The last three weeks have seen the country’s largest market thrown into another lock down resulting in the loss of a critical holiday period and the essential cash flow that all of you were needing. In working with our Partner STR, we have been able to provide quick snapshots to Governments, demonstrating why support programs are needed now and into the future. We have presented to Government the devastating impact of our industry losing over $20 million a week in room revenue across the country.
As we chart a path to recovery, it will be critical that the Australian public have confidence in open domestic borders and clarity of decision making by our health officials. We cannot have decisions being made behind closed doors as it only serves to damage the business and consumer confidence that drives the demand for our Sector.
Members also would have received a correspondence from the Australian Electoral Commission in the past week. This is the election held ever three years for your representatives on our Registered Organisation. If you wish to know more about this process, please head to our registered organisation page.
As always the team of the Accommodation Association is here to help and should you require assistance on any matter, please don't hesitate to contact us on 02 8666 9015 or mail@aaoa.com.au.
Regards, Dean Long
CEO and Executive Director - Accommodation Association
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Upcoming Events
With the announced lock downs and restrictions implemented, we have had to pause many of our in person events that were scheduled. Our event in Cairns had over 40 people registered to attend and this has now been moved to later in the year.
However as we did in 2020, the Accommodation Association will pivot to a webinar program in the mean time, to provide members with industry insights and networking opportunities.
We are current finalising our webinar schedule, to include topics such as managing fraud, disputes and chargebacks, as well as a global webinar series on recovery measures around the world.
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Online Training Tools
The Accommodation Association has a range of training tools that are delivered in different ways to cater for all learning needs.
The Accommodation Association has partnered with Olive Group, an international digital media company, to provide you with access to a wide range of free toolbox videos on topics that are not only relevant to our industry but also current.
This library of resources includes topics such as Leadership and Management; Hospitality and Catering; and Soft Skills. |
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Visa's and Border Openings
The Accommodation Association advocated strongly and welcome the announcement that chefs would join the Priority Skilled Migration Occupation List. The Association as a member of the Tourism Visa Advisory Group and our recent submission outlining the critical skills shortages currently assisted in achieving this outcome.
The CEO also met with Minster Dan Tehan MP in Canberra last week to discuss the impacts of border closures and to seek clarity on federal support programs. The Minister acknowledged that locked downs continue to damage consumer and business confidence to travel beyond the lockdown itself and support for our teams and driving demand is critical for any recovery in 2021.
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Lockdowns and Restrictions – Effects on Employment at a Glance
At the time of writing, the latest round of Covid-19 outbreaks is affecting almost half of all Australians, causing significant confusion and difficulties for employers.
The most common questions received by the Association’s helpdesk from members have been:
- Our occupancy has dropped significantly. Can we stand down some employees until business picks-up?
- Can I direct my employees to take paid leave?
- I may have no option other than making some positions redundant. What if I cannot afford to make the severance payments?
- Out of necessity, we need to move full-time employees into part-time or casual positions. Are we obliged to make redundancy payments?
Award Wage Increases Announced
On Wednesday 16 June 2021, the Fair Work Commission announced a 2.5% increase to the minimum wages in modern awards. The commencement will be delayed for some modern awards, including the Hospitality Industry (General) Award. As a member you have access to Award Summary Tables to ensure you complying with the latest changes to the Award.
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Accor General Manager Clive Scott named in Queen's Birthday Honours List
Clive Scott, Accor’s General Manager of Sofitel Melbourne On Collins, has been named in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
The honour was given to only 252 recipients in 2021, with Mr. Scott chosen for his significant service to the hotel industry and to the arts.
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New Hotel Openings from TFE
Earlier this year TFE Hotels unveiled Australia’s inaugural Quincy-branded property, bringing the exotic colour and zing of Southeast Asia to Melbourne’s most iconic and ‘original’ laneway, Flinders Lane.
TFE Hotels’ A by Adina Sydney, which opened late April 2021, is being billed as the flagship property of an elevated new ‘premium’ suite of Apartment Hotels, where VIP guest experience is set to soar to extraordinary heights.
