Peak season

Everyone knows that the running of the Melbourne Cup stops the nation, but it also marks the start of the end of year peak corporate travel season. Once everyone comes back to work on the Wednesday, attention turns to travel plans for the rest of the calendar year.

Expect many cities to be extremely busy for the next week five weeks or so with Sydney being the worst. Its had a big year already and I believe this will continue through to the start of December. Canberra has a number of parliament dates in November and hotels are very close to filling already.

At the other end of the spectrum is Brisbane. Its been dead (almost) all year and nothing looks to be happening in November to change that which is unfortunate considering all the new hotels that have been added over the last few years.

Be sure to let your clients know that we're now coming in to peak corporate travel season and if they can book early they should, otherwise availability could be extremely limited and rates will be high.   
 

Out of Office

The office will be closed Thursday and Friday this week as I'm down in Melbourne for a couple of days.

If you need anything during that time please leave a voice-mail message or send me an email and I'll get back to you first thing on Monday.

Barossa & McLaren Vale

The week before last I took some time out of the office to head down to South Australia to visit the Barossa and McLaren Vale wine regions.

We started at Penfolds with the "Make your own blend" session where we donned the white coats and headed in to the lab to learn a bit more about the art of wine making and how the blends are created. That night we stayed at the Novotel Barossa Valley Resort in a two bedroom apartment and had dinner in the restaurant and then breakfast the next morning.

Day 2 was a big one as we visited Grant Burge, Rockford, St Hallets, Langmeil, lunch at Maggie Beer's Farm Shop, Kalleske, Torbreck, Tscharke and Seppeltsfield. We then headed back to Adelaide Airport to pick up a couple more friends and then headed to McLaren Vale and our house at Aldinga Beach where we were staying for the rest of the trip.

Day 3 I took one for the team and drove but the wineries visited were Hither & Yon, Leconfield, Wirra Wirra, Alpha Box & Dice and finished at Samuel's Gorge where we enjoyed the sunset over the hills.

Our final day included d'Arenberg, Coriole and Shaw & Smith.

Yes, way too many wineries in the short time but when we go back we'll definitely no which 3 or 4 we're leisurely spend our time.

Out of office

The office will be closed Thursday and Friday this week as I'm having a long weekend with friends down in the Barossa and McLaren Vale.

If you need anything during that time please leave a voice-mail message or send me an email and I'll get back to you first thing on Monday.

July - Month in review

July was all about sport with a handful of the top soccer teams in the world coming down under. There was Liverpool matches in Brisbane and Adelaide while Melbourne hosted Manchester City, Real Madrid and Roma.

Most of the above matches did good things for the hotel markets but the main event for the month was definitely State of Origin 3 in Brisbane. For the last year or two State of Origin has been a bit disappointment for the hotels as they over-charge and the city doesn't end up filling as people refuse to pay the ridiculous prices. Thankfully this year was better and the city did fill but the noticeable difference was most of the requests were just one night stays.

This month I also visited a couple of hotels in the city. The first was Capri by Fraser that opened a few months ago and later that week was Hotel Jen. As well as having a look around the hotels I was lucky enough to have lunch in both their restaurants.

June - Month in review

June turned out to be a relatively quiet month but the highlight and the busiest night was definitely State of Origin 3 in Melbourne on June 17. At the end of the week prior to the game, you couldn't get a room for under $500, unless you spoke to us of course. There were just a handful of rooms available in the days leading up to the game and prices were through the roof.

The only other peak date in June was the same week (as above) in Canberra. The dates for parliament this year have been busy, but nothing over the top yet. Tuesday June 16 changed all that and availability was limited well in advance. We started getting calls more than a week out which is a rarity for Canberra. At that time there was nothing under $350 and a few days later that minimum had moved up to $450. Not long after the city was full and the phone calls really came flooding in. Why was this was parliament so much busier? Unfortunately I don't know but hopefully it happens again soon.

EPL teams headed down under

The English Premier League season hasn't finished yet but a couple of their biggest names are headed down under. My team, and recently crowned League Champions, Chelsea FC along with Liverpool are coming to play in Australia in the upcoming months.

Chelsea recently announced they are coming to Sydney June 2 to play against Sydney FC while Liverpool will play the Brisbane Roar in Brisbane on July 17 (I'm lucky enough to be going to this game) and Adelaide United in Adelaide on July 20.

