Hospitality Review - December 2021

Hospitality Review - December 2021

DECEMBER 2021 HOSPITALITY REVIEW

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REGULAR SECTIONS President’s Update 5 CEO Update 7 Hospitality Minister 11 Great Customer Experience 12 - 13 Opposition Leader 15 Membership & Corporate 20 IR Update 21 Workforce Development 24 - 25 Sports Minister 27 Clubs Tasmania 32 - 33 INSIDE THIS ISSUE SPECIAL FEATURES Crowne Plaza 8 - 10 Coastal Collaboration 16 - 19 Jobs Portal 23 Tour of Tas 28 - 30 Turner Stillhouse 34 - 35 Wotif Awards 38 - 39 Run The Bridge 40 - 41 Mentally Healthy Workplaces 42 - 43 TasTafe 44 - 45

Connect with us: @tashospitality @tas_hospitality

For editorial enquires contact Adam Smith [email protected] 0417327093

Turner Stillhouse

http://tha.asn.au

PRESIDENT’S UPDATE

THA PRESIDENT PAUL JUBB

CHRISTMAS is nearly upon us and an early present has arrived for the industry with Tasmania’s borders opening just in time for the festive season. To say the past two years have been among the toughest we have all experienced is a huge understatement and our hopes are once the state is fully open fromDecember 15, it remains that way and we avoid further lockdowns and restrictions which have crippled our operators. There will no doubt be some teething problems along the journey, especially in the early stages, as businesses strive to return to full operational capacity from pre Covid times. But I have absolutely no doubt the resilience shown throughout this testing period holds us in good stead to bounce back and again thrive, proving why the hospitality sector in this state is so widely regarded. The signs are already there, with the fact that more than 2300 bookings for the Spirit of Tasmania were made in one afternoon immediately after the premier announced our borders were reopening highlighting how eager visitors from Victoria and NSW are to return to our island. That momentum has not slowed and hearing accommodation and restaurants are taking bookings well into January and February is extremely pleasing.

I’d like to also take the opportunity to thank Steve Old and his team for the mountain of work they have done throughout 2021. The pandemic has thrown curveball after curveball at our industry and THA staff have been the ones at the coalface who have been there to provide the assistance and care. Many issues have been far from straightforward but the tireless work from everyone has played a major role in helping businesses remain viable. To the rest of our board members, thank you for your support during the year. There have been plenty of robust discussions but the one glaring positive is the united front when it comes to hospitality. I respect everything the Tasmanian Government has done to keep us all safe but we always have, and always will, stand up for our industry. That often means lobbying hard against certain measures and I think our politicians certainly have a good understanding of just how difficult this period has been and why we are so passionate. Finally thank you to everyone who contributes to the Hospitality Review. Our aim is to make the magazine both informative and interesting, highlighting not only the important issues and news but also all the wonderful events, people, establishments and places that make up this wonderful industry. I wish you all a safe, happy and prosperous festive season as we look to bounce back in 2022 bigger and better than ever.

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CEO’S UPDATE

THA CEO STEVE OLD

WELL another year is nearly over, and another rollercoaster year at that for the hospitality industry. Twelve months ago we were in a very similar position, coming out of easing restrictions and setting up for the summer while welcoming visitors from around the country into the early parts of 2021. Then the borders went up to our two biggest tourism markets for an extended period, business slowed down and we even went into our own snap lockdown because of one positive Covid case in southern Tasmania. There has been understandable angst and frustration from the entire community, but especially from the hospitality sector as we returned to the drawing board to navigate our way out of the effects of the pandemic. It has certainly at times been a slog and patience sapping exercise lobbying the state government on behalf of the THA board and the industry as a whole, but it is always worth the effort when we see our genuine concerns formally recognised and acted upon. Businesses have been forced to adapt and change and I’m extremely proud of all my staff for their efforts in ensuring venues remain on their feet, viable, and are set up to hopefully reap the rewards of what the next few months looks set to bring. Scrutiny will always come from a small minority for the funding we receive but the success and feedback of our programs is proof of how important the THA is for the industry, and how important this funding is to help operators within in it. If there is one thing our borders being closed to interstate regions for periods of times has shown

