As part of the booking process we carefully scrutinise guests, the numbers intended to stay, and age of children, and reason for the stay. For longer bookings we require names of referees. For security we either require a refundable security deposit or credit card details to cover any breakages, damages or additional cleaning required on departure. Acceptance of Terms and Conditions is confirmed when the booking deposit is paid and for longer term stays an ingoing condition report is signed at the beginning of the stay. Regular property inspections are undertaken and ongoing housekeeping services enable monitoring of the property.
Keeping your property in its best condition is our guarantee to you.
Our guests are normally business people on work contracts or professionals with their families on holidays. For security reasons we always retain a copy of the guest credit card details. Our housekeeping service ensures we monitor the property on a regular basis and any minor issues are attended to immediately. Our non-smoking policy also guarantees peace of mind. Keeping your property and contents in the best condition is one of our most important tasks and is our guarantee to you.
Our guests not only include holiday makers, but members of the entertainment sector, the sporting world, corporate and relocation accommodation, incorporating interstate and overseas guests. Families relocating from interstate and overseas are highly dependent on furnished properties for their initial accommodation. Local guests often seek alternative temporary accommodation while buying or renovating a property.
Our type of accommodation is becoming increasingly popular across the world offering an alternative to hotel accommodation and serviced apartment living. Space, comfort, facilities and cost are the most common reasons guests choose to stay with us.
We are appealing for many reasons:
Our properties are always advertised even when occupied while our marketing strategy ensures constant promotion, strong market presence and brand awareness. As we increase our prominence as an accommodation supplier, our brand is becoming recognised as a symbol of consistantly high quality. We continually explore developing opportunities, seeking to grow our brand and expand into promising distribution channels.
We constantly promote our accommodation and every day brings us a new contact, a new enquiry and a new opportunity. Our properties are all high quality and provide a first class accommodation experience. We provide a complete lifestyle opportunity rather than just accommodation – that is our real point of difference
There is an initial establishment fee related to online marketing and any other costs are related to your requirements and options as suggested by us. Each property is assessed on an individual basis. A management fee is charged per stay. This fee varies depending on whether the stay is short, medium or long term. Housekeeping and any maintenance and supplies costs are deducted at the end of month and paid on your behalf.
Your involvement is as much or as little as you would like it to be. Our aim is to establish a long term relationship with you.
After meeting you and appraising your property we will provide you with an estimate of what we think is achievable for a nightly, weekly, monthly or longer term rate. We assess the rate based on the property, the location, and seasonal variations.
You can discuss your desired annual return with us, your preferred length of rental period, your desired guests and we will work with you – for you!
You will be provided with a monthly financial statement and all forward bookings are detailed on the statement. You can also login to our website using your own password from anywhere in the world to view bookings. Funds will be distributed into your nominated bank account in the first week of the month. You will receive a consolidated report for end of financial year in July of each year.
Please note: Some of these services are a direct cost to the owner and are not included as part of the management fee.
As the owner you are responsible for all electricity and gas charges, council and sewerage rates, emergency services levy, maintenance and repairs, preventative maintenance and maintaining lawns and gardens. With the increasing costs of electricity for longer lengths of stays we include an electricity charge in the tariff or a user-pays option.
This list is expanded in the Management Agreement
This list is expanded in the Management Agreement
Enquiries for accommodation come through a variety of ways, mainly via email and phone. Guests can make a booking directly through the Australian Luxury Stays website. A 50% deposit is required within 24 hours to secure the booking and you will receive confirmation of the booking via email. Final payment is required 21 days prior to arrival. We have a cancellation policy in place.
Credit card details are required at time of booking as a form of security and may be used to cover incidental items such as (but not limited to) any breakages, damage or losses incurred during a stay and cleaning charges in excess of the normal level of cleaning.
For longer lengths of stays a security deposit ranging from 2 to 4 weeks based on the weekly rate will be required.
All properties are marketed online, in the first instance on our interactive booking website: www.australianluxurystays.com.au, as well as on www.realestate.com.au, and other sites such as Stayz, HomeAway, AirBNB, Aura, Trip Advisor, Flip Key and Wotif. We can arrange printing of brochures and flyers to promote your property; newsletter marketing and the use of social media are ongoing.
Good photos are arguably the most critical marketing tool. We recommend high quality photos that accurately reflect the quality and décor of the property, mirroring what is written in living colour. Professional photographs are considered essential criteria for advertising your property and need to be updated after refurbishments of any kind. We require at least 20 - 24 photos for marketing. Guests need to be able to see what they are actually paying for, or there may be complaints of false advertising.
We follow up each booking with a customer satisfaction survey and utilise that feedback to maintain and improve the quality of the services we provide. Testimonials are welcomed and are included as a marketing tool on our website.
We will give you advice on presentation if required. Numerous factors need to be considered including location, age of the property, type (e.g. apartment, cottage, villa, townhouse), whether it suits children, is pet friendly and so on.
Yes, we have a furniture and contents list which we can provide which can be used as a guide and we have a professional team who are ready to assist with furnishing and design.
Housekeeping and linen services are normally at the owners cost, however on some occasions the guest will pay for additional housekeeping services or a departure clean.
There are two options, one is linen hire and the other is the owner purchases commercial linen from a wholesale company. We will advise you on both options and suggest the most appropriate solution for you.
You will be provided a generic supplies list as a start-up pack. Added to this will be additional requirements specific to your property, for example, light globes, batteries, fridge filters, etc.
