21
ANNUAL REPORT 2011/2012
Operations Review
was mainly because fewer rooms were sold
to the leisure and business travel market that
accounted for the revpar decrease of 3.2%.
Occupancy rate fell by 3.6% to 77.2%.
Gaming revenue fell by some 14%, in line with
the general trend throughout South Australia
due to deterrents implemented by the State
Government to reduce problem gambling.
On a positive note, F&B revenue rose by
2.1% with the popularity of the Promenade
Restaurant and Horizons Lounge. An
A$150,000-refurbishment of Horizons will
be undertaken that includes new seating,
carpets and staging.
Stamford Grand Adelaide won the top
position in the 2011 Australian Hotels
Association (SA) Award for Best Marketed
Hotel – Accommodation Division. This award
recognises the use of various forms of
marketing (website, social media, in-house
and public relations activities) to promote
the business. Judges comprise a panel of
industry peers appointed by the AHA (SA).
In the current fnancial year, we are focused
on improving room revenue by putting
greater efforts on the more proftable
corporate market. A dynamic Director
of Sales & Marketing, putting in place a
dedicated team, is single-mindedly pushing
for higher sales of rooms. This would, in turn,
provide more opportunities for improved F&B
performance.
Stamford Plaza Adelaide
saw a 4% fall in
GOP due to a fall in room revenue of 5.1%
over the previous fnancial year and expenses
had also increased. Occupancy rate fell by
3.4% to 74.6%. We lost a major client and
high speed Internet cabling work meant that
at least one foor of the hotel was unavailable
for six months. Revpar for the hotel dropped
by 5.35% mainly due to the lower occupancy
coupled with lower average room rate.
To enhance the hotel’s appeal, we are about
to embark on a major refurbishment of our
rooms at the total cost of some A$6.0 million.
We have already renovated the pool area and
totally refurbished the Presidential Suite. All
the rooms and public areas have high speed
Internet access.
We anticipate a better fnancial year ending
2013 with a stronger corporate segment
contributing signifcantly higher room nights
over the previous year.
Stamford Plaza Auckland’s
GOP rose by
57% over the previous FY. This increase
was due to a rise in revenue that saw a 14%
climb. Fortuitously, the Rugby World Cup
enabled the hotel to command a signifcant
rate premium in September and October,
substantially contributing to revenue. The
hotel’s revpar increased by 19.5% due to the
higher room rates attained during these two
months.