By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 13.06.2011 (The Sydney Morning Herald): Reinventing the service culture to encourage staff to bond with guests helped a Hunter Valley lodge join the ranks of the world’s most prestigious group of hotels and restaurants, Relais & Chateaux.

Tower Lodge, in New South Wales, became part of the association in November 2009, and last year gained further kudos when it was crowned the Best Global Luxury Lodge at the 2010 World Luxury Hotel Awards.

Simple strategies such as playing different music and rearranging the furniture have paid off too.

“It was about providing a soul to Tower Lodge, something the Relais & Chateaux reviewer had told us we lacked when we failed the test the first time,” says chief executive officer Matt Cowley, who has transformed the property since taking over three-and-a-half years ago.

The five-star boutique is part of the Tower Estate Company, which also comprise the Roberts and Nine restaurants, and the Tower Estate winery.

“Unlike other hotels who tell you what they offer, we ask the guests what they want, and strive to accommodate their wishes to make them feel at home,” adds Cowley, who is also a founding shareholder.

He says some guests return to the lodge four to five times a year – not a bad effort considering room start at $720 a night – while others come for anniversaries, birthdays and other special occasions.

Tower Lodge has also started to attract more elite international visitors since joining Relais & Chateaux, which is relatively new to Australia, but growing with acclaimed properties such as Jonah’s hotel at Whale Beach in NSW, Chateau Yering in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, Tetsuya’s restaurant in Sydney and the Jacques Reymond restaurant in Melbourne among its members.

“Weddings are a growing part of our business as they bring an aura of fun and cheer, besides being easier to manage,” says Cowley, who began chasing weddings when corporate conference clients disappeared during the global financial crisis.

Today, the Tower Lodge has become one of New South Wales’ most sought after wedding venues. It has 12 unique rooms and Cowley plans to add another 12 suites with private gardens and pool – and double the capacity of the winery.

But being located in an idyllic rural setting has meant getting skilled staff difficult. So when Andreas Breitfuss, a third generation hotelier, took over as general manager about two years ago, he began an intensive staff training program.

“Instead of a ‘from behind the desk’ approach, guests are accompanied around the property and shown, for example, where to get a massage or find a book in the library,” says Breitfuss.

He picked up some of his business traits from his father, Franz Breitfuss, who was one of the first hoteliers to set up an Austrian-style pension, Chalet Sonnenhof, at Perisher in 1971. His great-grandmother owned four hotels in Sydney during the 1930s and ’40s.

“Both mum and dad, who currently own the Perisher Manor Hotel, have been a big influence,” says Breitfuss, who has worked in various capacities at boutique hotels in Europe and at Rydges Hotels and Resorts in Australia.

As a host or maître de maison, Breitfuss looks after every intricate detail and talks to each of his guests daily.

“We build a rapport whereby the guests provide a candid feedback and that is helping the lodge achieve new standards in hospitality,” says Breitfuss, who has also been a champion skier.

He represented Australia for four years in the freestyle ski team, but a knee injury robbed him of his Olympic goal in freestyle skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics in France.

Early in life, Breitfuss learnt that in business and sport, dedication and discipline are vital attributes for success.

Determined to scale Mount Everest next April, he says, “Mountaineering is an extension of my skiing while running a hotel is in my blood. Both challenge me mentally and physically”.

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