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.