Hotel Management October 2022

Bellerose -

Albury and

Entertainment for guests to enjoy live and On Demand

rooms, especially the

Business

Franchisee

took guest

October

cover

TIME TO TRANSFORM

Event Hospitality reveals new strategic direction with innovative accommodation offerings.

WINE AND DINE

Recent F&B openings making an impression on style and service.

FLAVOUR OF THE MONTH

Leading F&B experts pinpoint key trends in this space.

FROM THE GROUND UP

Innovation in floorcare is improving efficiencies in the housekeeping department.

CLEAN AND GREEN

Amenities brands rise to the occasion with eco-friendly solutions.

LIFE’S LITTLE LUXURIES

How luxury and lifestyle brands are evolving in Australia and New Zealand.

VIVA LA (WHM) VISA

Australia and New Zealand bump visa programs to draw international workers to their shores.

CORPORATE CONNECTIONS

How to meet guests’ skyhigh WiFi expectations.

ARTFUL APPROACH

Hotels explore creative ways to integrate screens into room design.

FEAST FOR THE SENSES

Poynder

QT Gold Coast introduces a luxury rooftop cabin experience

new-age travellers

Design experts share their views on the evolving F&B segment.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Real estate experts discuss the vastly different markets seen in Victoria and Tasmania.

HM Q&A

EAST SIDE STORY

Award-winning Hotelier Marlene Poynder discusses her journey to The Carlyle in NYC.

Regulars

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S LETTER

James Wilkinson on AHICE Aotearoa.

EDITOR’S LETTER

Ruth Hogan reflects on tourism in Ireland.

NEED TO KNOW

The essential stories you need to know this month.

STORY

Presented this month by IHG.

All set for

inaugural

Aotearoa conference

October is an exciting month for us as we launch the inaugural 2022 Aotearoa Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition (AHICE) in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Our first ever event is being held on October 12 and 13 and it is expected to be attended by over 400 leading hotel industry executives from across New Zealand, Australia and around and the world.

I’m immensely proud we have been able to launch our first ever New Zealand-based conference in Auckland and we are excited to be partnering New Zealand’s pre-eminent national body representing the hotel sector, Hotel Council Aotearoa (HCA), on the launch of AHICE Aotearoa –and the 2022 event is the first of many great conferences to come.

It’s going to be a sensational day in Auckland, with more than 50 speakers (including several CEOs from across Australasia), and over 30 keynotes, panels, and Q&A sessions, alongside hotel tours and gala evening events that will put networking on another level.

We have put together what I think is an exceptional program that features many evocative, educational, and insightful keynote speakers, Q&As and panel sessions, and I can’t wait to hear the discussion during the event.

What’s truly exciting this year for me is the support of so many sponsors for our inaugural event – headlined by Principal Partners Accor, Event Hospitality and Entertainment, Langham Hospitality Group and Scenic Hotel Group – to help kick off our first AHICE conference in Aotearoa.

The launch of AHICE in New Zealand follows the success of the recent Australasian Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition held in Adelaide during May and attended by a record 1,200 delegates, making it the largest accommodation event in Asia-Pacific.

The master AHICE event was held for the 13th time in 2022 and the expansion into New Zealand comes at a time when the industry continues its robust recovery following the opening of international borders.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank HCA Chair Lani Hagaman, Strategic Director James Doolan, and the entire board for their support in helping launch AHICE Aotearoa and we look forward to hosting many great conferences and events in the years to come.

I hope to see you at the inaugural AHICE Aotearoa and enjoy our latest issue of HM.

Yours in hospitality, James Wilkinson Editor-In-Chief

A visit to the motherland

Having recently returned to my native land of Ireland for the first time in 3.5 years, I was encouraged to see the tourism industry recovering strongly – albeit not without its challenges.

When I entered the gates at Dublin Airport, the tale of an underresourced industry was immediately clear. What greeted me in the baggage collection area was a graveyard of abandoned luggage – hundreds of bags stacked against each wall, many of which will never be reclaimed.

The resurgence of travel during Europe’s summer has obviously put a huge strain on airlines and hospitality businesses already grappling with staff shortages, but the situation is slowly improving. And who could complain about seeing airports, hotels and restaurants bustling with tourists after the devastation of the two years prior?

As we look ahead to an Australian summer, staff shortages are, of course, front of mind for all in hospitality. With government investing in visa processing to speed up the return of working holiday makers and international students, there is hope on that front.

Boosting the numbers of international travellers is also high on the agenda for the industry coming into summer, particularly when more and more Australians are venturing overseas.

On World Tourism Day in September, Tourism Research Australia (TRA) reported that Australia’s international visitors are still only at 37% of pre-pandemic numbers, having welcomed 686,000 visitors from overseas in the June quarter. Over half of these travellers reported visiting friends or relatives as the main reason for their trip.

Many industry bodies were vocal about the importance of driving the return of high-paying holidaymakers and removing obstacles deterring people from visiting Australia.

“We must invest in the recovery of our tourism export sector to ensure inbound visitation keeps pace with the number of Australians heading overseas for their holidays,” said ATEC Managing Director, Peter Shelley, on World Tourism Day.

“Tourism is an obvious key in our economic rebuild and one that requires very little investment to achieve a great payback.”

Managing Director

Simon Grover

Publisher

James Wells

Editor In Chief James Wilkinson jwilkinson@intermedia.com.au

Editor

Ruth Hogan

rhogan@intermedia.com.au

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Tara Ducrou tducrou@intermedia.com.au

Production Manager

Jacqui Cooper jacqui@intermedia.com.au

Photography

IHG photography by Oneill Photographics

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Abandoned baggage at Dublin Airport reveals the extent of staff shortages in the airline industry Image credit: thejournal.ie

Bring your special spark.

Meet Stacy, proud local business owner of Quest NewQuay in Melbourne’s Docklands.

With a lifelong passion for hotels, Stacy knew from a young age that one day he would own and operate his own hotel business. As Stacy’s career progressed through sales, marketing and business development roles with several global hotel brands, an introduction to Quest’s business format franchise model made it clear to him that Quest was a strong opportunity to bring his special spark and achieve his hotel business ownership aspirations.

Stacy now enjoys the freedom and ability that being a business owner provides to write his own destiny, and mentoring his team to develop them both personally and professionally is something he finds particularly satisfying, realising that the more he puts in as business owner, the better the result.

Read more about Stacy’s story at questapartments.com.au/Stacy

Things You Need To Know

The essential hotel and travel industry news and trends from across the globe. Read more at HotelManagement.com.au.

The Wall Street Hotel opens in NYC

Famed Australian pearling family brings ‘one-of-a-kind gem’ to Wall Street

RENOWNED AUSTRALIAN PEARLING family The Paspaleys have returned to New York City’s historic pearl trading district to open their first hotel.

Housed in the historic Tontine building, in lower Manhattan’s Financial District, The Wall Street Hotel is now open to guests, offering an elegant residential-inspired experience.

Hotel Owner and Paspaley Group of Companies Executive Chairman, Nick

Paspaley, described the hotel as ‘a one-of-a-kind gem for New York’s famed financial district’.

“The Wall Street Hotel is a natural continuation of our family legacy, bringing 100-years of travel and trade, global cultural experience, adventure, and refinement to transform the historic Tontine building into a new oasis of charm and comfort,” he said.

The property features 180 individually designed guest rooms and suites – from large king rooms to luxurious multi-bedroom suites – complete with plush furnishings, modern technology, curated libraries, a handcrafted bar cart, and original artworks.

Guests can also avail of concierge services, lobby lounge, rooftop ballroom, and 24-hour fitness centre, with more restaurant and bar concepts to come.

Accor celebrates

400th hotel

Accor hits milestone as Sydney’s The Porter House Hotel opens

ACCOR HAS OPENED its 400th hotel in Australia and the Pacific, the highlyanticipated The Porter House Hotel – MGallery in Sydney.

The heritage-listed property opens three decades on from the introduction of Accor’s first hotel in the region, Novotel Sydney Darling Harbour, which opened in 1991.

“To reach 400 hotels in just over three decades is a remarkable achievement and highlights Accor’s success with strategic partnerships and acquisitions,” said Accor Pacific CEO Sarah Derry.

“The addition of the Mirvac and Mantra groups to the Accor portfolio in the past decade almost doubled the network, giving

The Porter House Hotel is Accor’s 400th property to open in Australia and the Pacific

Accor particular prominence in the serviced apartment sector, which is very popular in the domestic market.”

The Porter House Hotel opening comes as CBD hotels experience a resurgence in demand.

“Sydney is experiencing its fastest growth since March 2020, with recovery in corporate, conference and events business, and continued strength in the domestic leisure market,” said Derry.

“We are seeing similar revivals in other key cities around the Pacific, complementing the success of regional holiday destinations in Australia and New Zealand.”

Accor will open 11 more hotels by the end of next year including the first 25hours hotel in Australia, Melbourne Airport and Auckland Airport properties, and Hotel Morris – a heritage restoration of the 1929-built former West End Hotel on Pitt Street, Sydney.

LIVE, WORK,

IHG is prioritising workplace culture and flexibility with a new benefits programme designed to support personal and professional development.

As the crusade for talent across all sectors reaches fever pitch, IHG is taking a lead in revitalising workplace culture to make the hotel industry an attractive place to work.

Busting the myth that hotels are all work and no play, IHG is rolling out a comprehensive compensation and benefits strategy alongside a flexible work philosophy, to draw a more diverse talent pool to bring innovation and new perspectives into the business.

“IHG is pulling out all the stops to build the reputation of the hotel industry – and IHG – as an aspirational place to work,” said Matt Tripolone, IHG’s Managing Director – Australasia & Pacific.

“Our market-leading approach brings together an array of benefits and programmes to support our colleagues in both their career and life journey with IHG, providing unmatched flexibility and benefits to support them now and in the future.”

All IHG hotels now have a diverse range of initiatives to create an engagement and retention strategy that works for them, no matter their size or location, meaning that as employees progress and move to different parts of the business, they can still enjoy all the benefits they are used to.

“It’s creating a culture in hotels where the people matter, whether it’s their career, their residency, their long-term employability or simply life balance,” said Lynda Ugarte, IHG’s Head of Human Resources – JAPAC.

“It makes IHG exceptionally competitive against direct and indirect competitors for talent, differentiates it as an “employer of choice”, promotes retention and lowers the cost of turnover.”

BRING ON THE BENEFITS

Understanding that life and work is not linear, IHG has introduced myBenefits – an initiative that brings together a range of supports and perks for all team members to ensure a career at IHG is a fulfilling one.

The programme is designed to support professional and personal development, wellbeing, personal interests, and lifestyle choices.

Among those benefits are generous leave entitlements for full- and part-time colleagues including paid parental leave for up to three months, wellness leave, birthday leave and sabbatical leave. It also includes discounts across third party retailers, and accommodation, and food and beverage with IHG worldwide.

ALL ABOUT BALANCE

IHG is also flipping the traditional working model on its head, by prioritising flexibility – allowing its people to choose when and how they want to work.

Through myFlex, IHG team members can balance their own personal commitments while still enjoying a rewarding career.

IHG’s Lynda Ugarte, Deborah Leong, and Matt Tripolone at the newly refurbished InterContinental Sydney

“myFlex takes the concept of casual work to a new level, providing a great hourly rate along with the ability for colleagues to choose when and where they work – as well as accessing a great suite of benefits,” said Deborah Leong, IHG’s Director, Reward - Australasia and Japan.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

IHG’s meaningful partnerships with charities, universities, schools, and job networks, provide further opportunities to reach untapped talent.

Through its partnership with food rescue organisation OzHarvest, IHG sponsors and supports at-risk youth to gain hospitality skills and qualifications.

In August, IHG launched a Partnership Pilot with Spinal Cord Injury Australia (SCIA) at three hotels, providing meaningful work for people with physical disability, while learning from their lived experience and introducing a pool of diverse untapped talent to the business.

“IHG has an ambition to become known as a market leader in disability accommodation to the 1.3 million Australians with a disability who take one trip per year, become loyal and repeat guests, are more likely to stay longer and book multiple rooms,” said Ugarte.

RISE UP THE RANKS

Through a constantly evolving learning and development program, IHG is working hard to develop and nurture talent, whatever an employee’s career goals might look like.

Journey to GM supports and mentors budding general managers to work their way to the position within 12-18 months, while RISE is a mentoring and sponsorship initiative that supports female leaders to progress their careers and strengthen their ambition to hotel or corporate senior leadership roles.

Diverse perspectives are welcomed in all areas of the business, most notably through LINK, IHG’s shadow leadership team, which offers an important viewpoint on issues in discussions with the IHG JAPAC leadership team.

Long game careers are IHG’s hallmark, so career milestones are a cause for celebration, and further reinforce the connection within

the team at IHG. In August, more than 500 hotel colleagues joined the JAPAC leadership team at hotels around Australasia through ‘Eurovision’-style live cross feeds across all participating hotels for an annual celebration.

“It was a palpable moment where hearts, lives, careers and community came together,” said Ugarte. n

“IHG is pulling out all the stops to build the reputation of the hotel industry – and IHG – as an aspirational place to work.”

Lynda Ugarte, IHG Hotels & Resorts

IHG is celebrating 60 years of its brands in Australia this year

InterContinental Sydney is one of the many IHG hotels offering flexibility and benefits

Radisson’s midscale revolution

Radisson Hotel Group’s Chief Development Officer, Ramzy Fenianos, details the group’s ambitious plans to launch several new brands in Australia and New Zealand.

RADISSON HOTEL GROUP will introduce several new midscale brands to the Australasian market to cater to growing demand in this segment.

As part of fresh expansion plans, the group will launch Radisson Individuals, Country Inn and Suites by Radisson and Radisson Red in capital cities and popular regional destinations across Australia and New Zealand – namely Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Radisson has also secured the rights to develop and operate premium economy brand 7 Days and Metropolo through individual master license agreements, and has obtained the rights to Golden Tulip, Kyriad and Campanile brands from Louvre Hotels Group.

Radisson Hotel Group’s Chief Development Officer, Asia Pacific, Ramzy Fenianos, told HM that the midscale segment presents a powerful opportunity for the business.

“We’ve really studied the market in depth,” he said.

“We look at the fundamentals of each market and we look at where there is an opportunity, and we realised that in Australia, there is an opportunity in the midscale segment.”

Upscale affiliation brand Radisson Individuals launched in 2020 operates mainly on a franchise basis with the aim of honouring the unique personality of each property.

“The essence of the brand is really to keep the local flavour,” Fenianos said.

The owners of these properties stand to benefit from Radisson’s experience and connections as a global hotel group.

“Radisson Individuals will allow owners to plug into Radisson’s distribution systems, marketing, all the branding that happens on a global level, and be able to benefit from an uplift both in terms of ADRs and occupancy,” Fenianos said.

Country Inn is a recognisable, communityfocused brand that is designed to make every traveller feel at home, according to Radisson. Performing strongly in the US, Fenianos says it will be localised for the Australian market both in terms of owner and guest experience.

“People want to have a sense of belonging,” he said.

“If you’re traveling from Europe or from India – which are the big feeder markets for Australia – you want to feel where you are. We have tailormade the products and solutions for the owners and the guests.”

