Voyages - Indigenous Tourism Australia

Sails in the Desert, Ayers Rock Resort

Refurbishment Works

Dear valued guests,

Warm greetings from Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia!

2011, as well as 2012 will be exciting years for our resort. We are delighted to share some refreshing news with you in regards to the planned refurbishment and renovations at Sails in the Desert Hotel which will commence on 03 October 2011 and the Ayers Rock Resort Conference Centre which will commence on 22 November 2011. The renovation will be administered in phases and you will see some of the changes in the explanation below.

As we work hard to make our 5 star Sails in the Desert hotel and Conference Centre even more inviting, we want to assure you that we will make our renovation period as easy as possible for all of our guests.

We are proud to make this announcement and look forward to sharing updates throughout the Resort’s refurbishment process.

Please find below a brief overview of the immediate scope and duration of the phases. The progress of the renovation will be updated regularly on our website.

Phase 1 – Sails in the Desert, internal redecoration and refurbishment of rooms.

Guest room refurbishment will be completed in 4 stages in blocks of rooms, allowing for “buffer blocks” to minimise guest impact.

Duration: 03 October 2011 to 15 May 2012*
Hours of work: 7am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 7am-12 noon Saturdays
Noise/pollution: Limited noise pollution expected due to scope of refurbishment, no loud noise prior to 9am
Air pollution: None expected
Sight pollution: None expected, majority of work to be completed inside room blocks and away from guest view
Flow of workers: Guided through back of house areas wherever possible, minimal impact to guests
Existing and new bookings: during this phase, minimal guest impact is expected, therefore new bookings will be accepted (subject to availability at time of booking) and existing bookings will be honoured.
New look guest rooms: All Sails in the Desert guest rooms will be installed with new furniture, curtains, linen, carpet, artwork and 42” LCD TVs. Balconies will be refreshed with new outdoor furniture. Rooms will also be upgraded with both cabled and wireless high-speed broadband access; the wireless network will also be extended to the public areas within the hotel. Whilst bathrooms will be chemically cleaned to refresh their look, it is intended that bathroom refurbishment will be scheduled at a later date.

New look Sails in the Desert guest rooms:

Duration: 22 November 2011 to 31 July 2012*
Hours of work: 7am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 7am-12 noon Saturdays
Noise/pollution: Limited noise pollution expected due to scope of refurbishment, no loud noise prior to 9am
Air pollution: None expected
Sight pollution: None expected, alternative guest thoroughfare to town square from Sails in the Desert will be provided
Flow of workers: Guided through back of house areas wherever possible, minimal impact to guests
Conference bookings: Existing conference/meeting space bookings have been advised of our renovation works. No new conference or meeting space bookings will be accepted for travel in this period
New look Conference Centre: A new 220 person (banquet style seating) ballroom will be created in front of the existing Conference Centre building, connected to it via a new Pre-Function space. The existing Conference Centre building will be remodelled internally to provide: a “Junior Ballroom” that can be sub-divided into two function rooms each of which can accommodate 80 people banquet style, a new “Finishing Kitchen/Dispense Bar” facility and new bathroom and Conference Secretariat facilities.

*Dates are subject to change.

Phase 3 - Sails in the Desert, public area renovations and refurbishment (including hotel entry foyer, Mulgara Art Gallery, Winkiku Restaurant, Kuniya Restaurant and Tali Bar).

Duration: 30 January 2012 to 5 September 2012*
Hours of work: 7am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 7am-12 noon Saturdays
Noise/pollution: Noise pollution expected due to scope of refurbishment, no loud noise prior to 9am
Air pollution: None expected
Sight pollution: Some guest impact as area under renovation will be blocked from guest view
Flow of workers: Guided through back of house areas wherever possible, minimal impact to guests
Hotel access: Alternative route provided for guests to proceed from drop-off point at arrival driveway to hotel reception
New bookings: Voyages will accept new bookings during this period at the regular published rate (subject to availability at time of booking) requesting that trade partners inform new clients of renovation works prior to their confirmation and arrival. Guests that choose to book and stay through this period do so with the understanding of the dining alternatives available to them

*Dates subject to change.

FOOD and BEVERAGE OPTIONS DURING SAILS IN THE DESERT PUBLIC AREA RENOVATIONS
30 January 2012 to 5 September 2012

I hope this gives you an idea of the refurbishment and all of us here at Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia are extremely excited about this new look and quality this project will provide us.

Thank you in advance for your kind understanding and patience whilst our refurbishment upgrade works are undertaken.

Should you require any further information, please feel free to contact the Voyages Travel Centre on:

T: 1300 134 044 (from within Australia) or +612 8296 8010
E: travel@voyages.com.au

Warm regards

Cara George
Director of Guest Experiences

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