UniLodge

What better way to end the year than to celebrate our amazing team one last time! Kick back and enjoy the highlights reel from our Annual Awards for Excellence in October, which we held in Noosa. Congratulations again to all of our nominees, finalists and award winners of 2024! With special thanks to our sponsors of the Awards Night, whom without their partnership with us, we wouldn't be able to hold such a rewarding event. Diamond – Our Key Sponsor - Capital Ultimate Facility Platinum Sponsors - Cirka - foodifox - Gallagher - GETC Group - Levart - Rely Pacific Laundry Equipment (RPLE) - St.George Bank - StarRez, Inc. - TK Property Services - Truis #whereIwanttobe #studentaccommodation #hotels #apartments #buildtorent 🥰 🤩 🏆 🥳 👏

✨ This week, the Melbourne Residential Life team gathered to collaborate and discuss key initiatives. Through UniLodge's Residential Life Program, we remain dedicated to creating an environment where residents can engage, succeed, and make the most of their university experience. We’re so excited for our residents to experience everything we’ve got planned for 2025! #studentaccommodation #teamwork #residentiallife

Congratulations to the Manager of the Year, Ryan Sing. This award, proudly sponsored by Capital Ultimate Facility, our diamond sponsor, was presented by Fred Ajaj and Hussain Ali. To earn this title, a manager must demonstrate excellence, achieve outstanding results, set organisational standards, and inspire through innovation and leadership. Ryan has consistently exemplified these qualities throughout his distinguished career, excelling across the student accommodation, hotel, and facilities management sectors. Since joining UniLodge three years ago, he has taken on some of our most demanding projects, including managing one of our largest strata-titled properties and successfully opening multiple PBSA buildings. In the past 12 months, Ryan played a pivotal role in our winning a competitive tender to manage a multi-campus accommodation portfolio at Western Sydney University. Under his unassuming but effective leadership, the mobilisation and partnership with the university have become one of our most successful undertakings to date. Ryan’s expertise and dedication continue to set a high benchmark within UniLodge, making him truly deserving of this recognition.

Congratulations to our Corporate Employee of the Year, Lauren Dongworth! This award was proudly sponsored by Gallagher and presented by Haley Sorgel and Scott Wright. Lauren received more nominations than anyone else tonight, and it’s no wonder—she’s truly a star. Her nomination forms are filled with praise for her exceptional skills, systematic efficiency, and overall brilliance. Lauren is widely admired across the business, with her influence reaching many areas of our organisation. Her role spans a broad remit, and her contributions are evident in countless projects: from contents insurance and Project 100 to dashboard reporting, client liaison, coordination of this very conference, and seamless communication across two countries and four time zones. Lauren handles it all with a smile and a “can-do, just-did-it” attitude. Thank you, Lauren, for your dedication and hard work!

Congratulations to Amy M. for her outstanding contribution and dedication to our Marketing team over the past few months! ✨ Amy took the lead on our monthly brand videos project while seamlessly assisting across the entire portfolio for marketing requests. Her adaptability and can-do attitude have been truly inspiring! Amy, your fabulous work deserves the heartiest appreciation. THANK YOU! 💙 Let’s all celebrate Amy’s incredible efforts and dedication – she’s set a high standard for us all! 🎉 #UniLodge #EmployeeRecognition #Teamwork

Congratulations to the CEO Award for Excellence winner, Jacob Waitere. This award, proudly sponsored by StarRez, Inc., recognises Jacob’s exceptional contributions to both his field and his community. Since joining APSAA in 2018, Jacob has made an enduring impact: he founded and chaired the Aotearoa Advisory Group until 2024, led the merger with NZATEAP to strengthen APSAA’s New Zealand division, and established MOUs with Universities New Zealand and ISANA NZ. His influence extends internationally, as a recipient of the 2022 Roelf Visser Global Initiatives Award, former Chair of the Global Housing Training Institute (2022–2024), and representative of Australia and New Zealand with ACUHO-I. His expertise has also been instrumental in advising the New Zealand Government on sector legislation, with his insights now reaching Australian policymakers as well. Beyond his professional achievements, Jacob stands out for his proud advocacy of Māori language and cultural awareness in all facets of his life. A true ambassador for the sector, he blends professional excellence with a deep commitment to his heritage, setting a standard for leadership and cultural integrity. 

Congratulations to Rebecca Yue for her outstanding contribution and dedication to our Finance team! ✨ Rebecca is consistently positive, bringing an optimistic attitude to every month end, accounting task and team member. Bec is an incredibly reliable team member who you can trust with any task and know this will be completed to the highest standard. She has been instrumental in supporting the team with the reconciliation process and has dedicated time to mentoring and training new starters, giving them the best opportunity for a successful start. Let’s all celebrate Rebecca’s dedication and positivity – we are so fortunate to have her on our team! 🎉 #UniLodge #EmployeeRecognition #Teamwork

Congratulations to the Most Outstanding Property Financial Performance winner, Essence Apartments Chermside, represented by Leah Bassett. This award, proudly sponsored by St.George Bank, was presented by Owen McGuigan and John Carew. Though the serviced apartment division represents a smaller segment of our overall business by bed count, it consistently outperforms in financial results. This success has been amplified since Leah joined the team, bringing extensive sector experience and elevating our operations to new standards of professionalism, which directly contributes to our profitability. On the revenue front, we leverage advanced pricing strategies, yield management, targeted marketing, and an effective corporate sales approach. On the cost side, the division is a lean, mean, fighting machine, working smarter as well as hard.

✨ On the Spot Award ✨ Mariana Holanda's commitment to the marketing team and willingness to step up and do what needs to be done has been incredible. She really has knocked it out of the park. Mariana, we appreciate you 💐 and thank you for helping us to succeed!

Congratulations to the Workplace Health & Safety Award Winner, the UniLodge La Trobe University - Bundoora team. Representing the team on the night, Lisa Zailanee and Deanna Constantine accepted the award from Ian Nearhos and Lachlan Jefferies, with proud sponsorship by Truis. This year, the La Trobe team has excelled through a commitment to focus, internal communication, and innovation, fully integrating WHS into their business practices. At the centre of their WHS culture is an automated incident data platform, providing accurate, up-to-date information accessible to all staff. This data supports comprehensive, relevant training sessions, fostering a whole-of-business approach to WHS. All WHS indicators are closely tracked and are progressing in the right direction. The positive feedback from our university partner is a testament to the team’s dedication and achievements in this vital area.