Motel Makeover Guide
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motel makeover guide RENOVATING 3-4 STAR MOTELS IN REGIONAL AUSTRALIA Justin Beall, Linda Roberts and Leo Jago Renovating 3 & 4 Star Motels in Regional Australia DISCLAIMER The views contained in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC). While the authors have made all reasonable efforts to gather the most current and appropriate information, the STCRC does not make any warranty as to the correctness, completeness or suitability of the information, and shall in no event be liable for any loss or damage that you may suffer as a result of your reliance on this information. CONTACT INFORMATION To order copies of this Guide or the Summary, please visit our online bookshop [www.crctourism.com.au/bookshop] or alternatively complete and send the online order form. COPYRIGHT © CRC FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PTY LTD 2005 All rights reserved. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the publisher. Any enquiries should be directed to Brad Cox, Communications Manager [[email protected]] or Trish O’Connor, Publishing Manager [[email protected]]. NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION Beall, Justin. Motel makeover guide : renovating 3 & 4 star motels in regional Australia. Bibliography. ISBN 1 920704 57 4. 1. Motels - Australia - Remodeling. 2. Motels - Maintenance and repair. 3. Motels - Design and construction. I. Roberts, Linda. II. Jago, Leo. III. Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism. IV. Title. 647.94068 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre, established by the Australian Commonwealth government, funded this research. The project was initiated by Tourism Tasmania and supported by the Hotel and Motel Association of Australia (HMAA) and AAA Tourism (AAAT). AAA Tourism provided information for the chapter on star ratings and Ted Horner of E. Horner and Associates P/L, Hospitality Technology Consultants provided the chapter on Information Technology. Acknowledgement is also due to Dr Zbigniew Bromberek and Gary Fleming of the University of Tasmania for assistance in preparing the guide, to Paul Whitelaw of Victoria University for his contribution to the data collection and analysis for chapter 2 ‘What do visitors want?’ and to Robert Mason of Victoria University for his assistance in the preparation of chapter 15 ‘Case studies’. ii MOTEL MAKEOVER GUIDE Foreword The Hotel and Motel Accommodation Association (HMAA) network would like to recommend the Motel Makeover Guide to all owner operators of 3-4 Star Motels. This Guide has been compiled to assist businesses with property renovations in order to maintain the standard necessary to compete successfully in the highly competitive tourism and travel environment. The Australian accommodation industry has undergone significant changes since the emergence of the popular motel accommodation facility in the 1970s and 1980s. At that time these developments met the needs of the travelling public, both for business and leisure requirements. The demands of consumers, within the last decade, have developed and increased significantly, resulting in a far more discerning customer for accommodation operators to satisfy. The changes have largely been driven by the higher standard of living and considerable increase in investment by consumers within their homes by the provision of luxury amenities and the inclusion of high tech appliances. In essence, when away from home the average consumer will not settle for less than the quality of amenities enjoyed on the home front. For accommodation operators embarking on newly constructed projects, the task of incorporating current trends and technical facilities has been relatively straightforward. However the passage of time, combined with low levels of profitability and other financial challenges, have resulted in many older establishments facing significant demands to meet consumer expectations in order to remain viable and stay in business. The Motel Makeover Guide for renovating 3 & 4 Star Motels is presented as an all-inclusive resource for operators to examine their individual establishments and identify opportunities for developing cost effective renovation programs. The HMAA network congratulates Tourism Tasmania for initiating the project and for the extensive work undertaken by the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre. Dennis Winchester CEO, HMAA iii Renovating 3 & 4 Star Motels in Regional Australia Contents Foreword _____________________________________________________________________________________ iii 1. INTRODUCTION ____________________________________________________________________________ 1 Who Should Read This Guide?___________________________________________________________________ 1 The Big Issues___________________________________________________________________________________ 2 The Guide _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3 2. WHAT DO VISITORS WANT? _________________________________________________________________ 5 The Consumer Perspective______________________________________________________________________ 5 Background ___________________________________________________________________________________ 5 What the Consumer Wants______________________________________________________________________ 6 Consumer Study________________________________________________________________________________ 8 The Questions for Refurbishment________________________________________________________________ 10 Summary _____________________________________________________________________________________ 11 3. STAR RATINGS ____________________________________________________________________________ 12 Standards_____________________________________________________________________________________ 12 Australian STAR Ratings ________________________________________________________________________ 12 4. WHAT IS AN AVERAGE 3-4 STAR ACCOMMODATION BUILDING LIKE? _________________________ 16 How Many Rooms Do Motels Have? ____________________________________________________________ 16 How Are They Built?____________________________________________________________________________ 16 How Old Are They? ____________________________________________________________________________ 16 How Many Floors Do They Have? _______________________________________________________________ 17 What Are The Guest Rooms Like? _______________________________________________________________ 17 How Much Do Others Spend? __________________________________________________________________ 17 Room And Building Layout _____________________________________________________________________ 18 What About The Land? ________________________________________________________________________ 19 5. STREET APPEAL____________________________________________________________________________ 20 Understand Your Market _______________________________________________________________________ 20 Key Design Ideas ______________________________________________________________________________ 21 Practical Ideas ________________________________________________________________________________ 22 Altering Guest Rooms to Improve Street Appeal _________________________________________________ 25 Re-Finishing Façade To Improve Street Appeal __________________________________________________ 26 Signage ______________________________________________________________________________________ 26 Codes ________________________________________________________________________________________ 27 6. GROUNDS AND EXTERNAL SPACES _________________________________________________________ 29 Key Design Ideas ______________________________________________________________________________ 29 Practical Ideas ________________________________________________________________________________ 30 7. GUEST ROOMS____________________________________________________________________________ 34 Key Design Ideas ______________________________________________________________________________ 34 Practical Ideas ________________________________________________________________________________ 35 8. BATHROOMS _____________________________________________________________________________ 45 Key Design Ideas ______________________________________________________________________________ 45 Improving Layouts _____________________________________________________________________________ 46 Improving Spaciousness _______________________________________________________________________ 46 Ventilation And Moisture _______________________________________________________________________ 49 Fittings ________________________________________________________________________________________ 50 Repair Options ________________________________________________________________________________ 50 Taps, Fittings and Water Conservation __________________________________________________________ 51 Codes ________________________________________________________________________________________ 51 iv MOTEL MAKEOVER GUIDE 9. KITCHENETTES_____________________________________________________________________________ 52 Key Design Ideas ______________________________________________________________________________ 52 Practical Ideas ________________________________________________________________________________