In this Room 45 of A Room With A View, Hotel Sales Legend Nicholas Kent drops by with some really good advice and a story to tell.
There are a number of icons mentioned in this podcast and Nic tells a great story.
Be sure to listen on Spotify or wherever you podcast.
Building on its strong growth, Independent Hotel Management company, Trilogy Hotels, has set its sights on the Darwin market, announcing today a significant partnership with the notable local family-run DCOH Group. This important deal will see Trilogy take charge of 417 rooms across three hotels. These include Novotel Darwin CBD, Frontier Hotel Darwin and The Smith Hotel Darwin.
Trilogy plans to drive and enhance DCOH’s three hotel assets in line with the market’s expected strong rebound while leveraging its teams’ extensive expertise and proven track record in the local market.
→ Read more in the press release: Trilogy enters NT with major deal
TimeOut Sydney has recognised Pullman Sydney Penrith as a top-ranked property in its list of Best 28 Hotels in Sydney.
Pullman Sydney Penrith is the only hotel outside the city centre to feature in the list.
As manager of the Hotel, Trilogy Hotels is very proud of Pullman. We congratulate the Hotel team on the fantastic achievement and Panthers for their vision in building an exceptional property.
OUR FIRST YEAR
Yesterday (3 October) marked a significant milestone as we celebrated Trilogy Hotels’ 1st birthday!
What an incredible and amazing journey it has been! We’re thrilled to share our immense gratitude with our LinkedIn community.
The independent hotel management model we’ve embraced has truly been a game-changer for the industry we love. We’ve created an environment where everyone plays to their strengths by utilising focus, independence and aligning interests.
This approach now yields tangible results for our stakeholders, with our performance metrics validating everything we hoped would happen operating hotels under the third party model.
The industry’s endorsement of third-party/independent management in Australia is revolutionising hotel performance. This shift demonstrates the maturation of the Australian hotel market, bringing it in line with other sophisticated global hotel markets.
One year on we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to:
Our amazing hotel owners, for entrusting us with their exceptional hotel assets and collaborating with us to achieve optimal outcomes.
Our Trilogy and hotel teams, for embracing our vision and entrusting us with their careers. You are the best in the business and the heart of our Trilogy Tribe.
Our guests and customers, whose loyalty fuels our passion for hospitality.
The outstanding hotel brands we partner with – your support and partnership are invaluable.
The broader Australian hotel industry and our business partners for your unwavering support. Our industry is truly special, filled with remarkable individuals who have been so generous to us.
Our Independent Management Company colleagues, thank you for continuing to promote the value and possibilities of our model.
Our families and friends, for encouraging us to be bold and pursue our dreams. Your belief in us surpasses our own.
As we reflect on our first year, we’re immensely proud of what has been achieved and deeply grateful for the support we’ve received. The future holds so many incredible possibilities, and we’re excited to continue playing our part for our owners, guests, teams, brand partners and communities in which we operate.
Thank you all for the role you have played and continue to play in where we have come from and where we are going. There are indeed very exciting times ahead.
Our sincere thanks to: Jerry Schwartz, Howard Kemball, Peter Grant, Brian Fletcher, Mathew Luszczynski CA, Matt Leavey, Frank Huang, Wade Huang, Shane Dignan, Steve Brunker, Trilogy Hotels, Adrian Williams, Matthew Tripolone, Matt Barbelli, Steven McArthur, James Gregory Wilkinson, Jeremy de Silva, Ken Hall, David Thompson, Steven Ananin, Darryl McAllister, Danesh Bamji, Sam Davies, Ben Murphy, Michelle Taylor, Lukas Wilfling, Michael Thomas MBA, Rory Douglas, Charles Young, Tom Marsic, Dave Ross, Ross Beardsell, Gus Moors, Michael Simpson, Wayne Bunz, Karen Wales, Neil Scanlan, Vasso Zographou, Ruwan Peiris, Dean Dransfield, Richard Crawford, Tristan Cooper. HotelManagement HotelsChangeLives
Scott was recently profiled in HM Magazine regarding the state of Independent Hotel Management in Australia and New Zealand.
SYDNEY, Australia (July 16, 2024) – Independent hotel management company Trilogy Hotels continues to rapidly grow its pioneering portfolio of investment-grade hotel assets, announcing its latest agreements to manage Holiday Inn Sydney Airport and Courtyard by Marriott, Sydney-North Ryde, with both properties soon to be rebranded as premium Crowne Plazas.
With the independent operating model evolving from the traditional management approach, hoteliers Frank and Wade Huang of Star Millennium Pty Ltd have appointed Trilogy Hotels as hotel managers, adopting the predominant management model in the US and Europe. Trilogy Hotels will run the day-to-day operations of both hotels and drive the operational and bottom-line profit performance. IHG Hotels & Resorts under a franchise agreement will provide exceptional branding and distribution capabilities.