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Don’t waste your time and money on accommodation supplies anymore - the offer you can’t miss
As a valued Accommodation Association member, take 10% off your next wholesale order on TradeSquare, Accommodation Association’s trusted new partner and Australia’s largest B2B wholesale marketplace with 150k+ products from 600+ Australian sellers.
TradeSquare makes it easier for AA members to find all of the accommodation supplies that they need in one place, at the best prices. No credit checks, no lengthy application processes. Sign up is FREE and you can purchase straight away - that’s why it’s already become the go-to wholesale destination for 5000+ approved buyers.
Ready to explore? Click here to get 10% off your first order with the code AATS10.
Want to know more? Click here
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Did you know that 8 out of 10 questions asked by guests can be answered with pre-programmed responses?
Meaning your staff can focus on creating better experiences for guests on-site.
- Responds to guests 24/7 across various platforms
- Boost revenue through upsell opportunities
- Automate outbound communication at key stages of the guest journey
- Gain insights into the guest behavior
- And much more!
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Amid recent COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns, key markets in Australia are showing noticeably lower levels of occupancy on the books for the coming weeks, according to data from STR’s Forward STAR.
Most notable, Sydney’s occupancy on the books is down an average of 13.8% when comparing the 28 June data update with the data release from 21 June. Occupancy for the current week ending 3 July is unlikely to exceed the 20% mark, which would be a 50% decline from previous weeks.
Click here for more information.
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New electricity rates
Electricity prices are changing on July 1st for most customers in NSW, SE QLD, ACT & SA, so look out for the price change notification from your supplier - advising of changes to their pricing. Some retailers are increasing or holding their rates, but others have reduced prices to offer better deals to new and existing customers. MiC Energy Brokers works with Accommodation Association members and some of Australia’s best-known accommodation and hospitality venues. Let them compare your new rates to the offers from their retailer panel to help your business manage its energy costs more effectively.
Click here to compare rates.
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VisScope is designed to assist investors and policymakers, to significantly enhance the industry insights for your project.
VisScope makes work easy for you by merging insightful data into one platform.
Identify project opportunities, monitor regional markets and competitive environments.
Forecasting and insights into travel, accommodation and visitor expenditure.
A flexible, scalable and innovative geospatial tool to deliver better, faster decision making.
VisScope merges insightful data for tourism and the visitor economy into one portal.
VisScope is more than a dashboard; it is a powerful forecasting and planning tool.
Contact us here for a prelaunch demo.
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Housekeeping & Related Services
International Hotel Services specialises in the outsourcing of staff in the hospitality industry.
Our specialised services include:
- Permanent & Casual Room Attendants
- Public Areas Attendants
- Sanitisation (Including Biomisting)
- Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning
- Stewarding
- Emergency Clean
- Kitchen Clean
- Window Cleaning
Please click here for more information. |
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A Message from Commonwealth Bank on Preventing online and phone payment fraud
Online or Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO) transactions (also known as Card Not Present) carry a higher risk of fraud due to the limited ability to authenticate the cardholder as genuine and the anonymity of the purchasing process. Learn how to make them as secure as possible.
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ARMA Revenue Management Global Education Summit on August 25, 2021
You're invited to attend the ARMA Revenue Management Global Education Summit held virtually - August 25, 2021. Register your FREE 24-hour access here.
This event will feature a live session from world-renowned pricing advisory, Simon-Kucher & Partners, Summit exclusive video workshops, and a Q&A forum where you can post a question and receive expert answers.
Accommodation Association members will also be able to purchase a 90-day access pass at a reduced rate should they wish to have access to the content to consume in their own time and at their own pace.
REGISTER YOUR FREE 24-HOUR ACCESS PASS HERE.
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A Message from Heart Safe Australia
Potentially Save Lives in Your Hotel with our Heart Safe Hotel Program Initiative
Our Heart Safe Hotel Program initiative is all about raising awareness and education about the very important 3 STEPS to potentially save lives in hotels across Australia in case of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) out-of-Hospital.
On average, 575 Australians suffering a SCA every week and ONLY 1 out of 10 WILL SURVIVE!
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