COVID-19 activity disruption. In the Pacific region alone, Accor has awarded more than AUD$3.4 million in grants to support staff and partners.

I am also overwhelmingly encouraged by the level of partnership and collaboration in the travel and tourism industry this year. We will come out from this crisis stronger and better as an industry. The future of travel is bright.

DEVELOPMENT

BWH Hotel Group

Graham Perry – Managing Director Australasia

At BWH Hotel Group, our duty of care to our guests and franchisees is paramount. Using learnings from the bushfires, we adapted quickly to address the disastrous impact that the pandemic was going to have on our hoteliers’ finances and mental health. The sense of loss and isolation was unprecedented.

“The silver lining is that the pandemic has brought us even closer to our hotels.”

Graham Perry – BHW Hotel Group We quickly converted every staff member we could into business coaches to keep connected with our hotels and provide friendship, leadership, advice and support no matter the issue and help keep an eye on their finances, health and wellbeing.

We quickly became the knowledge portal for all things COVID and put out daily communications to help hotels make sense of the overwhelming tsunami of information. We launched our ‘We Care Clean’ program promoting cleanliness and hygiene measures. Business became hyper local, so we worked to capture every conceivable sales lead and published local sales, marketing and media kits. We helped hotels be ready and fit for the future by refreshing everything.

We have offered financial fee relief since March without waiting to be asked and assisted those hotels struggling the most through no fault of their own. The silver lining is that the pandemic has brought us even closer to our hotels, which is something we will continue going forward.

Perhaps this is why we are seeing guests and franchisees gravitate back towards trusted brands.

Choice Hotels Asia–Pac

Tim Mayoh – Development Manager, Choice Hotels Asia-Pac

Industry wide, as the velocity of the pandemic was realised, conversations in the development space were immediately paused. In recent months, our development team has experienced great momentum and we are looking to close 2020 with a strong pipeline and exciting news. Next year is gearing up to be a year of growth for Choice Hotels Asia-Pac as we continue to provide our owners with a suite of services to ensure they come out on top.

Hoteliers understand the cyclical nature of the business and know they need to ride the downturn. Whilst this crisis is beyond anything our industry has experienced, the market will recoup and we will continue to drive results for our hotels. Experienced franchisees understand they cannot control the market and therefore must find creative ways to attract the reduced number of guests travelling.

Franchising has potentially weathered the COVID storm slightly better than other parts of the accommodation sector. While it has been a challenging year for all, current owners are still looking at their options for expansion, and enquiries from new entrants prepared to ride out the recovery have increased. The market is more challenging than ever and partnering with a leading hotel group will provide

owners with the firepower and point of difference to ensure they weather the storm and grow.

Our stakeholder relationships are extremely important to us, and the wellbeing of our franchisees and staff is paramount. Choice has provided a range of support to franchisees from fee relief early in the pandemic, to the regular provision of mental health resources.

IHG

Abhijay Sandilya – VP Development Australasia, Japan and Pacific

The confidence, resilience and optimism from hotel owners in 2020 has been simply incredible. The spirit of true partnership has shone through and it has meant that, despite the obvious challenges, we will have our greatest year yet of new hotel openings and continue to be buoyed by signing great new deals.

Our franchise owners are investing in the future, with partners like Pro-invest opening amazing hotels like the new Holiday Inn Express Sydney Airport in October and Holiday Inn Express & Suites Queenstown this past July. We’ve also seen growing interest from new owners in IHG’s franchise proposition over recent months. Now, more than ever, Independent Owner Operators with quality assets are looking to global brands with their global distribution reach, consumer awareness, strong reputation, powerful loyalty programs, local sales teams, cleanliness, reliability and safety to take them through these uncertain times and into the future.

IHG provides unrivalled support to our franchise partners, with a dedicated Performance Delivery team that delivers the benefits of IHG’s global scale via global, regional and in-market resources, as well as access to IHG’s market leading systems and tools, such as IHG Concerto.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Jim Chu – Global Head, Development & Owner Relations

Hyatt fosters open lines of communication with owners and franchisees at all times. We continue to work closely to care for them during this unprecedented time and understand how lives and businesses are impacted – and help where we can. We are committed to weathering this

Lincoln Downs Resort in Batemans Bay came close to devastation from the bushfires

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DEVELOPMENT The Sebel Yarrawonga in regional Victoria opened in early November

together, both as fellow owners of properties, and as one Hyatt family.

Our owner base is represented by a wide variety of entities, ranging from large well-capitalised private and public institutions, including a number of REITs, to individual properties owned by small businesses.

The impact of suspended or substantially reduced operations has had a significant impact on hotel owners.

To assist owners and franchisees with cash flow requirements, we have offered concessions on certain fees, negotiated reductions from third-party vendors and temporarily modified certain brand standards.

We have also provided guidance around suspending and resuming operations and assisted with the implementation of Hyatt’s Global Care & Cleanliness commitment in an effort to provide peace and mind for colleagues and guests as they return to Hyatt hotels.

