Sadly, this will be the last time I write an introduction for our bi-monthly newsletter. I will be finishing up at the Association next week ahead of my new role as the CEO of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents.
My time as CEO of the Accommodation Association has been both extremely rewarding and challenging thanks to bushfires, COVID-19 restrictions, border closures and travel bans.
This is a sector full of wonderful, generous people and businesses. Resilient. Persevering. Tenacious. Never has this been more demonstrable when so many of our hotels and team members stepped in very early on to support the Government’s COVID Isolation Program. Through our involvement with this program, we have facilitated the return of thousands of Australians, protected frontline medical staff and some of the most vulnerable in our community.
These teams and properties have continued to provide this important support quietly, behind the scenes and with little thanks. It’s this commitment to going above and beyond that makes this sector so very special and one that I have had the immense pleasure of working in.
Finally, I am incredibly grateful for the ongoing support and leadership of the Accommodation Association Board. To the amazing and talented team here at the Accommodation Association – thank you. Your continued hard work and leadership will ensure this great sector is well represented and in safe hands.
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
The Accommodation Association will pivot to a webinar program until in-person meetings can return, 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.
If there are any specific topics you would like us to cover, please contact events@aaoa.com.au.
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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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The Association's Advocacy Efforts
As the focus began to shift from case numbers to vaccination rates, the Associations advocacy was fine tuned to reflect the Federal Governments declaration that it is now responsible for funding individual COVID-19 disaster payments, while the State Governments are responsible for business support.
With that in mind, we made the decision to place a greater emphasis on engaging directly with state and territory governments as we were plunged in and out of lockdown in most jurisdictions.
Click here to continue reading. |
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New Casual Employment Terms and Conditions
In March 2021, the Fair Work Act (the Act) was amended by including a definition of a Casual Employee to avoid misclassifying employees and so being exposed to claims for entitlements reserved for permanent employees (e.g annual and personal leave).
On 27 September 2021, the casual clauses in the Hospitality Industry (General) Award (HIGA) will be varied to align with the recent amendments.
From 27 September 2021, employers with 15 or more employees must offer eligible casual employees the option of converting to permanent employment.
Eligible casual employees of smaller businesses may still request casual conversion.
To be eligible, a casual is required to have been employed for a period of 12 months, and during the last 6 months of that period, worked regular patterns of hours on an ongoing basis, and can continue to work in the same regular pattern without significant adjustment.
All existing and new casuals must be issued with a Casual Employment Information Statement.
Members are reminded they have unlimited access to the Accommodation Association’s advice line and are invited to contact the Association to discuss casual employment or any other employment issues of concern via phone on 02 8666 9015 or mail@aaoa.com.au.
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Do accommodation providers need to refund bookings cancelled due to COVID?
Whilst accommodation providers are not necessarily legally required to offer a full refund or a credit for cancellations, many are offering this to give guests the confidence to make a booking.
If a booking is cancelled due to government restrictions, then in many cases guests are entitled to a refund or a credit, but in some cases, a cancellation fee will apply, and in other cases payments may be non-refundable.
Accommodation and event businesses can protect themselves in the current Covid environment by updating their T&Cs to clearly set out when refunds or credits will be provided.
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A message from AHS
Get the low down on how to gain and retain employees in a candidate short market from our industry expert, Ben Kazakoff.
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Well-managed cash flow can mean the difference between a business that thrives and one that struggles to keep up. Here’s how it’s done.
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ARMA Revenue Management Summit – “Keep Soaring Higher”
You're invited to explore the ARMA Revenue Management Virtual Education Summit content.
This event featured a not to be missed session from world-renowned pricing advisory, Simon-Kucher & Partners on "Commercial Creativity", Summit exclusive video workshops, a Q&A forum where you can still post a question and receive expert answers, and you can attempt the revenue management trivia challenge.
Accommodation Association members are 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.
Enjoy the Summit!
#learnmore
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ReviewPro Case Study
As Spain has always been a thriving and competitive market for hoteliers, Paradores hotels knew that in order to secure bookings, the battle would be fought and won online.
