April 2018 NSW Masonic Club 5 April 2018 NSWMC Magazine 5 GENERAL MANAGER’S REPORT A warm welcome from the NSW Masonic Club and to the first of two souvenir editions of the Club Magazine in 2018. This year, the Club proudly celebrates its 125th anniversary, having been established in the Royal Hotel in Paddington officially on 15th September 1893. I invite you to read our historical feature on page 6 providing a small insight into this historic date. Our front cover is also dedicated to the birthplace of the NSW Masonic Club. Sydney Metro One of the downsides to a growing and prosperous City of the world is the constant building activity that evolves around us. This fact was brought very close to home from August 2017 to February this year with the complete demolition of the whole block of buildings on the corners of Park, Pitt and Castlereagh streets. This was a very disturbing time but our team faced this challenge and kept Members and Guests as comfortable as possible. We sincerely thank you all for your patience and understanding. The demolition site now enters its next phase with the construction of an acoustic shed and underground works to build the Metro Station. We continue to hold discussions on the potential design of the proposed 47 story building and will keep you informed through our regular Club Chat newsletters. As I write this the patching and painting of our Southern wall is well underway. Master Plan The Master Plan is edging closer to reality each week. This is possibly the biggest re-design project in the building’s 90 years since opening. We are not just refurbishing areas but redesigning infrastructure that will create the ‘bones’ for the long term. It has been an incredibly intricate process from the initial appointment of an Interior Designer and Architect through to addressing the essential building services. We now have construction drawings for four mock up room types (all different layouts), several consultants appointed to assist with the project and we are now preparing documentation for Council. Capital Improvements and Maintenance I am reminded of the analogy of the “duck gliding along the water but the feet are peddling like crazy underneath”. This is the case with our Capital projects, the largest being the recently completed laundry at a cost of over $236,000. New equipment, flooring, electrical and ventilation were installed. We are now working on Stage 2 of the kitchen works with new stainless steel hood, fire suppression system, lighting and ceiling works, an upgrade to the lifts, new CCTV cameras throughout the building, and a poker machine upgrade to name a few projects. Sustainability Our future sustainability commenced when I was first appointed in late 2015 by fixing the hotel’s occupancy. Hotel revenue is our top producing revenue stream which funds all Club improvements and operations. The Castlereagh Boutique Hotel is now running at 82.5% occupancy year to date, in a very buoyant Sydney CBD market. Our room rates are very reasonable against competitor hotels, and guests love our location. Wait until we improve the room’s functionality and styling ! Late last year we proudly rolled out a new Members loyalty program on top of your 15% discount off accommodation and 10% discount on food and beverage. This benefits program is working very well with Members accumulating points each time they spend on food and beverage in the Club. We will have an additional major Member benefit to share very soon. Our new menus are proving very popular with Members and Guests. I thank my hardworking team for all their dedication and hard work. Our major focus this year is on continual improvement in all areas of the Club. My sincere thanks also goes to the Board for their amazing support, hard work and commitment. Confidence in the Board was expressed clearly at the AGM last year when the whole Board was re- elected unopposed. Each Director is working hard to share the increasing workload at the Club on top of their normal work or life commitments. 2018 has already been a big year and as mentioned above, the “feet are peddling like crazy” to roll out our planned works. Until next time, take care, Paul Brasch General Manager NSW Masonic Club and Castlereagh Boutique Hotel The suds on a new Soap Aid initiative Castlereagh Boutique Hotel has recently teamed up with the Soap Aid organisation to participate in the recycling of used soaps to help third world countries. Soap Aid is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to saving childrens’ lives through improved hygiene standards, whilst positively impacting the environment. Soap Aid’s new ‘HOTEL TO HANDS’ Program is a sustainable and scalable model that brings positive change and helps saves lives. Our financial contribution helps Soap Aid recycle the soap we will donate each month to reach more communities and children throughout the world and also helps to grow their global reach. The soaps are hygienicly recycled to an as new condition here is Australia then sent overseas. We are thrilled to participate in this worthwhile project and join other hotels to save millions of bars of soap from going into landfill each year which enriching lives across the planet through better hygiene practices.