I turned a blushing pink when THE boy turned to me and said,

“Keep Sunday free, we are going on a date”

Little did I know that he had done his research (I am an enthusiastic art student see) and when Sunday rolled around, he pleasantly surprised me with tickets to the Tim Burton Exhibition currently on at ‘ACMI’.

I have loved Burton’s work from a young age; his creepy mind captured my imagination in high school, when ‘Edward Scissor Hands’ became a part of the year 10 Curriculum, and since then, my friends can only groan when I tell them we are watching ‘Sweeny Todd’ yet again.

As we took the escalators down into the exhibition space, we were immediately immersed into the uncanny world that is Tim Burton. The exhibition boasts an array of his early works, most of which I had never seen. ‘Hansel and Gretel’, a live performance given by Japanese characters with remarkable backdrops, was of particular interest.

Burton began his working career as an employee for Walt Disney Production Studios (where he worked as a conceptual artist on the animation films ‘The Hound and the Fox’ and ‘The Black Cauldron’), but after viewing his sketches within the exhibition, it is patently obvious he desired to spill his own creativity onto the world. His sketches and poetry were truly amazing, and I found that my date had to pull me away from most. The simplicity of his words and the immense detail that goes into his drawings compliment one another to create jaw dropping pieces of art.

Other points of interest within the exhibition were the actual artifacts from some of his films (Alice’s blue dress!!! And Sweeney Todd’s barber set!!!). It was awfully cool to see them in the flesh and made you feel that much closer to Johnny Depp (I’m only a lady!!!). There was even a personalized letter from Burton to Depp, asking his opinion on a sketch in one of the films that they worked together on.

All in all, an amazing exhibition, and one that I would very much recommend (totally first date worthy!!).

I recently found myself with an abundance of lemons and thought I can’t possible drink that many gin and tonics (although I gave it a very good crack)!

So in my search for a solution to my overflowing fruit bowl I found the perfect recipe for lemon tart, a Stephanie Alexander classic. Very tasty and super easy especially if you cheat (like I did!!) and buy the pastry!

Lemon Tart

1 quantity of shortcrust pastry (or two sheets of pre made pastry)

3 large lemons

6 eggs

250grm castor sugar

200ml of cream

Icing sugar to dust

Method

Line a 24cm loose-bottomed deep flan tin with pastry, then bake blind at 200 degrees C for 20 minutes. Reset oven to 160 degrees C.

Zest and juice the lemons. Combine eggs and sugar until well amalgamated, then add zest and juice and stir well. Add cream and mix well using a balloon whisk. Pour into just baked pastry case and bake for 35-45 minutes until almost set. Cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Serve dusted with icing sugar and lashing of thick cream!

My tip for the perfect lemon tart is be careful not to overcook the tart keep an eye on the tart in the last  10-15 minutes to make sure you pull it out when it is just set.

Have you had a look at all the stuff you own lately? Imagine if you had to move today, how long would it take you to pack up your life? Moving house can be a cleansing experience, and I’m not just saying that!

Some big changes have happened in the last week at Caroline Serviced Apartments. They’ve finally kicked me out of my apartment at the Brighton property!

How can one room look like this.....

Did they really kick me out? Ha ha, luckily no. But that didn’t make the moving process any easier. It’s right up there as one of the most arduous tasks in life. Some people have the unfortunate(?) pleasure of going through this several times.  Don’t get me wrong, it can be exciting finding and planning for that new place to move to, I was so pumped to have found the perfect new pad in the best location – it just never makes the process of packing and unpacking any easier.

I’ve lived in about 15 different homes over my life, and thought that my hoarding days were well behind me after living like a backpacker in the UK for a few years… but this recent move has taught me a few things:

1. Never underestimate the value of regular spring cleaning
2. In the weeks leading up to the move, give some areas of your current place a good clean. It’ll make it so much easier once you’ve moved out
3. If you haven’t looked at or used an item in more than 6 months, then there’s probably no need to keep it. Why not have a garage sale???? Be ruthless here!
4. Keep nic-nacs to a minimum, they take a fair bit of time & effort to wrap and pack (not to mention the regular dusting when they’re on display)
5. Pack smaller size boxes so they’re easier to carry
6. Label all boxes with the contents, so you know exactly which room to put it in at the other end
7. Arrange items to give to charity if you no longer want them – best to sort this stuff out before the big move (less to carry – refer to point 3 and consider that Garage Sale or eBay account)
8. Organise your utility connections at least a week before you move, and don’t forget your internet connection (like I did)
9. Don’t forget to change your address with all the companies you use, or at least create a mail re-direction service with the post office
10. And last, but not least, never EVER agree to moving yourself with only the help of your hubby/wife.  I would highly recommend using a removalist company to do the hard stuff for you! *Insert big grumble here* after my tearful plea to the hubby that I couldn’t possibly instantly “get stronger” in order to get our seemingly 200kg latex mattress into the moving van!

