LinQ Hotel Melbourne Southbank Opens on 2 September

WHAT’S NEXTSEPTEMBER 2019

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With more than 300 bookings for the first month of operation, LinQ Hotel Melbourne Southbank is off to a good start. The team is excited about welcoming their first guests and the race is on to complete the preparations for the September 2 soft launch.

The lobby is getting its finishing touches. In the reception area, our Hosts will be able to engage with guests and utilise the roaming check-in service to help guests check in.

The team has finetuned the guest journey to curate a

unique guest experience that will keep guests coming back. All hands are on deck to finalise the details of the hotel’s F&B outlet and getting the marketing collaterals ready.

To drive direct bookings to the hotel’s newly created website 167southbank.com, the team launched a social campaign with an opening offer to encourage first stays. The hotel can also be booked on various travel sites including hotels.com and booking.com.

While overseeing all the preparations, Hotel Manager Alice Sampson has brought on board new Front of House staff (see related story). They have hit the ground running, assisting with pre-opening activities and adding to the team’s passion and energy.

• Katie Farley joined the team as Venue Supervisor. She has worked as a venue manager, a chef and head barista, and understands both front of house and back of house operations. Her signature cocktail is the ‘Rocking Rose’.

• Duty Manager Alyxander Bell is excited by the dynamic pre-opening environment and sees it as an opportunity to be innovative, collaborative and creative, and to build something special with the team. He knows the Southbank area well and is keen to recommend his favourite restaurants to guests.

• Host Madeleine Glover is a recent Commercial Cookery & Patisserie graduate with experience in customer service and guest service. She loves to travel and has a passion for cooking.

• Host Elissa Karam has experience as a guest service agent and is currently studying for a Bachelor degree in Business & Hotel Management at the Hotel School Melbourne. She likes to keep fit and as someone who was born in Melbourne, she knows the city very well.

(from left) Hotel Manager Alice Sampson, with Venue Supervisor Katie Farley and Hosts Madeleine Glover and Elissa Karam

Guest room at LinQ Hotel Melbourne Southbank

The team has also started to engage their wider community by choosing STREAT as their official coffee provider. STREAT, which supports Melbourne’s disadvantaged youth and provides them with work in STREAT cafés, is the hotel’s first charity partner.

For more updates, follow @167southbank on Instagram and Facebook. Share the links with your networks too.

Welcome to the family!

Team rallies for Jeans for Genes

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WHAT’S NEXT SEPTEMBER 2019

Country Comfort Perth team members wore jeans for the day and many also donated $5 each to support Jeans for Genes, an organisation that conducts research to help children with birth defects or genetic disorders.

This is a worthy cause that is close to the hearts of many, including General Manager Peter Neville, whose daughter has Tuberous Sclerosis. “ We succeeded in helping to raise awareness and I am grateful to the team for their support,” he said.

Besides rallying the troops, Peter also baked a batch of cupcakes with special ‘T.S.’ icing. The hotel’s chef chipped in by preparing morning tea for the team.

Kafnu Alexandria members were thrilled to get the inside scoop on ‘Creating Great Content for Lead Generation’ at a panel discussion on July 23.

They heard from content experts – influencer and columnist Paula Joye; Julia Hasche, the creator of the Single Mother Survival Guide podcast; and Garry Green and Jamie Abela from InDigital Media Group.

Each panelist brought a different perspective, and together, they shared a broad range of valuable tips that the audience truly appreciated.

Lead generation tips from the experts

Four AHA award nominations

Event photo courtesy of Media InDigital Group

Our hotels in Western Australia have done us proud, with four nominations at the Australian Hotels Association’s 2019 Accommodation Awards for Excellence, which took place on August 26.

Sage Hotel West Perth was a nominee in the Hotel Restaurant Award thanks to Julio’s outstanding performance, as well as a nominee for the Superior Accommodation Award.

Country Comfort Perth was similarly honoured with a nomination in the Redeveloped/ Refurbished Accommodation Hotel category. Executive Chef Phil Campbell was also nominated for the Hotel Executive Manager Award.

