Lizard Island Resort is remote, picturesque and filled with luxury. Located on a 1,103ha National Park at the northernmost point of the Great Barrier Reef, the island is rich with history, features its own research station and – with only 40 deluxe rooms on the island – there’s a wide range of amenities and experiences on offer.
Run by hospitality company Delaware North, the personalised dining experiences include (but are not limited to) The Salt Water Restaurant which enjoys 180º ocean views and seven course sunset beachside degustations by Anchor Bay.
Food and Beverage Manager James Weaire says the menu changes daily, with produce flown in, arriving via local suppliers, fished by chefs from surrounding waters and harvested from the island.
While breakfast is come-as-you-go, lunch and dinner require bookings and the team uses ResDiary to navigate table service and communicate with other staff members from across the resort. This is critical, as there is limited phone reception on the island.
“The concierge or Guest Services Agent (GSA) can easily log into ResDiary via an iPad or computer, see what’s available at any given time or date, and [manage bookings],” Weaire says.
“The system is user-friendly, easy to manage and isn’t super complicated.”
Weaire came to Lizard Island Resort about five months ago, after using ResDiary while working at a Michelin Star restaurant in the UK.
“Before my arrival at Lizard Island, bookings were organised through a manual process and recorded through an excel spreadsheet. It worked to a certain extent, but it didn’t give that extra level of control. ResDiary helps us organise the restaurants’ booking times, saves valuable time for staff and enables us to provide the best service possible,” he says.
“We can seat a maximum of 80 guests per service. I can sit at my laptop, and block this time or that time for the kitchen to cater for a table of 15 who have booked for dinner. I don’t need to discuss available time slots with the concierge, GSA, General Manager or Food and Beverage Team, because they can log into ResDiary and see what’s available.”
Weaire adds that the ability to build customer profiles and update notes within the booking platform has been critical in providing quality, personalised service for returning guests.
“Patrons might come for their birthday with their parents when they’re 17 or 18. We’ll see them later in life when they’re engaged or on their honeymoon, or when they return with their kids. And [during the last few, COVID-19 interrupted years] there’s a lot of people from Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia returning to Lizard Island,” he says.
“For staff, we can log in to ResDiary and see that Mr Smith likes his meat well done, doesn’t like onion, and drinks sparkling water during [their stay]. As a result, we’re able to provide the best service possible [in a way that’s tailored to their interests and requirements].”
Another important ResDiary feature is the ability to quickly and efficiently move bookings around within the diary so as to provide the best possible customer experience.
While it is sunny and lovely 99 percent of the time, Weaire says the wind might change or sunset might come in earlier or later than usual. Staff are able to communicate this information with each other through ResDiary, and change the time or location of a beachside degustation so as to provide an extra 30 minutes of glorious sunset.
The resort is currently upgrading their Point of Sale system, and are looking at installing more devices with ResDiary loaded onto it, so guests can more easily make and manage their reservations. He adds that ResDiary has helped to improve the efficiency of service “beyond words.”
“We offer very personalised dining, and not having a reservation system like ResDiary, you can lose a bit of control [over bookings]. By having more control and a clearer level of communication, it allows service to run more smoothly,” he says.
“I’d definitely recommend [ResDiary] to others … as it provides us with more control, and allows the hospitality team to think ahead. [This helps] service run smoothly.”
Disclaimer: This guide is general in nature and does not take into account your individual circumstances. Before acting on any information, you should consider whether this is right for your business.