An Interview with Andrew Wright, General Manager of WAGBA’s Strategic Partner – Aloft Perth
Meet Aloft Perth, the funky hotel with an abundance of personality located in Rivervale. Having joined WAGBA as a strategic partner, Aloft is represented by its General Manager Andrew Wright, who has graciously spared some time to give us a profile interview for October’s edition of InTouch.
Andrew's Profile:
Andrew is no stranger to the hospitality industry, with over 40 years of extensive hotel management experience across Australia and Germany—two countries that have profoundly shaped his identity.
Throughout his career, Andrew managed numerous prestigious hotels and resorts across Australia, consistently bringing a wealth of knowledge, dedication, and an unwavering passion for delivering exceptional guest experiences.
In recent years, Andrew embarked on his journey with Marriott International, initially joining the team at Marriott Resort and Spa in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast. His path ultimately led him to Perth, where he now serves as the General Manager of Aloft Perth, bringing his rich expertise and dynamic leadership to this vibrant property.
Jeslyn: Before we get started, can I ask how you got in touch with Stephan [Kirsch – President of WAGBA] or how you came to meet him?
Andrew: I met Stephan [through Juergen] just the other week. I know Juergen through his son who works with us and has been for about 18 months. He is part of Vineet’s (Executive Assistant Manager of Aloft Perth) team. He started working on the night team, as night auditor and recently moved to days and doing a good job. He is one of our guest service agents.
Jeslyn: Just to get started – if I could have a bit of your background and how you came into this opportunity to join WAGBA?
Andrew: I lived in Germany for seven years, which has created an affiliation with the country for me. After I left school, I did a school exchange followed by my studies. I completed my hospitality studies there and I've always had an interest in all things European. I keep up to date with what's happening in the country and I've still got friends in Germany, whom I stay in contact with. The opportunity to work with WAGBA came up after Juergen mentioned to me that the Hyatt was closing and Juergen asked if there was an opportunity to consider a partnership, for which I replied - "Sure, absolutely." So, we got together for a quick chat. It worked out that, in the past, we had worked for the same company – we were both GM of the same hotel, obviously at different times. So, we had something in common, I suppose you'd say. Having that connection seemed to bring us together. Then, we caught up and had a couple of chats and Juergen said he'd like me to meet Stephan. Stephan came in, we talked about the potential of working together in the future and what we can do and how we can help WAGBA and how they can help us as a business.
Jeslyn: Wonderful, and I know that WAGBA’s been looking for alternatives to the Hyatt to hold our events now that the Hyatt is closed down.
Andrew: In Perth or anywhere really, business opportunities are based on connections. If we can support WAGBA’s hospitality needs, it is a ‘win – win’ for us both. They choose us for their events, and we can make sure they get looked after. We can also support them with their fundraisers etc.
Jeslyn: Exactly – it's a win-win.
Andrew: Absolutely.
Jeslyn: So, how do you see this partnership benefiting both the hotel and the members and friends of WAGBA? Obviously, you get the incentives to the network and the likes, but is there anything else that you see arising from this opportunity?
Andrew: I think networking, yes and not just the networking. If we host the events for WAGBA here, then obviously they have other business partners, family and friends who will all at some stage have opportunities for the hotel, which helps us. We get support us from a business perspective and we can support WAGBA with, as I said before, catering for what they require from a hotel. Also, as mentioned if they do charity fundraisers, we can support those fundraisers as well – just creating that business relationship.
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Andrew: So, do you don’t know much about this hotel? Can I tell you a little about it?
Jeslyn: Oh yes, of course! I’d love to hear about it.