us, it is the appetite to experience everything our state has to offer is as high as ever judging by the booking numbers since premier Peter Gutwein announced the December 15 reopening. The buzz has certainly returned as the weeks ticked by towards that date, and I’m sure the impact will be instant with hotels, restaurants, bars and cafes across Tasmania all benefiting. Wearealsohoweverwellawarethereareconcerns to keep up with this sharp rise in demand. It is why there has been a concerted effort to focus on connecting business owners and operators with potential staff, while encouraging people of all ages to join and experience the industry. The T21 joint partnership between the THA, TICT and the state government has delivered a new jobs portal (www.tastourismandhospitalityjobs. com.au) to encourage Tasmanians, both younger and older, to consider jobs in hospitality and tourism. There has never been a better time for younger Tasmanians who might be finishing school, looking to pick up summer holidays work or who are taking a gap year to come and experience everything the hospitality industry has to offer. But with our visitor numbers about to explode, it is just as important that the industry has plenty of experienced heads to lean on. Thank you to all THA staff and board members for their efforts throughout the year, it has been another challenging 12 months but equally rewarding as we get this wonderful industry back on its feet. I wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas and New Year period, as we turn our attention to a big 2022, which kicks off with the national AHA awards here in Hobart on February 8.

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VENUE FEATURE: CROWNE PLAZA

Tasmania’s entire hospitality industry has taken a beating in the last 18 months – but none more so than the accommodation sector. Yet despite the significant financial blow most venues have endured due to lack of visitor numbers, if the attitude of one inner city operator is to go by, optimism of a swift bounce back is high. For a new accommodation venue in the heart of Hobart’s CBD, the Covid-19 pandemic hit at the worst possible time for the Crowne Plaza. Initially set to open on March 20 last year – the weekend Tasmania first shut its borders to the rest of the country as premier Peter Gutwein declared a state of emergency – Crowne Plaza general manager Linda Collis instead found herself standing down all but half a dozen of her workforce. It took another six to eight weeks before Collis could bring staff back, with the hotel officially opening in July. As the state emerged from hibernation late last year into the early part of 2021, the popularity of the 235-room venue began to show. Then the second wave of border lockouts hit, including the major markets of Victoria and NSW, and again Collis was forced to weather the storm.

“When we first did our market segmentation, we had probably 25 to 30 per cent of our business projected to be international,” Collis said. “Then the majority of our domestic business, which we’re expecting to be conference group business, was coming from New South Wales and Victoria. “That absolutely took its toll. We’ve certainly been able to build up some business from Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland, but they weren’t our traditional markets. “Some of ourbusinesswe have got, both corporate business and leisure business, is only because the other states have shut. “When the New Zealand direct flights were happening we did start seeing business pretty much instantaneously, but of course that stopped too. “Talking numbers, the impact in a month would be 5000 to 6500 room nights. If you look at average rates in Hobart, and even if we said it was $200, imagine losing five to six and a half thousand. “Most months it would be a million dollars plus lost in revenue.” Even as Tasmania emerged from its first lockdown, locals weren’t flocking to hotels in their home state.

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“Talking numbers, the impact in a month would be 5000 to 6500 room nights. If you look at average rates in Hobart, and even if we said it was $200, imagine losing five to six and a half thousand. Most months it would be a million dollars plus lost in revenue.” – Linda Collis talking about the financial impact on Crowne Plaza when borders closed.

But when interstate visitors were able to access Tasmania earlier this year, the pick-up for the Crowne Plaza was almost instant. “We were doing occupancies of about 10 per cent [per month] when Hobart first emerged from lockdown, and when everyone was open earlier this year, we were up to 80 per cent occupancy,” Collis said. “That’s a brand new hotel, we hadn’t established ourselves in themarket by any stretchwhatsoever. “A 70 per cent difference is very significant. I think the location of the hotel, what hurt us, is again people in Tasmania had to travel in Tasmania and most people live in Hobart so they were going out to explore our beautiful state, but not ideal for us.”

Now as Tasmania prepares to throw open its borders again on December 15, Collis is busily preparing for a summer periodwhich is projecting extremely positively. Given everything she has been through in the past 12 months, you could forgive her for being cautious about what lies ahead, especially given the state government’s tendency to impose stricter measures at a whim. However Collis refuses to dwell on the past, presenting an optimism which is arguably reflective of themajority of the hospitality industry. “It could be blind optimism, but there is fact and >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52

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