Congratulations teams, on doing a great job and putting our hotels and brands front and centre!

Representatives from Sage Hotel West Perth and Country Comfort Perth on the big night

WHAT’S NEXT

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Congratulations to our HM Awards finalists!

Next Story Group has amassed an impressive 25 nominations in the hotel and people categories of the 2019 HM Awards for Hotel and Accommodation Excellence. These coveted industry awards celebrate the best properties, departments, people, chains and brands in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. The winners will be revealed at an Awards Dinner in Sydney on September 6. Good luck to all finalists!

1. MIDSCALE HOTEL - Country Comfort Perth2. MEETINGS AND CONFERENCING PROPERTY -

Sage Hotel Wollongong3. UPSCALE HOTEL - Sage Hotel James Street,

Brisbane4. UPSCALE HOTEL - Sage Hotel Melbourne,

Ringwood5. UPSCALE HOTEL - Sage Hotel West Perth6. BUSINESS HOTEL - Next Hotel Brisbane 7. REGIONAL PROPERTY - Sage Hotel Wollongong8. TECH HOTEL - Next Hotel Brisbane

Hotel

1. HOTEL CHEF - Cobey Davis, Next Hotel Brisbane2. HUMAN RESOURCES ASSOCIATE - Rosie

McCartney, Next Story Group, ANZ 3. SALES & MARKETING ASSOCIATE - Sharon

Cauldwell, Next Story Group, ANZ

People

To inspire all staff to improve their mental and physical health through exercise, Riva Surya Bangkok and Riva Arun Bangkok have launched a Walk & Run Challenge, with attractive prizes for the most active participants.

From August 1 to September 10, staff will be encouraged to go for walks around the hotel or near their own homes on their own time and to report their efforts to their l ine managers.

The HR team is tracking everyone’s progress and the top 3 performers will be announced at a staff party on September 11.

Riva makes fitness fun

4. FRONT OFFICE ASSOCIATE - Kate Avery, Sage Hotel James Street, Brisbane

5. FRONT OFFICE ASSOCIATE - Kimbley Watkins, Sage Hotel Wollongong

6. RISING STAR - Jade Gomez, Sage Hotel Wollongong

7. CONCIERGE - Chris McAdam, Next Hotel Brisbane8. CONCIERGE - Dave Jolly, Next Hotel Brisbane9. CONCIERGE - John Newnham, Sage Hotel

Melbourne, Ringwood10. REVENUE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATE - Lynne

Cassidy, Next Hotel Brisbane and Sage Hotel James Street, Brisbane

11. HOTEL ENGINEER - Bor Kwok, Next Hotel Brisbane

12. HOTEL ENGINEER - John Harrison, Sage Hotel Melbourne, Ringwood

13. AUSTRALIAN GENERAL MANAGER - James Coleman, Sage Hotel Melbourne, Ringwood

14. AUSTRALIAN GENERAL MANAGER - Nathan Dean, Sage Hotel Wollongong

15. FINANCE ASSOCIATE - Francis Silveira, Next Hotel Brisbane

16. FINANCE ASSOCIATE - Inanna Shea, Next Story Group, ANZ

17. FINANCE ASSOCIATE - Snehal Patel, Sage Hotel Adelaide

SEPTEMBER 2019

Sage Hotel Wollongong team

Firehouse Restaurant gunning for Gold Plate Award

Country Comfort Perth’s Firehouse Restaurant is in the running for the 2019 Gold Plate Award for Licenced Dining (Metro & Regional).

Said General Manager Peter Neville, “Making it to the finals is a reflection of what can be achieved when our team works closely and cohesively with the owners.”

Recently remodelled and re-positioned, the restaurant has set a new benchmark for the Country Comfort brand and is renowned for its innovative menu that features fresh Western Australian produce.

F&B revenue at Country Comfort Perth has been increasing steadily over the last four years and the team is looking forward to November 25, when the winner of the Gold Plate Award will be announced.

