Emporium Offers a New Way of Working in Australia

A network of new workplaces called “Emporium” can now to be found in towns and cities across the country of Australia with the main purpose of supporting members in finding, contracting, and executing work assignments that vary in size from one-person tasks to major responsibilities outsourced by large corporations. The members of Emporium are part of multinational project teams.

Emporium offers serviced office accommodations that include light industrial space and areas for meetings and other social contact associated with the workplace. Members use Emporium serviced offices to meet as teams, utilize temporary work spaces, staff administrating, and consultancy that includes retired workers. The key to the success of the Emporium serviced office concept has been experienced people that possess valuable knowledge as well as contacts, becoming involved and acting as mentors.

Initially, large employers backed the Emporium serviced office idea financially, out of concern to reduce costs by outsourcing work. The leading members of Emporium demonstrated a thorough understanding of how to manage a subcontracting relationship as well as an attitude of getting the tasks done which employers of businesses required. As a result, Emporium is now seen as a strong business partner.

Gradually the surrounding towns have begun to see the Emporium serviced office concept due to the fact that the project attracts money to pay people by allowing people to work without having to travel. It formed a new skill base and developed new business relationships which led people to relocate to the area. The communication between towns and companies is beginning to become strategic.

The technological infrastructure of the Emporium serviced office concept has been developed in a new way to provide quick and reliable access to information and support that is required by a wide range of people in different professions. As a result, Emporium is rapidly emerging as a new institution of work in Australian society. Reduction in commuting time as well as working self-sufficiently has become the accepted norm. Additionally, by having access to experts, coaches, and consultants, as well as mentors, work productivity has significantly increased.

The Emporium new serviced office concept nurtures the belief that work environment impacts the discovery of the worker’s potential and the belief that people do their best work when they are fully committed to the task they are working to accomplish. This represents a very different state of mind from just carrying out work responsibilities workers are trained to do and in a mundane fashion.

Ascott Opens Serviced Apartments in Melbourne Business District

The Ascott Group recently announced the official opening of Somerset Gordon Heights serviced apartments located in the Central Business District of Melbourne. The new property offers 43 serviced apartment units that range from studio, one and two-bedroom units, to two bedroom penthouses.

Somerset Gordon Heights is located is located within walking distance to restaurants, cafes, boutique shops, cultural attractions such as the Bourke Street Mall, Princess Theatre, Her Majesty’s Theatre, State Houses of Parliament, Melbourne Museum, Melbourne Fine Art Gallery, as well as the Parliament train station.

Somerset Gordon Heights serviced apartments offer residents convenience, space, and the comfort of home with personalized service. Each unit includes full furnishings, fully-equipped kitchen, ensuite bathroom, broadband Internet access, and a home entertainment system. The serviced apartment property also offers a wide array of services that include daily housekeeping, self-service laundry, dry cleaning, 24-hour security, daily buffet breakfast, babysitting, grocery shopping, meal delivery, as well as airport transfer.

Serviced apartment residents at Somerset Gordon Heights enjoy full access to the recreational facilities at Somerset Gordon Place which include a fully-equipped gymnasium, an outdoor heated swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and sauna.

Ascott currently has six serviced apartment residences in operation in Australia for business and leisure travelers and their families. In addition to Somerset Gordon Heights, Ascott has a new Citadines serviced apartment property due to open in Melbourne in 2010, and other properties such as Somerset Gordon Place and Somerset on Elizabeth in Melbourne. Travelers can also choose from two serviced apartment residences in Hobart and Sydney. Somerset on the Pier and Somerset on Salamanca in Hobart and Somerset Darling Harbour in Sydney.

All of Ascott’s serviced apartment properties are in prime locations and offer various recreational facilities and business support services.

The Ascott Group is the world's largest international serviced apartment residence owner-operator with about 15,000 operating serviced apartment residence units in key cities of Asia Pacific, Europe and the Gulf region, as well as over 6,000 units which are under development, making a total of close to 21,000 units.

The Group operates three brands: Ascott, Somerset and Citadines. Its portfolio spans 55 cities in 23 countries, 13 of which are new cities in Ascott's portfolio where its serviced apartment residences are being developed.