Andrew: We are part of Marriott International. We’re the world’s biggest largest hospitality company with more than 9,000 hotels and 36 different brands. In Perth, we have five hotels: The Ritz- Carlton, The Westin, Four Points Perth, Aloft Perth and also the Courtyard in Murdoch. We’ve also got two more under construction or should I say, soon to be under construction—the Moxy in the city centre and another Westin at Margaret River. So, we’ll have the options of hotels in the city and a resort down at Margaret River. Aloft Perth has 224 rooms, with a variety of king rooms, suites, twin rooms, and studio rooms. We have six meeting rooms on the mezzanine level, which is one floor up. We have a beautiful fitness centre and a fantastic 18m lap pool, which is heated all year round. On the rooftop, we have a rooftop ballroom, which seats up to 170 for a dinner dance style event and for a business dinner setup, we can cater for up to 200. The outdoor area, The Terrace, has standing room for 200 people and overlooks the whole city. It’s fantastic — really, really spectacular at night. The hotel is classed as a lifestyle brand. If you look at the way Marriott’s brands, we have luxury hotels, premium hotels and select service hotels, which includes lifestyle hotels. We are classed as ‘a vision of W hotels,’ which is our most funky brand. That’s why you see the type of décor, lighting and furniture - it’s a little bit W!!
Jeslyn: Oh definitely, all the colours, the vibe — it’s very lovely.
Andrew: From a business perspective, we’re very midweek corporate-heavy. On the weekends, we obviously have our leisure guests. We do a lot of events, namely residential conferences, social events and weddings. This year we will do 38 weddings. We also have many regular local clients who do events with us on a regular basis, many of which come every week to hold their meetings and seminars. We also host a lot of sporting club events, like their end-of-year football and cricket award ceremonies. So, it’s a really good mix of business.
Jeslyn: Do you see any key challenges or concerns in the hospitality industry in recent times as well, in light of the growing ties between WA and Germany?
Andrew: In that perspective, no, I don't see any issues or concerns. The only concern currently – and I think it's the same for everybody – is the discretionary spend of the Australian community. We had 13 interest rates rises and this has impacted most people, not to mention the increased prices of day-to-day necessities e.g. groceries. Something has to give!! Hence the impact on our weekend business. With the high volume of corporate business, we’re kept very busy looking after our corporate clients. On the weekends, we also rely on staycations and obviously events at Optus Stadium. This year has been a little slower for special events at the stadium, which has also impacted us, however, I am sure this will turn around in 2025. I think the relationship with Germany is fantastic. Australia and Germany have always had a great relationship. We'd love to have more German travellers coming to WA, especially as our industry relies on international tourism. We do have good support from Germany, but, as you know; there could always be more.
Jeslyn: It’s definitely great to see.
Andrew: It really is. The German people, because I lived there for so long... I moved there when I was only 18, so it was a very important part of my life. I really grew up in Germany, so I relate to the Germans really well, especially the Bavarians having lived in Munich for so long. The Bavarians are a very outgoing community, and I think they embrace the Australian lifestyle. As I mentioned previously, I like to keep up with what's happening over there too. I’m really missing it. I love living in Australia – it’s home and I’ll always want to be in Australia – but my second favourite will always be Germany; purely due to the positive experiences I had and the many friends I still stay in contact with.
Jeslyn: So, did you move a lot between Australia and Germany throughout your life?
Andrew: Not really. I spent seven years over there and I came home once a year. Since I came back in 1990 – which was probably before you were born (ha ha!!) – I’ve only been back twice since. But I’m well overdue for another visit.
Jeslyn: And how’s your German now?
Andrew: If I sit and talk to someone for half an hour or so or loosen up with a few drinks, it quickly comes back to me. It just takes time to get back in the swing of things. I still speak with my friends on occasions, which really helps. The thing is, you never really forget a language, you tend to forget a few words, which on occasions, I throw in an English word here and there. Practice makes perfect they say!!
Jeslyn: Wow!
Andrew: I used to be completely fluent. I’d make a few grammatical mistakes, but I think most people do when they speak a foreign language. According to the German people I speak with, they say I sound like I’ve got a Dutch accent when I speak German. Everyone thought I was Dutch, which was quite funny. When people ask - I say, ‘fluent but rusty,’ and they get it. Are there any plans between Aloft and WAGBA that you’re looking forward to collaborating on together in the foreseeable future?
Andrew: We’ve only started discussions recently. When I spoke to Juergen, he mentioned that early next year – I think in March – there’s a business breakfast that WAGBA are hosting. We have been asked to prepare a quote for that and discuss other future opportunities to work together on. But that’s really all that we’ve discussed at this stage.
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Thank you to Andrew Wright for taking the time to complete this interview with WAGBA. We are looking forward to hosting many of the WAGBA networking and social events at Aloft Perth.
