The Emerald Noosa
Johnwoods Holdings P/L is a family orientated management partnership that comprises David and Peta Woods and Kim and Susie Cox. With two properties currently under their belt – The Emerald and The Hastings – and a long list of prior properties as well, the group – trading as Accom Property Management – is a strong family company with substantial business experience and acknowledged capabilities in resident unit management.
Johnwoods Holdings P/L was formed 16 years ago when David Woods and his sister Susie Cox created the partnership.
David said, “How the company came about was Susie and I had the opportunity to form this partnership and at the time we decided it was a good idea. And it really was because after 16 years the business still works.”
The first property the company bought was Chateau Royale Beach Resort in Maroochydore. They then purchased The Emerald, Noosa River Palms, The Hastings, Hemmingway Villas in Noosaville, The Docks on Goodwin Kangaroo Point and Noosa Hill Resort.
While they have sold on five of the properties, Johnwoods Holdings still owns the management rights to The Emerald and The Hastings that David, Peta, Kim and Susie manage with the assistance of their team.
“Our team includes managers and assistants, reservations managers, groundsmen and general maintenance staff, cleaning staff and a comprehensive network of external suppliers and service providers,” David said.
When asked what makes their company so successful David said, “It is not much different to any other business; we just understand each other’s thoughts and needs.”
David said a successful partnership also relies on the skills each member can bring to the table. “In terms of our company each one of us has had a different background that dictates our roles within the partnership. I’m the sales and marketing person, Kim is management and owners and body corporate liaison, and both girls are office and admin.”
David’s past experience was in his family business as an apprentice diesel mechanic, spare parts manager and finally as a sales manager. Peta spent nine years working for the Westpac Banking Corporation in a variety of departments specialising in customer service and legal documentation.
The first management rights the Woods took up was Noosa Hill Resort in March 1996. From that moment on, David and Peta based their hospitality careers on providing exceptional customer service.
Their commitment towards improvements in and around Noosa Hill Resort resulted in an increase in occupancy and perhaps more importantly, owners realising an increase in the overall value of their investment. David and Peta also completed a major upgrading of the property including re-painting, new landscaping, new entry design, refurbished pool, gymnasium, sauna and tennis court which totalled more than $150,000.
In December 1999, David and Peta purchased their second management rights – The Emerald Noosa. Then in May 2001, they purchased Hemingway Villas, a boutique resort situated in Noosaville.
David is past committee member of the Sunshine Coast branch of the Queensland Resident Accommodation Managers Association and has also worked as a consultant for Richards Body Corporate Management. This experience provided David with a greater knowledge of body corporate management and secretarial issues which are fundamental in the day to day operations of management and letting businesses.
For 18 years Kim was employed in law enforcement. In the last eight years of his police career Kim specialising as a supervising sergeant in the homicide squad.
Susie was employed for 20 years as a registered nurse and supervisor in a number of major public hospitals. Together Kim and Susie have strong administration skills and exceptional interpersonal and communication skills.
Under their management their first property Chateau Royale Beach Resort, a 66 unit high-rise complex in Maroochydore, saw an increase in occupancy and was averaging 80%. In 1997 they completed a $100,000 refurbishment of the resort foyer and in 1998 they continued the resort upgrade with a $30,000 refurbishment of the sauna and common areas showers including the installation of a steam room.
In early 1999 Kim and Susie totally refurbished the spa area to the value of $25,000 including provision for a health or gymnasium area and in late 1999 they completed the final stage of the resort’s refurbishment with a full upgrade of the swimming pool and surrounding area to a value in excess of $100,000.
For many years Kim was the state president of the Queensland Resident Accommodation Managers Association and president of ARAMA. He has also been a member of the Tourism Cluster for the Sunshine Coast Area Consultative Committee and it was through these positions that Kim developed the basis for short and long term planning.
Together as a company, David, Peta, Kim and Susie have developed an approach for coordinating the management of accommodation for the hospitality and tourism industry.
David said, “We have been associated with highly successful long standing businesses that worked because of the application of time tested principles and we have successfully applied those same principles to the complexes that we have managed and
currently manage.”
These principals include implementation of innovative and proactive marketing concepts, identification of tasks required to market to both the internal (on site) and external (public profile and positioning) environments, strong people relations and customer focus.
David said, “Our key strength is the ability to install integrated ‘total management and operating systems’ that work. There is nothing ad hoc or magic about our approach. We just spent the time documenting what works and what doesn’t. The good news is our approach can be duplicated.”
The Emerald – Jewel in the Crown
Eleven years ago, the Johnwoods Holdings P/L management team, David and Peta Woods and Kim and Susie Cox purchased the prominent Hastings St property, The Emerald.
David said they purchased the property because it was an opportunity to enter an exclusive market. “When the management rights for The Emerald became available we wasted no time in buying it because we saw an opportunity to grab a Hastings St property. Hastings St properties are very scarce.”
The Emerald is located at the start of Hastings St adjacent to the Police Beat car park and behind restaurant Rococo.
Featuring a staggering 45, one-, -two and three-bedroom apartments over looking the property’s Balinese themed gardens, The Emerald offers four-star accommodation combined with five-star service and style.
Each apartment meets international standards and is fully self contained featuring air-conditioning, cable television, DVD player, microwave, hotplates, oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, laundry facilities, wireless Internet and generously large balconies.
The Emerald enjoys high occupancy rates all year round and David attributes this to the size of the units and the resort’s locality. “What makes The Emerald so popular is not only its position but the size of our apartments; they are very spacious for Hastings St.”
With the Sunshine Coast’s weather predominately sunny all year round, The Emerald’s leisure facilities have been designed to make the most of Noosa’s glorious weather. The central pool and spa are in a prime position for soaking up the sun while the rest of the property is surrounded by lush tropical gardens.
And guests from all across the country come to Noosa Heads and enjoy The Emerald’s facilities. “Predominately the guests we get coming to The Emerald are from the Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane domestic markets.”
The Emerald also features a sauna, barbecue facilities and free secure parking.
During the 11 years Johnwoods Holdings have had the property they have embarked on some massive renovation projects from water proofing to repainting, retiling and redecorating.
David said, “We’ve undergone some pretty major renovations in the time that we have been here. We’ve upgraded the front entrance, redone all the signage, repainted the building and even undergone water proofing rectification which included ripping up all the tiles on the balconies and roof tops and replacing them.”
And that’s not the end of it. Mr Woods said they are considering repainting the building again.
“We’re looking to repaint again in 12 months in a new colour scheme,” David said.
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