Then become a mess like this? Try moving house sometime...

So finally, at Caroline Serviced Apartments in Brighton it’s been ‘out with the old’ and … ‘in with the new’. Anna is now in the process of moving into my old apartment and taking over as the Resident Manager. A new and exciting chapter is unfolding….

Picture this: me sitting in a fabulous hotel room in Los Angeles embarking on my very own excellent adventure; one month travelling alone around the United States exploring New York (my absolute favourite city in the world!), Los Angeles, Miami, and visiting family in some other states. Anyway back to the picture, after a few days in Los Angeles I receive an email from Ali, saying something along the lines of  ’hope you are taking notes on hotels… you will be writing a blog on what makes a stay memorable..’

So I look around my hotel room in Los Angeles and think, what is it that i will remember about this hotel? Is it the big room with big bed, big TV and a big bathroom, or the exquisite service I received from every staff member i had any encounter with?

The answer is, probably all of the above!

However without the service, the room itself would have been just another nice hotel room…. All of the hotel staff went out of their way to make me feel like I was the most important guest there. I was greeted by name whenever I called down for anything, always asked about my day when I came back with mountains of shopping bags, which the doormen always offered to help with, and in general I got the impression that I could have asked for anything in the world, and they would find a way to get it for me without batting an eyelid. Now that is service!

Skip forward two weeks, and I find myself in a similar situation, sitting in a nice hotel room in FABOULOUS New York City, now I should mention that New York hotel rooms are probably half the size of any other hotel room in any other city in the world, unless you are willing to fork out thousands of dollars a night. But having visited New York before, I knew what I was in for. Before I was sitting comfortably in my room, I had to struggle with my ultra heavy (yes- I had done a lot of shopping already!) suitcase from the street into the reception area, where the receptionist barely looked up at me, except to try and convince me to become a member of their frequent visitors club (no thank you!), and then sent me off to my room, without so much as a smile, after this, I barely saw any other staff, occasionally a smile when I came past, but never even a ‘hi or how are you?’.  What I did love about this hotel was the compendium. Inside, there were maps, menus and so much tourist information, which I used frequently (but maybe this was because the staff were less than approachable).

New York City

Now let me stress that this was still a nice hotel, and I was very comfortable and safe there, but I wouldn’t say I was ‘well looked after’, and I can honestly say I felt like a number, and in comparison to my Los Angeles hotel, I clearly know who would win my return visit!

Now, back home from my adventure, trying to get back to reality, and telling everyone I know about my trip, I think about what I remember from each destination, apart from the sights and the incredible shopping, I remember how welcome I felt in Los Angeles, and I guess, how alone I felt in New York, (unless I was out with friends or family!)

Today, as I’m putting the finishing touches on this blog, one of our guests just asked me if I could personally recommend any of the local hairdressers. Confidently, I was able to give her my honest opinion, because my own hairdresser is in the area, and off she went to get her hair done! This seemingly minor conversation got me thinking again, that a lot of our guests are relocating to Melbourne from interstate or overseas, and it can be quite daunting to have to find their local everything again. The things you take for granted in your home town or city, such as your favourite local bakery, café, hairdresser, or your local doctor.

Our guests really appreciate our local knowledge and tips – where else are they going to find out about this kind of thing?

Working in this industry, we strive to provide the best service we can to our guests; we like to think adding a personal touch is key. Remembering a guests name, or what they were doing that day, and asking them how it was, really does make someone feel special.

On my recent USA trip I got the chance to stay in some beautiful, amazing and not-so amazing hotels along the way, and it really is the little things, that make a stay memorable!

Thinktank Media's Ben & Sam with Ali (and some serious long Island Iced Tea's)

This Blog for Caroline Serviced Apartments first went live in mid-2009 when the awesome team at Thinktank Media assisted our plunge into the Social Media world. Originally, we aimed to provide content on our apartments, activities in the local area, and other topics that our staff believe may be of interest to our guests (like Alex’s yummy recipes). We also hoped to provide a welcoming ‘face’ to our company branding, and letting our personalities shine through in our posts. We believe our apartments speak for themselves on our website, and even more so when you actually visit them in person. So this blog is another way for us to add value, or help our guests feel comfortable with our team even before they’ve met us in person!