Get Fit:Simon’s Health Tips

Fitness enthusiast and General Manager of Kafnu Alexandria Simon Hall shares his expertise:

• Long cardio sessions are not the answer. Here is the secret to a leaner body – short bursts of high-intensity exercise. Save time and burn more calories!

• Aim to do 20-30 minutes of interval training and remember to pair your short high-intensity efforts with recovery periods.

• This approach to training can burn just as many calories as a full hour of traditional cardio such as slogging on the treadmill or cross-trainer. It also activates longer term calorie burning after your workout.

*If you have any medical condition or injury, consult a medical professional before doing any exercise.

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WHAT’S NEXT

Helping foster kids achieve their dreams

As a proud partner of The Pyjama Foundation, Next Hotel Brisbane provided support when the organisation held its fundraising event at the hotel on July 19.

The Pyjama Foundation gives children in foster care the opportunity to change the direction of their l ives by helping them with literacy, numeracy, l ife skills, and confidence building.

Through its Love of Learning Program, it matches each child with a volunteer who spends an hour a week focusing on reading, educational games and helping them with their homework.

The successful fundraising event at Next Hotel Brisbane brought in much-needed funds and also raised awareness of the needs of kids in foster care.

SEPTEMBER 2019

Newly launched: Friends & Family rates

Enjoy up to 30% off our rates when you book for your friends and family! Use the promo code NSGFNF to book via any of our brand sites or www.nexthotels.com. This special perk is available exclusively to employees.

In addition, employees will continue to enjoy staff

rates of up to 40% off for bookings that use the promo code NSGSTAFF .

All bookings are subject to hotel availability at the time of booking. Terms and conditions apply.

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WHAT’S NEXT

Rave reviews on Kiridara and Riva hotels

Guests love staying at Riva and Kiridara hotels and they are telling the whole world.

On average, Kiridara Luang Prabang receives 15-20 five-star reviews on TripAdvisor every month! Many employees have been singled out by guests for delivering excellent service too.

Kiridara guests also love the spa, the pool and the serenity of the hotel. Michael A. from Bora Bora even called the hotel “one of the best hotels” he has ever stayed in.

Over in Bangkok, the Riva Arun Bangkok team impressed Alyanna so much that she described their hospitality as “truly beyond incredible”. She loved that the hotel is stylish, beautiful and spotless, and declared that she could not think of anything negative to say about the hotel.

After staying at Riva Surya Bangkok, Batshev from Paris summed up the experience with: “I absolutely recommend”.

Well done, teams!

SEPTEMBER 2019

Riva Arun Bangkok

Riva Arun SuryaThe Kiridara Luang Prabang team

Free breakfast, free room upgrades and late checkout – These are just some of the perks of Your Next Great Escape, the exciting new campaign to drive bookings for our hotels.

Focusing on capturing leisure business across Australia and Asia Pacific during the school holiday period, the promotion is great for families because kids under 12 stay for free and eat for free.

Guests will be treated to complimentary breakfast during their stay and can enjoy late check-out until noon.

The booking period is from September 2 to October 6 and the stay period is from September 16 to March 31. Bookings can be made directly on our branded websites and via third party distribution channels.

Participating hotels include Next, Sage, LinQ, Country Comfort, Chifley, Kiridara and Riva hotels, in Australia, Thailand and Laos. Check out the promotion at www.nexthotels.com/great-escape.

Your Next Great Escape kicks off

Reservations Agent Shelly Chan is the winner of Next Hotel Brisbane’s Upsell Competition for Reservations and Front Office staff.

From February to May, 23 staff competed to lock in the highest number of upgrades among guests who booked standard rooms. The competition provided a fun and motivating way to improve the team’s customer service and selling techniques.

Shelly won a $100 gift voucher for her efforts. She joined Next Story Group just over two years ago and was promoted to her current role in October 2018.

