22 May 2023
Words
John Miller Informer 106
Back On-Board
The Goldie is not just marquee hotel brands. The backbone of its tourism industry are the thousands of small to medium letting businesses, both short term and permanent. Here’s how three of them have been tracking since Covid restrictions lifted.
Mediterranean Resort, Burleigh Heads
Mediterranean Resort is a short-term holiday complex of 110 keys at the North Burleigh Surf Club end of Burleigh Heads. Operator Peter Grace has held the management rights for five years coming off the back of a successful career in logistics, including 16 years in Asia. Says Peter, “December 2022 was our highest achievement in 26 years of history. It was absolutely over the top. That’s the best December ever and the best result ever. We had high occupancy, very high average daily rates, and we had just a fantastic Christmas. And December 2023 is sold out with people who have already rebooked for next Christmas.”
“The Gold Coast is a proven destination and a reliable destination. But there are what I call ‘golden pockets.’ Burleigh Heads is the Noosa of the Gold Coast. It’s a lovely area. Here at Burleigh the sand is beautiful, it’s just calm water, it’s really, really good.”
Park Breeze, Southport
Five minutes’ walk from Broadwater, Park Breeze is an 84-unit permanent management rights and letting business operated by Lani and Steve Furlong.
Lani worked for Fairfax media and Steve was a tennis pro who played the Australian Open and Wimbledon before the husband-and-wife team entered the management rights space. Says Lani, “The Gold Coast is one of the premier tourist destinations in Australia. People come here for a holiday, they love the environment, we’ve got the Broadwater, we’ve got the ocean.
“It’s just a beautiful place to live! The way the Gold Coast has bounced back very quickly after Covid, I don’t think there’s anywhere else we’d rather be.”
Beachcomber Resort, Surfers Paradise
Located in the heart of Surfers, Beachcomber Resort is a short-term holiday complex of 130 apartments keys run by experienced management rights operator Shayne Batros since 2016.
Says Shayne, “We’re back to normal and better than pre-Covid. Come September 2022, the tap just turned and we’ve been busy ever since, running at 90 percent occupancy.
We had a great December, January has been exceptionally busy and February is looking exceptionally busy as well. Our guests are 100 per cent local. To travel overseas is so expensive. Business is going well, so we’ll just enjoy it while we can.”