While these provisions may offer some temporary relief for businesses impacted most severely by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is just one step on the path to recovery. The real victory will be when the situation stabilises, business demand returns, and our hotels resume regular operations.

We retain an exceptionally strong pipeline of new hotels scheduled to open over the next four to five years and remain committed to expanding our presence over time. In addition to actively pursuing new development opportunities, we are also very focused on conversion opportunities which may be available in higher-than-normal volumes given business conditions. Our brand reputation, strong owner relations and under-penetrated distribution should all serve as an advantage in capitalising on these opportunities.

Pro–invest Group

Ronald Barrott – Chief Executive Officer and Chairman

COVID-19 has upended the global hospitality

industry and while we have not been spared, Proinvest Group has benefited from our integrated platform combining real estate investment, development and active asset management.

From an investment standpoint, the successful closure of our second hospitality fund (Fund II) at AUD$300 million – which has already secured four development sites – is testament to continued investor 64 HM The Business of Accommodation

“Through all the hardship, we have maintained momentum on new property openings.”

David Mansfield, Quest Apartment Hotels confidence in the resilience of the hospitality industry.

The last 12 months at Pro-invest saw the practical completion of Holiday Inn Express Melbourne Southbank and two other noteworthy new hotels, including Holiday Inn Express and Suites Queenstown – which opened in July and marked our market entry into New Zealand – and Holiday Inn Express Sydney Airport, which completed construction and commenced operations in late October as Australia’s first Holiday Inn Express airport hotel.

While international travel has not resumed, domestic recovery is a bright spot and a point of focus as we transform our hotel operations to suit new consumer expectations on safety, sanitisation and sustainability. Meanwhile, we will capitalise on distressed opportunities that may include other real estate classes and new geographies, while focusing on developing Fund II hotels in Sydney, Auckland and the Sunshine Coast.

Regarding hotel development, we note builders’ prices being increasingly competitive as they are hungry for business – a silver lining for the industry as it prepares for revival. COVID-19 may cast a long shadow but we are optimistic about 2021 and believe that the industry reset caused by this pandemic will result in positive long-term change.

Quest Apartment Hotels

David Mansfield – Chief Operating Officer

By many accounts, it has been a challenging year in the accommodation and tourism sector. However, through all the hardship, we have maintained momentum on new property openings.

By the end of 2020, Quest will have successfully opened five new properties – Quest Robina, Quest Perth Ascot, Quest Wangaratta, Quest

DEVELOPMENT

Preston and Quest Ballarat Station. Two of the five properties have already been purchased by franchise operators, while the remaining three will be managed under Quest’s pre-franchising program, forging strong foundations for future owners.

The addition of new properties into the Quest network creates opportunities for existing franchisees to expand their portfolios and for new franchisees to join the network. Established properties also continued to move, with Quest South Perth Foreshore and Quest Breakfast Creek both greeting first-time operators – one of whom was a former head office staffer.

While many of our franchisees have navigated complex economic and business conditions in the past, none of us have ever experienced anything quite like this. The resilience of our franchise network and the ongoing appetite from entrepreneurs wanting to join us illustrates confidence in the Quest model and optimism across the accommodation sector.

We have absolute belief in our product, service offering and business format franchise and will continue to support franchisee success by providing our network with the tools they need to navigate this challenging period and ensure we emerge from this period a stronger and more sophisticated business, primed for the future of travel.

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts

Andy Flaig – Vice President, Business Development, South East Asia and Pacific Rim

As the world’s largest hotel franchising company with over 9,000 hotels, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts is a leader in franchise operations and hotel development. We continue to build on our strong growth momentum across South East Asia and Pacific Rim (SEAPR), of which our franchise signings represent more than 80% of our total signings this year.

This growth comes on the back of a significant hotel construction pipeline in Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam and Thailand, where we’ve seen owners showing a strong preference for franchising as it offers them increased operational flexibility.

“Our franchise owners are investing in the future.”

Abhijay Sandilya, IHG In Australasia, we anticipate there will be opportunities for owners with a strong balance sheet to acquire good quality assets through distressed sales next year, which will continue to present opportunities for franchise contracts.

We have seen many currently independent hotels seeking greater and more diversified distribution. By joining forces with us through a franchise, owners are able to leverage on our global brands’ top-of-mind awareness and reach. This resulted in us converting and welcoming several new properties to the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts family in the region this year.

The power of a brand is more important than ever in these unprecedented times, and will enable hotels to be visible, recognisable and reliable. In addition, this brand affiliation and visibility across various distribution channels will be critical for hotels to rebuild their business levels across old and new market segments.

For experienced franchisees, hotels have always been a resilient asset class and a longer term play. Owners holding a medium to longer-term view must continue to remain optimistic – while we are navigating unprecedented times at the moment, we know that the demand for business and leisure travel will return.