Fast reliable internet with Wi Fi becoming the required minimum standard for any accommodation. It is as simple as that and not negotiable and makes the difference between guest satisfaction and guest annoyance. There is no need for a dedicated phone line as most people have mobile phones these days.
Any instruction manuals, warranties for whitegoods, will need to be kept in the property as a reference for housekeeping staff, service contractors and guests. It is a good idea to make a copy and kept in a safe place away from the property.
The number of keys, garage remotes, entrance fobs etc. required will be discussed with you at the time when you decide to join our management portfolio.
It is the owners’ decision to allow pets in their properties. Restrictions are well documented in customised House Rules. There are also strict guidelines for properties in which pets are allowed. Pet owners will be required to be financially responsible for any damage incurred.
Properties that permit pets tend to have more bookings than those that do not allow pets. We have had properties in the portfolio that have allowed dogs, cats, birds, and even horses!
We manage all repairs and maintenance for your property. The Accommodation Manager will be advised of any repairs required by housekeeping staff or from guests. An assessment is made and appropriate trades personnel are contacted or we will call your preferred trades-people on your behalf. Under normal circumstances and if the repair is not considered urgent we will contact you with a quote and seek your approval to have the work done.
We recommend a preventative maintenance program for each property, for example annual servicing of air conditioners, smoke alarms and pest control.
There are a variety of services that we can offer guests, at a cost to them from housekeeping, hire of cots and high chairs, and a range of concierge type services.
It is our policy to meet and greet guests on arrival on most occasions. Sometimes alternative arrangements are made to collect keys and there is always communication by phone prior to and during the stay. We provide phone contact 7 days per week.
We have professional housekeeping staff that are trained in ‘hotel style’ cleaning services. They clean following departure of guests, provide additional cleans for guests normally on a user-pay basis, and do pre-arrival preparation if a property has been left vacant for a while. We also arrange window cleaning, upholstery and floor cleaning and care maintenance.
We prefer that a hard-wired alarm be fitted to all properties; due to the high chance of a guest tampering with a removable battery powered alarm (9-Volt Battery powered alarms).
In the case where a hard-wired smoke alarm cannot be fitted, then it is recommended that a 10 Year Lithium Battery Operated alarm be installed. This type of alarm is easily fitted like a 9-Volt type alarm, but the 10 Year Lithium alarm has a battery sealed inside that cannot be removed.
Legislation states that properties built after January 1995 be fitted with a hard-wired smoke alarm.
Properties sold on or after February 1998 can have a hard-wired smoke alarm or 10 Year Lithium alarm installed. Properties sold before this can have a 9-Volt smoke alarm installed.
Our preference is that hard-wired alarms be installed in all properties managed by Australian Luxury Stays.
We can arrange for a hard-wired smoke alarm to be installed in your property if required.
The NT Government have legislated that working smoke alarms are to fitted in all NT residences as of 1 November 2011.
If you are a home owner and already have a working ionization smoke alarm installed, you do not have to change to a photoelectric smoke alarm until one of the following occurs:
All homes currently with ionization smoke alarms are required to replace them with photoelectric smoke alarms when their existing alarm ceases to work.
The alarms must be tested at regular intervals within 12 months. The alarm can be tested by pressing the button or other device on the alarm (it will briefly make a high pitched noise), or in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Further detailed instructions can be found in Northern Territory of Australia, Fire and Emergency Regulations as of 1st November 2011.
Please note: Australian Luxury Stays schedules annual smoke alarm testing for all properties.
You need to advise your insurance company that your property is being occupied for holiday/short term accommodation and that you require specific insurance (insurance that covers contents, default of income and damage). Not all insurance companies provide this type of insurance, however we can provide you with the names of some companies to contact.
You and your family and friends can use the property on an intermittent basis. This option works if you own a holiday home and is also great for investors who live interstate or overseas and use their property for recreation or for business. It is also an option for owners travelling overseas for a period of time and would like to make some income while they are away.
We give you owner’s access to the booking system on our website and you are able to block out the dates yourself, however we do suggest you contact us prior to this as we may have a booking pending and awaiting a deposit.
Prior to accessing your property, at any time for any reason, you must contact the Accommodation and Hospitality Manager to seek approval. There may be guests in residence or some other reason, unbeknown to you, why access may not be appropriate.
You may sell your property at any time, cover the cost of cancellations or cost incurred by moving guests to other accommodation or encourage the new owner to accept the confirmed future guest bookings. We can also sell your property on your behalf – this is part of the service we provide.
You may terminate your Management Agreement with Australian Luxury Stays upon 60 days written notice and all future bookings committed to guests prior to the notice of termination shall be honoured.
A guest is a person who has paid a tariff to stay in a property for a short time, for example, several nights to a few weeks or a month. A tenant pays rent per week to occupy a property long term, for example 6 to 12 months, has entered into a tenancy agreement and has paid a bond.
We have a list of property owners who agree to be contacted by phone to share their experiences with you and answer any questions you may have.
Australian Luxury Stays is a member of the Holiday Rental Industry Association and is bound by the Holiday and Short Term Code of Conduct including House Rules which are displayed in each property. A benefit of joining Australian Luxury Stays as an owner you automatically become an Associate Member of the Holiday Rental Industry Association.
Yes! Tina Villis is a licensed real estate agent. Under Allrealty Pty Ltd, she manages a number of long-term properties. The beauty of our business model is that we can be flexible.
We are always accepting new properties that meet our criteria and fill a need in their location for both for short to long term accommodation. We look forward to adding your property to the Australian Luxury Stays portfolio. Please Contact Us today.
We will advise a few easy steps to get you started and we’re looking forward to hearing from you.