Westin Expands Serviced Apartments to Queensland

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide has announced an agreement with Metacap Empire Square Property, Ltd. to open a new Westin Hotel and Serviced Apartments in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. The Westin Brisbane Empire Square Hotel and Serviced Apartment residences will open its doors in 2012.

The Westin Brisbane Square will offer 306 rooms and will share a 66 story tower with The Residences serviced apartments which will be the first internationally branded residential development in Australia. The opening of the hotel and serviced apartments in 2012 marks the return of the Westin brand to Brisbane.

The Westin Brisbane Empire Square will be located within close proximity to Central Station, the Convention and Exhibition Center, and Brisbane casino. The hotel and serviced apartment residences will make up a portion of a mixed-use development that includes commercial serviced office space and 8000 square feet of meeting space. The serviced apartment residences will also have easy access to popular attractions that include the Botanic Gardens, King George Square and Queen Street Mall which is the entertainment hub of Brisbane.

The Residences at The Westin Brisbane Empire Square will include 98 luxury serviced apartments and six penthouses. Residents will be able to enjoy access to hotel services and facilities as well as a spectacular view of the South Bank, the city and the ocean. Additional facilities will include a fitness facility, indoor pool, and access to the hotel’s three restaurants and bars.

Westin is currently present in Auckland and Fiji and will open a hotel in Queenstown by the close of 2009. The Queensland project will join the Westin brand in Sydney and Melbourne and is one of the first developments in Australia that combines serviced offices, hotel, and serviced apartments.

Fraser’s Hospitality Opens Two More Serviced Apartment Properties in Sydney and Perth

Frasers Hospitality has announced that it will add two more serviced apartment properties to its portfolio in Australia. Fraser Place will be located in Sydney and Fraser Suites located in the Western Australia capital of Perth. Both of the projects are Greenfield projects and are owned by Frasers Property, the Australian property investment arm of Frasers Centerpoint Ltd, of which Frasers Hospitality is a wholly owned subsidiary.

Fraser Place Sydney will have serviced apartment units ranging from studios, one, and two-bedrooms and duplex penthouses. Each serviced apartment unit comes with a fully-equipped kitchen, washer and dryer, customized living spaces, broadband Internet access, workstations, and state-of-the-art flat screen TV and home entertainment systems.

The serviced apartments are part of a mixed-use development known as Lumiere at Regent Place which also contains a 56-storey residential tower and a shopping mall. It is conveniently located in the historic Town Hall precinct and offers panoramic views of Darling Harbour which is a popular waterfront dining and entertainment quarter in Sydney. The second Sydney property is a 5.8 hectare plot just a 5-minute walk from the Central Railway Station. The development will have 235,000 square meters of floor space which will include approximately 60 percent for residential serviced apartments and 40 percent commercial and retail space.

The project in Perth which is called Queens Riverside will be constructed in two stages and will feature 288 luxury serviced apartments as well as Fraser Suites Perth. The project will also include a food street retail and commercial office space.

Frasers Hospitality has received very positive reception for their serviced apartment properties in Australia. As a result of the steady economic growth in the last decade, the company plans to expand rapidly with additional serviced apartment properties throughout Australia.

Frasers Hospitality produces three brands of serviced apartment properties: Fraser Suites, Fraser Place, and Fraser Residence that all contain the primary mission of providing the ultimate accommodations in executive housing residences.

Serviced Apartment Suites Awarded for Five Star Luxury

Sydney’s Fraser Suites recently received two big awards at the 2008 Hotel Motel and Accommodation Association Industry Awards for excellence. The luxury serviced apartment residence was recognized as the premier “Apartment 5-Star Luxury” and the “New Accommodation Development” for the year.

In addition to a luxurious standard of accommodation, the awards by the Hotel Motel and Accommodation Association Industry, recognize outstanding quality and attention to detail as well as services provided to discerning guests. Concept, design, and construction are also factors taken into consideration for the awards.

The luxury serviced apartment all-suite hotel is the first to open in Sydney’s Central Business District since the Olympics. The 42 level tower opened last year in Sydney and has become an inspiring city landmark. Designed by Foster and Partners, the property boasts Italian vein-cut travertine floors, silver leafed ceiling, suede paneling, and champagne metallic lined walls.

