Luxury Lodges of Australia will celebrate its 15th anniversary next week having formed in January 2010 and launched on 27 May 2010. This week in Sydney, some of the founding partners marked the occasion with a special event for media, including LATTE, hosted at Bangarra Dance Theatre on the waterfront at Dawes Point.
Penny Rafferty, Executive Chair GAICD, Luxury Lodges of Australia was joined byJames Baillie of Baillie Lodges and Founding Chairman of the member-owned association, alongside Phillipa Harrison, now Managing Director of Tourism Australia but then a Founding Member in her prior role with Hamilton Island.
The association was formed to raise global awareness of Australia’s new breed of experiential luxury travel.
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Rafferty, who has guided the association since its formation, was formerly the general manager at The Louise in South Australia’s Barossa Valley, a property then owned by American businessman, Jim Carreker. Initially starting out with 15 members*, the collective has evolved, and has been used as a model by Tourism Australia to launch into the Experiences space.
Luxury Lodge of Australia comprises 20 members – Arkaba (SA), Bamurru Plains (NT), Bullo River Station (NT), Capella Lodge (NSW), El Questro Homestead (WA), Lake House & Dairy Flat Lodge (VIC), Lizard Island & The House (QLD), Longitude 131º (NT), Mt Mulligan Lodge (QLD), On Board (TAS), Pretty Beach House (NSW), quaila (QLD), Saffire Freycinet (TAS), Sal Salis (WA), Silky Oaks Lodge (QLD), Southern Ocean Lodge (SA), Spicers Peak Lodge (QLD), The Louise (VIC), True North and True North II (NT), and the most recent additions – Orpheus Island Lodge and Pelorus Private Island, both on Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef.
“Many people don’t realise how much of a collaboration Luxury Lodges of Australia is,” Rafferty said at this week’s event.”Ultimately, what we’ve been focused on is not just about selling and not just about building brand awareness, but about building trust.” Rafferty emphasised the collective’s relevance to the future, noting:
“At a time when the world feels a little crazy, uncertain, rising anxiety, economic constriction, fear, lots of competition globally, and a lot of positive impact requirement and desire with travellers growing across the world for that, we have this incredible opportunity for Australia to be an antidote to everything that people are running away from, and also, people are running to.”
“That sense of connection with nature and how that relates to a sense of activity to global appreciation of local luxury competency.”
“The halo effect – 20 lodges, 350 experiences, 4,000 Australian business that come together to create that really rich tapestry of travel.”
James Baillie, Founding Chairman of Luxury Lodges of Australia, reiterated Rafferty’s comments, saying the group began as a “collective” all centred on one common goal.
“It was 20 years ago this year that Hayley and I got approvals for Southern Ocean Lodge, and that for us was an incredible milestone.”
“When we first started no one even really knew what lodges were. It wasn’t even really a space.”
