QHA_April_Digital
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FEATURE<br />
Despite providing services for their guests mental<br />
and physical health, Malcolm said The Reef House is<br />
not trying to be a health retreat, but rather a paradise<br />
for houseguests where people can walk away feeling<br />
a whole lot better than when they arrived.<br />
“I’m really proud about the awards, especially<br />
because we’ve got a 50-year-old building and<br />
David and I spent lots of money trying to refurbish<br />
it. But really, what all of the recognition is about<br />
is our people, culture, service and how we make<br />
customers feel.<br />
“To provide unique, complimentary services you<br />
certainly need a little bit of financial and emotional<br />
courage, because it’s no small amount of money.<br />
Every time we innovate forward, we’re putting the<br />
cart before the horse, which can be scary because<br />
we’re incurring all of the cost before we even know<br />
if it’s going to resonate with the market. You’ve just<br />
got to have a little courage,” he said<br />
Nestled in a seaside pedestrian village and adjacent<br />
to the Great Barrier Reef, the hotel certainly has its<br />
location going for it. To further connect its guests<br />
to the culture and environment of Palm Cove, The<br />
Reef House hires guest speakers including a local<br />
Aboriginal Storyteller who tells the Dreamtime stories<br />
of their tribe as well as an accredited reef instructor<br />
to update guests on the happenings of the reef.<br />
Along with their experiences at The Reef House,<br />
Malcolm said he has also found it just as important<br />
to manifest a brand experience before customers<br />
arrive and after they leave.<br />
“One of the gifts we provide when customers check<br />
out is a recipe book with some of the food that<br />
they’ve eaten and some of the cocktails that they<br />
would have made in the cocktail classes. That way, if<br />
they want to have another crack at home, they can.<br />
“In <strong>April</strong> we are launching our walk-in wine room,<br />
and also releasing a book that some sleep scientists<br />
and I have been working on for the past ten months<br />
called Sleep Easy. It’s about 58 pages of scientific<br />
study on how to get the most restful sleep, because<br />
we’ve built our brand around rest and rejuvenation.
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