For Country Inn, Radisson will focus mainly on conversion of independently-run properties of around 50 keys, in Tier II and Tier III cities, where minor refurbishments are required, with the aim of keeping costs low for owners.

Meanwhile, lifestyle brand Radisson Red focuses on delivering vibrant and stylish

hotels with bold design in buzzing locations which appeal to social, primarily millennial travellers; but Fenianos says Red’s target market is ‘more about an attitude rather than an age or a group’.

“I think Red really responds to new travellers, people that are independent, that want to have fun, and we believe there’s a great opportunity for Red to be developed in Australia,” he said.

With both leisure and corporate customers on the radar, Radisson will also explore how it can grow its resort offering in the region.

“The Gold Coast is one of the big ones where we will eventually look at deploying our resorts,” Fenianos said.

With visa applications for Australia already being at 80% of pre-pandemic levels as of May this year, and the 2032 Brisbane Olympics on the horizon, Radisson is optimistic that the market will see continued rapid recovery.

“On the short term, there is a lot of positivity. I think there might be some challenges… inflation, supply chain, which are inevitable parts of our growth that we will have to manoeuvre, but ultimately, in the long term, we feel that there will be returns for owners,” Fenianos said.

“People want to travel, see family, get together, and get the best out of life. And from the corporate perspective, we see group travel corporate is exponentially growing.”

Radisson’s Prizeotel is a growing midscale brand located in capital cities around the world

Design-led Radisson Red will be introduced to Australasia as part of expansion

Radisson continues to grow its footprint across Asia Pacific

Confidence returns to corporate travel

GBTA report reveals business travel sentiment remains positive.

SOME OF THE world’s most frequent business travellers are optimistic about future travel, according to a report released by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) at the organisation’s convention in San Diego, California, during August.

In July 2022, GBTA surveyed over 400 frequent business travellers and nearly four dozen executive travel budget decision makers across four global regions on their plans going forward and overall, the sentiment is positive.

Headlining the results are executives saying they need to travel to accomplish their business goals and the majority saying they expect to travel more for work in 2023 than they did in 2022.

The survey has also confirmed COVID concerns are taking a back seat to current macroeconomic and geopolitical issues. The key findings include:

• 85% of business travellers surveyed said they definitely need to travel

Executives say they need to travel to accomplish their business goals

• 84% of senior global corporate finance professionals voiced confidence their travel spending would somewhat or significantly increase in 2023 compared to 2022.

• 73% of business travellers and 38 of 44 senior global financial executives agree inflation/rising prices will impact travel volumes.

• 69% of business travellers and 33 of 44 global financial executives are concerned a possible recession will impact travel.

• 68% of business travellers and 36 of 44 financial executives expect COVID infection rates and variants to have an impact on their travel.

The survey was released at the 2022 GBTA Convention in San Diego, which revealed the business travel industry’s recovery has slowed down

For a large-scale clean without the noise

The Innova range from Comac features three compact ride-on floor scrubbers designed for large-scale cleaning jobs that require manoeuvrability in even the most congested areas. All models can be switched into Eco Mode for ultra-quiet operation, meaning your guests will never be disturbed.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

As Accor celebrates the opening of The Porter House Hotel in the heart of Sydney – its 400th hotel in the Pacific – we look at how The Porter House is redefining exceptional dining experiences.

The Porter House Hotel is part of Accor’s MGallery Hotel Collection, a group of distinctive boutique hotels, each with a unique story to tell. The hotel has been created out of a building commissioned in 1876 by Hugh Dixson, Australia’s leading tobacco manufacturer and a notable philanthropist and horticulturist. After starting its life as Dixson & Sons tobacco factory and warehouse, it became a retail shopfront for the artisan furnishings of WW Campbell & Co and famous leather merchant George Johnson & Sons.

The Porter House Hotel – MGallery is designed by award-winning architect Angelo Candelapas of Candelapas Associates, who has seamlessly connected the historic Porter House building with the ultramodern tower developed around the original building.

“The new-build hotel pays homage to The Porter House’s heritage and Sydney’s bustling Victorian commercial era with a modern take on old designs such as contemporary curved windows that reference the original building’s iconic brick archways,” comments Lindsay Leeser, SVP Development & Franchise for Accor Pacific.

Located on Castlereagh Street, the luxury hotel offers 122 rooms and suites, which occupy the first 10 floors of a 36-storey mixed-use tower. A residential component comprising 131 apartments, with private entry via Bathurst Street, sits above the new MGallery hotel, while a multilevel food and bar destination has been created within the restored 1870s heritage-listed building itself.

“Mixed use buildings are very popular, providing residents and guests with elevated hospitality experiences and access to incredible amenities. The hotel has three dining and drinking destinations of The Porter House - Henry’s Bread and Wine, Dixson & Sons and Spice Trader – and

Dixson & Sons heroes native Australian ingredients and local produce

they will set higher dining standards for the city. The Porter House building hasn’t been used in its entirety for many decades, so we wanted to provide Sydneysiders and visitors to our city with an opportunity to explore and connect with this timeless building through these new dining experiences.”

Rich in warmth and character, Dixson & Sons, named after The Porter House’s founding merchant family, occupies the first floor of the building. The Dixson & Sons menu, developed by Porter House Executive Chef Emrys Jones, features Asian influences and Australian native

Dixson & Sons is one of three premium dining and drinking destinations at Porter House

ingredients alongside predominantly New South Wales produce, resulting in a contemporary interpretation of a traditional brasserie. We ask Emrys about his inspiration and process.

What has been your approach to cuisine at Porter House?

Given the legacy and history of Porter House, I was inspired to take classic dishes and look at them differently, in a creative way. Much of the produce will spend time on the hibachi grill before it lands on the plate, and you’ll see a clear nod to Asian influences throughout the menu. I like the juxtaposition of pairing Asian flavours with classic dishes to create something that is still relatable but clearly unique. Our globe artichoke barigoule is a prime example of a real classic dish that we’ve changed up by using some cloudy bay vongole (clams) and black garlic vinegar for impact.

In what ways is Porter House leading the way in regard to sustainability?

The dishes are imaginative, yet still approachable and reflect our sustainable approach to produce. We’ve spent many weeks prior to launch building our sustainable practices and now that our doors are open and we’re beginning to generate waste, we’re in a great position to evolve and expand how we integrate waste elements back into the menu. We’re focused on finding ways to extend the life of produce and use it in its entirety, where we can. You’ll find the outer leaves from the roasted cabbage in Dixson & Sons being used in the sauerkraut that goes into the Reuben sandwich at Henry’s Bread and Wine, or being used to create vinegars that will feature in menus down the line.

Porter House proudly uses native ingredients – how is this being done and why?

The flavours of native ingredients fascinate me. They pack so much intense flavour and that’s really fun to work with. Seasonal produce is the clear hero of the menu, but I wanted to leave space for Australian native ingredients to shine through as well as pay homage to Australia’s culinary heritage. For example, in a traditional dish where I’d typically use lime, I try to use Australian desert limes to evoke a similar yet different taste. We are working with a wonderful Indigenous company called Something Wild which specialises in foraging native ingredients. They prioritise regrowth and regeneration, and harvest only what is available and sustainable. Buying from the right people is so important.

In your opinion, what makes a dish great, and do you have a process when creating new dishes?

It’s nice to show great technique, but great produce needs to do the talking. Our menu will always reflect what is in season right now. Seasonality is the inspiration for how I design my dishes, and impacts when I look to change and update my menus.

What is your favourite thing on the menu right now?

It probably has to be the beef tartare blended with a house-made infusion of soy, bonito and nori (for a hit of smokiness). It’s something I’ve been dreaming up for a while, and I’ve watched it evolve to what it is now. It’s delicious.

What do you want people to take away from their experience at Porter House?

We are unpretentious and want people to relax and have fun with it. We present good, simple food that is best enjoyed with great company and have lots of sharing plates and dishes to make this easier. n

To view Accor’s full portfolio of properties, please go to all.accor.com

Porter House Executive Chef, Emrys Jones

Henry’s Bread and Wine is located in the lobby of The Porter House Hotel

TAA and AA map out steps to merger

Peak industry bodies work towards the creation of a united association.

ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA’S

INCOMING President, Leanne Harwood, said the merger between the nation’s peak industry bodies continues to edge closer and will create something “truly special” for the hotel sector.

Harwood, currently the Accommodation Association (AA) President alongside her role as SVP and Managing Director for JAPAC at IHG Hotels and Resorts, chaired the latest joint meeting on August 23 with Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA), as they work towards forming a single united voice for the accommodation industry.

“Our two Associations are working closer than ever before and we are well on the way to creating something truly special,” Harwood said.

“The process is understandably slow, but the merger should be finalised by mid-next year.

“While we remain separate bodies, we are already seeing the benefits of pooling our resources and our talent to get the best results for all our members across Australia.”

Also high on the agenda at the meeting, held at TAA’s Culwulla Chambers in Sydney, was working with the new Federal Government and the development of a combined strategy to combat the industry’s chronic worker shortage.

TAA CEO Michael Johnson said the chronic labour shortage in the sector and the housing rental crisis in regional areas impacting those workers were major topics of discussion.

“The rental shortage in many areas is making what was already a difficult situation even worse,” he said.

“It is making it hard for hospitality businesses to convince workers to move to country towns across WA, NSW, Victoria and Queensland and it is adding another level of difficulty to the already tough task of finding staff.”

ACCOMMODATION ASSOCIATION CEO DEPARTS

The Accommodation Association of Australia’s (AAoA) Interim CEO Richard Munro departed the association when his contract came to an end on September 30, a year after stepping into the role which he had previously held from mid-2011 to mid-2019.

“As I said when I returned to the role a year ago, this is a sector I love and believe in,” Munro said in a statement.

“Accepting the role of Interim CEO as we embarked on the historic amalgamation proposal with Australian Hotels Association and Tourism Accommodation Australia was the perfect opportunity to get the job done for our members and industry.

“The Accommodation sector has certainly had its share of challenges in recent times, and I am proud of my part in helping the Accommodation Association and our members meet those challenges and set the frame for an even brighter future.”

“The process is understandably slow, but the merger should be finalised by mid-next year.” Leanne Harwood, Accommodation Association

Accommodation Australia’s incoming President, Leanne Harwood

Tourism Accommodation Australia CEO Michael Johnson

Pro-invest opens second Sebel property in Canberra

PRO-INVEST GROUP HAS opened its second Sebel-branded property in Canberra, The Sebel Canberra Campbell, in partnership with Accor.

The new 63-key serviced apartment hotel features a mix of studios, one and two-bedroom apartments complete with kitchenette, washer and dryer.

It’s the first hotel purchased as part of Proinvest Hotels third discretionary fund.

“We’re extremely excited to be opening our second The Sebel-branded property in Australia’s capital and know it will enjoy strong year-round demand from corporate and leisure travellers while offering guests the ideal ‘home away from home,” said Pro-invest Hotels Chief Operating Officer, Shantha de Silva.

Accor Pacific CEO, Sarah Derry, said the accommodation offering is suited to a variety of travel needs.

“We will provide guests incredible experiences that match the vibrancy of Canberra, in serviced apartments which offer increased flexibility and more space,” she said.

“The property is tailored to suit business and leisure travellers who wish to be located in the heart of Canberra and value high standards in style, amenities and thoughtful design. Looking to the future, Canberra will continue to grow as a travel destination holding great appeal for visitors.”

The 63-key property is suited to a variety of travel needs

world of innovative hospitality across the

most stunning destinations

Summits spark results

by Michael Johnson, CEO, Tourism Accommodation Australia

THERE ARE NO simple fixes to the labour crisis in our sector, but the quick implementation of recommendations from two recent job summits could see some progress in the right direction.

I was recently part of the Tourism Jobs Summit, hosted by Austrade, ahead of the wider Federal Jobs and Skills Summit held in Canberra on September 1-2, where all hotels were represented by Australian Hotels Association National CEO Stephen Ferguson, who did a fine job.

The outcomes from both summits were positive and it was great to see the government acknowledging the problem and listening to a diverse range of views.

Perhaps, the most significant outcome in the short term was the announcement that $36 million will be spent to clear the backlog of more than 950,000 outstanding visas. An additional 500 people will be hired for the next nine months to tackle the backlog allowing more international travellers and workers to enter Australia.

International Student caps will be withheld until 30 June 2023 to allow the labour workforce to recover, and a working party will be formed to put together a competitive incentive plan to attract more Working Holiday Makers to our shores.

Pleasingly, the migration cap was increased by another 30,000, and three people will be appointed to review the migration system.

There was also a strong focus on how other domestic worker markets could be better developed.

It is critical these initiatives are implemented quickly as we approach the busy summer period.

New Zealand drops vaccine mandate for travellers

Tourism industry welcomes decision to retire traffic light system.

UNVACCINATED TRAVELLERS AND air crew are now permitted to enter New Zealand following the removal of the COVID-19 Protection Framework, also known as the traffic light system, in September.

All government vaccine mandates ended on September 26, and masks are now only required in healthcare and aged care facilities.

Only those who test positive for COVID-19 will be required to isolate for seven days –household contacts will not, but they will need to undertake RATs daily.

New Zealand’s tourism and hospitality sectors

Tourists will no longer need to show proof of vaccination to enter New Zealand

have welcomed the removal of restrictions.

Accor Pacific CEO, Sarah Derry, said the move will give travellers confidence to visit the region.

“We are delighted that New Zealand is opening up to the world and has retired the traffic light system,” she said.

“This move restores confidence in booking ahead and sees the return of no barriers to travel. Because of this decision the industry can look forward to a summer of improved demand and our teams are ready to give local and overseas visitors a warm welcome and memorable experiences.”

TFE partners with Capital Alliance on dual hotel development

Collection by TFE Hotel and A by Adina properties will be introduced to Melbourne.

TFE HOTELS WILL operate two new hotels as part of a AU$340 million mixeduse development by Capital Alliance in Melbourne Docklands.

The two-tower development, at 28-38 Pearl River Road, will feature the first purposebuilt Collection by TFE Hotels and A by Adina properties in the city.

Designed locally by SJB, the project includes the largest rooftop infinity pool in the country, and a 1000-pax capacity event conference centre located on a sky bridge connecting the two accommodation towers. The site will also include a day spa, retail stores, and restaurants.

“Each of our one-of-a-kind Collection hotels has a distinct story and, together with A by Adina’s brand premise around hotel living, offer guest experiences that are unique to their neighbourhood,” said TFE Hotels Group COO, Chris Sedgwick.

It is the fourth mixed-use hotel development for Capital Alliance who have invested heavily in the Docklands area over the past eight years.

Construction will begin early next year with the development expected to open to the public in 2026.

An artist’s impression of the two-tower Melbourne Docklands development by Capital Alliance

PEOPLE WITH PASSION

As Swiss-Belhotel International looks ahead to a period of strategic growth in Australia and New Zealand, Vice President Operations and Development, Patrick Laybutt, shares how pivotal its people are to its success.