When I first began brainstorming ideas for blog posts, I realised I have quite a repertoire of stories of life behind the scenes in the accommodation industry. Every day we welcome new guests into our properties, who share with us their own stories (and occasional drama). While stories of guest antics would probably make a fairly decent read, it could also scare travelers away from us. So it’s a fine line walked between providing privacy to guests, and offering enough intrigue to appeal to readers. If I wrote a post about those crazy antics of guests, you probably won’t believe me when you read it anyway!

Anna & Ali on a cold night out

A blog provides us with a medium in which we can engage with our guests. Sometimes I am convinced that no one is reading our posts, as comments are rarely made (or if they are it is often just spam from other accommodation providers in Bangalore). What if anyone who finds our blog just thinks we’re all weirdo’s? Are we really adding any value to our guest experiences? Travelers tend to be more active on social websites such as Facebook, Twitter, TripAdvisor or other online communities.

Writing a blog post takes time. I often write my posts in the comfort of my home in the evenings after a busy working day (with a nice glass of wine in hand). I find it very difficult to allocate a solid couple of hours during business hours to write a post. What with the phone ringing, the guests arriving, the housekeepers fluttering about, and the staff always wanting to ‘run something by me’ – it’s hard to escape the constant busy-ness of this business! However, I’m passionate about this blog, and hope that it offers some value to our readers.

Imogene has recently joined the team

If nothing else, I hope this blog shows off the amazing team that we have here at Caroline Apartments. I’ve named this post ‘Are We There Yet?’ because we have just gone through a massive staffing restructure and we’re very excited to have 2 new team members joining us! We’ll let them get a bit more settled in their role before they start developing blog posts though… The whole team seem to eat up the opportunity to put their stamp of individuality on our business via the blog – even though I often hear that they have trouble starting out on a new post. I’m confident that once they find the writing style that they’re comfortable with, they’ll be able to provide some great content.

So why do we keep this blog going? The blog has become part of our culture, bringing people to our site who may not have found us otherwise, and giving our guests a taste of what to expect before they check-in. We hope to continue bringing fresh ideas and content to our blog, and welcome any suggestions or feedback that you may have.

Alex & Agg on a staff night out

We may be a small company, but we aim for BIG impact and LOVE making new connections!

Do you love living in Melbourne? Would you like to share that enthusiasm in a hotel environment, where no day is ever the same?

Caroline Serviced Apartments is currently seeking the services of an enthusiastic and motivated individual to assist in the Front Office. Our South Yarra property comprises premium corporate accommodation, with close to 40 apartments, and a small team of dedicated staff.

Front Office Receptionist role involves:

• Delivering excellent customer service to all guests throughout their stay.
• General Front Office duties such as check-in, check-out, reservations, switchboard operation, banking reconciliation, social media interaction and office administration.
• Being able to assist with minor maintenance of apartments.
• Developing sales skills throughout your employment.
• Working closely with the Housekeeping Department to ensure all guests’ needs are met.
• Some ‘after hours’ assistance (shared by all Front Office staff).

The ideal candidate will require:

• Availability to work some weekends (9am – 4pm Sat and 10am – 2pm Sun) and some weekday shifts. Between 15 to 25 hrs per week.
• Experience working in an office or hotel environment is desirable but not essential.
• A reliable and motivated individual with strong organisational skills.
• An ability to build good customer relationships.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent grooming and professional presentation.
• Must be computer literate. Knowledge of a hotel reservations system is favourable, but not essential.
• An ability to work autonomously – this role requires a common sense approach to situations and confidence in decision making.
• A commitment to progressing their understanding of the business.

Check out Agg’s blog post which describes a typical day in our company – ‘In My Shoes‘. It should give you an insight into the type of tasks involved in running our Front Office.

If this sounds like you and you would love to make a difference within our small team, please forward your cover letter (clearly stating why you are applying for this position) and resume to alison@carolineservicedapartments.com

Looking forward to welcoming a new team member! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of the Front Office??? Agg lets you take  a walk in her shoes for a day:

07:00 AM - **Yawn** Alarm goes off. Roll over. A hearty breakfast of 2 Weetbix, honey and banana..mmm…Yum!

