South Pacific Resort
South Pacific Resort and Spa engenders the myth, mood and magic of the South Pacific.
Set amongst 2.2ha of lush tropical gardens the AAA rating 4½-star property consists of bungalow style apartments with timber floors and shutters surrounded by covered verandas overlooking a host of facilities and activities which are provided onsite.
Originally designed and developed by Jim Tatton, inspired by his love of Hawaii and as rumours would have it with the hope of being his early retirement plan but with more developments on the books the retirement had to wait. Jim then sold South Pacific Resort to S8 Resorts who later sold the rights to BreakFree Mantra Group.
David Robinson from Melbourne, who has always had a passion for the complex, now privately owns the resort. Already owning units within the resort, David seized the opportunity to take on the management rights of his beloved resort.
South Pacific Resort’s has already had its fair share of hurdles but the future now looks brighter than ever for the complex.
In December last year Allan Benfield took over the role as general manager of the resort.
“I was looking for a challenge of decentralising a property, setting it up and running as a profitable stand alone venture, while tapping into the ‘once lucrative’ conference and wedding market,” said Allan.
Starting out in Cairns, in large 4½-star resorts, Allan then moved to Victoria to gain knowledge of the corporate structured hotels.
“I worked through some major hotels in Melbourne such As Stamford Plaza, Duxton on Flinders, Savoy Park Plaza and Clarion hotels, all these roles were in food and beverage until I landed a role with Accor as food and beverage manager, here I was accepted as hotel management trainee. I then moved into Peppers Resorts as an executive assistant of a large 4½-star resort in Torquay, I then traveled to Beautiful Magnetic Island as general manager within Peppers Mantra Group. But due to family commitments, had to move to Cairns for three months before relocating to Noosa to take on the revamp of South Pacific,” he said.
Taking on the general manager’s role at South Pacific Resort hasn’t been smooth sailing explains Allan but it certainly has provided him with invigorating challenges along the way.
“With the changeover we have had to break away from the centralised Mantra habits that were still in operation, this caused a great deal of confusion within booking channels and the way accounts were handled. We had to re-confirm all the contracted rates as they continued on with some rates requiring the owners to pay management for the use of their rooms. All staff had to be retrained as the knowledge was minimal and we had to rebrand and market the property as a standalone resort,” he said.
“There were a lot of late nights and correspondence to owners as a result… the owners were very fragile from the past management. We knew we needed to build confidence with our owners and that it wasn’t going to happen overnight. The rates were incorrect and booking details lost with pending payments exceeding $70,000 so have had to dissect all bookings line-by-line and go through six months of paperwork to recover the correct agent liable. We are now 90% complete and have recovered most of this money… we’re not totally there yet but getting closer and in the process, re-gaining the owners’ trust,” says Allan.
“Staff training was also crucial, as staff had to be retrained completely.”
But the changes haven’t stopped with just ‘behind the scenes’ work. The gardens have been brought back to life and the restaurant and bar had to be totally renewed.
“We have just refurbished our entire restaurant and bar complete with the arrival of our brand new Schumann grand piano ready for some afternoon melodies. All of the pool’s furniture has also been completely replaced, and the conference room totally re-done,” said Allan.
With changes inside and out, South Pacific Resort is far from falling behind in the competitive Noosa market.
“We really are one of the few 4½-star resorts in the area with onsite catering and a fantastic wedding and events venue, still at an affordable cost,” Allan added.
South Pacific Resort’s accommodation features spacious, bungalow-style apartments in soft, natural timbers with high-pitched roofs and sprawling verandas. Fully self-contained and with all the creature comforts of home, the open plan apartments include all the modern facilities you would expect. Most apartments also have the luxury of a spa bath and separate en suite.
Each unique bungalow style complex is named after one of the many South Pacific Islands; all located around one of our four lagoon swimming pools. The resort meanders through lush tropical grounds which are also home to a multitude of birds and other wildlife.
Families and couples can relax in any one of the resort’s four lagoon style pools (two heated), three spas or sauna, have a hit on the tennis court, or for a complete resort experience, get pampered at the on-site Resort Health Spa and can then relax with a cocktail or two around the bar. Not to mention breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Hula Moon Restaurant.
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