Chateau Royale Beach Resort
Taking up the management rights of the Chateau Royale Beach Resort at Maroochydore last March marked the rebirth of Neil and Christine Simpson’s management rights career and the resurrection of the resort as a Sunshine Coast gem.
The couple took a break in 2002 after a decade in management rights at Cabarita Beach in Northern NSW to concentrate on health food and natural therapy clinics. Christine is a fully qualified clinical herbalist and massage/natural beauty therapist. They had health food stores and natural therapies clinics at Bribie Island (just north of Brisbane) and Kingscliff in Northern NSW and Christine’s experience is well suited to operating the Chateau Royale’s Lotus Day Spa.
When they took on the Diamond Beach Resort in 1992, the Simpsons were the first people to be granted management rights in NSW. Before that Neil had been a successful teacher culminating in being a senior teacher of special class children. This was then followed by 15 years as a professional squash player and well-known Australian Council coach in the sport.
After selling the health clinics in 2009 they took off in a caravan to travel around Australia and were at Albany/Esperance in WA when they were contacted about taking up management rights again. A quick trip across the Nullarbor Plain and they flew from Adelaide to inspect several sites.
They took over the Chateau Royale half way through a $3.3 million rejuvenation project that was instigated by a very pro-active committee that had spent more than 12 months in discussions with all the other owners.
The resort was built in 1983 and damage from 27 years of exposure to the elements prompted the refurbishment.
“The building had windows that were leaking badly and there was also significant ‘spalling’ (often referred to as concrete cancer),” Neil said.
The works involved a retile and fit out of the pool, spa, steam room and sauna, along with replacing every window in the 65 apartments with tinted glass and repainting the exterior of the buildings that make up the complex. Many unit owners have also repainted, updated and renovated their apartment interiors including modernising the bathrooms.
The resort’s reputation had also suffered a similar fate due to the previous management’s policies, attitudes and decisions requiring Neil, Christine and their assistant manager, daughter Mel, to undertake a public relations campaign to win back guests on the resort’s large client base.
When the Simpsons arrived the body corporate had appointed a building supervisor to oversee most of the refurbishment. As managers the Simpsons had roles in the day-to-day control of the workers and allocations for works. While most of the contractors were amicable and cooperative, Neil said the workflow caused friction with the body corporate committee and them as managers as they tried to look after the interests of their guests and permanent residents.
“We had to put up with noise, noise and more noise – jack hammers being used 15-storeys up reverberated right through the building,” Neil said. “It was also difficult to get accurate work timelines largely due to the unseasonal inclement weather which stretched relationships.
“We had scaffolding erected in front of each building as they were done, then the windows were jack-hammered out and new ones fitted.
“On average each of the four blocks and then the beach houses were out of the letting pool for two to three months resulting in a significant loss for each owner in the letting pool.”
But despite the problems, the Simpsons, the body corporate and unit owners are happy with the final result.
“It was a fantastic end result for the building which has returned it to an icon of the Sunshine Coast and the premier resort location,” Neil said.
“It has lifted the resort’s profile back to where it was years ago and with the new management the guests are returning in their droves to their favourite holiday destination.
“All maintenance is up to date, the sauna, pool facilities and barbecue areas are fully operational and we have opened the Lotus Day Spa for guests to enjoy massage, health and beauty treatments.”
Neil also said getting the guests to return was not difficult. “We announced it was under new management on the website and our occupancy rates were then rebuilt purely by word-of-mouth,” he said.
The resort has an almost family atmosphere with some guests who have been going there every year for 20 years who know the benefits of many of the units.
“This ‘community’ of guests from New Zealand and around Australia have rung their mates or spread the word at their bowling club or through family and friends about the improved amenities and the new management,” Mel said. “We are already heavily booked for June, July and August of 2011 and we are very happy about that.”
The resort has a new computer system and My Port wireless Internet access has replaced the slow modem Internet connections to rooms that often failed in the past.
Most of the marketing is done via the resort’s new website that was designed by Comworks.
It also has new brochures and business cards, the staff have new uniforms and the reception area has been modernised and repainted.
What the Simpsons enjoy about operating the resort is “the challenge of, over time, taking something and improving it substantially for the benefit of the whole team at Chateau Royale”.
Christine said they returned to management rights because they enjoyed their previous experience. “We had been waiting for this opportunity because it allows us both to be involved in work we both enjoy – together,” said Christine. “Neil and I and our daughter Mel all cover each other on a daily basis but essentially we all contribute in the management of reception, providing clean functioning facilities on a daily basis, maintaining and presenting the gardens along with organising the linen and cleaners.
“Successful upkeep and presentation of all these are essential ingredients in the day-to-day management of the owners investments and the guests just love it now they have managers with a happy disposition,” said Mel.
Neil writes a monthly newsletter to all owners that helps with communication and to establish trust. He also attends bimonthly body corporate committee meetings for which he provides a detailed resident manager’s report.
There are 44 apartments in the Chateau Royale letting pool along with 12 apartments occupied by owners and nine lock-ups.
The resort offers four-star, self catering, accommodation in the heart of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast only 20m from the beach in the Cotton Tree area of Maroochydore. The northeast facing apartments capture the winter sun all day and cool sea breezes during summer. There is a lift from the underground car park to all levels.
Each two or three-bedroom apartments has a large private balcony with views over the ocean, river and hinterland. They have a fully equipped kitchen with oven, microwave, dishwasher and fridge/freezer; a washing machine and dryer; two bathrooms (en suite and main bathroom, including bath); free Austar pay TV and video/DVD player; fans; a direct dial telephone; broadband internet access and an under cover car park. Some apartments are air-conditioned.
The self-contained multi-level beach houses opposite Maroochydore beach sleep six with a queen bed and four single beds and each has a driveway to a single lock up garage.
The resort has an outdoor barbecue area, Internet cafe and wireless Internet to all rooms, heated pool, hot spa, sauna and steam room. The Lotus Day Spa is also available. All linen and towels are provided. The resort is non-smoking.
It is within an easy walk to boutique shops, cafés, restaurants and the Sunshine Coast’s largest shopping centre, Sunshine Plaza as well as the Cotton Tree Sunday Markets.
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