For the second year in a row Peninsula Airlie Beach has received national recognition as Residential Manager of the Year – Short Term Accommodation runners-up at the ARAMA awards held down in Brisbane last month.
This latest accolade adds to their already weighty trophy cabinet, having taken out top gong for the same award last year followed by an Excellence In Customer Service Award at the at the Whitsunday Tourism Awards 2022.
This inspiring list of achievements is especially impressive considering Managers Paul and Fran Tuddenham have only been in the industry for two years.
Originally from Robina, on the Gold Coast, the couple worked in Banking and Management for over 20 years before starting a Mortgage Broking Business which they also operated for 20 years.
When they came to Airlie Beach on holiday, they took a tour of Peninsula and fell in love with the area and its stunning sea views.
Taking the career change in their stride, the couple took on the management rights of the complex and have never looked back.
Two years on and not only have they won several awards, but they have also substantially grown the business in that time.
“We have 42 units, 26 of which are in the rental pool,” explained Paul.
“When we came here, we had 12 apartments and have since grown to now manage 23 of them which is amazing!”
Paul says that the location itself makes his job and growing the business easy as Peninsula is perfectly positioned just a short 1.5-kilometre walk from Airlie Beach and has stunning views of the Coral Sea.
“You can see sea turtles off the balconies in the afternoon and all units have balconies that look out onto the Coral Sea or Coral Sea Marina,” he said.
“We love living here and we love our job – it sounds a bit cliché, but we just love building the business up, building relationships with tourism operators and we are getting a lot of repeat business.
“We find that people just love the more personal accommodation and business is really good.”
One significant change that Peninsula has adopted recently is that the units are no longer available to party-guests, with bucks and hen nights strictly prohibited.
This has created an environment where people are assured of a relaxing, quiet holiday escape where they can enjoy the serenity of the location without external noise.
Paul and Fran have also been nominated for the upcoming 2023 Whitsunday Tourism Awards which are due to be held at the Proserpine Entertainment Centre in October.
They are hoping to take home another accolade, but if they don’t, Paul says living in such a beautiful location is reward enough.
“We love Airlie Beach, so many people haven’t even been here yet, but they should definitely come, and we will make sure we look after them.”
Paul and Fran Tuddenham, Managers of Peninsula Airlie Beach. Photo supplied
