Company Director Overview

Nicholas and Amy Parkinson-Bates Directors 

Both Nicholas and Amy have been together in the hospitality industry for 15 years. Having first met at Hotel Management School in New South Wales, see attached letter from the college.

         

Private Mail Bag 1

Leura NSW 2780

Admission Office Ph: +61 2 9437 0300

www.hotelschool.com.au

Provider No.:  00911E

ACN No.: 004004317

 MARRIED COUPLE MANAGE TASMANIA’S FIRST LUXURY BOUTIQUE HOTEL AND FIRST LUXURY COUNTRY LODGE

“We always knew the Hospitality industry was going to be our future,” say Nicholas Parkinson-Bates and Amy Hennessy who met as students at Blue Mountains Hotel School, one of Australia’s leading private hotel schools, and both graduated in 1997.

Nicholas and Amy married in 2005 and were joint general managers of the Islington Hotel in Hobart (www.islingtonhotel.com), an 1847 Regency mansion fully renovated by two Sydney developers into Tasmania’s first luxury boutique hotel, filled with a priceless collection of art and antiques. The property’s staff includes a butler previously employed at Buckingham Palace.

In 2006 the hotel was nominated by Gourmet Traveller as the only Australian hotel on its 20 ‘Best of the Best’ list and picked by Conde Nast for its Hot List 2006. In July 2007 the property won Gourmet Traveller’s “Best Boutique Hotel in Australia” award. Conde Nast praised the two GMs:“But a hotel is nothing without a decent manager. I suspect the Islington’s true worth lies in the couple who run it, Nicholas and Amy Parkinson-Bates.”

With the success of the Islington Hotel, Nicholas and Amy are now project managing The Priory, a luxury hotel and country fishing and hunting lodge located at Bothwell in the Central Highlands of Tasmania, and due to open in May 2008. Built in 1847 by Edward Lord, The Priory is currently undergoing a multimillion dollar refurbishment; staff will include a personal chef and houseman and a personal angler. The Priory will also have a close relationship with the region’s long-established Nant Whiskey Distillery.

Nicholas is the Director of Parkinson-Bates Properties Pty. Limited, a hotel management services company offering project, start up and hotel management services to the luxury end of the market in both Tasmania and the Asia Pacific region.

Nicholas and Amy were the special guest speakers at the Blue Mountains Hotel School’s graduation ceremony at Peppers Fairmont Resort in Leura on 6 December 2007 and gave an amusing and insightful speech about their interesting careers overseas and in Australia. 

Nicholas: Born in HK, Nicholas had a classic ex-pat upbringing with moves every few years to places like Malaysia, Japan, Dubai, India and London. From Geelong Grammar in Victoria, he enrolled at BMHS and did his placements at Gleneagles, Scotland and the Oberoi, India.

On graduation from BMHS, Nicholas was a management trainee and then Assistant Manager with Amanresorts’ Amankila Resort in Bali, Amanjiwo in Java, Amansara in Cambodia, Aman i kus, Rajasthan, taking the same role at Hazlitt’s, a boutique hotel in London, and then night manager at the Perisher Hotel in the Snowy Mountains.

 Following a corporate management traineeship with Grand Hyatt, Melbourne Nicholas headed off to work for the Amanresorts Group overseas. Starting in Singapore, he moved from Assistant GM in Central Java to GM/Project Manager opening a tiger camp in India and later a new resort in a royal residence in Cambodia. Back in Australia, Nicholas was Operations Manager/Guest Services for the new Golden Door Elysia, a $40M 74-villa health retreat in the Hunter Valley. Nicholas for a year headed to China to run another new environmental hotel called URBN. it is China first carbon neutral hotel and won many awards under management.

Amy: Born in Sydney and educated at Wenona School, North Sydney, Amy did her placements at BMHS in the Menzies Hotel, Sydney and the Grand Hyatt, Melbourne. On graduation, Amy worked for the Millenium Group in London and then in Front Office for the opening of the Park Hyatt, Melbourne. In 2000, she became a financial advisor for State Trustees, Melbourne, went into property management with First National, Sydney and later Guest Services Manager with Ivanhoe Wines in the Hunter Valley. Her past  title was General Manager of award winning The Islington Hotel, Tasmania to which she played a crucial role in the set up and pre opening and now all facets of this successfully run hotel. Recently she has been a mum and looking after Isabella our daughter of 11 months old.

Accredited Award under management:

Conde Nast Best New Hotel 2007 – Islington Hotel Tasmania

Travel and Leisure 2007 Best Boutique in Australia – Islington Hotel Tasmania

Conde Nast top hotel sof the world 2004 – Amanjiwo

Best Hotel Shanghai – Urbn Hotel 2009
Best Business Hotel Shanghai - CNN Urbn Hotel 2009
Best Design Hotel Shanghai - German Design awards 2009