The property contains 201 luxurious studio, one and two bedroom suites and two spectacular duplex penthouse serviced apartments. A 200 square meter gymnasium is included with state of the art cardiovascular and resistance machines and a 20 meter heated pool overlooking the Regent Place shopping precinct

Fraser Suites Sydney luxury serviced apartment tower is conveniently located near the entertainment hub of George Street and the Pitt Street Mall which is center to the best of Sydney’s shopping. It is also within immediate reach of major corporate headquarters and twenty minutes from the Kingsford Smith Airport. Major attractions such as the Maritime Museum and Sydney Aquarium are situated nearby and the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre are within easy walking convenience.

Sydney Fraser Suites has received continuous support from both the leisure and corporate markets since its launch last year due to consumer preference for serviced apartments. The 42 level tower is an all suites hotel that combines the benefits and functionality of an apartment with high quality hotel services.

Fraser’s mission is to become the premier global leader in the extended stay, serviced apartment market through their commitment to continuous innovation in answering the unique needs of every client.

New Serviced Office Provider in Adelaide Supports Small Businesses

Business Technology Partners, a small business services provider established by Microsoft specialists, will open the doors to its new serviced office facility in Adelaide on July 14. The new services start-up will focus on providing server and workstation support for small businesses.

Business Technology Partners will provide clients with serviced office workstation solutions that will mainly focus on organizations with three to twenty–five computers. Primarily serviced office driven and a partnering business as well, the primary focus is to eventually provide systems for up to 400 users but the majority will be below 25 users.

Business Technology Partners was established by Michael Jenkin, Microsoft small business server Most Valued Professional, and Sam Webster, a Microsoft small business specialist.


According to Jenkins and Webster, the customers are not really being serviced the way they want to be serviced and everywhere they have worked it has not quite felt right. The establishment of Business Technology Partners is a result of small businesses that have a national and international focus and are trying to start up in Adelaide. There are not enough people to service them so Business Technology Partners plans to assist with serviced office workstations with business support services.

The company also plans to provide support services to non-profits by providing them with cost effective Microsoft software and other cheap software through Cisco which will get the cost under the budget of small businesses to discover where the problems exist.

Business Technology Partners plans to expand the organization next year by adding a second Adelaide serviced office facility and also expanding into a Melbourne presence.

Prior to establishing Business Technology Partners serviced office workstation solutions, Jenkin worked for various retail, corporate and education firms. He was most recently the IT manager and team leader at Copyworld and runs his own community Web site which focuses on secondhand PCs into preschools and primary schools. Webster previous worked for NAB and Copyworld as a senior engineer

Quest Serviced Apartments to open in Ipswich

A brand new $11 million dollar serviced apartment complex will soon open its doors in Ipswich by July 28, 2008. The complex is being established by Quest who is Australia’s largest operator of serviced apartments. The Quest serviced apartment facility will be located next to the Ipswich City Center near the Showgrounds and Ellenborough Rail Station.

Quest Ipswich serviced apartments will have 64 apartments that will include a variety of studio and one to three bedroom units. Apartment amenities will include Internet access, LCD flat screen televisions, DVD player, stereos, reverse-cycle air conditioning, separate living and dining areas, a fully equipped kitchen, and laundry facilities. Guests will also have access to a heated pool, barbecue area, breakfast options, valet dry cleaning, pantry shopping, on-site parking and baby sitting services.

The new serviced apartment complex in Ipswich will also provide a conferencing facility that is capable of catering up to 60 delegates.

Quest chairman Paul Constantinou said the location of Quest in Ipswich was consistent with the group's philosophy of creating Quest properties where business demand dictated. The focus is on delivering value as well as a consistent product to the business sector. New serviced apartment locations are selected only on the basis of existing or strongly emerging corporate demand. The property locations are chosen for their close proximity to business centers, restaurants, nightlife and shopping. Feedback from regular corporate clients also dictates locations where Quest serviced apartments are needed.

According to Paul Constantinou, Quest feels that it is important that guests are close to where they need to be to conduct their business and near a location where they can also have lifestyle options.

Quest is steadily opening new serviced apartment locations in Australia and New Zealand. The Ispswich complex is part of Quest’s northern expansion to provide accommodations for the corporate sector.