Winner of Next Hotel Brisbane’s Upsell Competition

Meet Mark, our new Maintenance Manager

A warm welcome to our new colleagues:

Careers at Next Story Group

Check out these latest career opportunities:

LinQ Hotel Melbourne Southbank • Head Chef• Barista

Corporate office, ANZ• Area Revenue Manager

Next Hotel Brisbane• Reservations Agent

Chifley Apartments Newcastle• Night Auditor

Kafnu Alexandria • Community Manager

Sage Hotel Wollongong • Demi Chef (part-time)

Sage Hotel Melbourne Ringwood• Duty Manager

For more information or to apply, reach us at careers@nextstory.com.

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WHAT’S NEXT

LinQ Hotel Melbourne Southbank • Alyxander Bell , Duty Manager• Katie Farley, Venue Supervisor • Madeleine Glover, Host• Elissa Karam, Host

ANZ Corporate Office• Afiyat Mustaq, Field Marketing Manager• Glen Shoebridge, State Sales Manager, WA

Sage Hotel West Perth • Cindy Nelkoski, Restaurant Manager• Donna Taylor, Guest Service Agent /

Finance• Hanna Dondoyano, Guest Service Agent

Sage Hotel Adelaide• Mark Panozzo, Maintenance Manager• Matthew Williams, Maintenance

Handyperson• Matthew Doak, Maintenance Handyperson• Simon Baker, Guest Service Agent• Parul Kundu, Guest Service Agent

Kafnu Taipei• Christo Sarantidis, Assistant Manager• Annie Cheng Kuang-Hsuan,

Accommodations & Functions Supervisor

Mark Panozzo joined the Adelaide team in August.

Over the last 20 years of my career, I have done a lot of different things! I have experience in general building, carpentry, plumbing, til ing, grouting, drywall installation, painting and gardening. I also have trade qualifications in steel fabrication, so I know my way around things like sheet metal products, hand rails, signage and the kind of equipment that you might come across in commercial kitchens.

In my new role at Next Story Group, I am responsible for the maintenance and ground keeping of the three Adelaide sites. Prior to joining Next Story Group, I worked at a shipbuilding company and a steel fabrication company. I joined Next Story Group because of its great reputation.

I love motorcycles. I love working on them and riding them too. My most prized motorcycle is my CBR Fireblade. This bike is close to my heart because I got it as a present from my wife on our 10th wedding anniversary. I also enjoy fishing for garfish down York Peninsula with my three sons, l istening to music from the 50s and 60s, as well as watching Australian football . You might call me a die-hard Adelaide Crows supporter!

My favourite place for a holiday is anywhere on board a cruise ship, ideally, with my wife and three sons.

SEPTEMBER 2019

Welcome to the world

General Manager of Sage Hotel Wollongong, Nathan Dean, and his wife Alison with their baby Savannah, who was born on July 21.

The newly appointed maintenance team, (from left) Mark Panozzo, Matthew Doak, Matthew Williams

Employee Spotlight: Leanne Ellams, Rooms Division Manager, Sage Hotel James Street, Brisbane

I joined Next Story Group because it is a game-changing company that bucks the trend through its design, technology and values. I started in July and everyone has been approachable and genuine, and we are all committed to delivering amazing service.

My role entails maintaining the service level standards with our guests, as well as building brand loyalty and nurturing relationships with local businesses. I love my job. No two days are ever the same and what we do for a guest can turn a bad situation into something special or make a special day even better.

In my career, I have worked in both heart of house and front of house. I started out at age 15 when I was an apprentice chef at Club Med in New Caledonia.

I have a passion for travelling and have been to New Zealand, Thailand, the United States, Dubai, Fiji and the United Kingdom. My best vacation was a three-week trip to London. It was my uncle’s 80 th birthday and my mother’s 70 th. Family is important to me and I am pleased to share that my younger daughter is expecting a baby in February. I am going to be a grandma! Exciting times!