07:30 AM – Stroll to work at a leisurely pace, breathe in that morning freshness!

07:42 AM – Get distracted by snail that has made a silver, slimy path across the pavement.

07:55 AM – Arrive at work. Use my super duper all access electronic swipe card to access the building (that’s right people, ALL ACCESS!) at Caroline Serviced Apartments in Brighton.

08:35 AM – Farewell guests who have come down to Reception to drop off their keys. They leave us a rave review which I later put up on our Facebook, Twitter and other corresponding web pages to share the love! Getting involved in social media platforms is a really important part of our job. Websites, such as these are useful tools in the marketing and branding of the company. It also opens up more communication channels between ourselves and our guests and gives us the opportunity to gain feedback on a personal level. Current, future and previous guests also surf our web pages regularly for information on what’s going on around Melbourne, special deals and reviews, so it is important to keep these up to date in order to be able to provide accurate and useful information to our followers.

10:00 AM – An ‘in-house’ guest (notice the Front Office lingo? ‘in-house’ means someone who is currently staying with us) comes to Reception after being out for a business breakfast, which I helped her organise. Our Front Office Team work closely with the local businesses, as we believe in promoting the Brighton area. By doing this we are able to provide our guests with added value, like meal or drink vouchers, along with helping out our restaurant neighbours with a bit of extra business! Our lovely guest has an extra coffee in hand as a thankyou for me!! (Just in time too, I forgot to have mine this morning!) .

10:20 AM – We have received an internet booking from one of our websites! I pop in the booking and send through the confirmation details to the guest. The booking has come from one our third party websites (such as wotif.com or expedia.com). We constantly have to check out inventory and listings on all websites to make sure it’s up to date – especially since we receive bookings from so many different channels (phone, walk-in, email as well as on-line 3^rd party websites). Constant research is needed as we need to be aware of competitors’ rates and availabilities. We have to ensure that Caroline Serviced Apartments are the accommodation YOU would click on, rather than say, a hotel down the road.

10:45 AM – I do a little research about Melbourne. It’s important that we know what is going on around our own city so we can make suggestions to guests about where to eat and play! We accommodate a variety of guests (international, interstate and local) and we need to be able to assist them with a variety of things! The other day, I compiled a list of electrical & whitegoods retailers for an international guest who was a bit lost as to where to start setting up their new home in Melbourne. It really made me realise how many ‘little’ things we take for granted when moving to a new city… Ali has already done a blog post on this topic: ‘Relocations are Big Business’.

11:15 AM – Receive a phone call from a lovely lady enquiring about our apartments. The Brighton property is full for the dates that she requested so I must double check with the South Yarra property to see if we can accommodate her. Working closely with both properties to maximise our sales is essential to our company. South Yarra has the availability, and after confirming that the lady wouldn’t mind staying there, I forward her details onto our fabulous Assistant Manager at South Yarra, Alex.

11:25 AM – I chat to one of our clients at a Relocation Company who is looking to place an executive from a large banking group in our apartments for a minimum of 3 months. It’s such a last minute booking too – she wants to book him in from this weekend! It takes me a while to juggle some of our upcoming bookings around to make some room for this long booking, but I manage to do it (much to the Relocation Agents’ relief)! I find out that the guest will be arriving at midnight on Friday, so I offer to organise a Pantry shop (a little grocery shopping) for his family, to help them get settled after a long flight from Europe. We understand that it’s difficult traveling with children, and to have a feeling of homeliness when you arrive is so important. At least it might be nice to arrive and have some toast and a hot chocolate before putting the excited/tired kids to bed.

12:00 PM – Alison arrives, 2 juices in hand (they are squeezed fresh at the green-grocer on Church Street and very hard to resist!). We deliberate about current in-house and future guests. Communication between all the Front Of House staff is really important. It means that each staff member is on the same level, and we can therefore help each guest accordingly.

12:20 PM - Ali sends me down the road to do a bit of a shopping for office supplies (which of course include office Teddy Bear chocolate covered biscuits!)

1:00 PM – Mr. XXX arrives and would like to check in. I’m a little bit nervous, he is the CEO of a major Australian Company and I really want to impress him. Working with high profile guests isn’t as scary as I thought it would be. We have guests come to stay that are the big players within large co-operations like CEO’s and Managing Directors, and we try our best to impress them. It’s important to keep all of our guests extra happy, some of them stay here for many months while they are working on projects in Melbourne. If they have an enjoyable stay with us they are bound to come back and to forward our details onto their own employees and clients, further exposing our company name (and friendly staff!). It’s really lovely when one of these high profile guests is appreciative of the extra efforts you have gone to in order to make their stay more comfortable. It’s the little things that count, and it’s the little things that we remember!

