Business Franchise Australia

Q & A with Gazal Kamali of Quest Apartment Hotels

 

A familiar name in serviced apartments, Quest Apartment Hotels have been joined by Gazal Kamali who has opened Quest Watergardens in Victoria’s Taylors Lakes. Gazal has a lot to bring to the table including a fresh and modern approach to serviced apartments and years of experience as a previous franchise owner. 

 

When did you decide to become a Franchisee?

 

About 10 years ago, I first inquired about being a franchisee at Quest and met up with the team however it did not quite fit in with my plans, and being capital intensive, I decided to dabble in a smaller scale business. After running two small franchises for some time, I felt comfortable being a business owner and returned to enquire again and was fortunate enough to be chosen.  

 

What attracted you to Quest, why did you choose this Franchise? 

               

I’ve always liked accommodation and I really like working with people, serving people seeing their enjoyment so that’s always been a focus for me. Quest stood out to me as being progressive taking on the accommodation world with modern ideas.  Quest has always been open-minded in the way they find franchisees.

 

What was your working background? 

 

I have a Bachelor of Business majoring in Accounting from RMIT, so I have more of an accounting background.  I used to work for the public sector before opening Battery World Greensborough. I grew that business and opened a second site before applying for a Quest Franchise.  

 

What was the turning point that made you realise you wanted to change your career path?

 

I think I’ve always wanted to be my own boss, and I’ve always wanted to have my own business. I really like business ownership because you get a broad spectrum of tasks and need to be across all of it which I really appreciate. You can have a greater impact, you can influence your customers, you can influence your staff. I like making sure they have a wonderful time at work. That’s really important. So, I’ve always been attracted to business ownership. 

 

What sort of training and support have Quest provided to you?

 

Before you become a franchisee, you have to go through foundations training to make sure you’re fully equipped in knowing how to run the franchise and a hotel. Quest takes the time to ask about your goals and really try to ensure you are a right fit. They are very transparent with everything involved and provide a thorough outline of what will be undertaken. It is essentially a turn-key business so head office was there providing assistance, putting things in place, linens on the beds that kind of thing.  We also get post-opening support where a few members from head office are on-site helping the staff work with our guests.

 

There is a lot beyond that of course, it follows a regular franchise model where you have a dedicated Franchise Relationship Manager and Quest provide support in terms of revenue, marketing, and operations. 

 

How much previous hotel experience did you and your staff have prior to opening?

 

Many of my team members had previous experience in accommodation, however I’ve always been more of an advocate of hiring according to your personality and your attitude, rather than experience. This meant we were all learning together as a team and it created a great bond between us. Every hotel does things differently and the inevitable silos happen, like reception versus housekeeping. However, regardless of their department, our team members were in it together from the start so we felt each other’s pains when we all got on the floor and were scrubbing the tiles!

 

How has your work/life balance changed?

 

It has been good for me because at the initial stages of a hotel we have to live on site for a while which I expect to do for about 6 months which does save me a good three hours on travel time. I’m only 10 steps away from my front door!

 

In terms of that lifestyle balance, it really does help. I do find it is quite flexible in that yes, I have to be available every day at the moment but I do get to choose when to go on breaks and holidays. I am a bit of a night owl, and prefer to stay up late and send those emails out at midnight. 

 

If someone was interested in joining a Quest, what would your advice be to them? 

 

If anyone’s interested in Quest, they should definitely drop an inquiry on the Quest website.  I highly recommend doing it. You will be taken through the process, you are asked about who you are, what you want out of life and you will meet other franchisees. Everyone’s just very generous with their time and they’re very transparent, so you know what you’re in for from the get-go. They don’t pop up every day, it is a very rigorous process to get through, but if you are interested in hotel ownership that then I highly recommend going for it.

 

Do you have any advice for someone considering on purchasing a franchise or starting a business from scratch?

 

I think having a franchise model is good for someone like myself who prefers the processes and procedures already created, and all of those teething issues resolved.  The draw card for me is that franchising is just highly recognized in Australia as we have a lot of franchise businesses.