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WHAT’S NEXT

Shark Tank judge visits Kafnu Ho Chi Minh City

Kafnu Ho Chi Minh City hosted the eager fans of Linh Thai, the founder of clothing company Rita Phil , the CEO of VinGroup Ventures, and a popular judge on angel investment reality show Shark Tank Vietnam.

The meet-and-greet in July was well received and Linh Thai was quick to share on social media that she loved the venue, the food and how the team saw to every detail of the seamless event.

Linh Thai’s positive posts on Facebook and Instagram have attracted thousands of Likes from her 600,000 social media followers, which has meant great exposure for Kafnu Ho Chi Minh City.

Kafnu Hong Kong’s Senior Community Manager, Sook Tan, believes that the key to having a great holiday is dressing up as a cup of instant noodles. She flew to Tokyo in 2015 to do just that, at Tokyo’s famous Shibuya street crossing, which turns into a cosplay street party every Halloween. Sook partied till late and she says that even though the locals told her that only crazy tourists take part in the annual event, she has no regrets.

SEPTEMBER 2019

(from left) Kafnu Ho Chi Minh City’s F&B Director Chris Fong,celebrity judge Linh Thai, and Kafnu Ho Chi Minh City’s Project Operations Manager Clémence LeBorgne

My funny travel story

We look forward to hearing all about your triumphs and your team’s significant events and achievements. Send your stories

and photos to: news@nextstory.com

Submission deadline for the next issue: 15 th September 2019

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Concocting passion

A week after joining Next Story Group in July, Kafnu Hong Kong’s Sales and Event Manager James French spent six days at Kafnu Ho Chi Minh City helping to set up Habitat bar and creating the cocktail l ist. The former mixologist and runner-up of Rum Fest HK loved the experience.

An avid traveller, James has been to South Africa since getting back from Ho Chi Minh City. The 10-day safari with his wife and family has recharged him and he is ready to take on anything at Kafnu Hong Kong.

James is passionate about ensuring that members get the best experience 100% of the time. “I thrive on delivering customer satisfaction. It is rewarding

to see the smiles on our members’ faces,” he said.

After graduating with a Business Management degree from Kings College London, he eschewed the financial institutions of London to work in his parents’ restaurant in Wales instead. Prior to joining Next Story Group, James was Country Manager of the Hive Hong Kong and General Manager of Korean restaurant Jinjuu.

To unwind, he listens to hip hop. He also collects vinyl records and takes on DJ gigs at bars because he loves it. But what he is really looking forward to is applying for permanent residency in Hong Kong in September. It is a city he loves and where he met his wife.

WHAT’S NEXT SEPTEMBER 2019

Kafnu Hong Kong’s Sales and Event Manager James French makes a mean rum cocktail James French and his wife on safari

PromotionsChristy Yip was promoted to Duty Manager of Next Hotel Brisbane in July. She joined the hotel as a Guest Service Manager in September 2014 and was quickly promoted to Team Leader because she showed initiative and passion for the job, and did not shy away from added responsibilities. All her colleagues love working with her and respect her for her integrity and can-do attitude.

Congratulations as well to:• Georgia Preston, Duty Manager, Sage Hotel

Melbourne, Ringwood • Sunil Kumar Charabarty, Front Officer Manager,

Sage Hotel Melbourne, Ringwood

Kate Avery was promoted to Front Office Team Leader in July, just one year after joining Sage Hotel James Street, Brisbane, as a part-time Guest Service Agent. As Front Office Team Leader, she covers the guest check-ins and check-outs, and even group reservations.

Kate started in retail and then went on to do the Disney international program in Florida, and Events F&B in London. She has since also worked in front office roles in Melbourne, New Zealand and Brisbane.

“ What I love about my job is the people,” said Kate, who aims to work her way up to front office management. “ We have a great team at Sage and I really enjoy the daily interactions. You meet some super interesting people. We always have some good stories at front desk.”

She loves to travel and has also enjoyed drawing and painting since she was a child. When she travels, she lugs her arts supplies with her.

Well done, Kate and Christy!