Swiss-Belhotel International is one of the fastest growing hotel management companies worldwide. What’s the secret behind this exponential growth? Swiss-Belhotel International is a global hotel management company headquartered in Hong Kong, with 125 hotels and resorts, across 16 brands, in more than 19 countries across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Since the inception of the company in 1987, Swiss-Belhotel International believed in the strength of People – its hotel owners, staff, and guests. For 35 years, the company has been serving customers and supporting hotel owners, guided by the three Ps – passion, professionalism, and profit.

The trust shown by our hotel owners has been the main driving force behind the company’s growth. What makes SwissBelhotel International stand apart from its peers in the industry is the close relationship the firm has with its hotel owners.

All our hotels are individually designed, and they are all extensions of the owner’s vision. It is the passion of the owner that drives the hotel. It is an extension of their life and their success.

Can you share an insight into the company’s current ANZ portfolio?

Having 16 brands in the company portfolio, we are able to diversify our offerings to suit most markets and varied clientele. In ANZ, we have an assortment of properties, from city hotels, boutique hotels, and spacious hotel apartments to exciting resorts, spread across Sydney, Auckland, Queenstown, and Napier. As of now we serve 3.5 to 5-star clientele.

We are working on numerous projects and leads that will further expand our reach to the young budget travellers with the Zest brand.

What travel trends are you seeing across the business this year?

Travel has seen a steep rise especially with New Zealand opening its borders to foreign travellers from August. However, one unique trend that we are noticing is the increased awareness on sustainable travel.

With guests asking for more eco-friendly options, the hotel owners are also showing interest in developing such properties.

We had anticipated this demand and during COVID we created a unique brand called ‘Maua’ – originating from New Zealand’s Maori culture – specifically

Patrick Laybutt, Swiss-Belhotel International

conceptualised for Sustainable Retreats. The hotel owners are showing a keen interest in this brand moving forward.

What does 2023 look like for Swiss-Belhotel International?

We measure our growth with the profits that the owners make, not in the number of hotels we have. That is our USP, where the owner feels there is a partnership, and they have a say in their business. Currently with the 2023 hotel budgets and business planning ongoing, we are certain to show strong strategic growth across all our regions and thus bring more value to an owner.

There are many leads in the pipeline, and we are looking to partner with like-minded property developers to steer ahead together. We look forward to announcing further SwissBelhotel International Branded properties throughout ANZ in the coming months. n

Swiss-Belsuites Pounamu, Queenstown

Opportunity abounds

By Cass Champion, Chief Operating Officer, Accommodation Association

OCCUPANCY AND BOOKINGS are tracking well for Accommodation Association members across the country as the crucial summer holidays period creeps closer.

Recent research revealed that most Australian 18-25-year-olds are ready and eager to work in hospitality, but in many cases their parents don’t understand the long term career opportunities that are available, right across Australia, right now.

As we move toward peak season, now is a great time to promote our unique employment pathway The Gappa, which provides practical on the job learning to ignite interest in the fun and flexible accommodation careers available to young school leavers who are right now weighing up options.

The Gappa provides an educational stepping stone for young jobseekers with the added attraction of working in accommodation businesses all over Australia. For parents, this isn’t just a holiday, it’s a fun learning experience with built in support to amplify the professional development of their kids.

The Accommodation Association has The Gappa opportunities all over the country for young people to travel, earn and learn highly transferable customer service skills, with endless possibilities to take their careers further into management, F&B or other pathways they hadn’t previously considered.

We must work together as an industry to highlight how much we’ve enjoyed our accommodation careers and the steps we took to progress to where we are now.

A career in accommodation is a career for life, and that’s worth sharing with Australian parents.

Melbourne Marriott launches M Club and Bar

Million-dollar refurb of hotel lobby sees addition of new guest spaces.

MELBOURNE MARRIOTT HOTEL has introduced its new-look lobby following a AU$1.1 million refurbishment, the first stage of a broader transformation underway at the hotel.

The refreshed space includes the addition of the new M Bar as well as an M Club lounge –one of the first in Australia – designed by One Design Office (ODO).

Open to Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador Elite Marriott Bonvoy members and guests who stay on executive floors, the M Club provides a relaxed space for social or business meetings, with charging points, complimentary Wi-Fi, computer kiosk and printer available.

“Our M Club is an exclusive sanctuary to relax, unwind, refuel or tap away on the laptop – depending on what our guests’ needs might be,” said Melbourne Marriott Hotel’s General Manager, Gaurav Wattal.

“It feels like a homely retreat and offers a mix of communal tables, comfy sofas, and corner nooks to suit guests feeling sociable or wanting a quiet spot to read and chill out.

“It’s important for modern travellers to be able to work from anywhere, so it was critical to design a space where guests can connect seamlessly through our high speed Wi-Fi and USB points.”

Veriu kickstarts Punthill project

Sods are turned on Veriu’s first Punthill build in regional New South Wales.

VERIU GROUP OFFICIALS, including CEO, Zed Sanjana, have joined developer Panthera Group and Maitland Mayor, Philip Penfold, to turn the first sods of the company’s first Punthill property in regional New South Wales.

Sanjana said the announcement has been met with excitement by Maitland residents, with the new Punthill Maitland the first hotel brand slated to open in the town in more than a decade.

He said the development also kicks off the Veriu Group’s ambitious expansion plan to roll out the successful Punthill apartment hotel accommodation model in regional NSW, with a number of other regional openings scheduled for the coming years.

The arrival of the Victorian-based operator is expected to provide a much welcome boost to the Hunter Valley’s tourism industry, which is currently experiencing a resurgence in postpandemic travellers.

Construction on Punthill Maitland is now underway, with the property expected to open in late 2023.

Sanjana said the 76-key apartment hotel is located in the heart of Maitland’s High Street

commercial hub and it will feature conference facilities, a gymnasium and café, and will cater to both the corporate and leisure travel market.

An innovator in the boutique hotel and micro-apartment space, the Veriu Group last week also announced the opening of its first Sydney Punthill property, Punthill Norwest, in the bustling Norwest business precinct, following the takeover of an existing Adina hotel.

Sanjana said there will be more announcements about the opening of new Punthill apartment hotels at various sites in both metropolitan and regional NSW.

Marriott’s M Club is a relaxed space for social or business meetings

Developer Panthera Group and Maitland Mayor, Philip Penfold, joined Veriu for the sod turning ceremony

Sofitel Darling Harbour to open luxury spa

Bespoke spa experiences will target body, mind and soul.

SOFITEL SYDNEY DARLING Harbour is set to open a luxury spa in January 2023 that will take a holistic approach to wellness.

Spanning two levels, overlooking Darling Harbour, Sofitel Spa will offer bespoke treatments and experiences that target the body, mind and soul.

Sofitel Spa’s Director of Spa and Wellness, Cecilia Ferreyra, said that the spa aims to satisfy each guest’s unique interpretation of wellness and self-care.

“We are here to take the time to connect with our guests and identify what self-care means for them, so we can assist in crafting an experience that aligns with those needs,” she told HM.

The spa will feature seven spacious treatment rooms – including two suites – an infrared sauna, relaxation deck and meditation zone.

Sofitel Spa will take a holistic approach to wellness

Gearing up for growth

By James Doolan, Strategic Director, Hotel Council Aotearoa

WE ARE FAST approaching a milestone of three years since the first COVID-19 case. International borders have re-opened (yes, even in New Zealand!) and travel volumes are rebuilding, especially in the leisure segment.

It’s surprising that part one of New Zealand’s roadmap to tourism recovery – called the Industry Transformation Plan (“ITP”) – was released in draft form only in September. It focuses solely on how to achieve “better work”. The ITP’s 17-person leadership group has made eight recommendations for change. A proposed new Tourism Industry Accord would set out minimum workforce standards for endorsement as a good employer.

The Better Work ITP is well-meaning but poorly timed. After almost three years of catastrophic losses, the first and foremost question must be growth. How should New Zealand re-grow visitation levels to 2019 levels and beyond, while at the same time ensuring the sector has community support? Without growth, no industry can attract new ideas, new capital, and new workers. None of us would encourage our children to build careers in a declining or directionless sector. Successful and growing businesses are always a pre-requisite for “better work”.

Issues of growth lead inevitably to questions of infrastructure investment (to handle the extra visitors) and funding models (to pay for the infrastructure). For the past two years, Hotel Council Aotearoa has repeatedly and consistently sought dialogue with all levels of government to work on real solutions to these complicated problems.

The hotel sector must be fully involved in policy development around NZ tourism funding models, not superficially included in tick-box consultation exercises after decisions have been made on high.

Markets compete for digital nomad dollars

As global markets look to digital nomad visas to drive tourism dollars, Selina’s Dean Leibowitz reveals how this concept could be a gamechanger for Australia.

AS INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL booms once again, global markets competing for tourism dollars are looking to digital nomad visas to capitalise on the growing ‘work from anywhere’ trend.

In July, the Indonesian Government announced the proposed introduction of a long-term working visa to bring digital nomads to its shores. The visa would allow travellers to live and work in sought-after destinations like Bali for five years without having to pay taxes if working for an overseas employer.

“Now with the pandemic handled and all the ministries getting involved and cooperating from the health side to the immigrations office, we believe that this is an opportune time to relaunch this idea,” said Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno.

It’s a concept that is being considered by many countries around the world as major corporations like Airbnb permit staff to work remotely from any location. And it’s one that could help Australia drive the return of

international travellers, which have been slow to return since the reopening of borders.

Selina’s Destination Director for Australia and New Zealand, Dean Leibowitz, believes a visa like this could draw a lot of working visitors Down Under.

“From my experiences living overseas and talking to people from all over the world, Australia is always high up on people’s bucket list to travel to, but the most common reasons for not coming (apart from the snakes and spiders) are that Australia is too far away, too expensive and in some cases the visa application is too complicated,” Leibowitz told HM

“If we could extend the time travellers can spend down here and provide them with the ability to continue to work and get paid while they are here, I have no doubt we would see a huge influx of people coming to spend six months to a year in Australia.”

One of Australia’s biggest traveller markets is the working holiday maker, and while numbers are still falling short of pre-

The rise in remote working is prompting some countries to introduce digital nomad visas

Selina’s stay, work and play’ concept targets Millennial and Gen Z travellers

pandemic figures, the demand for this visa signals a desire from international travellers to come to Australia for extended periods of time.

Leibowitz says there’s growing evidence to prove that digital nomad visas work.

“There is a direct correlation between the countries offering digital nomad style visas and where these nomad hubs are forming – from Portugal and Germany to Eastern European countries like Croatia and Hungary, and across Latin America in Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Brazil,” he said.

“These countries are all forming bustling international nomad commutes in their city hubs and remote towns.”

While many of these are developing countries, where the cost of living is lower, the influx of global travellers who are earning an income drives growth in these markets.

“The hospitality and lifestyle industries are always booming in these areas and that in turn drives more global tourism demand,” he said.

“Just look at what is happening in Lisbon, Budapest, Mexico City and Colombia.”

STAY, WORK AND PLAY

In recent months, Australia has witnessed a rise in next-generation accommodation targeting the digital nomad with the introduction of coliving brands, Selina and lyf.

Since launching in May, Panama-born hospitality brand Selina has opened two properties in Melbourne and one in Brisbane.

Its ‘stay, work and play’ concept targets Millennial and Gen Z travellers, and in the first quarter of 2022 the company recorded total revenue of SU$39.9 million, a 150.8%

increase on the same period the year prior.

“These generations are far more lifestyledriven,” Leibowitz said.

“They prioritise meaningful moments, experiences, and adventure over material possessions. Given the choice to live freely, move from one cultural hub to another while working in your own time and on your own terms, verses commuting into a stale office day in day out, I have no doubt which would be the favoured option amongst these generations.”

Co-working

Air New Zealand’s NYC flights take off

Air New Zealand has launched its highly anticipated direct flights to New York City, connecting the Big Apple with Aotearoa for the first time ever non-stop and the potential for more tourists to Australasia is exponential, as JAMES WILKINSON discovers.

AIR NEW ZEALAND’S first ever direct flights to New York, which are between 16-17.5 hours each way, made their long-awaited debut in September, with the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner services set to provide a massive boost to tourism for both Auckland and the Big Apple, as well as shave significant time off existing one-stop services.

The inaugural Auckland-New York service direct to John F. Kennedy International Airport took off on time and to much fanfare for good reason – these services were announced pre-pandemic and come at a time when global travel is booming.

Air New Zealand’s CEO, Greg Foran, who was on the launch flight, said the services truly are a game changer for those travelling to and from Aotearoa and the East Coast of the United States.

“The new direct flight to New York has been many years in the making and it gives us something pretty unique here to get to the East Coast of the United States,” he told HM

“The flight is worth around NZ$65 million to the New Zealand economy, it’s a great thing for the country and we are very proud to be launching this flight.”

Air New Zealand’s launch of direct flights to New York marks the seventh North American destination served directly from Aotearoa by the carrier, making flights to and from Australasia more accessible than ever before.

“As one of the world’s greatest cities, Air New Zealand is proud to add the Big Apple to its list of 29 international destinations,” Foran said.

“By adding greater access to the East Coast of the US, we’re connecting our North

American customers to the possibilities of 20 destinations within New Zealand as well as the Pacific and Australia, all within easy reach. This is terrific for our customers.”

To help inaugurate the new flights, Air New Zealand hosted an event for 200 dignitaries at the Edge, New York’s newest attraction and the world’s highest outdoor viewing platform.

The event included New Zealand wines and performances by top Kiwi band Six60 and Air New Zealand’s own Te Ara Nui cultural dancers, who performed an incredible Haka with lower Manhattan as a backdrop.

New Zealand’s Minister of Tourism, the Hon Stuart Nash, who also flew to New York for the launch, told the crowd the first ever direct flights would provide a massive boost for the nation.

“It was an absolute pleasure to be on a flight where you could get on in New Zealand and get off in New York,” he said.

“We flew into New York on a massive plane

carrying our New Zealand brand and I was so proud to be a Kiwi.”

Nash said the new direct connection between the destinations is an absolute winner for the valuable outbound New York travelling public.

“New York, I have a message for you… New Zealand has never been closer,” he said. “We are here and New Zealand is open for business.

“There are three flights per week at the moment and it will be up to seven [soon] as New Yorkers understand the value of New Zealand… and in the middle of a New York winter, there’s nothing better than sipping on a nice Hawke’s Bay wine, sitting in the sun, chilling out and listening to Six60. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Impressively, Air New Zealand has now launched and re-launched six North American routes – Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Vancouver – with Chicago set to follow on October 31.

Air New Zealand hosted 200 dignitaries at the Edge to celebrate the launch

Air New Zealand has launched direct flights between Auckland and NYC

A new era of airport accommodation

Holiday Inn reveals AU$15 million Sydney refurb.

THE RESULTS OF a AU$15 million refurbishment of Holiday Inn Sydney Airport have been unveiled to guests this week.

All 252 guest rooms have been refreshed as part of the transformation to provide a modern and inviting accommodation experience.

Each room now includes a Nespresso station, digital menus and mounted slim televisions, while the adjoining bathrooms feature spacious showers and large-format amenities to minimise waste.

The room design incorporates earthy tones in the form of bronze light fixtures and leather headboards to create a warm, relaxing environment.

