Kangaroo Point Holiday Apartments
Location, cleanliness and affordability are the keys to maintaining a flourishing accommodation business and Kangaroo Point Holiday Apartments combines these factors with great success.
Kangaroo Point Holiday Apartments is ideally positioned near the Gabba cricket ground, Southbank Parklands, Kangaroo Point Cliffs and the Mater and PA hospitals. They are only 2km from Brisbane city centre and there is public transport right outside the door, with the ferry terminal within walking distance.
Owner Chris Zenonos says the location has helped the apartments retain high occupancy rates despite the impact of the global financial crisis. Occupancy is currently at an enviable 85%, compared with 90-92% a couple of years ago. “The location of our apartments also means we often have bookings 18 months ahead for sporting events,” Chris says.
“Kangaroo Point Holiday Apartments is the nearest accommodation to the Gabba – it’s just 50m away – so they are always in demand.”
It’s essential not to just rely on location though and,, after 15 years in the accommodation industry, Chris knows the importance of providing clean and affordable accommodation.
“Affordable rates and cleanliness of rooms, combined with position are the formula for success,” he says. “We always make sure rooms are spotless, in fact we double-check each apartment after it has been cleaned to maintain our high standards. We also employ a maintenance contractor full-time to ensure the apartments remain well presented and well maintained.”
From the Barmy Army followers of English cricket to inter-state AFL fans, most guests who come for sporting events at the Gabba find out about Kangaroo Point Holiday Apartments online. It makes sense that Chris mainly concentrates the current marketing of Kangaroo Point Holiday Apartments on Internet-based promotions, with Auscolour supplying brochures and printed advertisements.
Kangaroo Point Holiday Apartments is family-owned and Chris oversees the business while his sister, Lisa Michael, runs the front office. Lisa worked in the family business when it first started up and then had a break while she raised her own family. She has been back at Kangaroo Point for the past two years. The manager is Karen Lorimer who has been working with Chris and Lisa since 2006.
Chris bought the building in 1988 and there were originally 17 apartments on the site. In 1998 he then purchased a block of land next door and built a further 11 apartments. Chris bought the land behind the existing apartments in 2000 and developed a further 21 deluxe apartments on the site.
All apartments are fully-self contained and there are 28 four-star and 21 four-star deluxe holiday apartments. The deluxe apartments are all two-bedroom and have luxurious, quality furnishings, a laundry with washing machines and dryers, and dishwashers are supplied in the fully-equipped kitchens. The large balconies have outdoor dining settings. Expresso Services is the supplier of guest amenities for all the apartments.
Security features for the deluxe apartments include security cameras and intercom systems.
Millennium Locks does all the repairs, maintenance and servicing on locks and doors.
The standard four-star apartments were revamped about one year ago and were redecorated and refurbished. There are 13 one bedroom four-star apartments and there is one four-bedroom unit. “The four-bedroom apartment is very popular,” Chris says. “It sleeps up to nine people, so it attracts sporting groups and large families.”
“Because our accommodation is fully self-contained it tends to stand out from the majority of accommodation in Brisbane, which largely has smaller, hotel-style rooms.” Very generous weekly rates are available for all apartments on stays longer than four weeks.
Kangaroo Point Holiday Apartments has three apartments equipped for disabled guests; two are deluxe two-bedroom apartments and the other is a one-bedroom, four-star apartment. All apartments have Foxtel, Internet connections, air-conditioning and heating. The complex has two swimming pools and the formal-style solar-heated swimming pool has a water feature and adjoins the deluxe apartments. The pools are maintained by The Pool Smith company.
The apartments are fully-owned so there is no body corporate committee and all units are in the letting pool. “This makes it easy to make decisions about refurbishments and other important management issues,” Chris says.
A new venture
Chris previously worked in the hospitality industry and buying property was his gateway into the accommodation industry. He is continuing the expansion of the Kangaroo Point site and in 2002 he purchased land on the corner of Vulture St and Main St, with a view to developing a new accommodation/business venture. “The land is next to Kangaroo Point Holiday Apartments,” Chris explains. “The process took a long time and I spent the time period from 2002 to 2007 trying to get approval for a 10-storey development.”
“Once that approval came through I then requested that the development be changed to a 20-storey complex. The new approval came through in November 2009 and I now have permission to develop a 20-level building with 224 hotel rooms and a 5000m² commercial and retail complex on the ground floor.”
Chris plans to give the go-ahead for construction on the new property over the next 12 months. Lisa will be involved with the interior design and décor, while Chris will oversee the development and management of the new building. The architects for the project are Mode Design, based locally in Woolloongabba. After many years of preparation the time to turn plans and paper into reality has arrived, and the new development is sure to attract the same success as Kangaroo Point Holiday Apartments.
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