July 2024
Trilogy is proud to be appointed operators of two prominent hotels, Holiday Sydney Airport, which will rebrand to Crowne Plaza Sydney Airport in Q4 2024.
From January 1, 2025, Trilogy will manage the Crowne Plaza Sydney Macquarie Park (currently trading as Courtyard by Marriott – North Ryde).
Thank you to hotel owners Frank and Wade Huang of Star Millennium Pty Ltd for trusting us and sharing our vision.
Hotel investors continue to embrace independent management, with three new signings for Trilogy Hotels in the Western Sydney.
The Huang Family doubles its hotel portfolio with Trilogy Hotels to four hotels, following the addition of Novotel Sydney Parramatta and Mercure Sydney Parramatta.
Schwartz Family Company signs its fifth hotel with Trilogy Hotels, recently acquiring Leura Gardens Resort.
This marks an exciting milestone for Trilogy Hotels with ten assets now under management.
The Panthers Group’s $110m five-star hotel, the Pullman Sydney Penrith, will be
operated by a new American-style independent hotel management company.
Panthers, one of Australia’s largest entertainment groups with more than 125,000
members across five licensed premises, has appointed Trilogy Hotels, an
independent management company founded in Australia by high profile lawyer
Tony Ryan last year.
Since its launch, Trilogy has won the rights to manage nearly 1200 hotel rooms
across four hotels, principally owned by Jerry Schwartz, one of Australia’s largest
private hotel owners.
Trilogy is on target to have another 1200 rooms under its management by the end
of the year, said Mr Ryan, a lawyer who helped deliver Accor’s $US940m takeover
of Mantra Group in 2018.
In a statement, Panthers chief executive Brian Fletcher said the deal with Trilogy
Hotels would help the club maximise the potential of its newly built 153-room
Penrith hotel, the first luxury hotel built in Western Sydney.
“With Trilogy Hotels we are poised to elevate our offerings, enhance operational
efficiency, and drive sustainable growth in the dynamic hospitality industry,” Mr
Fletcher said.
Pullman Sydney Penrith and Western Sydney Conference Centre has appointed
Michael Thomas as general manager of the hotel.
Mr Thomas has previously worked for the Peninsula Group, Shangri La, Banyan
Tree, Hilton and Accor.
Mr Ryan said under the Trilogy Hotel management model the group was
incentivised for higher profitability.
“We give direction to the general manager, we have full control of the asset on
behalf of the owner. The predominant fee is based on the profitability of the hotel,”
he said. “And with smaller properties we can drive savings. (But) we are not chasing
motels in regional areas such as Wagga.”
He said Trilogy, which was formed to look after investment grade assets, would
target hotels which were sold with vacant possession.
In February 2024, Trilogy Hotels announced a major deal with the Schwartz Family
Company securing the management of the Mercure Sydney, Ibis Sydney World
Square, Mercure Canberra and Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains. Dr Schwartz has
acquired another Blue Mountains property, buying the Leura Gardens Resort for
$25m last week.
Trinity manages the hotel operations and drives the operational and profit
performance while providing access to operational systems, training and team
development. “This is the preferred operating model in the US and is rapidly
growing globally,” Mr Ryan said.
Trilogy Hotels acknowledged that under a franchise agreement hotel brands such as
Marriott, Accor, or Hilton for example, can provide strong globally established
branding, distribution and loyalty programs.
On behalf of the owner, Trilogy manages the hotel operations and drives the
performance.
“In Australia and New Zealand, the industry has relied heavily on the traditional
hotel management agreement model where hotel owners engage with a particular
hotel brand for both their distribution and operating capability,” said Trilogy chief
executive Scott Boyes.
“In the US and Europe the independent management model, with brand support
under a franchise agreement is the predominant model preferred by hotel owners
and hotel brands alike,” Mr Boyes said.
“We are expanding that model further and tailoring it for the Australian and New
Zealand market to help hotel owners feel more connected with their investment,
while partnering with and utilising the exceptional distribution capability of a global
hotel brand.”
Marking a significant leap forward in its growth and innovation strategy, independent hotel management company, Trilogy Hotels is proud to welcome five highly-regarded executives to its leadership team. Trilogy Hotels is committed to advancing hotel operations and boosting profitability in Australia and New Zealand by providing hotel owners and teams access to the best-in-market leadership and talent.
“This is a special time for our company and our industry, as we see an unprecedented engagement with independent operating models. We are excited to continue our journey of growth, success, and service with our incredible team,” says Scott Boyes, CEO of Trilogy Hotels.
Shaizeen Contractor has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer.
