Daydream Island Resort and Living Reef announced the appointment of a new general manager for its famous resort island last week.
Industry expert Brenden van Blerk has taken the helm as general manager of the island, bringing a wealth of expertise from a storied 25-year long career.
Born in San Francisco, Brenden started in hospitality with a job at McDonalds when he was 14 and has now both operated hotels and led global hospitality brands across the United States and Australia.
He lived in The States until he was about nine months old and then moved to Australia with his mum who is both American and Portuguese and his dad who is South African and Dutch.
A mixture of cultures and nationalities, Mr van Blerk says he considers himself mainly Australian having lived here most of his life.
He currently splits his time between working on Daydream Island Resort and Living Reef as the new GM and heading back down to Sydney to visit his wife and two kids, as well as catching up with the Daydream Island head office.
With two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Brenden has held key leadership roles in many organisations including some of the world best known hotel and resort brands.
This will be the first island he’s managed, but with his work on cruise ships, he’s not daunted by the difference, saying that they’re a bit like “moving islands.”
In his new role he will oversee the resort's operations as well as developing a distinct identity, which for him is the most exciting part of this new adventure.
“The core focus for us and the things I look forward to is, being a hospitality fanatic, it’s about genuine hospitality for me,” he said.
“It’s a craft and an artform to get hospitality right, the smallest nuances to the biggest parts.”
“All the way from eye contact to the complex curations of absorbing the experience, so for me, being able to weave a complex emotive hospitality experience is what we’re looking to craft - that’s our North star.”
Brenden said that Daydream Island has just scratched the surface of its potential and he is excited to help the island realise its true potential as a first-class tourist offering.
Brenden van Blerk is the new General Manager at Daydream Island Resort and Living Reef