State of Origin 3 accommodation

If you're after Brisbane accommodation for State of Origin 3 now is the time to be booking. With this in mind, here's an update of availability from our allotment:

* One night stays, 4.5 star hotel $399
(Last minute websites have rates starting from $450)

* We have a 5 star hotel with a rate of $399 for a two night minimum stay

* We have plenty of one bedroom apartments up our sleeve, for a 3 night stay rates start from $241/night (on average)

There is also a large conference at the convention centre as the same time as Origin so expect it to be a VERY busy week for Brisbane hotels.

And of course ... go Queensland!!

Ash Tuesday

With over 200 flights around the country cancelled today, our phones rang off the hook with people needing last minute accommodation. The bulk of our calls were for Brisbane which isn't directly affected by the ash cloud but with so many other airports closed, most people were re-routed here or unable to fly out.

Unfortunately, Brisbane hotels were already very heavily booked for tonight so it was a frustrating day where we were had to say no to a lot of requests but a BIG thank you to our great hotel contacts who called us throughout the day when they had cancellations.

Ash cloud disrupts flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Tasmania | The Australian

MORE than 100,000 passengers' journeys have been disrupted by the latest volcanic ash cloud, with delays expected to continue tomorrow.

Qantas has cancelled flights to Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne for tomorrow, and will continue to monitor the flight path between Perth and Melbourne.

Airlines cancelled flights to Adelaide last night and today added Sydney, Canberra and, in some cases, Melbourne. Qantas also brought forward departure times for some international flights from Sydney this afternoon to avoid the ash.

Brisbane and the Gold Coast are unlikely to be affected.

The head of the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, Dr Andrew Tupper, said the ash had wrapped around a low-pressure system building over south-eastern Australia and had crossed the South Australian coast early this morning.

It is expected to remain over Sydney overnight but move south tomorrow and expectations are that it will clear Australia tomorrow night.

2011 Salary Survey: Travel Weekly

I came across the survey below that may be of interest to my colleagues in the travel industry. Click on the title below to read the full article.

2011 Salary Survey: Wages and trends Travel Weekly
By Louise Wallace

As the Beatles once suggested, money can't buy you love. Sure, the message may have been at the heart of a catchy tune back in the 1960s, but even now, maybe more than ever, money is a touchy topic. Some argue it brings security and reinforces self-worth, while others are adamant money can't buy happiness.

Whatever the verdict, the Travel Weekly 2011 Salary Survey showed most travel industry employees might be better off whistling the Beatles tune, with 63% of respondents reporting they're unhappy with their pay packet. In fact, almost 20% strongly disagreed that their salary is fair, compared with just 6% who were very satisfied with their annual income.

A BIT OF CONTEXT

According to website MyCareer.com, retail workers bring in an annual salary of around $58,000; about half an engineer's income and a fraction of that of miners, who rake in an average of $146,000 per year. Meanwhile, employees in the wider travel industry are likely to bring home a humble $48,071 per annum, or $924 per week before tax and other deductions.
That being said, $48,000 should not be sneezed at.

This year's Travel Weekly survey revealed that travel consultants averaged $37,984 per year and owners took home approximately $61,000. Meanwhile, senior consultants are likely to scribble approximately $45,000 on their annual tax estimate, and agency managers about $60,000. But whatever their caper, only 37% of survey respondents felt their income was fair.
But it's not all doom and gloom, and no, the industry is not run by disgruntled employees plotting how to get back at their bosses in the tea room. The figures are actually an improvement on last year when 68% of respondents were dissatisfied with their pay packet and one-fifth strongly disagreed that their pay adequately reflected their skills.

Thank you Mr Rieu!

I mentioned back in October that Andre Rieu's planned tour for November had been postponed and the upside was that it would give us more time to prepare. Well his concerts in Brisbane were this week and as always Mr Rieu did not disappoint. No, I'm not talking about his actual on-stage performance, but for the 3rd consecutive trip to Brisbane he created havoc by filling every hotel on Tuesday and Wednesday night and almost tonight (Thursday).

We were prepared with a large allotment and although pick-up as usual for Brisbane was late, we judged things pretty well running out of rooms on Tuesday afternoon. Yes, our business is very much a juggling act between expected demand and how large an allotment we carry in to such an event. Thankfully tho, Andre Rieu continues to be automatic in Brisbane and can be relied upon to fill the city.

He started his tour in Adelaide which we did ok out of (not great tho, Adelaide has been a struggle this year) but it would have been great if his Sydney dates were midweek rather than on the weekend. I can't complain tho and hopefully Andre will grace us with his presence again in the near future.

Lunch at the Sofitel

With the Easter looooong weekend about to begin, business has been very slow for the last week or so. It happens every year, Easter, school holidays, long weekends ... it all adds up to very little corporate travel and events are scheduled at other times to avoid these dates.

We've done our best to take advantage of the down-time. Last Friday it was Sushi Station for lunch, yesterday it was the buffet/interactive dining experience at Sofitel Brisbane Central. They have an Italian theme this month so there is a Maserati and a Vesper in the lobby of the hotel.

The sales team from the Sofitel obviously had similar ideas to us as we saw Jago (recently switched over from the Brisbane Marriott) entertaining a client as well as Georgina who came over and chatted to us.

As always, the food was sensational and there was no need for dinner last night!

Adam drooling over the Maserati

Easter Chocolate Buffet

I stumbled across this today ... having missed it over the last 2 years, this time I cannot wait!

Easter Chocolate Buffet The Sebel & Citigate King George Square Brisbane

Easter Chocolate Buffet is back by popular demand this Easter....

Chocoholics unite at Bistro Allure to celebrate Easter, from Monday 18th April to Monday 2nd May 2011.

Get your tastebuds in training as you indulge in a chocolate sensation of cakes, gateaux’s, slices, tarts, cheesecakes, puddings, complementing, mouth-watering sauces and more!

Treat your family or get a group of friends or work colleagues together to join the Chocolate Parade, while lapping up the ambience of Brisbane's centrally-located hotel overlooking King George Square.

Bistro Allure Easter Chocolate Buffet from Monday 18th April to Monday 2nd May 2011.

Available for Lunch and Dinner - $20.00 per person

Lunch 11.30am to 3.00pm

Dinner 5.30pm to 9.30pm

Bookings essential.

Call Bistro Allure on (07) 3222 1128

So much chocolate, so little time...

Easter has never looked so good!

Royal on the Park breakfast

Last week Adam and I were lucky enough to be invited in to Royal on the Park for breakfast with their new GM, sales manager and the team in reservations.

We've had a close working relationship with the hotel for many years now but they've had some personnel changes over the last year and we hadn't seen their recently refurbished rooms. It was great to meet the new team as well as catch up with a few familiar faces. And well, food is the way to my heart, so the breakfast invite was always going to be well received.

I was impressed with the look of the new rooms (pictured below), they were always one of the larger rooms in the city, but the new colour scheme seems to brighten the room and the new desks and TV's certainly make them feel more modern.