We understand how difficult it has been for our owners and franchisees and we are fully committed to supporting them through these challenging times. Since the start of the pandemic, it has been all hands on deck for us at every aspect of the business. We’ve extended substantial fee reliefs and waivers, and have rolled out recovery playbooks, campaigns, as well as our ‘Count on Us’ health and safety initiative – a clear point of differentiation for our franchisees. n Quest Perth Ascot opened in WA in September

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Gr ah am

PEOPLE

rry Pe

On the Move

The latest key HR movements across the hotel industry BWH Hotel Group is mobilising its sales army in readiness for a COVID-safe return to travel, hiring Karl Corkhill as its new Sales Manager. Joining BWH from his previous BDM role with Thrifty car rental in New Zealand, Corkhill will primarily oversee the NZ market along with Victoria.

Getting To Know...

Graham Perry

HM its down with Best Western’s Graham Perry for an entertaining yarn which nearly derailed a great career before it could even begin.

What was your first job in the accommodation industry?

My first job out of university was with London-based Utell International, where I joined as Trade Conventions Manager, responsible for managing all aspects of our presence at 22 travel exhibitions worldwide.

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

I remember getting a call from John Evans – one of Rupert Murdoch’s right hand men at the time – when Utell was owned by Murdoch Travel Systems (MTS). John asked me to transport the brand new Utell Laser Disc system (which I had never seen or used before) to Paris for him to demonstrate to the President of Carlson Wagonlit.

A colleague loaded the product into my car Friday night. I arrived in Paris on Sunday and the following day, turned up at the Carlson Wagonlit offices at 7am to set it up for the 9am meeting. After unpacking and assembling, I searched for the key to unlock and start the system – but no key could be found – anywhere! I phoned my colleague back in London in a state of panic, who calmly said “oops, sorry, it’s here”.

I think to myself – one and a half hours to go before the big boss arrives and my career ends. So what to do?

I saw that the product was made by Philips. I called Philips’ head office in Amsterdam and, trying to stay calm, explained the situation. They asked for the model number and said hang on, and transferred me to someone in Philips Paris.

After 20 minutes (which felt like 20 hours) they said they had found a key but it was the standard one for that model but didn't know if a unique one was needed.

After much negotiation and bribery, they agreed to have a rider dispatch the standard key to the office. I said ‘Rush, please, PLEASE!’ At 8:50am, John arrives and says he is going to have a one-on-one with the President before the demo. “Yes, sure,” I say – panic, sweat, gulp, panic, gulp, repeat.

At 9:10am, the rider from Philips arrives with the key. I remember walking calmly over to the machine, finding the key hole, closing my eyes, inserting it and turning it just as John strides back into the room. It turned, pinged and started up. I couldn’t believe it. It switched on and came to life. I took a deep breath and sat back, glad the crisis was over. Phew. John introduced me to the President and said “Ok Graham, can you demo it for me please?” – WHAT, oh no!

My jaw must have dropped to the floor with all the blood draining from my face as I turned white and then grey. I think that’s when I started losing my hair. n 66 HM The Business of Accommodation

Ovolo Group has made its debut in a third country with the opening last month of Mamaka by Ovolo in Bali. Australian national, Mark Stanford, is now in charge as the hotel’s General Manager. He brings 25 years in the industry to his role and is highly experienced in Indonesia.

Crystalbrook Collection has installed Jordan Rodgers as the General Manager in charge of its Byron at Byron Resort in Northern NSW. Moving to Byron Bay from his former role at Thredbo Ski Resort, Rodgers brings 20 years in hospitality to his new role.

Tasked with creating a striking menu of fragrant flavours and share plates alongside Executive Chef, Jihun Kim, the soon-to-open W Melbourne has hired Adam D’Sylva as its Creative Culinary Director for its signature restaurant, Lollo.

Former Tourism Fiji Chief Executive, Matt Stoeckel, will kick off 2021 with a new job as the CEO of Visit Sunshine Coast. Prior to his role with Fiji, Stoeckel worked in senior roles with Destination NSW and the Swire Group.

The newly-opened QT Auckland recently unveiled its culinary team, working under Executive Chef, Sean Connolly. The hotel has recruited Ruby Binning as its Food and Beverage Manager; Roberto Giampaolo as Bar Manager for ‘Rooftop at QT’ and ‘Esther’; James Laird as Esther Executive Chef and Riccardo Del Noce as Esther Restaurant Manager.

Ken Chapman has been elected as Chairman of Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) by the Board of Directors, itself newly elected.

Chapman is currently the Chair of Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and will serve for three years to help the region navigate its recovery from the pandemic.

Pacific Hotels Group has made three key hires, with Neil Hetherington brought on board as General Manager of Pacific Hotel Brisbane.

He has been joined by Lachlan Rentell in the role of Director of Sales. The company has also recruited Melissa Hoare as General Manager at Coral Cay Mackay, which was acquired by Pacific Hotels in 2019.

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