“Whether it’s an annual family holiday or business trip, we know guests are seeking to make travel as seamless as possible –right from the get-go,” Holiday Inn Sydney Airport General Manager, Mayuresh

Deodhar, said following the refurbishment.

“We are incredibly proud to be welcoming guests to a new era of airport accommodation, where it’s all about making their stay part of the journey.”

The hotel’s room design features warm and earthy tones

A time to transform

EVT introduces a new strategic direction with innovative accommodation offerings coming to market.

EVENT HOSPITALITY AND Entertainment is rebranding as it enters a new phase, combining its strengths across Entertainment, Ventures, and Travel to operate under a shared vision – EVT.

“Our rebrand to EVT is more than just a name change,” said EVT CEO Jane Hastings.

“It is making sure we can better leverage what we do and how we do it. We’ve faced unprecedented challenges over the past few years, and we made the decision to leverage this time to transform our business and look for new ways to maximise our assets – and we are stronger for it. We are more agile, innovative, and crystal clear on our growth priorities.”

A NEW DIRECTION

With this next chapter comes a new hotel strategy, which sees the group expand to all segments of the market – from luxury to budget – by acquiring new brands and assets and strengthening the positioning of existing brands.

“Our new hotel expansion strategy transitions the group from a focus on midmarket and design-led hotels to all market segments,” Hastings told HM.

“This evolution has delivered immediate results and proves we are heading in the right direction.”

As both an experienced owner/operator, one of EVT’s key strategic goals is maximising assets, from major new-build developments to conversions and upgrading key assets.

“We challenge ourselves daily to innovate and to commercialise under-utilised spaces,” said Hastings.

The Group is also leveraging its expertise by introducing new hotel management models under the Independent Collection by EVT.

“We recognise that there are owners that are seeking flexibility in brand and business models,” said EVT’s Director of Hotels, Normal Arundel.

“Independent Collection by EVT enables hotel owners to leverage the scale and expertise of our hotel solutions and also design a unique brand with us or leverage an existing independent brand. This is an agile and highly transferable model for any and every property and has resonated in the market very well.”

INNOVATIVE EXPERIENCES

EVT will introduce several new experiences to market under its new strategy, HM can exclusively reveal. Among these is qtQT, a luxury cabin experience on a rooftop at QT Gold Coast targeting new-age travellers.

EVT expands luxury offering

Rydges Melbourne will be the first to launch a new Rydges apartments concept to give guests the premium service a hotel offers with the convenience of a home; while Atura is exploring multiple room concepts, from compact to studio-style apartments, to offer guests more choice and communal spaces that promote connection.

EVT will also launch an innovative budget accommodation experience in Auckland later this year.

“Over the last few years, the budget segment has evolved, travellers are now looking for multi-purpose spaces where they can play, eat, work and sleep,” Hastings said.

“Our newest accommodation experience is techstyle-led; from pods to compact ensuite rooms catering to the value mindset.”

DEMAND FOR DIGITAL

EVT will also use CX technology to streamline and automate operations across EVT Hotels and Resorts.

“We are leveraging the expertise across our group to digitalise the customer journey endto-end,” Hastings said.

“We know how important a seamless check-in and check-out experience is to our customers and we want to put this at the palm of their hand.”

EVT is building and testing platforms to deliver that exact experience along with other enhancements to the guest stay.

“The arrival experience at QT Newcastle is

The budget accommodation segment has evolved in recent years

EVT CEO Jane Hastings

a great example – a hotel without a traditional front desk. Easy to use check-in kiosks remove all the fuss of checking into a hotel, with our teams free to ensure a fast warm welcome for every guest,” said Arundel.

“Rydges Melbourne will feature a similar arrival experience, making it one of the largest full-service hotels in the region in this space. We are also piloting online check ins across several of our hotels.”

GIVING BACK

At a time when many hotel companies are struggling to recruit enough staff to, EVT is doubling down on employee growth and development through its Elevate programme which focuses on elevating people, communities, and environment.

“Elevate our people includes flexibility to help our people achieve balance, comprehensive wellbeing programmes

including paid parental leave and career mobility across our diverse industries and amazing perks,” Hastings explained.

The program also incorporates workplace giving, outreach and volunteer programs, education, and community involvement, and addresses environmental challenges in the industries it operates through sustainable design, transparency and reporting and sustainable practices and procurement. n

An innovative budget accommodation experience is set to launch in Auckland later this year

QT Gold Coast introduces a luxury rooftop experience

VENUES OF THE FUTURE

ScottNodsle, EncoreEncore APAC Managing Director, Scott Nodsle, discusses the future of event technology and production in hotels.

As the events market ramps back up to full speed, it’s worth asking an important question about use of space. Instead of just picking up where we left off, could we find a more suitable way to set up staging, technology and more in event venues? Looking at what our customers really want from their event spaces has shown us the need of creating more agile venues, with a focus on enhancing live experiences.

Across many parts of the Asia Pacific market, the traditional model has been to fully install permanent technology in meeting spaces, so they can be made ready for productions quickly. This is not the standard globally, where we see venues limiting fixed installations within the main function space to allow for more flexible solutions, tailored to the customer’s needs.

At Encore we’re adapting our strategy to accommodate the changing needs of the local market which is more aligned to the standard globally. Traditionally, we’ve been in favour of permanently installed solutions as there are many obvious benefits – convenience, repeatability, and timesaving. However, since the disruption of COVID

we’ve noticed a shift in client demand moving away from tried and true to more bespoke event design. Many clients don’t want to be limited in their space layout or constrained with technology built into main ballrooms and function spaces. So, what is the answer? A carefully considered mix of installed and mobile equipment to give versatility and enhance the event experience.

PCMA APAC Managing Director, Florence Chua, says members want more than a standard solution for their conferences.

“They’re looking for ways their events can be delivered differently to make a bigger impact and enhance the overall experience,” she said.

“Flexibility is key and more agile, innovative technical solutions are perfect to meet this demand.”

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

There is a vast range of mobile equipment options that can be brought in to fulfil a creative staging solution. At its core, mobile is any equipment that is not permanently installed in the venue and that can be easily added or removed. For example, mobile screens enable presentation stages to be configured in any way. Mobile LED walls or screens also provide super-bright vision, while a giant curved screen delivers an

immersive display solution to delight your audience. Smaller event spaces can benefit from mobile technology too. Screens on stands can be placed in meeting rooms for virtual presenters or conference calls and removed when not needed. The options are endless and deliver boundless flexibility.

STRIKING THE RIGHT BALANCE

Although there can be many benefits to mobile equipment, a venue with no installed technology is not necessarily the best solution. A balance of both offers flexibility, and enables quick and efficient setups with essential, common items installed.

Many venues have installed technology that provides a quick and consistent solution for customers. This works well for environments that can only be set up in one form. Fully installed audio-visual (AV) equipment provides a way for customers to get their content on screen, lights on and sound through the podium microphone quickly. When considering a space that will have the same setup daily, repeated for each customer, this is the ideal way to address your event technology needs. Furthermore, clients regularly using the venue also have the advantage of being familiar with the equipment and setup.

However, as our industry rapidly returns to full activity, we’ve seen an increased demand among our customers for more bespoke solutions to their event designs, both live and hybrid. What this means for the industry is an adjustment to how we envision both our space and asset allocation. Having flexible space to provide unique solutions, designed specifically for a customer’s event design, will be the way venues will win customers and keep them coming back for a fresh new look.

Encore has had the privilege of having been in-house at many of our venue partners for several years giving us intimate knowledge of each venue space, its strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. Coupled with this, having delivered countless events we are in the position to know what clients are looking for — what can be installed for quick, reliable turnaround and what should be made mobile.

BENEFITS OF AGILE VENUES

There are multiple advantages of reducing the amount of permanently installed technology in your main function space:

Many clients do not want a one-size-fits-all solution. Agile venues allow added flexibility in room layouts, particularly in larger spaces. Mobile technology allows for dynamic solutions and creative event design, catering to clients’ needs rather than offering a ‘cookie cutter’ solution.

Traditionally, hosting two different event formats within the same space back-to-back was near impossible. Yet when we use mobile technology, our teams have been able to seamlessly go from a high-end, hybrid conference to a large gala dinner in under an hour. This means our venues can take on more bookings and planners get the space and day they want. It’s a win-win for all.

Hotel owners and managers who purchase and run their own AV do not need to invest heavily in permanently installed technology and can use these funds for other projects. This leaves room for cuttingedge technology to be brought in specific to the customers’ demands and budgets.

Additionally, permanently installed assets may quickly go out of style or not be used often, which diminishes the return on investment. We all know the feeling of being stuck on an iPhone 6 when everyone’s using the iPhone 13, for example.

For a highly creative event design requiring specialist equipment, the permanently installed assets often need to be covered up or removed. Mobile equipment is then ideal as it can be placed in the venue specifically for the event and then be removed.

All event technology requires regular servicing and repair. Mobile equipment can be quickly and easily replaced and there is no damage to the event space from removal, or downtime for repairing or replacing installed equipment.

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION

Whether it’s a projector or a speaker box, mobile equipment can be used in many different scenarios. At Encore we use technology in creative ways to bring the event design to life. Being too beholden to existing equipment would have restricted options for the client in terms of room formation, staging design and lighting.

Our mobile technology options are continuously upgraded and improved so we can provide the right option for our customers’ needs. As we partner with venues across the globe, providing the right solution for the right space is at the top of our minds. Our unique options for both installed and mobile assets work best when venues want to achieve the highest levels of flexibility and most effective space maximisation options for their customers. If you are interested in learning ways to strategically reimagine your event spaces and technology offering, feel free to contact me directly or reach out to one of our team members via our website. n

Connect with me to discuss your venue’s needs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottnodsle/

Marlene Poynder, The Carlyle

EAST SIDE

STORY

AWARD-WINNING HOTELIER MARLENE POYNDER HAS HAD A JOURNEY THAT MANY WOULD ASPIRE TO HAVE. SHE’S GONE FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA TO NEW YORK CITY, WORKING WITH SOME OF THE BEST BRANDS IN THE BUSINESS ALONG THE WAY AND NOW SHE’S AT THE HELM OF A LEGENDARY HOTEL THAT’S ONE OF THE FINEST PROPERTIES EVER BUILT. SHE CAUGHT UP IN NEW YORK WITH JAMES WILKINSON TO TALK ABOUT HER JOURNEY AND MUCH MORE.

Over the past 30 years, Marlene Poynder has been one of the world’s most acclaimed Hoteliers.

She’s been on a journey that has taken her from Australia to New Zealand, Asia, and the United States, including leading the teams at Park Hyatt Sydney, Hilton Queenstown, the Waldorf Astoria Beijing, Conrad New York Downtown and now at one of the world’s finest properties, The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, in New York City.

Poynder has been a leader for many and an inspiration for many more, showing how far a career can take you from a quiet suburb in Perth to the bright lights of New York City.

The Carlyle has a storied history spanning 92 years

Bemelmans Bar is a muchloved NYC institution

Marlene, congrats on your recent appointment as managing director of The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, in New York City. This is a very exciting time for you in your phenomenal career, isn’t it?

Yes, it is very exciting, and I’m honoured to be managing this renowned property.

Managing a property as legendary as The Carlyle carries a certain sense of responsibility, given the property has an incredible history.

Absolutely – The Carlyle has such a wonderful, storied history. We are currently celebrating 92 years which is quite a milestone. I am thrilled to have joined the hotel earlier this year and we are already hard at work to maintain The Carlyle’s incredible legacy while also introducing it to a new generation.

What makes The Carlyle so unique in your opinion, from the suites and bars to the fantastic location?

The Carlyle is an extremely special hotel, but it is so much more than a hotel. It is chic and elegant but also eclectic and whimsical at the same time. From your arrival in the intimate Art Deco lobby, you immediately know you are in New York. It’s old-world glamour but never stuffy and has a wonderful nostalgic feeling.

The hotel has just emerged from a three-year long renovation and the beautiful new guest rooms and suites have been very well-received and, for the first time in decades, we debuted a new restaurant called Dowling’s at The Carlyle. It’s one of the toughest reservations to get in town – the menu features new interpretations of timeless New York favourites and throwback dishes such as Steak Diane, which is flambéed tableside.

Of course, Bemelmans Bar and Café Carlyle are two iconic locations that should not be missed. And the hotel’s Upper East Side location, just one-block from Central Park, offers the perfect New York experience. And the incredible tenured staff are full of personality and character. They truly feel like “family” to our guests.

As you know, I’m a big fan of Bemelmans Bar and Café Carlyle, two New York institutions. What makes these venues so special to you?

Bemelmans Bar and Café Carlyle are truly such beloved institutions here in the city. At Bemelmans, guests can enjoy our famous cocktails and live music while admiring the whimsical murals by famed author and artist Ludwig Bemelmans.

It’s been amazing to see the resurgence that Bemelmans Bar is currently experiencing since reopening after the pandemic.

We have had lines to get in the bar for the first time ever in our 75-year history. It’s become quite the favourite bar with the younger Instagram crowd. And Café Carlyle has been open since 1955 and offers a classic cabaret experience highlighted by murals that were painted by Oscar-winning French Artist, Marcel Vertes.

You’ve had some amazing performances of late in Café Carlyle, including by fellow Australian expatriate Kylie Minogue. Tell us about that.

Yes – Café Carlyle just reopened this past spring with Isaac Mizrahi kicking the season off for us. We’ve had many great performers this year including the legendary David Foster and Katharine McPhee, and author Candace Bushnell. Kylie Minogue performed a special event in the Café to celebrate the launch of her rose wine – it was so incredible to see her perform on such an intimate stage.

You’ve managed some amazing hotels across the world in your career. How does this role compare in that mix?

This role is the cherry on top of the icing on the cake for me. It’s The Carlyle, New York! I am incredibly honoured to be a part of this incredible hotel and its’ continuing journey, leading into her first century.

What advice do you have for some rising stars in hospitality to be a Managing Director of The Carlyle one day?

For those that have known me over the years they will attest to my answer, albeit a little repetitive by now. I believe in the big dream! I honestly believe I am where I am because I have always dreamed BIG.

Over the years, when I have interviewed for my next role, I ask myself is this going to contribute to my big, longer-term goals. If the answer is yes, then I am all in. And that does not necessarily mean on every occasion the move is a promotion.

Sometimes sideways moves have served me well. Grit, determination, a positive demeanour, and self-belief are required to keep the voices in your head, and those of others, at bay whilst you pursue your dream. n

“Grit, determination, a positive demeanour, and self-belief are required to keep the voices in your head, and those of others, at bay whilst you pursue your dream.”

-Marlene Poynder, The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel

The

HEALTH

THROUGH WATER

GROHE Smartcontrol’s thermostatic technology is designed to provide a pampering, personal spa experience.

GROHE is a leading global brand for complete bathroom and kitchen solutions focused on meeting real, tangible consumer needs. Every GROHE product is built on our brand values of quality, technology, design and sustainability and offers intelligent, rational, emotionally appealing and life-enhancing solutions that provide Pure Freude an Wasser – the Pure Joy of Water.

GROHE recognises users’ health and wellbeing as one of the macro factors that is shaping the future of water and the hospitality industry. In recent years, the idea of the bathroom as a private spa, rather than a place of simple, everyday functionality, has accelerated. GROHE solutions incorporate a range of advanced technologies to transform this previously closed space into a place of functional indulgence. Ease of use, safety and hygiene are naturally – in this environment –prime considerations.