All these matches should mean good things for each city's hotels so if you're going to the matches I recommend you book early.
(note: We have a stash of rooms available for the Adelaide United game at really good rates.)

Edit: I spoke too soon ... it turns out there are actually THREE EPL teams headed to Australia in their off-season! I saw on TV last night that Tottenham Hotspurs are also playing Sydney FC on May 30.

Sofitel Melbourne - overnight stay

Over the ANZAC Day weekend I spent a night at the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins before heading to the Yarra Valley for my friends' wedding.

I'd seen the hotel and its rooms many years ago but was yet to actually stay there. I'm a member of Accor's Advantage Plus program so I booked early and used a free night.

Our room overlooked the burbs rather than the river, Crown and the bay but all the rooms at the Sofitel are on high floors so its still a nice outlook. The weather wasn't great so the view for the one night wasn't that important. The rooms themselves are what you'd expect from a 5 star hotel with the only letdown being the shower over bath (common amongst older hotels) but this was definitely made up for by the comfy Sofitel signature bed.

We had dinner in the lounge on the 35th floor and this was the only disappointing part of the stay. The service was poor, the food took forever and was cold. The positive that came from this was that after I filled out the hotel's post-stay survey I was contacted within a couple of days by the head of Food & Beverage to discuss the situation. I appreciated the follow-up from him and his sincerity regarding the matter.

The Sofitel Melbourne is located at the "Paris end" of Collins Street, just around the corner from the designer shops and a short walk down to the MCG.

Office closed - ANZAC Day long weekend

Okay, so its not actually an ANZAC Day long weekend but it is for us. The office will be closed Monday and Tuesday as I'm down in Melbourne and the Yarra Valley for a long weekend.

If you need anything during that time please leave a voice-mail message or send me an email and I'll get back to you first thing on Wednesday.

Chinese New Year

I don't remember Chinese New Year having this much of an effect in the past but that's the main reason hotels are giving as to why they're so busy this week. Sydney is full, Perth is full and Melbourne is virtually full.

February/March is also one of the peak corporate travel seasons as businesses begin travelling (after the quiet month that is January) so it sometimes doesn't need a specific major event for the hotels to fill. 

Sydney at it again

Sydney hotels' busiest times of the year are February/March and November. Last year, November was huge for Sydney hotels and the momentum has definitely continued in to this year.

February/March sees a lot of concerts, concerts, festivals, cruise ships and many other things happening in Sydney. This all means good things for the hotels, not so good for people looking for availability at reasonable rates.

Things started to pick up last week and the city was close to filling, this week is huge and next week is even worse! The lesson is, if you need to travel to Sydney during their peak times, make sure you book at least two weeks in advance otherwise rates will be a lot higher than expected.

Sydney - The New Perth

Over the last few years, Perth has been the busiest hotel market where accommodation is regularly hard to find and rates are through the roof. Perth was busy again during peak season this year but nowhere near as bad as it was in previous years. Sydney however was as busy as I've seen it for a number of years.

Sydney virtually sold out for four straight weeks starting from the second week of November. It started with the Rolling Stones concert, then there were conferences, sporting events and more concerts. Week after week, it became virtually impossible to find rooms for under $500/night. Yes, the hotels saw what was happening and rates went through the roof.

The two busiest times of the year for Sydney hotels are February/March and November. On the back of a huge November for them I can only imagine what hotel's rate expectations will be for Feb/March 2015. If you travel to Sydney regularly, book early.

The event that stopped Melbourne

And no, its not The Melbourne Cup.

Back in October saw the busiest week that the Melbourne hotels experienced all year. Bigger than The Melbourne Cup, bigger than the AFL Grand Final, bigger even than the F1 Grand Prix.

What was it I hear you ask? The Jehovah's Witnesses Convention! Yes, you read that correctly. October 15 - 19 thousands and thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses descended on Melbourne and the hotels were full for most of the week. The Saturday night was also the Caulfield Cup which created a melt-down as availability was virtually non-existent and rates were through the roof. 

Concert season

The end of the year tends to be when a lot of the big name artists tour Australia. This year is no exception with names such as Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Robbie Williams, Katy Perry and The Rolling Stones over the next few months.

