Mantra on the Park Melbourne Unveils Newest Apartments in Town

Popular Melbourne CBD apartment hotel, Mantra on the Park has unveiled a $4million upgrade to offer business and leisure travellers the newest apartment product in town.

All 144 fully self-contained One and Two bedroom Apartments have completed a full $4 million refurbishment which includes stylish and bold new furniture from local and European manufacturers, 37" LCD TVs, iPod docking stations, new kitchens and appliances, new carpet and paint in all corridors and public areas.

In total, there was 3,000 metres of carpet laid, 786 designer lamps built, 120 litres of paint and 2506 pieces of furniture installed to complete the new look.

"It's a whole new era for Mantra on the Park," says General Manager, Michael McKinnon.

"The hotel has always had loyal customers both from interstate and regional Victoria and it is great to be offering them - and new guests - a fantastic new product that reflects the high standards of the Mantra brand."

Mantra on the Park's two split level 3 bedroom penthouses have also been completely upgraded with stunning individual pieces and unique furnishings ensuring they satisfy the needs of discerning travellers. All apartments are spacious with full kitchen and laundry facilities and separate lounge and dining areas with large balconies and views overlooking the Carlton Gardens or city skyline.

The extra space and convenience provided by Mantra on the Park's apartment style rooms comes at no extra cost to that of a traditional hotel room with 1 bedroom apartments starting from $159 per night and 2 bedroom apartments from $259 per night. Now the first choice of accommodation in Melbourne, visit www.mantraonthepark.com.au or phone 13 15 17 for bookings.

The central CBD location at the top end of Exhibition Street is popular with corporate travellers with business services including 24 hour reception, in room internet access, secure undercover parking, express check in, daily housekeeping, onsite Terrace Restaurant Bar & Grill, laundry service and dry cleaning and room service breakfast and dinner.

The location is also ideal for leisure guests and families with Melbourne Museum - currently showing the Tutankhamen Exhibition - within walking distance and easy access to the Lygon Street restaurant precinct, the Royal Exhibition Building and Her Majesty's Theatre. An indoor pool is also located in the hotel for year round access.

The free City Circle tram stops directly outside the hotel, stopping at all of Melbourne's best tourist attractions. Melbourne Central, China Town and Federation Square are just minutes away and for the sports enthusiasts the MCG, Rod Laver Arena, AAMI Park, and Etihad Stadium are just a short taxi ride.

Mantra on the Park is one of seven Mantra hotels and apartments in Melbourne which include Mantra 100 Exhibition Street (which recently completed a $1million upgrade), Mantra On Russell, Mantra Southbank and Mantra on Little Bourke all in the CBD; Mantra on Jolimont which is the closest hotel to the MCG and Melbourne Park sporting and entertainment precinct; and Mantra Tullamarine Hotel.

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No damage to Peppers, Mantra or BreakFree in Cyclone Yasi

MANTRA GROUP PROPERTIES IN TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND

None of the Peppers, Mantra and BreakFree properties in Tropical North Queensland were damaged after Tropical Cyclone Yasi crossed the coast last night.

Mantra Group operates 12 properties in Cairns, Port Douglas and Palm Cove.    All of the Cairns and Port Douglas properties are currently open for business.  Two properties in Palm Cove are likely to open tomorrow once extensive vegetation has been cleared from public areas and swimming pools.

Peppers Blue on Blue Resort on Magnetic Island near Townsville is expected to re-open by the weekend.  Peppers Coral Coast Resort in the Whitsundays is likely to re-open this afternoon as electricity has now been restored to Airlie Beach.

All other Peppers, Mantra and BreakFree properties in Queensland were unaffected by the cyclone and are operating as usual.

Electricity, telephones and internet access has been restored to all properties in the region. 

All guests with bookings affected by the cyclone have already been personally contacted. Mantra Group has relaxed its cancellation policy in the lead-up to the cyclone by offering guests at affected properties three options including changing their holiday dates, changing their holiday destination or receiving a refund on their booking.  Cancellation policies are expected to return to normal over the next couple of days once the clean-up around the properties is finalised.

Mantra Group Director of Operations Mark Hodge praised the efforts of his team throughout the cyclone process.

"Our team followed tried and tested procedures to ensure the safety of guests, team members and physical properties.  The speed in which they cleaned up the aftermath is extremely commendable."

www.mantragroup.com.au

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MANTRA GROUP WARNS CONSUMERS AS ANOTHER ONLINE OPERATOR GOES BUST

One of Australia's leading accommodation providers Mantra Group has warned consumers they risked losing their hard-earned money and holiday experiences by booking accommodation online through unlicensed operators.
 