Health comes through water and the beauty of water has always been our inspiration. GROHE is dedicated to emotional experiences because bathrooms should be a special space

for recreation, relaxation, and contemplation. By touching all five senses, GROHE elevates the me-moment to a unique bliss moment.

PERSONALISED SHOWER EXPERIENCE

Extend your mastery of the shower area with multiple controls, that create the different zones for your personal showering habit to make your daily showering great. Showers have always been a great way to unwind after a long day. But we often spend time trying to get the temperature, volume, and pressure just right, wasting precious water in the process.

GROHE Smartcontrol transcends the merely functional to provide a pampering, personal spa experience. With this product’s thermostatic technology, users can effortlessly press a button – or two – without any extra load time for the water to reach the desired temperature.

Patrons at the Oval Hotel in Adelaide can enjoy a refreshing shower just by pushing the button to choose their preferred shower spray. They can switch between a light refreshing spray or a powerful stimulating one, control

In recent years, the idea of the bathroom as a private spa has accelerated

the volume at the same time. Each time the patrons take a shower, the spray, volume, and temperature are exactly the same to give them the perfect experience every time.

The design and look of the GROHE SmartControl have been well thought out. Its slim and streamlined look fits aesthetically in every bathroom. The 10mm thin wall plates make the SmartControl trim sets in both round and square, elegant and space saving. This innovation is also available in Chrome, Brushed Nickel, Brushed Cool Sunrise and Hard Graphite.

For GROHE, intelligent design is something to be experienced. If you want to elevate your patrons’ shower experience, the GROHE SmartControl is essential. n

Steven Higgins, LIXIL Group

WINE AND

HOTELS ARE ELEVATING FOOD AND BEVERAGE EXPERIENCES LIKE NEVER BEFORE TO DRAW GUESTS AND LOCALS ALIKE. HERE ARE A SELECTION OF RECENT VENUE OPENINGS THAT ARE MAKING AN IMPRESSION WHEN IT COMES TO STYLE AND SERVICE. RUTH HOGAN REPORTS.

Dine

LUMA, THE PLAYFORD HOTEL

Adelaide’s iconic Playford Hotel – a member of the MGallery Collection by Accor – has introduced Luma Restaurant and Bar as part of its multi-million-dollar upgrade.

The centerpiece of this Art Nouveau-style venue is an 800-metre handcrafted lighting sculpture which weaves around its massive columns, brightening the booths below.

Luma’s restaurant is overseen by award-winning Executive Chef Kevin Martel, who introduces a menu inspired by European dining with bold flavours, colours and locally sourced organic ingredients. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, Luma’s dishes are prepared using both classic techniques and interpretive cooking methods.

“I am genuinely excited by Luma and the culinary journey we have in store for our guests which will showcase the best of South Australian produce,” said Martel.

“The Luma experience will be something special and unforgettably distinctive, energetic and inspiring.”

The bar will be managed by celebrated mixologist Gregory Perrot, noted for once having created a $2,000 cocktail.

Luma Restaurant and Bar has just opened at Adelaide’s Playford Hotel

Celebrated mixologist Gregory Perrot heads up Luma’s bar

T’ANG COURT, THE LANGHAM GOLD COAST

Langham Hospitality Group has introduced the first Australian iteration of its internationally renowned Michelin-starred Cantonese fine dining restaurant, T’ang Court, at The Langham Gold Coast.

A nod to the Tang Dynasty – regarded as China’s golden age – T’ang Court, Gold Coast celebrates authentic Cantonese flavours using quality local produce.

“Our first Australian T’ang Court restaurant marks a significant leap forward for the local dining landscape,” said Langham Hospitality Group Director of Chinese Cuisine, Howard Lam.

“Authentic, traditional Cantonese fine dining is comparatively rare in Australia, so we’re thrilled to bring this unique experience to life for locals and travellers, from other states and even internationally.”

Modern luxury meets traditional authenticity in the 80-seat indoor restaurant, which features luxe furnishings, contemporary designs and abstract artworks by Australian-Chinese artist, Lindi Li.

The Gold Coast restaurant joins a small family of famous fine dining restaurants across Asia, including T’ang Court, Hong Kong which has been three Michelinstarred for seven consecutive years since 2016.

“Diners at T’ang Court on the Gold Coast will be able to indulge in the same golden age Cantonese flavours that have earned T’ang Court at The Langham, Hong Kong three Michelin stars and seen its many other award-winning sister restaurants across the world become highly-sought-after dining destinations,” Lam said.

“T’ang Court Diners can expect a true gastronomic affair with some of the best Cantonese flavours and an array of traditional masterpieces.”

BAR ALBERT, VOCO AUCKLAND CITY CENTRE

Voco Auckland City Centre has opened its rooftop food and beverage venue, Bar Albert – believed to be the highest rooftop bar in the country.

Located on the 38th floor of the hotel, the Bar Albert features Art-Deco inspired decor, open-air deck, private event space and sky-high views of the city.

The food and beverage offering is inspired by the locality with signature gins and cocktails designed around Auckland Street names, including Eden Crescent, Napier Street, Chancery Street and Market Place.

Bar Albert champions locally-produced wine – from within a 50km distance – including Waiheke’s Man O War or Kumeu River Wines, as well as other New Zealand and international varieties. The bar also offers

T’ang Court celebrates authentic Cantonese flavours

Bar Albert features an Art-Deco-inspired design

Matakana’s Sawmill Brewery on tap, and alcohol-free drinks by East Imperial Tonics.

The food menu centres around small, sharing plates including pizzas, antipasto platter, pickled vegetables, artisan breads, dip and olives, small plates, and cheeses.

A joint partnership between Pro-invest Hotels and IHG Hotels and Resorts, voco Auckland City Centre opened in May and marked the brand’s entry into the New Zealand market.

JANA, QT NEWCASTLE

Newcastle’s latest luxury hotel, QT Newcastle, is home to a signature food and beverage experience that heroes local produce.

Restaurant, Jana, and rooftop bar, Rooftop at QT, are led by acclaimed Chef Massimo Speroni, from multiaward-winning Brisbane restaurant, Bacchus.

Having worked at two-Michelin-starred restaurant San Domenico in Imola, Italy, and one-Michelinstarred restaurant Café le Paillotes in Pescara, Speroni

brings a wealth of experience in premium dining.

“True to the QT philosophy, QT Newcastle will offer a highly inventive food and beverage experience, highlighting local provenance,” said Speroni.

“QT is a champion for providing extraordinary experiences with a touch of luxury and quirk, from design to signature service. I’m excited to showcase and champion the beautiful Hunter Valley and surrounding regions.”

Brought to life by the QT design team and collaborator, Nic Graham, Jana is a modern Australian bar and grill, complete with open kitchen and private dining room.

The menu centres around premium, local produce such as premium lamb sourced from the nearby Little Hill Farm and Pukara extra virgin olive oil from 90 minutes away.

Rooftop at QT is Newcastle’s highest open-air rooftop, offering views across the harbour.

Patrons can enjoy a variety of QT’s famed cocktails, local wine, and a Japanese-inspired spirit collection to complement the Japanese cuisine on the menu. n

Bar Albert’s offering includes locally-sourced beverages and small share plates

“QT is a champion for providing extraordinary experiences with a touch of luxury and quirk.” Massimo Speroni, QT Newcastle

Jana at QT Newcastle champions local produce

Jana features an open kitchen and private dining room

FLAVOUR OF

the Month

WITH REVENGE DINING IN FULL SWING, LEADING FOOD AND BEVERAGE EXPERTS ARE ON HAND TO PINPOINT KEY TRENDS IN THIS SPACE, RUTH HOGAN REPORTS.

CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS

Brand partnerships are becoming more commonplace in hospitality, particularly when it comes to supporting small local businesses. Quincy Melbourne, which opened last year, partnered with like-minded brand, Antagonist Spirits, to create a unique gin experience for guests. According to Antagonist’s Chief Distiller, Darren Ivey, Quincy’s KOL gin was made to be enjoyed sky high on the rooftop at The Q.

“Our collaboration with Quincy was born out of a shared passion for gin and a desire for local businesses to support each other during the pandemic,” he said.

“We saw an amazing opportunity to create a drink inspired by brand Quincy.”

In the nation’s capital, Hotel Kurrajong looked to its rich political history – and the nation’s 16th Prime Minister, Ben Chifley – for inspiration for its very own personalised gin, in partnership with Canberra Distillery.

“Our Chifley’s Bar & Grill Cigar Gin is both a tribute to PM Ben Chifley who lived at the hotel for eleven years

Hotel Kurrajong partnered with Canberra Distillery to creative a gin in tribute to PM Ben Chifley

(and for whom Chifley’s Bar & Grill is named after), and a nod to the elegance and flair of the roaring 20s,” said Hotel Kurraong General Manager, Faisal Sayed.

In Sydney, Vibe Darling Harbour has partnered with local 4 Pines Brewing Company’s to brew a modern take on a classic Aussie ale with the newly launched Above 319 Refreshing Ale. And in a bold move that’s great for the

planet, 4 Pines is donating 1% of sales revenue from the brew to Landcare Australia to support biodiversity and sustainable agricultural outcomes.

CELEBRITY CHEFS

In a similar vein to creative brand partnerships, many hospitality businesses are opting to team up with wellknown and highly-respected chefs to take their culinary experiences to the next level.

EVT says it seeks partners to help its venues deliver the best premium experiences to customers.

“A great example of this is the F&B precinct at QT Sydney, bringing the best creative minds to our F&B experiences,” said EVT CEO Jane Hastings.

“The collaboration between Gowings and F&B Creative Director Sean Connolly has redefined the hotel dining experience. Alongside the exclusive collaboration between Perrier Jouet and Adriano Zumbo resulting in the reinvention of High Tea as QTea.”

This aligns with EVT’s mission to be loved by locals, not just by guests.

“We know hotel guests want to explore the best authentic local F&B experiences,” Hastings said.

“When our venues are loved by residents of the area, then they will typically be loved by guests. Success is when we are recognised as the best restaurant and bar in the area, not just the hotel market. This includes everything from locally sourced and ethically aligned suppliers to the design and service experience.”

SUSTAINABLE SOURCING

At Parkroyal Darling Harbour, award-winning restaurant Abode Bistro Bar has recognised the importance of sourcing sustainable produce, adopting sustainable practices and partnering with local producers to combat industry challenges emerging from the pandemic.

Contactless F&B devices such as the Samsung Kiosk can drive efficiencies for venues

“Our chefs upcycle ingredients across our menu to give dishes new life and minimise waste,” explains Head Chef, Vico Betguen.

“I believe this trend has stemmed from a huge focus placed on health, the environment and supporting local businesses during the pandemic and lockdown.”

The hospitality industry has experienced hardship arising from environmental impacts and stock shortages. Betguen says this has propelled restaurants and cafes across the industry to support each other and build a stronger sense of community.

“Along with impacts from the floods, due to border restrictions and less visa applications, there are less people working on the farms which is also impacting prices and shortages,” he said.

Abode Bistro Bar is getting more creative with its ingredients and adopting sustainable practices

Adriano Zumbo is the brains behind the reinvention of High Tea as QTea

“As a Chef, the challenges with ingredients, fluctuating prices and stock shortages have driven myself and the team to become more creative and flexible with the menu and the ingredients we use ,” Betguen said

CONTACTLESS ORDERING

Many hospitality businesses are opting to digitalise the customer experience – a trend that has continued to emerge over the last few years.

“We have invested in technology to enable customers to order straight from their phone and also the most innovative kitchen technology to elevate F&B quality and efficiency,” said EVT CEO Jane Hastings.

Samsung Electronics Australia Senior Director of Display and Brand Memory, Phil Gaut, says demand for self-service solutions has increased, with contactless food and beverage solutions a common request from customers.

“Currently, common contactless F&B solutions include installing QR codes and tablets on dining tables for guests to order from directly, or quick service restaurants implementing contactless kiosks that enable guests to select and pay for their F&B items independently,” Gaut said.

“The hospitality industry is currently facing two key challenges: the need to provide exceptional, memorable guest experiences despite staff and resource shortages; and the need to demonstrate new heightened standards of health and hygiene to guests. Contactless technologies such as tablets and kiosks address both issues by automating transactional processes, eliminating the need for guests to engage staff and to come into contact with other patrons while queuing.”

Interactive technologies are also playing a role in reducing human error in ordering processes which can contribute to operational loss due to returned incorrect orders.

SINGLE SERVES

Key decision makers in hospitality businesses are turning to single-serve condiments to tackle several business challenges, according to a recent survey undertaken by fine food producer Birch and Waite.

Time pressure, hygiene and wastage were the key reasons why 78% of industry professionals said they were interested in using single-serve condiments.

Birch and Waite, which launched premium singleserve product range On-The-Go in 2021, says the results are not surprising.

“Our customers have been adopting single-serve products because they reduce pressures on staffing, as there is no need for decanting or container sanitisation, and product wastage,” said Birch and Waite CEO Paul.

“These are great benefits for businesses of all sizes.”

When it came to the most desirable attributes for single-serve products, the survey found that premium quality (63%), fresh ingredients, real flavour (60%), and Australian made (56%) were top of the list.

REVENGE DINING

Alongside the oft-discussed “revenge travel” trend in the hospitality industry, this year, lies a counterpart trend in the F&B sector, according to FutureLog Oceania Vice President Operations, Benjamin Krieg.

“Unable to dine in their favourite hotels and restaurants for so long during the global pandemic, customers are now trying to make up for lost time and exhibiting “revenge dining” behaviours,” explains Krieg.

“While this growing trend is a relief to the industry, it’s now putting renewed pressure on chefs, kitchen teams and all those involved in the F&B e-procurement journey to stay in control of their ordering, inventorytaking, and recipe management processes.”

FutureLog’s Recipe Module – designed with the hospitality and gastronomy industry in mind – brings time-saving automation to tasks such as adding nutritional and allergen information to recipes. With full POS integration, inventory decrementation is recorded automatically, and efficient, real-time menu engineering can be completed in just a few clicks.

“To further meet the growing demands of the “revenge dining” trend, our development pipeline is focused on simplifying and expediting F&B procure-to-pay activities,” said Krieg. n

“We know hotel guests want to explore the best authentic local F&B experiences.”

Jane Hastings, CEO, EVT

Guestroom products are in high demand since properties have reopened

FAMILY

Affair

WHAT STARTED OUT AS A SMALL BISCUIT BUSINESS IN THE 70S HAS SINCE EVOLVED INTO A LEADING SUPPLIER OF HOTEL GUESTROOM PRODUCTS, KNOWN TODAY AS WEATHERDON. HERE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ROBERT WEATHERDON, SHARES AN INSIGHT INTO THIS GROWING FAMILY BUSINESS.

Tell us about how the Weatherdon business started out.

My parents, Rob and Judy Weatherdon, bought a small biscuit distribution business in the Sydney suburb of Artarmon in 1975. We supplied our first hotel in 1980 with the opening of The Regent Sydney (now Four Seasons) with a range of guestroom accessories. We have supplied nearly every hotel in Australia since this time with some guestroom product.