Previously Senior Commercial Director of Australasia at Hilton Hotels, Shaizeen was responsible for driving the sales, marketing, distribution, and revenue management strategy for Hilton’s 31 hotels across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Key achievements include supporting the business through the pandemic and delivering the best market share premiums across the portfolio, optimising rate growth opportunities, and ensuring each hotel has a commercial strategy to drive performance.
Passionate about growing and developing team members and being the Australasia lead for Hilton’s APAC Women Team Member Resource Group, Shaizeen supported many in their career journey and growth at Hilton. Bringing over 20 years of industry experience, Shaizeen has worked in a variety of roles, including as Group Director of Sales and Distribution with TFE Hotels before serving as their Chief Revenue Officer.
Over eleven years with TFE Hotels, Shaizeen was responsible for driving the profitable top-line performance for 78 hotels across Australia, NZ and Europe, supporting the business performance with new technology and enhanced capabilities. Before her time at TFE, Shaizeen spent four years in New York as Area Director of Revenue for Highgate Hotels, a leading US independent hotel management group.
Shaizeen will lead a cohesive commercial strategy for Trilogy Hotels’ growing portfolio, delivering for owners above fair market share results. Shaizeen is known as one of the strongest commercial leaders in the Pacific and adds world-class expertise to an already impressive line-up.
Mardi Sparrow has been appointed Chief People Officer.
Mardi brings over 20 years of industry experience to the Trilogy Hotels team, most recently as Director of Human Resources Australasia and Pacific at IHG. In this role, she spent four years overseeing IHG’s 48 managed hotels and 6500 employees across 8 countries.
Mardi previously worked for IHG in Japan and Australia holding the Area Director of Human Resources role at key InterContinental properties. Before this, she held Human Resources and L&D leadership positions for numerous global brands including Shangri-La, Radisson, and Raffles, working across Asia, the sub-continent and Australia. Having started her career in hotel operations her first role in Human Resources was with the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.
In her new role, Mardi will oversee the development and implementation of best practices across the employee life cycle at each of Trilogy’s hotels, ensuring a consistently rewarding employment experience, and enhancing engagement and retention. Mardi’s extensive knowledge of employer obligations and performance management will strengthen Trilogy’s onsite hotel teams and her passion for this industry embodies the culture Trilogy Hotels is creating.
Ben Salter has been appointed Director of Distribution & Systems.
Ben has over 30 years of industry experience managing revenue, sales and distribution teams at Accor and Stamford Hotels and Resorts. He most recently served as Director of Distribution Systems for Accor in the Pacific, overseeing more than 400 hotels across the Pacific. In this role, Ben was responsible for deploying Accor’s distribution strategy and maximising market and profitability across the entire portfolio.
Trilogy is focused on delivering revenue to hotels in the most efficient form, and Ben will work alongside Trilogy’s hotels to ensure this happens. In his new role, Ben will oversee the distribution strategy and systems ecosystems, working with commercial teams to implement and administer best-in-class systems.
Under Ben’s expertise and guidance, this agile, innovative approach will tie the two functions together resulting in a targeted distribution strategy, with lower channel costs, maximised occupancy, and enhanced revenue. These are the systems that underpin Trilogy’s innovative approach to distribution and revenue management.
Ben’s extensive experience as a team trainer ensures hotel team members have effective support. Ben is a proud graduate of Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School.
Josie Hungerford has been appointed Director of Growth & Corporate Affairs.
Before joining Trilogy, Josie was a highly regarded Associate Director of Development at Radisson Hotel Group. In this role, Josie was responsible for sourcing and securing hotel management and franchising opportunities in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
Beginning her career as a corporate lawyer, Josie spent several years advising global companies, locally and internationally. Her experience includes hotel, resort and mixed-use transactions as well as commercial dispute resolution and international regulatory matters.
In her new role with Trilogy, Josie will spearhead the execution of Trilogy’s portfolio growth strategy and large-scale corporate projects.
Possessing a deep understanding of owners’ commercial objectives, Josie brings a creative and outcome-driven approach to each opportunity, ensuring a bespoke and optimal outcome for each owner and partner.
Amanda Warner has been appointed Corporate Support Manager.
Amanda brings extensive experience in administration and supporting teams across multiple industries, including non-profit, legal, and sales. In her most recent role as Talent and Culture Coordinator with Accor, she facilitated hotel recruitment, onboarding, and company-wide initiatives.
Amanda has experience in conflict resolution and is passionate about building collaborative workplace cultures. In her role with Trilogy, she will be responsible for planning and executing the company’s administrative workflows and supporting the executive team.
“With each of our leaders at the helm of their respective areas of responsibility, we are poised to expand our portfolio, deliver best in market outcomes for owners and unparalleled experiences to our hotel owners, teams, and guests,” Boyes shares. “We want to thank our wonderful industry partners for developing amazing home-grown talent, and we are proud to continue their development journey.”