Schwartz Family Company picks up another hotel
Jerry Schwartz has bought the Leura Gardens Resort in the Blue Mountains for $25 million.
The Schwartz Family Company already owns the Fairmont Blue Mountains nearby.
The newly acquired Leura Gardens Resort sits within four and a half acres of gardens and has 92 rooms alongside conference facilities.
The accommodation is made up of studio, family and self-contained apartments. The resort has recently been renovated.
Now under the Schwartz Family brand, Leura Gardens Resort will operate in conjunction with the Fairmont, to present a comprehensive meetings and events offering in regional New South Wales. The Fairmont already has one of the biggest inventories of meeting space in the Blue Mountains.
“The Blue Mountains is Sydney’s holiday playground and one of the most popular destinations for weddings, retreats, leisure groups, conferences and events, and by bringing these three venues together, we can offer a complete tourism solution,” said Schwartz.
“Leura Gardens Resort’s 3.5-star accommodation will complement the 4.5-star accommodation at the Fairmont, while we can also offer multiple different venues for functions along with the renowned outdoor activities that the Blue Mountains is famous for.”
Longitude 131 completes refurbishment
The luxury glamping offering at Uluru has just had a more than $2.5 million refurbishment.
Baille Lodges closed Longitude 131 for all of February to undertake refurbishment works which included “sweeping refreshment” of all 15 glamping tents and the main public areas of the outback camp.
Ideal for high-end small incentives, accommodation at Longitude 131 looks out on Uluru and the offering is part of the Luxury Lodges of Australia collective.
Baillie Lodges has been operating Longitude 131 for over a decade now. It is the only accommodation offering at Uluru which is not part of Ayers Rock Resort.
More widely, the luxury lodge group has been spending big on its portfolio of properties in recent years, including a major refurbishment of Silky Oaks Lodge in Far North Queensland, after acquiring it in 2019, and rebuilding Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island after it burned down in the 2019-2020 bushfire season.
Accor launches training program for Indigenous Australians
The hotel group has kicked off the Accor Indigenous Hotel Traineeship to help young Indigenous Australians join the hotel sector.
Aimed at the 17 to 25 age group, the traineeship lasts for 12 months including both on-the-job training and classroom learning through TAFE Queensland. The program culminates in participants earning a Certificate III in Hospitality Operations.
During the year, participants will undertake four-month rotations across hotel departments from food and beverage to housekeeping and front office.
The first trainees have been drawn from Brisbane and the Gold Coast with the program to go national this year.
“Our Indigenous Hotel Traineeship is the culmination of significant dedication and support,” said Accor Pacific’s chief operating officer for premium, midscale and economy brands, Adrian Williams.
“Our commitment to this program goes beyond training and education, it’s a labour of love.
“We offer our trainees infinite avenues for career development and growth, a culture of inclusivity that is open to all and open pathways to travel and work around the world, while respecting and valuing individual personalities.
“Through this new traineeship program, we know we’ll secure incredible talent who will enjoy a rewarding career with Accor.”
The traineeships are part of Accor’s Indigenous Careers Program which has placed more than 2,500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island talents in jobs with Accor since 2015. The hotel group also looks to help Indigenous staff advance to leadership roles should they wish.
“This focus on personal capability development and pathways to leadership ensures Accor Indigenous team members have opportunities to grow and build meaningful careers over the long term,” said Williams.
