Laurie McDonald
I established Canberra Furnished Accommodation in August 2003. My formal qualifications are a Diploma in Business and a Certificate IV in Business (Small Business Management) and my business philosophy is about Excellence, Quality and Balance. Having the ability to work around raising my children, positive feedback from our guests and looking forward to going to the office because I get to hang out with my team are the best rewards for my work.
I love Canberra and have lived here for more than 20 years now. We have some of the best attractions in the country and it provides the perfect balance of city and country living. The lifestyle you have when you live here is a hidden secret that the rest of the country misses out on.
My home is my sanctuary so this is what I aim to create in every property we set up. I will not book a guest into an apartment until I know that I would be happy to live there, be that for a day, a week, a month or whatever. There is no reason to be uncomfortable when you are away from home or in between homes.
Most people come to Canberra on work contracts, holidays or because they are relocating. For people on work contracts a hotel can begin to look just like a bed and a toilet after a few nights, not a place to come home too after a hard day at work. Families with 3 children are much more common now and family holidays are expensive if you have to book a second hotel room and eat out for 3 meals a day, not to mention exhorbitant hotel breakfast prices.
If you are relocating, its nice to to have the option of getting to know your new town for a few weeks before choosing your longer term suburb, and is especially convenient if you are having your furniture and belongings shipped to you or haven’t been able to secure long term accommodation first (this is a common occurence in Canberra).
We also look after renovators. Having spent 5 years renovating a house I remember how hard it was to prepare family meals with no kitchen and how awful it was when the only bathroom was being renovated (especially as I was pregnant at the time!). Oh, and if disaster strikes and your home is unliveable, we can provide some comfort and continuity with a home away from home and invoice your insurance company direct.
I like to incorporate the things that are important to me into the business. I have small children, so I have created a family friendly workplace where the kids sometimes come to work – so please accept my apologies if you call and hear them in the background. We work to live, not live to work so our workplace is a happy environment where we all get along with plenty of laughs along the way.
When you call us please don’t be taken aback if we are nosy about why you need accommodation, the people in your group (ie, number, ages of children) or where you plan to spend your time in Canberra – we do this because we want to make sure that we can provide you with a property that matches your needs.
If you are here for work, we will make sure that your property is as close to your workplace as possible and that it has a desk if you need to work after hours. If there are two of you sharing, we will want to ensure there is a second bathroom and enough space in the property for you to be able to still enjoy your privacy.
If you have children, we will want to try and place you in a property that has secure open spaces for them to play outside, a bath if they are little and conveniences for mum and dad (ie, dishwasher, separate laundry, DVD player). If you are renovating, relocating or escaping a home disaster, we will want to place you in a property that has lots of extra storage. Finally, if you are a sporting enthusiast, we will want to provide you with a property that has space for your equipment, easy access and a large hot water system.
It is important to me that you have a good experience when you stay in a Canberra Furnished Accommodation property, and I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback on your experience with us.