Is it an advantage being a family-owned business in this competitive industry?

In the accommodation space, we are big players. We are quite comfortable to compete against the major retailers as we have a very large an accommodation-specific range. This is important for hotels to know they can purchase a product safe in the knowledge that when they need to reorder, it will be available. The same is not true in the retail space where ranges changes from season to season.

Tell us about Weatherdon’s product offering and your work with hotels.

We have the largest stock of guestroom products in Australia, covering most of what is needed in a hotel room. We have the widest range of appliances for the guestroom – we have 20 different styles of kettle alone, mainly of our own Nero brand, designed specifically for the accommodation industry. Our long history in the industry and hundreds of years of accumulated staff

knowledge means we are well placed to guide hotels on

In what ways have customer demands changed since COVID?

Things are getting back to normal and requests for masks and sanitiser have definitely subsided. Due to the economy-wide staff shortages, we have noticed our customers are even more time poor than usual. This means they have less time to spend on ordering – that’s where we come in. We have a fully integrated online ordering system and a dedicated customer service team that endeavours to quickly respond to customer queries.

What trends are you noticing now that the industry is recovering strongly?

We have noticed that being in stock is a big advantage. Since reopening, many hotels realised they needed stock, and fast. We made a conscious decision during COVID to boost our stock levels due to the dislocated international supply chains. The backlogs are easing but factory and shipping lead times are still elevated. We feel this investment in stock has paid off and given us a distinct advantage in being able to supply as the industry reopens.

The market changed in the past few years. City properties were subdued, and regional properties took off as people weren’t travelling to Australia from overseas and locals were travelling regionally, often by car from major centres. I am sure, in time, this will rebalance. n

Weatherdon Managing Director, Robert Weatherdon

“We have the largest stock of guestroom products in Australia.” Robert Weatherdon, Weatherdon

Insider guides,

style.

Steve Ciric

A helping hand

The Westin Melbourne Chief Concierge, STEVE CIRIC, discusses the importance of mentoring, and how the role of the concierge has evolved over the years.

Can

you share an insight into your career journey to your current position as Chief Concierge at The Westin Melbourne?

I commenced my career in the hotel industry 35 years ago. My first role was in valet at the iconic Southern Cross Hotel Melbourne. I have worked for several hotel chains including Accor, Hilton and currently Marriott International. I have held the role of Chief Concierge since 2000, obtaining my membership to Les Clefs d’Or in 2006, holding the role of Treasurer from 2008-2012, and National President between 2012-2014. In 2010, I commenced my role at The Westin Melbourne as Chief Concierge. This role by far has been the most fulfilling and rewarding experience in my career.

You have established a reputation as a mentor to many in Melbourne’s concierge community. Do you enjoy helping others find their way to their own concierge desks?

Thank you for the kind sentiment but I feel the reason for that is simply that I have been in the role for so many years and have had the opportunity to work alongside and mentor my colleagues, it is very humbling to see so many of them succeed and become Les Clefs d’Or members.

During your tenure as President of Les Clefs d’Or Australia you made a point of travelling interstate to reach out to, mentor, and develop prospective candidates for membership. Was this a conscious strategy on your part?

Yes, it was. As President of a National Organisation, I felt it was imperative to connect with aspiring concierges, and guide and educate them on the benefits of applying for membership to Les Clefs d’Or as this would greatly assist them as they pursue their careers in our profession.

Do you find the same enjoyment in assisting your guests now as you did in the early days of your career?

My role as a concierge has evolved over the years with advancements in technology, establishing industry contacts, and gaining invaluable knowledge of our city so I guess my enjoyment in assisting our guests is current but to be honest I have enjoyed this role throughout my career. n

A time of renewal

By Peter McBrearty, Les Clefs d’Or

AS WINTER SEGUES into spring – in keeping with that always welcome sense of renewal – we find ourselves with a refreshed National Executive comprised of President Rhett Constantine (The Pullman Albert Park in Melbourne), Secretary Dean McWhinney (The Grace Hotel Sydney) and Treasurer Stuart Spicer (The Pan Pacific Perth). Our dynamic team of State Directors have also seen some changes, and we now have Scott Hulme (The Parmelia Hilton Perth) assuming the mantle in Western Australia, Siddhartha Kaul (Eos by SkyCity Adelaide) returning for second term in South Australia, Navodit Basoya (InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto) taking up the reins in Victoria and Tasmania, Nathan Brown (The Sofitel Darling Harbour) assuming the position in New South Wales, and Christian Espino (The Langham Gold Coast) electing to continue his good works in Queensland and The Northern Territory.

Our new team face interesting times, with increasing numbers of guests as we approach the busy summer and festive period, running parallel to continued staff shortages in the hospitality sector. Hotels themselves are doing their best to increase staff numbers but continue to face significant challenges around the country. Yet at the same time, our members continue to report enjoying the return of their overseas guests, increasing numbers of email enquiries and requests for assistance.

A further positive sign is our third annual West Australian Les Clefs d’Or Tourism Expo, which makes a welcome return to the Pacific Perth on November 14. The expo will provide concierge staff, porters, receptionists and other front of house team members with an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the latest offerings from the WA Tourism industry. In conjunction with our Tourism Expo held earlier in the year in Melbourne, this can only be seen as another positive sign of the ongoing return of many of our associates in the hospitality and tourism industry.

FROM THE GROUND UP

INNOVATION IN FLOORCARE TECHNOLOGY IS IMPROVING EFFICIENCIES IN THE HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT. RUTH HOGAN REPORTS.

Housekeeping departments under strain due to staff shortages could benefit from new automated floor cleaning technology that has just launched in the Australian market.

SoftBank Robotics Australia’s Scrubber 50 is an AI-powered robot that can operate independently, with a large collection of sensors, including six cameras, to avoid collisions. It can detect and avoid people and obstacles while cleaning, and automatically docks itself to charge its batteries and to empty its tank.

Supplied by GERMii Australia, the innovation is hoped to ease pressures on housekeeping teams during the labour shortage.

“We are committed to delivering solutions that utilise AI technology to increase productivity by making better use of the limited labour pool available,” said GERMii Australia CEO, Harold Van Haltren.

Having a cobot, or AI co-worker, perform regular, routine duties supports existing staff

and delivers longer term productivity gains for the business.”

While it may be some time until hotels embrace AI technology in the housekeeping department, there are numerous other advancements in floorcare technologies designed to improve productivity, sustainability, cleaning efficacy, and more.

Godfreys General Manager Commercial, Daniel Pisaniello, says attributes like water consumption, chemical usage, tank size, sight lines, ease of use, accessories and spare parts, and filter capability are all being improved and should be considered when selecting a new machine.

ENERGY EFFICIENT MACHINES

Manufacturers are now producing energy efficient motors to help reduce energy consumption levels both in vacuums and floor scrubbers and introducing sustainable features to conserve water and use less chemicals.

“Water consumption levels are now reduced with the right floor scrubber range and Eco mode provides quieter cleaning noise levels with reduced energy consumption,” said Pisaniello.

For large indoor and outdoor areas, Godfreys has launched a ride-on floor scrubber, Comac C85 NSC, that uses less water.

“This is an innovative ride-on scrubber that has a built-in filtration system that allows the

operator to use the same water for a five-day period as it recycles the solution water and dirty water via the built-in filtration system,” Pisaniello explained.

THE RIGHT FIT

Godfreys reports that compact and efficient canister vacuum cleaners are currently most popular with hotels as they offer everyday support to housekeepers.

“Compact and mid-sized battery-operated floor scrubbers are now popular to clean bathroom, outdoor balcony areas, gyms, pool areas and all food and beverages areas,” Pisaniello said.

“Compact floor scrubbers provide better cleaning results and help reduce labour time.”

When selecting floorcare equipment, Pisaniello recommends hoteliers think carefully about their needs. Everything from the type of floors, size of space, time of use and typical substance collected, should be considered to find the most suitable machine.

Understanding your building and how it is used will determine, in general, the type of equipment you need – hard or soft floor, rideon or walk-behind – as well as the weight and size of the machine,” he said.

“There is equipment designed specifically for daytime cleaning that is more compact in size and quieter to operate.” n

Backpack-style machines allow cleaners to move around the room quickly and easily

Advances in floorcare technology are improving productivity, sustainability and cleaning efficiency

CLEAN AND

GREEN

An eco-revolution is underway in the hotel amenities space with brands big and small taking action to reduce their environment footprint.

Groupe GM, a global leader in hotel amenities, is a primary example, having recently redesigned its popular Clarins hotel line to better reflect the company’s sustainability goals.

The relaunched Eau Dynamisante range features 100% recycled plastic bottles in 30ml and 60ml sizes, as well as a larger 300ml Ecopump version, while a refillable packaging solution known as Ecofill will be rolled out in the coming months. Furthermore, the soaps are certified by the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the range is packaged in the Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) white and red cardboard boxes.

Groupe GM CEO Laurent Marchand said the revamped range reflects the standards and beliefs held by both companies.

“Groupe GM is dedicated to innovation, quality, and sustainability and both of our companies share an important commitment to the environment,” Marchand said.

“This collection of amenities is consistent with our Care About Earth program and we believe that it is ideally suited to guests’ needs.”

AS HOTELS STRIVE FOR HIGHER SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS, AMENITIES BRANDS ARE RISING TO THE OCCASION WITH ECO-FRIENDLY SOLUTIONS THAT IMPRESS. RUTH HOGAN REPORTS.

REFILLABLES ON THE RISE

Large format, refillable solutions have become a preference for hoteliers globally as they seek to reduce their impact on the environment.

“With some states internationally already mandating a move from single-use amenities, the future of hotel amenities will be large format amenities in sustainable packaging,” said Buzz Products Regional Client Service Director, APAC, Janet Gibson.

No longer considered a low budget approach, refillable amenities have evolved to cater to the luxury guest with sleek designs and floating or ‘invisible’ dispensers that secure the bottle to the wall discreetly.

“Brands are choosing better materials, quality pump dispensers with brackets, and taking a more considered and responsible approach to manufacturing practices,” said Hunter Amenities Australia Managing Director, APAC, Michael Matulick.

“Most excitingly, we’re seeing brands use technology initiatives to activate a holistic, fully immersive in-room brand experience for guests.”

Lessons learned from the rise of sanitising stations during the pandemic are also informing manufacturing practices, according to Swisstrade Director, Peter Weingartner.

“The initial pump dispensers adopted from the retail sector have

Luxury guests now expect premium bulk amenities

demonstrated major hygiene flaws as well as high labour costs due to the refilling process, nullifying the initial savings from purchasing bulk refills,” he said.

Swisstrade has mitigated these challenges through factory-sealed dispenser systems Press and Wash, Smart Care, and the recently launched SHAPE – short for Sustainable, Hygienic, Aesthetic, Pump, Evolution – which has been engineered to dispense the exact amount of product required.

“All three systems are factory filled and sealed and supplied with attractive wall brackets at no cost to the operator, making them the safest tamper and pilfer-proof dispensers in the market today,” Weingartner said.

In order to make refillable amenities appear more luxe, hotels may opt for brands that are well known to their consumers.

“Guests love walking into a hotel bathroom and recognising or discovering a renowned haircare, beauty, skincare, fashion, lifestyle or fine fragrance brand,” said Vanity Group Vice President - Sales and Key Accounts, Nick Mina.

“It builds immediate trust with the guest, enhances the overall value proposition, and unlocks a myriad of marketing opportunities.”

EXCLUSIVE EXPERIENCES

In some instances, luxury hotel collections are invited to have global exclusivity over specific amenity ranges. Vanity Group, for example, has partnered with QT Hotels and Resorts across Australia and New Zealand on their exclusive Kevin Murphy Angel collection and has collaborated with boutique hotel groups to create bespoke solutions including Crystalbrook Collection’s waste-free amenity program, Immersion, and Ovolo Hotels’ environmentally friendly OMG bathroom amenities across Australia, Hong Kong, and Bali.

To extend the experience beyond the hotel room, some hotels are encouraging guests to enjoy the amenities after their stay through a ‘room to retail’ program with their amenity partner.

“This could come in the form of an exclusive discount when a guest of the hotel visits a flagship store, a value add when booking a skin or hair appointment as a guest of the hotel, or a bespoke discount code that’s shared as part of post stay communications, allowing the guest to access local benefits reserved exclusively for them,” Mina explained.

ECO-CONSCIOUS CHOICES

Beyond refillables, there has been a raft of eco-conscious innovations to support the sustainability movement across materials, packaging, and formulations.

“We’re seeing a rise of more conscious product – whether that’s with considered eco-friendly packaging, certified organic local ingredients, or native botanicals – as well as clean, natural and non-toxic formulations that are free from parabens, silicones and not tested on animals,” said Hunter Amenities’ Michael Matulick.

Vanity Group recently introduced the world’s first 100% sustainable amenity program incorporating aluminium tubes and woodchip bottle caps.

“This allows hotels to pursue a mini tube amenity program without contributing to the 450 million tonnes of plastic produced in the world annually,” Mina said.

Post-Consumer Recycled material, repurposed OceanBound material, sugarcane, corn-derived plastics, and biodegradable additives are also being used in packaging to help hotels create a sustainable stay for guests.

Each decision a hotel makes about where the products come from also has an impact.

Mina advises hoteliers to align with suppliers who have attained global accreditation from the likes of PETA and The Vegan Society.

SUPPORT LOCAL

According to Mina, the APAC region is becoming incredibly patriotic and eager to support local brands.

“Hoteliers are seeking home grown brands to partner with in the bathroom – both established and emerging – in order to deliver an authentically local experience to guests,” Mina said, pointing to Australian-founded professional salon brands Kevin Murphy, Mr. Smith and O&M haircare, esteemed spa and wellness brand La Gaia Unedited, and leading skincare brands Hunter Lab and Appelles.

“Locals and tourists want to build an emotional connection to the destination they’re in,” Mina added.

“By aligning with a home-grown partner, the shower ritual becomes an unforgettable, hyper-local, experience for guests.”

This trend towards local brands was echoed by Swisstrade’s Peter Weingartner.

“Australian-made brands are increasingly popular,” he said.

“LEIF, Olive Oil Skincare Co. and our lifestyle brands Natural Remedies and soon-to-be-launched Fair CosmEthics are rapidly gaining popularity as hoteliers prepare for another strong domestic travel boom.”

The added benefit of sourcing from local suppliers is a reduced impact on the environment.

“Hotels want to give back to their local communities and reduce their carbon footprint by buying locally sourced items,” Gibson said.

SHARED VALUES

Often hoteliers are looking for fresh new brands with great stories, according to Gibson.

“They want their guests to learn something new and enjoy different experiences while staying at their properties,” she said.

“I think this is interesting for our product lines because they are not all mainstream but certainly have great backstories.”

Many hotels are also seeking brands that align with their values, for example, Australian-made, eco-friendly, those who use native ingredients, and/or participate in community givebacks. These brands can act as an extension to a hotel’s corporate social responsibility.

