Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa opened in Australia in 2009. With an investment of over AU$130 million, and located on 4,000 acres with only 40 keys, it has achieved amazing recognition as much for its environmental initiatives and construction as for its unique style of hospitality.
Joost Heymeijer has been the General Manager of the property throughout the resort's impressive journey and I was able to gain an insight into what makes this resort so special and what brought him to this exciting opportunity.
What attracted you to the Wolgan Valley project in the first place?
For more than a decade I had enjoyed a wonderful career with Hilton, working in many locations around the world including Europe, the US, the Middle East and finally Australia. A number of years after leaving Hilton, I had reached a point where I was working in a job because I had to, and not because I wanted to. I had experienced both highs and lows on this journey, and I vowed to my wife that I would not work in a job again where my heart was not in it.
It was at this point that I saw the advertisement for a Project Manager/General Manager for Wolgan and it seemed to have my name written all over it. It was offering all the different challenges that I was looking for, including the prospect of building something from scratch while also satisfying my own interest in the environment and sustainability.
At the same time, I seemed to tick a great many of the boxes that the position sought. And even though there were a number of boxes that I did not tick, I felt comfortable in pursuing the opportunity due to my "glass half full" attitude and my focus on what I could do rather than on what I couldn't do.
And it worked! That was nine years ago now and every day continues to delight!
What are some of the unique challenges that you had to overcome in the development phase of such a unique hospitality destination?
One of the first challenges was managing the expectations of Emirates Airline, the owning company. Because I had worked in the UAE, I recognised that in their part of the world things are achieved very quickly – everything is possible! However Australia operates in a highly regulated environment, and that meant I had to deal with three levels of government during the development and construction process. When you consider at the State government level alone, that meant dealing with around 30 different departments, the red tape was enormous and it slowed things down considerably.
The location itself also posed a number of challenges as you can imagine, being situated a 3 hour drive from the centre of Sydney and with all deliveries having to arrive after negotiating the road down the escarpment and then along kilometres of dirt road just to arrive at the entrance to the property. Due to an Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa initiative this 14 km road is now sealed, but at the time it wasn't.
In addition to this, as the Project Manager, I had to quickly develop a knowledge base that would allow me to communicate with the likes of structural engineers, environmentalists, designers and architects. The local community was also watching progress very closely, to see whether what many considered to be a huge gamble would pay off. It was a pretty steep learning curve!
What can you tell us about the unique nature of Wolgan from an operational perspective?
Guests arrive at Wolgan Valley with huge expectations, partly as a result of the amount of interest we have been able to generate in our short history. We therefore need to ensure we consistently deliver the high end service required to match such a magnificent location and such extraordinary facilities. Integral to this is our ability to attract staff who will be able to deliver on our philosophy of service: "treat our guests like they are your parents' best friends".
And attracting the staff is just the first step – all hotels, especially those that enjoy isolated locations like ours, face the challenge of keeping staff motivated and providing them with opportunities for growth. And because of our location, 80% of our team live on site, adding another dimension to our challenge.
We also work hard to keep our carbon neutral status, and I'm happy to say we have just completed our 5th carbon audit and have retained, and indeed improved upon, our performance level by approximately 10% year on year. In 2013 we won the Hotel Management (HM) "Best Environmental Program" award, which is the most recent in a list of honours received in this area.
What can you tell us about other recognition that Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa has achieved in its short history?
It's been really gratifying to know how many aspects of the resort have been recognised by different bodies. Right from the start we received accolades from the likes of Condé Nast Traveller, appearing in their 2010 "Hot List", and were named Australian Gourmet Traveller's "Best New Resort/Lodge" within our first year of operation.
In addition, our partners on the project have been rewarded, with Hansen Yuncken for example named "Outstanding Construction Project of the Year" in the 2010 Master Builders Association awards for its work on delivering such an outstanding hospitality product.
But for me, one of the best comes from being named Trip Advisor's "Australian Hotel of the Year" in both 2013 and 2014. The reason this ranks so highly for me is because it is decided by our guests – the people who have been on the receiving end of our hospitality. We have always said that we want our guests to leave feeling enriched in some way. How that happens depends on the guest, of course, but to know that we have been successful in achieving that is wonderful!
How has Wolgan Valley changed you?
Above all I feel so proud to have been given the opportunity to put something on the map, and to have played a role in creating a working culture that in some way is perpetuating the noble art of being an inn keeper. It really is "hospitality re-invented".
I can't thank the airline enough for the opportunity of working with such a great product, such outstanding people and all in the most beautiful and inspiring environment.
Timothy Millett's training roles have seen him deliver programs across Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa and America ensuring cultural sensitivity as well as a broad base of experience in lecturing, teaching and training.
A graduate of the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland, his hospitality career spans management and director positions in Front Office, Guest Relations, Public Relations, Food & Beverage and Training with organisations including the Regent of Melbourne, The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and Mövenpick Gastronomy. He was also a founding staff member of the internationally renowned Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School in Australia.
Tim is currently the Director of Training and Development at iperform, an organisation that specialises in Sales and Service, Leadership and Effective Personal Organisation programs.
