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!