Franchised accommodation network Quest Serviced Apartments opened its doors to its latest venture on August 29 with Russell Spurrell teaming up with wife Elise to run the new apartments in Mackay.
After spending five years as Quest’s national sales and marketing manager, he took the leap into franchising and opened his own property in the rapidly expanding town.
“Seeing the success of other franchisees made me realise that this is what I wanted to do, and Mackay is the perfect place to do it,” he said. “Mackay is a growing regional city. It’s expanding by 30 per cent per annum, with a number of projects going ahead in town. We believe that the new Quest will offer much needed accommodation to local industry as well as the leisure and travel markets.
“We’ve got a brand new property, it’s in the heart of the CBD, and the product is unique to the area. No-one else has what we have. We think that Mackay will be impressed,” he said.
The business is generating about 15 local jobs and injecting an estimated $6 million a year into the local economy.
Quest chairman, Paul Constantinou, said that during construction, the project generated 300 jobs and brought an estimated $22 million to the region, supporting local suppliers and providers in the process. “We understand just how important it is to contribute to the community, both in economic terms and providing the level of accommodation required to meet the growing needs of industry in the area,” Constantinou said.
Quest Mackay is a modern property, featuring 97 studio, one and two-bedroom serviced apartments spread over four levels, with an anticipated 4.5 Star AAA Tourism rating. The property includes on-site undercover car parking, outdoor pool and conference facilities that can cater for up to 65 people. There are fully equipped kitchen and laundry facilities, plus in-room broadband internet access and Austar connection, as well as the provision of an onsite restaurant.
“Quest will have everything the business traveller needs. It will suit people staying for shorter periods and will feel like a home-away-from-home for those who want to stay longer,” Constantinou added.