“A growing number of operators in our region no longer view guest amenities as a cost, but as an extension of their marketing strategy, using toiletries brands for storytelling and to create memorable guest experiences that last,” Weingartner added. n

Swisstrade recently launched SHAPE to help hoteliers reduce plastic and product waste

LIFE’S LITTLE

luxuries

DEMAND FOR LUXURY AND LIFESTYLE HOTELS HAS RETURNED WITH GUESTS SEEKING QUALITY, MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES DURING THEIR STAY. LEADING HOTEL COMPANIES SHARE THEIR INSIGHTS INTO THIS COMPETITIVE SEGMENT.

ACCOR PACIFIC Lindsay Leeser, Senior Vice President Development and Franchise

Globally, the luxury and lifestyle segment is bouncing back from the impacts of the pandemic quicker than traditional hotels, driven mostly by local restaurant and bar demand. Hotels with strong restaurant and bar experiences – concepts that integrate the notion of entertainment and feature venues – are generating robust interest and have a strong growth trajectory. Our Ennismore lifestyle brands, with their unique and authentic dining offerings, make each property a destination for both local communities and international travellers. Concepts are rooted in culture and purpose and hold huge appeal to visiting guests

QT offers a bespoke luxury experience at each of its properties

Australia’s first Mondrian hotel will open on Queensland’s Gold Coast

and neighbourhood locals. Hyde Queenstown, Jo&Joe Auckland, Tribe Auckland, 25hours Sydney and Mondrian Gold Coast are great examples of both lifestyle and luxury properties which will open in Australia and New Zealand in 2023-24. With an eye to the future of lifestyle and luxury hotels, consumers are seeking experiences, creativity, and personalisation from the intelligent design of a hotel to its mindful approach to sustainability.

EVT Norman Arundel, Director of Hotel and Resort Operations

At EVT our vision is to be leaders in creating experiences and properties that escape the ordinary. This vision drives our hotel strategy, where we cater for all segments of the market from luxury to budget. Our luxury brand QT has always been at the forefront of the lifestyle hotel revolution and continues to evolve with the market.

We now have 10 QT hotels across Australia and New Zealand, with Parramatta and Adelaide in the pipeline. The strength of the brand is that each QT experience and design is a bespoke integration of the best local and international inspirations – designed for the new age luxury traveller, elevated by expertly curated F&B concepts, and all delivered with our unique QT service. The QT service is delivered by our Directors of Chaos, our people, hired for their individuality and relatability – we don’t make them QT, they help QT be unique.

As an experienced owner/operator, it is all about maximising assets. From major ground up developments, to conversions and updating key

assets. We recognise the importance of continually growing the value of each asset, and commercialising under-utilised spaces. A great example is qtQT – a new luxury cabin experience on the rooftop of QT Gold Coast – launching later this year. This unique offering is for the new age traveller, group stays or an innovative event option.

We also recognise the importance of digitalising the customer experience and have invested in the technology for creating a seamless guest experience.

HILTON APAC

Paul Hutton, Area Vice PresidentHead of Australasia

As we emerge from the pandemic, we know that pent-up travel demand is real and the long-term future for travel is bright. With this, our growth and development momentum has not wavered, and our strategy to double our Australasian footprint within the next five years remains very much in our sights. We are always looking for opportunities to expand our luxury presence within the region.

Hilton’s development strategy is to introduce our world-class brands in key markets at the right time with the right partners, building on our extensive experience in delivering unmatched hospitality experiences. Australasia is one of those key markets, with our recent Waldorf Astoria Sydney signing exemplifying this commitment.

Sydney is a top-performing hotel market in Australia, so we are extremely thrilled to be introducing the iconic Waldorf Astoria brand to the city. The hotel will serve as the crown jewel of our growing pipeline portfolio of 13 properties in the region.

The luxury hotel brand, which began in New York City in 1893 with a single hotel that Conrad Hilton dubbed The Greatest of Them All, has grown into a portfolio of more than 30 iconic properties in the world’s most sought-after destinations.

Slated to open in Q4 2026, Waldorf Astoria Sydney’s location on Circular Quay is considered one of the prime harbourside locations in Australia, and nearly half of the 220 guest rooms will enjoy a direct view of Sydney Harbour, the Opera House, and the Harbour Bridge.

Waldorf Astoria Sydney on Circular Quay is set to open in Q4 2026

There are now 10 QT hotels across ANZ

IHG HOTELS AND RESORTS

Matt Tripolone, Managing Director –Australasia & Pacific

Guests are increasingly looking for hyper-local, experiential travel, and lifestyle brands such as Hotel Indigo and Kimpton excel in this space, playing on the culture and heritage of the local neighbourhood through inspired design, culinary experiences and service.

Hotel Indigo Brisbane City Centre recently opened and has done an incredible job of weaving in local neighbourhood stories through the power of art. A huge blue wren artwork by Blends was inspired by local author Trent Dalton and his renowned novel Boy Swallows Universe, while a huge mural at the entrance to the hotel by Bronte Naylor and James Hornsby depicts the legacy of the suffrage movement in Brisbane. These artworks inspire conversation and interaction and are a huge asset to the hotel and help shape what our Hotel Indigo brand stands for.

F&B is undoubtedly a big focus in the luxury and lifestyle space right now. Owners are keen to create engaging F&B concepts in their hotels and our luxury and lifestyle brands rise to the occasion every time. Our hotels have fantastic partnerships with well-known chefs,

such as Luke Mangan at Kimpton Margot Sydney and Scott Pickett at InterContinental Sorrento. What these pairings do, is create an added level of exclusivity and allure for guests staying at our hotels and we’re excited to be growing our partnerships in the F&B space as we move through the rest of the year.

New Zealand, which has long been a mecca for the luxury seeker, is a market we are seeing strong growth, with owners keen to grow their luxury and lifestyle footprint in the country. Construction has commenced on the new InterContinental Auckland, which promises to bring next generation luxury to the city when it opens in 2023, and we have just opened voco Auckland with partners Pro-invest which boasts the city’s tallest rooftop bar. We are hoping to continue the momentum with more growth in the New Zealand market to come.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL

Richard Crawford, Vice President of Hotel Development - Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific

As the world’s largest hotelier, Marriott International manages and franchises hotels across all tiers of accommodation. Most notably, we are recognised as the global leader in the luxury accommodation segment, with The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, JW Marriott, W Hotels, Edition, The Luxury Collection, and Bvlgari brands enjoying dominant market profiles and growing footprints.

Lifestyle brands, however, are not exclusively the domain of the luxury tier of accommodation, with Marriott’s mid-tier brands including AC Hotels by Marriott and Moxy offering distinctive contemporary accommodation at affordable price points. And, our upper-upscale brands including Westin, Le Meridien, and Autograph Collection provide engaging lifestyle offerings in the traditional fivestar segment.

A feature of Marriott’s current period of growth has been reinvigoration in the luxury accommodation segment in Australia, buoyed by a resurgent affluent domestic travel market. W Brisbane, W Melbourne, The Ritz-Carlton Perth, JW Marriott Gold Coast and The Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel, have been our most resilient performers, throughout our industry’s most challenging time.

Record average room rates at these hotels has given confidence to hotel developers, who recognise there is now a strong business case

InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula offers guest a luxury resort by the sea

W Sydney is set to open at The Ribbon development in 2023

for luxury hotels in Australia. This investor appetite will see Marriott announcing new-build luxury resorts coming to Australia before the end of the year.

Already announced, and all set to open in 2023, The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne, W Sydney, Le Meridien Melbourne, and Moxy Sydney Airport will reinforce Marriott’s position as the leaders in luxury and lifestyle hotels in Australia, and provide further world-class examples of how we are reshaping the quality and diversity of our local industry.

TFE HOTELS

John Sutcliffe, Director of Development

There continues to be significant interest in our high-end Collection by TFE Hotels and A by Adina brands as we seek to strategically expand these portfolios in carefully selected locations, with development partners that share our passion and belief in delivering world-class offerings.

High levels of intuitive guest service in truly boutique hotels will continue to be in high demand as the world continues to recover from the pandemic. Corporate and leisure travellers alike will continue to seek out hotels that offer a seamless experience that can be tailored to meet their requirements each time.

There is much excitement surrounding our recent announcements in Sydney’s Surry Hills, and in Melbourne’s Docklands – where these two homegrown brands will stand side by side in what will be an iconic Australian hotel development. I believe this really demonstrates the appeal of these brands for owners looking to build legacy hotels that stand out from the crowd.

It is not, however, just the aesthetics that drive the success of these brands. The guest experience delivered by the teams in these hotels consistently exceeds expectations. Whether this is delivered through destination F&B venues, bespoke experiences or simply the unobtrusive but ever-present high levels of service our guests continue to love from our Collection and A by Adina hotels. In turn, these hotels not only provide a legacy development for our owners to be proud of, they also deliver returns that ensure that these hotels are as commercially viable as they are striking.

We are chuffed that there is significant level of interest in these brands from investors and developers. And, moving forward, I look forward to further announcements as we continue to strategically grow our Collections and A by Adina portfolios with owners who share our passion in developing hotels that stand out in market.

WYNDHAM DESTINATIONS

Barry Robinson, President and Managing Director, International Operations

Travel has changed and our vacation ownership and hotel management businesses are experiencing it. Travellers have sought high-end experiences for years, but that desire has intensified after two years of limited opportunities.

Our Club Wyndham Flynns Beach expansion meets that luxury trend, with all 53 new villas built to Deluxe, Grand and Presidential standards. The four-bedroom Presidentials were designed as unique accommodation for the region with a bathroom for every bedroom, full kitchen, laundry, deck with outdoor spa and large balcony. Guests love these and have rated their stays between 9 to 10 on average since opening.

We have since developed four-bedroom Presidentials at Club Wyndham Airlie Beach. These are unparalleled in the region, with substantial living spaces, main bedrooms with separate lounge and bar areas, expansive kitchens, media room and oversized balcony with outdoor tub, rain showers and breathtaking Whitsunday Passage views.

Starting with our original Presidentials at Wanaka and Fiji, we have expanded our Presidential collection to 12 Asia Pacific properties. These apartments enjoy occupancies averaging 95% to 100% and outstanding reviews.

In Asia, we are seeing rising demand from Australians for luxury suites at Wyndham Grand Phuket Kalim Bay and Wyndham Tamansari Jivva Resort Bali. We also anticipate making additions in the luxury space this year. n

Collection by TFE will make its Sydney debut in Surry Hills

Wyndham Tamansari Jivva Resort Bali reports rising demand from Australians for luxury suites

VIVA LA (WHM)

VISA

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BUMP VISA PROGRAMS AND RELAX WORKING RESTRICTIONS TO DRAW INTERNATIONAL TRAVELLERS TO THEIR SHORES TO LIVE AND WORK. RUTH HOGAN REPORTS.

Competition is heating up between Australia and New Zealand as both markets vie for the attention of international workers to plug the labour shortage in heavily impacted sectors such as tourism and hospitality.

In recent weeks, both countries have announced extended visa programs and relaxed restrictions to attract skilled migrants to their shores.

At Australia’s Jobs and Skills Summit, held in September, government announced an increase in the permanent Migration Program ceiling to 195,000 in 202223, and promised investment of AU$36.1 million in visa processing to help clear a colossal backlog of applications.

An additional 500 people will be hired for the next nine months to tackle the excess and speed up the entry of international travellers and workers to Australia.

Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Giles, said this area of administration has been neglected for too long.

“The [visa] backlog will be cleared.” Andrew Giles, Minister for Immigration

Working holiday makers are returning to Australia and New Zealand in small numbers

The hospitality industry has been one of the hardest hit by the labour shortage

“There were almost a million visas waiting for this government after the election. Today, that number is around 900,000,” Giles said.

An additional 180 staff were assigned to visa processing following the election, and currently 190 staff are being on-boarded, and up to 200 staff are working regular overtime, the Minister explained.

Wait times for skilled visas, student visas and working holiday visas have all reduced since the introduction of more staff, with the latter now finalised in less than a day.

“The backlog will be cleared,” Giles said. “Waiting times will continue to come down … This is the beginning, not the end.”

Industry association including Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA) have been very vocal about concerns around visa processing delays and the resulting impact on businesses.

“This is really positive news. It’s great to see the government acknowledging the problem,” TAA CEO Michael Johnson told HM.

Furthermore, government answered calls to remove financial penalties deterring pensioners to re-enter the workforce. Those who want to work can now earn an additional $4,000 over this financial year without losing any of their pension.

Johnson said the accommodation industry will benefit greatly from the experience of mature age workers.

“We’ve got this massive workforce that are prepared to work,” he said.

The government has also committed to modernising Australia’s workplace relations laws, including to make bargaining accessible for all, and amending the Fair Work Act to improve access to flexible working arrangements, make unpaid parental leave more flexible and strengthen protection for workers against discrimination and harassment.

Efforts will also be made to reduce barriers to employment for women, First Nations people, regional Australians and culturally and linguistically diverse

The Australian government has introduced new

people, including equity targets for training places, and 1,000 digital apprenticeships in the Australian Public Service.

NEW ZEALAND DOUBLES

WORKING HOLIDAY VISAS

Across the Tasman, New Zealand’s Working Holiday Scheme cap for 2022/23 has been doubled, allowing an extra 12,000 working holiday makers able to enter the country.

Additionally, some onshore working holiday makers visas will have the opportunity to lengthen their stay.

Those with a visa that expires between 26 August 2022 and 31 May 2023 will have it extended for six months, allowing more time to work and travel around the country.

Those who previously held a working holiday visa but were unable to travel due to the pandemic will also be supported to stay in New Zealand.

“New visas will be issued to people from October 2022 allowing them to enter New Zealand by 31 January 2023,” said Immigration Minister Michael Wood.

“This visa will allow them to be in New Zealand for 12 months.”

Since the border fully reopened in July, New Zealand has welcomed around 4,000 working holiday makers, and over 21,000 have had their application to work in New Zealand approved.

to boost

return of international

Minister Wood is confident that these changes will help bolster New Zealand’s workforce.

“These changes will have a positive impact on the workforce and will make the most of the increase in working holiday makers we expect to welcome during the peak summer season,” he said.

Both countries are also introducing clearer pathways to permanent residency, an important draw card in this competitive jobs market.

New Zealand’s unemployment rate stood at 3.3% in the second quarter, while wages were up 3.4% on the year, rising at the fastest rate in 14 years.

Meanwhile, Australia’s unemployment rate stands at 3.5% after rising, in August, for the first time in 10 months. n

New Zealand has doubled the number of working holiday visas available for 2022-2023

Final tickets on sale

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Partners

CORPORATE

Connections

THANKS TO ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY, CORPORATE AND LEISURE GUESTS ALIKE HAVE SKY-HIGH EXPECTATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO WIFI.

Corporate travel has made a comeback this year with executives taking to the skies once again to engage in face-to-face meetings, network at conferences and explore new properties.

Choice Hotels Asia Pac has reported a surge in corporate bookings in recent months with Sydney leading the charge as the most popular destination for business stays.

“Occupancy levels in Sydney continued to climb steadily through May and June, and into July and we see this trend continuing in forward bookings out to the end of the year,” said Choice Hotels CEO, Trent Fraser.