By optimizing their online response strategy with ReviewPro, and placing guest experience at the heart of their operations, the hotel brand saw a steady increase across all their KPIs – Global Review Index ™, ADR, Net Promotor Score® and Guest Satisfaction Survey scores.
Their overall success also led them to win best reputation in Spain for two consecutive years, even during the 2020 pandemic.
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Drive More Direct Bookings
reZme is a new tech platform that gives you all the tools to finally implement a direct booking strategy that works.
reZme’s solution helps you to make more money by reducing third party commissions, gives you back time and gives you back ownership over your guests data.
Talk to us now and we’ll help set you up for success as we come out of COVID and travel becomes a must for all Australians.
Our products include reZme Web, reZme Book and coming soon is reZme Attract, and our plans start from just $159 per month.
Find out more about reZme here.
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Here’s why you should start preparing for a tourism revival today
Lockdowns might currently be affecting the recovery of domestic travel, but industry experts say domestic tourism is expected to boom once vaccination rates increase, virus transmission slows and lockdowns are eased.
GlobalData predicted Australian domestic travel would rebound to 93.8 million trips in 2021, returning to 80.4% of the level of pre-Covid trips in 2019. Millions of Australians are eager to get out of their homes, travel, and spend. And the time to prepare for that is right now.
Ready to start preparing your supplies and stock?
Click here to get 10% off your first order at TradeSquare, Australia’s largest wholesale marketplace. Access 100,000+ wholesale products from more than 600 local sellers on one simple website. Use the code AATS10 at checkout for your 10% off.
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Are your insurances up to date given the current COVID situation?
As the Accommodation Association's preferred insurance partner Network Insurance Group are offering free insurance health checks to their members.
To learn more about Network click here.
To have your insurances reviewed at no cost please contacted your dedicated Network Insurance specialists:
Nick Bova – Account Manager
Ph: 0439-804-587
John Kay – Account Director
Ph: 0455-400-224
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A PREMIUM SERVICE FOR EVERY GUEST
The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Age delivered daily to all hotels with PRESSHUB.
- Enjoy unlimited access to our premium publications
- No paywalls
FREE 14-day trial available for members.
If you are interested in providing a premium digital news service for your guests, head to presshub.com.au/hotels and request your FREE 14-day trial via our PRESSHUB enquiry page.
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Complimentary 1 hour Media Strategy Consultation for Your Business
Take advantage of a one-to-one strategy session being offered by Leonards Advertising. Let us help you devise a media strategy to keep your database engaged and grow prospect bookings.
The session will cover cost-effective techniques to develop a media strategy through research, media channel selection for best ROI, content development and marketing automation.
For more information, please check the website:
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VisScope makes work easy for you by merging insightful data into one platform.
VisScope is designed to assist investors and policy makers to significantly enhance the industry insights into the tourism and the visitor economy.
§ 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.
See our explanatory video and book a demo.
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Decades ago, the idea of using a mobile phone to check into a hotel was incomprehensible. Now, it’s almost commonplace.
With new technology developing at a fast rate and the travel industry considering implementing vaccine passports, contactless solutions are critical in providing safe guest experiences. But many hoteliers are still learning about the newest contactless solutions, and others question just how secure they may be.
To continue reading, please click here.
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AHS Advisory, the Australian specialist hospitality consulting company is pleased to announce their rebrand to Horwath HTL in Australia!
Horwath HTL, the worlds largest and most experienced hospitality consulting group announced the opening of a brand-new license of Horwath HTL in Australia. To celebrate here is our first report "Australia: Hotel Market Recovery from Covid-19".
For more information, please click here.
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13cabs Delivers. Fast.
If you’ve got a delivery that can’t wait, we’ll get it there right away. 13cabs will pick-up in under 10 minutes and deliver door to door.
- Specialist Drivers
- GPS tracking
- No surcharge on urgent packages
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IHS Infection Control & Outbreak Management Expertise
IHS has an established Infection Control Procedure and actively promotes our infection preventative techniques throughout our employee base. If any areas within our portfolio of Hotels are reported as having a suspected or actual infectious outbreak then IHS will conduct our formalised infection control services (including Bio-misting) and adopt any additional recommendations from the Australian Government Department of Health.
Click here to continue reading.
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