1:40 PM – I just got a booking for a wedding day! I love it when we have wedding guests stay with us. The bridezillas that run around the apartments are so much fun! And some of them come up with unusual requests…such as forwarning us that deliveries of champagne & beer will be arriving before they check in, and could we please fill the fridge with it?

3:00 PM – Aaaah another little highlight in the day. A couple of the lights in Reception have stopped working, so our favourite electrician, Pete has arrived to change the transformers for us. A certain ‘nameless’ female Front Office staff member whispers to me that “Pete should climb up a ladder in Reception everyday”. There’s also a couple of light-switch repairs he needs to attend to in the guest rooms, so we have to make arrangements with the guests to have access to their apartments. That’s one thing I really didn’t expect when I started working here, we have so many little maintenance things that we have to attend to. Our guests or housekeepers report a problem to the Front Office and it’s up to us to figure out how to fix the problem ourselves, or call out an expert. I’ve learnt so much about TVs, air-conditioners, dishwashers and DVD players in my first few months here!!!

4.00 PM – My day comes to an end. I bid farewell to Ali, and tell her I’ll see her tonight at the Social-Media function down at ‘The Social’ on Chapel St. The monthly Tweet Up Mellers event is a great opportunity for us to have some casual drinks, and network with other Social Media savvy business people.

Between the above times, I’ve kept busy updating staff time sheets, printing out reports so the housekeepers know how busy the next day will be, answering many phone calls with bookings, setting up appointments for people to view our apartments for future bookings, I tidied the office, and even managed to find some time for lunch! Hopefully you’ve got some idea of what our day is like in the Front Office of Caroline Serviced Apartments… we don’t just sit at the desk looking pretty!

How can you make Mother’s Day even better? How about combining this family day with a major fundraising event to raise money for breast cancer research? Well they did! The second Sunday in May attracts thousands of participants to run or walk in the 4km or 8km The Mother’s Day Classic. I joined the 33,000 other Melbournians to pound the pavement, soak up some beautiful scenery around the Botanical Gardens, and raise money for this worthy cause.

Ali jogging in to the finish line

This was my 2nd year participating in the 8km run in Melbourne, and I plan to continue this tradition year on year. This particular event holds a special significance for me as my grandmother, Alice passed away from breast cancer when she was only 40 years old. She never got to see her own daughters grow up, or meet her grandchildren. If running in this charity event helps raise more funds to give women more time with their loved ones, and hopefully one day find a cure for this disease, then I can’t think of a more worthy cause!

Walking past the aerobic warm up crowds to the start area, I had a few moments of nerves as I remembered that two laps around the Tan involves running up that massive hill at Anderson Street… twice. Ouch! I managed to find myself running behind a man with a baby-stroller for most of the 8km, after discovering how useful he was for clearing a path through the thousands of feet…. Yep, you gotta do whatever it takes!

If running the 8km is too far or too challenging, there is also a 4km walking event. There are worse ways to spend a Sunday morning than taking beautiful stroll around the Botanical Gardens and along the Yarra River.

We have been promoting this event to our guests, and hope to see more of them taking this challenge next year. It’s a great way to raise money for a worthy cause, and also keep yourself healthy at the same time. If you stay at our South Yarra property on Caroline Street, it’s only a short walk to the start line!

Ali at the finish line (pale pink top)

It was a cold and very wintery Wednesday evening, and my brother’s name popped up on the display screen of my mobile. “Get dressed I’m picking you up. We’re going out for dinner.” What a treat! I had the choice of three restaurants; Armanos (which I know very well, and although they make great pizzas I was keen to venture a little further away from my home town), La Roche or a small and inviting  Polish Vodka bar located in Prahran on Chapel St;  Borsch, Vodka and Tears. I chose the latter. Upon arrival we were greeted and seated and handed an extensive drinks list, consisting of every kind of Vodka drink under the sun.

Try the ‘Green Faery’ for an extra kick J

The atmosphere was that of a typical Polish hub, a warm little hideaway, somewhere out in the country where milkmaids still exist and bikes with baskets are prominent. A gypsy couple stole the centre of the restaurant and on accordion and guitar belted out some true-to-home tunes.

