The inimitable Oscar On Main
The inimitable philanthropist, Harry Oscar Triguboff is one of Australia’s most successful property developers and the founder and managing director of Meriton. Also known as High-Rise Harry he became especially enamored with a particular Meriton Main Beach property – loving it so much that he named the building after himself – Oscar On Main!
Standing tall and magnificent in the heart of metropolitan Main Beach, Oscar is a hidden gem at the top end of the Gold Coast. Oscar is perfectly located, surrounded by fantastic patrolled beaches and picturesque parkland. It is adjacent to the magnificent Tedder Avenue, a tree lined boulevard of exclusive boutiques, beauty salons, al fresco cafés and fancy restaurants and close to Marina Mirage, Southport Yacht Club and Sea World.
The 93 super spacious apartments at Oscar are designed over 31 storeys. The one, two and three bedroom, fully self-contained apartments were built as quality residences and very cleverly designed to maximise comfort and to take advantage of the extensive ocean views and huge balconies.
When Angela and David Krenek were on the look out for their new home and business after making the decision to change the course of their lives and become resort managers, they looked at over 100 buildings online and visited over 40. Angela explained that their goal was to find, “something we could be proud of.” She said, “I believe you do a better job selling your complex when you love it yourself and are proud of it.” And then they found Oscar, on which she commented, “We fell in love with this little corner of the world.”
With such a wonderful location, a beautifully designed building, pristine facilities and gorgeous gardens, who could blame them for falling head over heels with Oscar? David Krenek was a Kiwi living in Auckland when he tragically lost his first wife after a long battle with breast cancer when his daughter Shannon was only 4. Angela was living in Brisbane after relocating from Adelaide when she was first introduced to David by matchmaker Glenda, a mutual friend. It was a happy and fateful moment that brought this family together. Angela had a long held dream not only of becoming a mum but also of being swept off her feet by a tall man. To cut a long story short, all her wishes came true! She moved to Auckland to start a new life with 198cm David and 5-year-old cutie, Shannon. Now they are happily married and raising 15-year-old Shannon.
Prior to becoming resort managers they had both spent years climbing the corporate ladder, experiencing intense and demanding careers.
Working long hours, they re-evaluated and realised that they did not want to miss out on any more time with their growing daughter, so they started to look at franchises and other business opportunities. With the aim to create “an opportunity to do something we loved, together, and have more time for our daughter,” Angela said. Then they stumbled upon the management rights industry and looked at opportunities in New Zealand and Queensland. They chose to focus on the Gold Coast, because as Angela said, “It was the ideal place for us.” Having all the advantages of a smaller, relaxed beach town as well as those of a big city, made a real difference to the couple, who were finally able to enjoy the sunshine. “Now we get to see Shannon when she gets home from school and have afternoon tea together before she starts her homework and I go back to work… In the next room.”
Having no direct experience in hospitality did not mean that Angela and David were totally out of their depth. In fact this industry takes full advantage of the experience that they do have; they had renovated several properties previously, been a landlord before, and had even served on body corporate committees. This industry has also indulged their passions: including their love of travel, Angela’s love of re-arranging furniture and her flair for interior design, as well as David’s love of power tools! Angela said, “We love real estate and holidays so management rights was a way for us to indulge both passions.”
With his extensive background in sales management, David has mentored and coached sales teams; he is an experienced and successful team builder with a love of technology and a handle on marketing. Angela’s background mostly involves working in accounts and as a member of the senior leadership team; she has a recognised history ensuring that businesses are well managed and financially controlled and is also well known for her strong interpersonal, communication and motivational skills. So both parties had transferable assets.
Angela and David’s collaborative philosophy has insured that everyone works together so that the best solutions are easily and harmoniously found. They stress the importance of working with great people and building great relationships. This philosophy served them well in securing a brilliant team member. Sonya and Angela worked together in New Zealand and when an opportunity came up to join the Oscars team, Sonya and her husband, Jason, moved over to the Gold Coast. Sonya is the friendly face at reception, helping the guests and residents enjoy life at Oscars. Another great relationship is the one they have built with their body corporate committee; working together to restore the sparkle of the gardens and facilities. They have also been lucky enough to receive help from the wonderful manager, Amanda de Fina from Body Corporate Strata Management who has proven herself as a fount of legislation and process knowledge.
The process of purchasing a management rights business is a complicated one, especially your first one. Every opportunity you look at, helps you to fine tune your requirements as you have many factors to consider.
You need to go through the process with an open mind and great advisors. We were very lucky as we had the fantastic support of Trent Pevy [from Pevy Lawyers] to pore over the fine print in the legal agreements, Mark Ryall [MRM Finance] to negotiate with the banks and David Rotheram [MR Sales] to show us through the complexes. Choosing the right complex is an essential first step to a successful career in management rights.
At Oscars, alongside their new team, Angela and David have excelled.
They have been described as a delight, a breath of fresh air, friendly and professional. This couple could not be happier with the choices that they have made. Angela noted, “We love our new home, business, industry, guests and the sunshine. Every day is a delight.” Meeting so many lovely people from around the world has been invigorating to this couple; their enthusiasm and enjoyment shines through and guests appreciate the extra steps they take to make sure they are well looked after.
Guests have noticed! With so many gushing online reviews to take pride in, TripAdvisor reviews glow online. Dogsandy, for instance, wrote, “Oscar you are beautiful – the first thing that stunned me was the beautiful gardens – fit for a princess. Then the building itself, the architecture, the finish, the people – all A+++.” Peninaus also said, “My husband and I have recently returned from celebrating my birthday with a weekend stay at Oscar on Main. We had a truly wonderful time and I could not fault our stay in any way. Oscar on Main is a great place to stay. The staff is incredibly friendly, welcoming and helpful.” Angela and David have worked hard to get Oscar looking more beautiful and even more organised.
They set out to bring Oscar back up to its former standard of excellence. On this count, they have most definitely succeeded – this is their proudest achievement. Even more incredible when you know that Oscar is this couple’s first building; their first exposure to tourism.
They’ve had so much to learn and absorb.
According to Angela, “We have spent the last six months getting the facilities spruced up to a standard of excellence.” But it was all worth it to get the terrific feedback they’ve received: “We get lots of compliments about the cleanliness and ‘sparkle’ of the place.”
Oscar certainly attracts holidaymakers that are discerning and interesting and as such they expect a certain level of service and amenities.
Angela and David are very proud that they meet those high standards and so they should be! Oscar is back to its former glory and Angela and David are an inspiration to apartment managers nationwide!
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