Today liquidators were appointed to another online company, Accommodation 1, operated by Flatworld Trading Pty Ltd, who sold holiday accommodation on the Gold Coast.  Holidaymakers with holidays booked from May 19onwards have been left high and dry.  The company accepted bookings through a website called www.ourholiday.com.au.

This follows the voluntary liquidation of another operator Tailly Pty Ltd being placed in voluntary liquidation two months ago, leaving more than 260 consumers out of pocket to the tune of approximately $300,000.

Mantra Group which operates as an official onsite accommodation manager and letting agent in many of the buildings where Flatworld sold rooms is extending a lifeline to guests who have been left in the lurch by offering a discount of up to 25% on their best available room rate at either the building they booked with Accommodation 1 or at others in their Gold Coast portfolio.

Mantra Group General Manager of Distribution Luke Jamieson says this is an unfortunate reminder to consumers to make sure they are booking through legitimate and official channels.

"Consumers using faceless website operators have no way of knowing the financial circumstances or capabilities of the company and are putting their hard-earned money and holiday experiences at risk by using them," he said.

"If you have any concerns over the legitimacy of the booking, you should contact the property directly to confirm details," Mr Jamieson.


About Mantra Group

Mantra Group is a leading Australian-based manager and marketer of hotels and resorts in Australia and New Zealand. The Group owns and operates three well-known and trusted brands – Peppers, Mantra and BreakFree.

With 15,000 rooms under management, Mantra Group is the second largest accommodation operator within Australia. The Group is positioned to offer accommodation ranging from self-contained apartments to luxurious resorts and retreats. The Group's properties are located in across major tourism destinations in Victoria, Tasmania, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, regional New South Wales, all Australian capital cities and throughout New Zealand.

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MANTRA GROUP WARNS CONSUMERS AGAINST BOOKING HOLIDAYS THROUGH UNLICENSED OPERATORS

One of Australia’s leading accommodation providers Mantra Group has warned consumers they risked losing their hard-earned money and holiday experiences by booking accommodation online through unlicensed operators.

Mantra Group operates as an onsite accommodation manager and letting agent. The Group manages a portfolio of more than 130 properties and also has a number of registered trademarks protecting its brands including Peppers, Mantra and BreakFree.

Mantra Group General Manager of Distribution Luke Jamieson urged consumers to only book holidays through licensed operators such as real estate or travel agencies as the Group had received numerous complaints from holidaymakers who thought that they had booked Mantra accommodation, only to discover on arrival that the resort held no booking for them.

“Guests who have booked through unlicensed operators have reported receiving their keys to privately-owned apartments in the resort car parks or gardens,” he said.

“Unlicensed companies have gone to extraordinary lengths such as using multiple websites under the Mantra building name and logo in an effort to deceive consumers.”

Mr Jamieson said consumers who had booked accommodation through unlicensed operators, thinking they were dealing direct with Mantra properties, were often disappointed because they ended up with a substandard holiday experience.

“Consumers don’t get to check in with reception or receive any resort services provided by reception and often encounter inferior furnishings and lower levels of cleanliness. If something goes wrong, such as lost keys or a broken television, reception is unable to help them as they normally would, meaning guests are left out in the cold with no one to help them,” he said.

Mantra took legal action against a number of unlicensed operators earlier this year leading to a historic Federal Court judgment in March when an operator of offsite websites was found to have infringed Mantra’s trademarks. Mantra instituted proceedings against Stephen Andrew Grant and Tailly Pty Ltd (Tailly) alleging they had set up misleading websites and Google advertisements to source bookings for their own accommodation businesses using Mantra’s trademarks to confuse consumers into thinking they were booking with Mantra.

Justice Reeves of the Federal Court of Australia ordered the respondents to transfer registration of a number of domain names to Mantra. A court injunction stopped Tailly and Mr Grant from using Mantra trademarks and they were ordered to pay Mantra any profits made from bookings sourced via the infringing websites.

Tailly has since been placed into voluntary liquidation, leaving more than 260 consumers out of pocket to the tune of approximately $300,000 due to lost booking deposits, highlighting the danger of using unlicensed operators.

“Consumers using faceless website operators have no way of knowing the financial circumstances or capabilities of the company and are putting their hard-earned money and holiday experiences at risk by using them,” he said.

Mantra is continuing with its battle to protect consumers and its intellectual property by launching further legal action against other operators on the Gold Coast and in Far North Queensland. Some of these operators have already transferred their offending websites to Mantra.

“If you have any concerns over the legitimacy of the booking, you should contact the property directly to confirm details,” Mr Jamieson.

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