Canberra’s hotel landscape is perhaps peculiar in one aspect. Primarily, at its top end, the sector is not dominated by international or national brands. Not to take anything away from quality players like Hyatt and QT, but there is a strong showing from homegrown hospitality operators who are doing great things–think Realm Precinct, Capital Hotel Group, and of course, East Hotel. Moreover, the owners are often intimately connected to the community that they have grown up in.
One such operator is East Hotel owner Danny Bisa–born and bred Canberran–who knows the importance of sharing a good Italian meal with old mates; and it was during one such instance down the South Coast earlier this year–which may or may not have involved a bottle of red–that Danny was convinced by good mate Peter Munday (from Lennock Volkswagen) to collaborate with the Canberra Hospital Foundation.
While East Hotel is one of Canberra’s most popular guest accommodations, it occasionally has vacancies and quieter periods, so East Hotel has generously offered those vacant rooms to the Canberra Hospital Foundation for friends and family of out-of-town patients in need of emergency accommodation. Accommodation costs are often an added source of anxiety for visiting families, particularly when treatments are lengthy; and on many occasions, accommodation is either hard to find at short notice or simply out of reach financially.
Deputy Chief Minister, Simon Corbell, announced the collaboration between East Hotel and the Canberra Hospital Foundation today, saying “I can’t imagine a better place for out-patients and their families to stay”. Mr Corbell congratulated East Hotel for choosing to give back to the broader community, particularly to those from outer regions.
When asked what impact on hotel operations this scheme would possibly have, Mr Bisa replied “We haven’t really thought about that, we just think it’s a great way to support our community.”
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