QHA_Sep-2020_Online

ACCOMMODATION UPDATE with Judy Hill
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
QHA REVIEW | 56
“You need to be a QHA Accommodation Division
member”, it’s an expression that has been said time
and time again and no truer words have been spoken
given our current circumstance.
COVID-19 has hit everyone hard in ways none of us
would have ever imagined. Self-isolation, quarantine
and social distancing have changed our routines, our
outlook on the future and the very meaning of life.
Local, state and federal governments continue to
deliver financial assistance programs to help ease the
business and personal burdens many are experiencing
in these unprecedented times.
Face to face meetings haven’t been possible for a
number of months, however we recently gathered a
small group of Brisbane accommodation members to
review the current state-of-play for the industry and to
hear some positive news from Charlie Cush, the CEO
of the Brisbane Festival.
This was the first time since February our quarterly
forum could be staged. It was held in an appropriatelydistanced
structure in the QHA Boardroom. It provided
a welcome opportunity for many directors of sales
and marketing (DOSMs) to meet in person and share
thoughts on the way forward.
Each of the attending accommodation members
provided an update on their properties with many
reporting positive weekend ‘staycation’ figures. One
operator happily advised they have a small corporate
conference of approximately 30 participants about to
arrive to their hotel, the first in several months.
The Accommodation Division believes it is important
to facilitate such opportunities for members to gather
together in a face-to-face forum, all the while adhering
to COVID Safe practices, for the purposes of sharing
“war stories” and reporting on future bookings. It
also presents the chance to discuss the future for the
tourism and accommodation industry. After all, we may
have to adapt or even completely change the way we
accommodate guests moving into the future.