Not surprisingly, these concert tours bring a lot of people to the host cities and therefore accommodation can be extremely limited. If need a hotel room, make sure you book early. To find out where and when the concerts are, check out our peak travel dates page. 

Out of office - Friday August 15

Important note: The office will be closed from 11:30am today and will re-open as usual at 8:30am on Monday morning.  

During this time please feel free to e-mail me or leave a voicemail message and we'll get back to you first thing on Monday.

I found this story this morning and its great to see from one of the Australian hotel chains. I'm not sure why more hotels have yet to take this step.

Free wifi now at Rydges, QT and Atura hotels

By David Flynn   

All Rydges, QT and Atura hotels throughout Australia are now serving up free Internet for all guests.

It's a welcome step forward towards the day when all hotels will set the WiFi free, with business travellers increasing relying on their smartphones or 4G mobile broadband modems to defeat the often outrageous costs of in-room Internet.

The Rydges group is also undergoing a rebranding which includes a healthy new 'Rise Breakfast' concept, which the hotel chain says "takes a nod from nutritionist recommendations around a healthful breakfast being the most important meal of the day."

While still buffet-style in nature, the Rise Breakfast includes freshly-squeezed juice shots, made to order smoothies & juice blends, super healthy cereals and fresh fruit as well as a great range of hot options including eggs cooked to individual preference.

There's also an expanded wine list showcasing "a broader range of Australian and international varietals will cater to more discerning tastebuds." 

"The Rydges brand served our iconic Australasian hotel chain well for many years, but as we embarked on a project to expand the hotel offering, we felt the brand needed refreshing also to suitably reflect the significantly improved guest experience" explains David Seargeant, Group Managing Director of Rydges parent company Amalgamated Holdings Limited.

Magical Malindi - Montville

Two of my best friends got married at Montville on the weekend and myself and friends stayed at Magical Malindi. The house and the view are spectacular so rather than try and put it in to words, check out some of the photos I took (just using my phone). For more details and better pictures, check out their facebook page. 


Its the first time I've been to the Sunshine Coast hinterland (Montville, Maleny, etc) in many years which is such a shame considering what a great winter getaway spot it is.

Brisbane State of Origin accommodation

If you need accommodation in Brisbane during the week of the first State of Origin (May 28), you've come to the right place!

Looking online or direct with hotels, prices start around the $400 mark. We grabbed an allotment of rooms more than a month ago so we now have by far the best available rates.

Here is what we have up our sleeve:

• 4 star hotel rooms from $250/night
• 4.5 star apartments from $250/night
• 5 star hotel rooms for under $500/night

Priority will be given to requests for multiple night stays (prices are much cheaper either side of the 28th) but we do have rooms available just for the night of the 28th at around $300.

Go the Maroons!

Melbourne's best boutique hotels

My friend Sally from Alluxia has just released her best boutique hotels in Melbourne list. We too LOVE Melbourne but don't know as much about their boutique properties, so here's some of what she had to say.

Melbourne's Best Boutique Hotels

Posted on Monday, 28 April 2014 in Travel Tips

 

Melbourne is the ideal weekend getaway. This vibrant city boasts a wealth of things to see and do and has an unrivalled food scene. Whether you’re seeking high-end shopping, watch a sporting event, attend a foodie festivals or stroll art galleries, Melbourne offers it all.

For the ultimate getaway, we’ve handpicked Melbourne’s best boutique hotels. It’s all about luxury at these top establishments.

To read the whole article and see which hotels made her list, click here. 

A good article I came across this morning about why third-party booking sites are losing some of their luster for regular travellers.I particularly like this quote from Starwood:
A senior representative of Starwood highlighted that Starpoints can be earned on "'eligible' rate plans" for bookings made "directly with the hotels or your preferred travel agency".

We come under their classification of "preferred travel agency" and look after bookings for several of their Platinum SPG members.

Want points for your hotel stay? Avoid third-party booking websites

By Chris Chamberlin
Want to earn your full serve of points with your favourite hotel rewards scheme? Avoid 'third party' booking sites and make your reservation directly with the hotel or its parent company.

Unlike frequent flyer programs – which let you earn points regardless of who you booked your ticket with – many hotel loyalty programs won't provide any per-night points or per-stay credits on bookings made through the likes of Expedia, Wotif and Hotels.com.

To read the rest of the article, click here.