As the menu boasted so many typical Polish dishes, I was intrigued to try but all of them. For entre my table and I shared gołąbki (cabbage leaf stuffed with veal, rice and vegetables served with light tomato sauce), Bigos (traditional hunter’s sauerkraut and smoked meat stew served with rye bread) and kopytka (pan-fried polish gnocchi served with a wild mushroom ragout..YUM!) All of which were simply delicious! The authenticity was amazing, and the flavours so complimenting of each other. Who would have thought that a few simple ingredients, along with a super-styln’ chef would create such an amazing flavour experience in your mouth!

A few more vodkas later, we were ready to order our main meals. Now if anyone reading this is of Polish heritage, they would understand the deep connection us Pols have with a traditional dish called Pierogi. Now Pierogi are a typical Polish dish of dumplings with a choice of fillings;

• beef, chicken, herbs and spices with a paprika meat sauce
• porcini mushroom and sauerkraut with a breadcrumb coating
• cheese and potato with fried onion and sour cream

I would even advise the cheese and potato dumplings to the queen!

Our belly’s too full for desert; we embraced the cultural atmosphere a little longer and managed to almost roll to the car.

All in all, it was a very pleasant experience. I left Borsch, Vodka and Tears very pleased, and with the intention of soon returning. Highly recommended and only a short stroll away from our Caroline Serviced Apartments South Yarra property!

Have you heard of Foursquare yet?  Foursquare is much more than a game for your phone that helps you find out where your friends are. Businesses could really take note of the potential for marketing and exposure from this social media platform.

Recently, I was ‘checking-in’ while at the hairdressers, and the manager wanted to hear all about why I use Foursquare. My answers went beyond my competitive streak of gaining badges as rewards for visiting a certain number of venues, or for being the weekly winner (amongst my friends) for having the most ‘check-ins’. I realised that Foursquare is a perfect way for small business to promote themselves and their services. Using my hair salon as an example, I explained to the manager that she could offer specials to Foursquare users, or a little discount to whoever is the Mayor of the venue. Each time someone checks-in at a venue, they are promoting that venue. They are helping get the place noticed by others who also use Foursquare.

Here’s five reasons why Foursquare could offer great marketing potential for business:

• Tips from Foursquare users can help promote the venue. I could be in a shop, and while ‘checking in’, I may also have a look at what other Foursquare users have added as Tips on places nearby. Someone may have suggested that the cafe next door has the best coffee…. so of course I am going to test that out (there’s that competitive streak shining through again)!

• Tips from Foursquare users can help improve the service offered. Not all feedback is bad. Foursquare user tips that mention a flaw in a business could be used as a way of monitoring what customers are saying about your business. It could also help re-focus what your business is trying to achieve.

• Tourism. Businesses can learn where people are visiting in their local area, and why they might be coming to their area. This offers great potential for cities encouraging users to discover new places by offering Badges that are specific to that area. The little achievements (badges and points) that Foursquare offers, really do encourage users to get out and visit more places.

• Foursquare users also share their locations on other Social media platforms. Each time someone ‘checks-in’ at a venue, they are able to share this on Twitter, Facebook and with their Foursquare friends – that enables a business name & location to appear on all of those channels. Free advertising!

• Make a game of it. Businesses could encourage Foursquare users to visit their venue by offering a weekly prize to the person who manages to have the most check-ins at that location each week. This type of marketing tool encourages repeat business, ensures exposure through multiple ‘check-ins’ and has the potential to virally spread to encourage new customers.

At Caroline Serviced Apartments we make a real game of Foursquare. It has brought out the worst (or best?) competitive streak amongst our Front Office team. We have been battling it out to steal the title of Mayor of Caroline Apartments off each other, and we have fun trying to top each others stats on the weekly leader board. This little office banter we have is a good giggle, and addictive! It doesn’t have to be too invasive, ie we may not always want our co-workers to know where we are at all times – so the functionality of going “off the grid” still helps us get our points or badges, without letting anyone know our exact location. As much as I love my friends, I know they don’t really want to know that I am doing my grocery shopping at Safeway!

If you’re wondering how Caroline Serviced Apartments are using Foursquare to help promote our business… here’s a little sneak peak at a challenge we have set for Foursquare users on our Facebook Page. We’re asking for people to visit one of our properties (in Brighton or South Yarra) and ‘check-in’ on Foursquare at the venue sometime before 2pm Friday 16th April, to win a prize that’s well worth the effort!