Rather than taking multiple trips in a month, corporate travellers are now opting to take longer stays than before the pandemic, Choice finds, and the trend towards ‘bleisure’ (a blend of business and leisure) travel continues.

“Corporate bookings are currently averaging five days in comparison to four days in 2019, which indicates that travel habits are changing,” said Fraser.

“Workers are fitting more into their trips such as taking the time to network or attend events, involving more nights away for additional work or social engagements. They’re also tacking on leisure trips to their business trip, including a weekend with friends or

family away with their weekly work commitments.

“This has translated into 20% growth on prepandemic length of stays.”

This return of corporate travel is good news for the hotel industry, but it has reinforced the need for highquality working spaces and top end technology.

NEED FOR SPEED

When it comes to WiFi, RN Projects Global Director, Christoffer Svalstedt, says it’s no longer a value add or ‘nice to have’, it’s an essential requirement.

“WiFi is an expectation and needs to be seamless, reliable, and secure,” he said.

“Any business knows that – just like at home – a true sign of great WiFi coverage is when no one is talking about the WiFi.”

ONE FOR ALL

While essential for the corporate traveller, the reality is that every type of guest relies heavily on WiFi, and so too does staff.

“Today, WiFi connectivity is simply about supporting our lives, be it work, leisure, or just day-to-day interactions,” Svalstedt said.

“From an end-user perspective, WiFi has become an expected, indispensable amenity for guests, visitors, hotel staff and hoteliers alike.”

SUPPORT, SECURITY, AND PRIVACY

According to Svalstedt, providing great WiFi is straightforward, securing great WiFi is “an absolute imperative”.

“Operating a WiFi network in a mixed-use environment, where guest and business operations coexist, requires an advanced level of configuration and support, with security, privacy and network up-time at their core,” he said.

“Such concerns are the reason larger hotel groups mandate minimum network hardware, configuration, and documentation, to support and protect their owner and guest data and productivity.”

He makes a number of recommendations to hoteliers that are opting to upgrade their network.

“Any upgraded or new data network should be designed to meet all current network standards, be scalable, capable of supporting future applications, and include professional services to secure and document the delivered network,” he said.

As more and more business and operational applications are being layered over the data network, Svalstedt says hotel operators need to think about how they will leverage their WiFi network.

“While it used to be the case that networks were deployed on a per application basis, today a single complex data network can, and should, support all business, operational and end-user applications,” he said.

“These applications also require WiFi to be in places previously never dreamed of, such as housekeeping storage areas, car parks and spa areas.” n

“A true sign of great WiFi coverage is when no one is talking about the WiFi.” Christoffer Svalstedt, RN Projects

WiFi has become an expected, indispensable amenity for guests

Digital displays

Artful

APPROACH

AS HOTEL TELEVISION SCREENS INCREASE IN SIZE TO MATCH CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS, HOTELS ARE EXPLORING CREATIVE WAYS TO INTEGRATE SCREENS INTO ROOM DESIGN. RUTH HOGAN REPORTS.

With many guests suffering from screen fatigue as a result of constant Zoom calls and smart phone addiction, a leisure trip – or downtime during a corporate stay – can provide the perfect opportunity to switch off from devices.

Thanks to smart technology and innovative display options, hotels can support this by minimising the appearance of screens in the room.

“Screen-free surroundings are increasingly sought after in hospitality to create a more relaxing environment,” said Ci Group VP of Sales – Hospitality, Travis Anderson.

“That is until such time when guests want to watch something. Then the screen quickly becomes a necessity again. The only way to win both ways is to have a screen that remains hidden when not in use.”

According to Samsung, consumer expectations are for TVs to get bigger in hotel rooms – 55 inches is now the average screen size in hotel rooms, up from 43 inches a few years ago – hotels are keen to utilise this space in the most creative ways possible. With innovative technology on the market, a decision to disguise or hide television screens in the room can enhance rather than detract from the room design.

“Hotels, from boutique to large-scale, are increasingly interested in displays that enhance or extend entertainment experiences rather than being blank space on the wall when not in use,” said Samsung Electronics Australia Senior Director of Display and Brand Memory, Phil Gaut.

Samsung Hospitality TVs such as the HQ60A QLED Hospitality TV features Ambient Mode which transforms

TVs into interior decor items at the press of a button.

“This function allows hotels to make the standbymode screen match the pattern and colour of the wall behind it, so it looks like the TV has disappeared entirely,” Gaut explains.

“Alternatively, Ambient Mode can be used to personalise rooms or create a mood via images, photography, colour themes, music, and artwork, as well as share information such as the time and weather to benefit visitors.”

Digital art and mirror displays can also be used to disguise the television screen in a room.

“TVs that revert to a mirror when not in operation are not exactly new, but the wow factor remains undiminished,” Anderson said.

“Ad Notam of Germany offer eight sizes of mirror TV from 32 inch to 98 inch.”

LOBBY DISPLAYS

In public spaces such as lobbies and entertainment areas, digital displays can also be used to bring an added wow factor.

“These displays can set a mood, promote a theme, or tell a story that informs visitors exactly what experience they can expect from your venue from the moment they walk in the door,” said Gaut.

“Furthermore, the ability for the TV to extend the hotel experience, freshen a room, or disappear entirely through customisable art, colour, and sound without needing to invest in or engage any other item, is appealing to both guests and hoteliers.”

Samsung’s Micro LED The Wall and C’Seed are proving popular with large hotel spaces, inside and out.

The design element is increasingly important in Australian hotels, just as it is in homes, according to Gaut.

“Venues are looking to create unique experiences that exceed the standard of luxury, innovation, and design that guests would get at home,” he said.

“Smart design through technological innovation –whether it be slim, ‘disappearing’ TV displays or intuitive cordless connectivity between hotel devices and personal devices – is an effective way to beat the at-homeexperience and enable hotels to set themselves apart from the competition.” n

Some

“These displays can set a mood, promote a theme, or tell a story that informs visitors exactly what experience they can expect from your venue.”

Phil Gaut, Samsung Electronics Australia

FEAST FOR THE SENSES

IT’S A TRANSFORMATIVE TIME FOR F&B VENUE DESIGN, WITH INDIVIDUALITY CELEBRATED MORE THAN EVER BEFORE. DESIGN EXPERTS SHARE THEIR VIEWS ON THIS EVOLVING SEGMENT, AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR HOTELS.

Sofitel Adelaide’s Garçon Bleu restaurant features a mirrored ceiling

SCOTT CARVER Angela Biddle, Director

Australian hotel dining has been stigmatised as an underwhelming experience. Often reserved for breakfast buffets and high teas, they are rarely a choice destination, particularly when compared to the country’s vibrant and diverse bar and restaurant scene. However, transformative venues opening across the country are quickly redefining the hotel dining experiences.

Scott Carver is working on several projects, drawing inspiration from successful national venues. The key to the design response is creating a layered experience through a series of unique sub-venues throughout the hotel, encouraging patrons to experience each space and increase their dwell time within the hotel.

The lobby bar of the Hotel Indigo Auckland, currently under construction, provides a lively environment for casual meetings or an aperitif, before being drawn into the a la carte restaurant, followed by post-dinner cocktails in the Level 1 bar, where guests will join in-the-

Blacksmith Brasserie in voco Melbourne offers a luxurious dining space with high ceilings and tall archways

know locals who have found the hidden entrance.

Similarly, we are designing a luxury hotel where a business lunch seamlessly flows into a wine tasting, then onto the rooftop for sundowners, and concluded with a nightcap in the member’s only “after-hours” venue.

Ensuring the interior design considers operational factors is equally critical to the venue’s success. Labour shortages and rising wages continue to impact hotels, particularly their F&B venues. Through strategic space planning, venues can appropriately staff and provide an exemplary guest experience that rivals the city’s best.

STUDIO FAB

Mathew Dalby, Creative Director and Co-Founder

I believe the current trends in bar, restaurant and cafe design are more around a unique offering, with the aesthetic as a response to the establishment’s USP.

The iPhone and its customisation on a global scale has opened up a world of choice and individualisation like never before. People are more in tune with finding their own ‘design tribe’. We crave people, products, and environments that actually ‘get us’, which is reflected in the social settings we want to frequent.

Add to this our release back into the world after two years of global lockdown, and you have a perfect storm that celebrates individuality and our desire to share our time with people and places that provide the very best in their field of expertise.

We are seeing specialist Negroni and mezcal bars, Greek loukoumades and Japanese pancake cafes, along with a raft of very niche restaurants that cater for a specific taste and experience.

Regarding their interiors, materiality, form and overall function all play a part in the establishment’s originality.

Generic is out. Let our spaces and places celebrate what makes us unique! n

Hotel Indigo Auckland offers a lively and interesting restaurant space

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

DESPITE THEIR GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY, THE REAL ESTATE MARKETS

VASTLY DIFFERENT

COLLIERS

Karen Wales National Director, Hotels Transaction Services – Asia Pacific

AND

HAVE

RECENT TIMES.

daily basis, hotels have the ability to pass on rising costs immediately with dynamic pricing models that do not need to wait for annual contract terms to be reset.

Hotel owners learned valuable lessons during the pandemic with good operators achieving breakeven points previously unheard of in the global hotel operating landscape. Price is now being used to manage costs to a level which is serviceable.

The predominance of domestic leisure travel, rather than corporate contracted rates, and a greater reliance on technology is also resulting in a nimbleness that Australian hotels – and indeed their owners - have long pursued.

RESORTBROKERS

Trudy Crooks – Managing Director

It’s been a classic tale of two cities for the south-eastern Australian markets of Tasmania and Victoria.

Despite their geographic proximity, these two southern states witnessed two very different experiences throughout the pandemic, largely influenced by border closures.

During the first seven months of the year, occupancy levels have ranged between 78.7% in Hobart and 54.9% in Sydney. Pleasingly, the major capital cities showed a significant pick-up in demand, but with lower occupancies overall in Sydney and Melbourne given the higher quantum of room stock.

Demand has built steadily through the year and Site Minder’s forward bookings show this momentum should continue through to the end of the year. National hotel bookings peaked at 112% of the level recorded in 2019 in May 2022. As of September 14, they are sitting at 111% which indicates further strong trading ahead. Sydney and Hobart are expected to outperform with bookings tracking well ahead of 2019.

The industry’s continuing strong performance metrics have investors confident in a more normalised playing field and continued opportunities for future income growth. Strong corporate and consumer health, with good corporate profit margins and low unemployment is expected to continue to underpin domestic leisure travel in the near term and with the promise of full businesstransient recovery over the year ahead.

Whilst international borders have reopened and cruise ships are back in Sydney Harbour, the monthly inbound arrivals are still only a fraction of the levels recorded in 2019, which augurs well for future growth.

Hotels offer a unique proposition in an inflationary environment with an immediacy of income which is highly desirable in this market. Marked-to-market on a

Quest Collingwood is one of several Quest properties to open in Victoria

Tasmania has been one of the success stories of COVID around the country and has been raging with domestic tourism. A lot of people have been attracted to the state, which has posted record occupancies and tariffs.

ResortBrokers sold Franklin Manor in Strahan last year to a Queensland investor who saw the opportunity to develop this property into a boutique high-end hotel. In June this year, we settled the Strahan Beach Cabin and Tourist Park to a family from the New South Wales south coast we have always managed big tourist parks on the mainland. We currently have the Snug Beach Tourist park on the market.

Victoria, on the other hand, was adversely affected, however from a traditional point of view we are starting to see it become hugely popular but for different reasons to Tasmania.

Post pandemic, we have just sold one our first Freehold properties – the Julia-Anna Inn in Victoria – for the asking price. Demand was so great there were a lot of disappointed buyers. It was very encouraging, and it showed the quality of buyers and the rebounding of the market.

The Tasmanian market has been largely driven by lifestyle buyers seeking a sea change, while Victoria was characterised by more traditional buyers with long-term faith.

In Victoria, the birthplace of Quest, ResortBrokers has a long-term relationship with this brand, being their preferred agent around the nation selling all of their hotels for the past 10 years.

We are once again seeing real buyer demand in the Victoria which is great for the tourism and accommodation industry.

Despite the fact that both of these cities entered the pandemic with very different experiences, we are seeing great trading results in both places. n

Getting To Know... Marie Colangelo

A recent recruit to the Salter Brothers team, Project Director (Strategic Projects) Marie Colangelo is passionate about hotel design. Here, she shares how her ‘eclectic’ career path led her to the hotels industry and the key design trends she’s most excited about.

What was it that first attracted you to the hotels sector?

My career journey is an eclectic one. On completion of an arts degree, with a philosophy major, I worked in arts administration with major arts organisations. This provided me with an emersion in all things aesthetic and the opportunity to manage a huge range of creative pursuits leading me to interior design. It was when working for interior designers delivering restaurant and bar projects, that I realised my passion is for bringing design to life rather than seeing it on paper, so I undertook a Bachelor of Construction Management. It was serendipitous that I was first introduced to the hotel sector via the construction industry – and it’s definitely less gritty than civil works, but just as many personalities!

I have been hooked in by the dynamic “feedback loop” that exists within the hotel sector – the active relationship between the owner, operator and guest, that informs and guides decision making. Hotel projects are deeply rewarding and enriched by the many stakeholders on the journey.

What recent trends in hotel development/design are you most excited about?

The development of boutique, design-led regional hotels and motels is definitely a positive trend worth following. The repositioning of restaurant and bars within hotels is also something I’m celebrating. Salter Brothers has been leading this trend in Australia and both Crowne Plaza Coogee and Crowne Plaza Melbourne are great examples of destination drinking and dining within the hotels.

Are there any key leaders that inspire you?

I’m inspired by leaders that use their influence to make the world a better place. Ronni Kahn (Oz Harvest) is a passionate advocate for redistributing food, reducing food waste, nourishing those in need and always moving with positivity.

What career advice would you give your younger self?

Celebrate your achievements. Be your own cheer squad. n

On the Move

The latest key appointments across the hotel industry.

The Star has appointed Zhan Spalding to the newly-created role of General Manager

Surveillance Queensland, overseeing the company’s two properties in the state. Spalding, who has spent more than 30 years in surveillance and security operations for national and international gaming venues, will be the first female in a GM of surveillance role within the business.

Vista Hospitality Group has appointed Nathan Dean to the role of Cluster General Manager of its two new Brisbane properties –voco Brisbane City Centre and Hotel Indigo Brisbane City Centre.

Dean joins Vista Hospitality Group from Ovolo Hotel Group where he was Area General Manager for Ovolo Hotel Brisbane, Ovolo The Valley Hotel and The Inchcolm Hotel. He brings nearly two decades of experience in hospitality management.

QT Melbourne welcomes Kristen Foat as General Manager. Foat joined the hotel in 2020 as Director of Sales and Marketing, with the ambition of becoming a General Manager. She brings over a decade of experience from the Art Series Hotel Group, and has previously worked with luxury brands, such as Hilton and Sofitel in Melbourne.

Watson Farley and Williams (WFW) has welcomed Greg de Mesquita to its Asia Pacific Hotels and Hospitality practice as a Special Counsel.

De Mesquita brings real estate and corporate experience in the hotels and hospitality sector.

Heritage Hotel Management has appointed Rachael Nicholson as Group General Manager Operations, based in the company’s corporate office in Auckland.