History and Pathway

During the 1970’s the accommodation sector revolved around the motels in the region. The operators were in fierce competition with each other, with little or no communication. It was a hostile and warlike environment in so much that if a property was full, the operator would generally advise the prospective guest that the whole of the mountain was booked out and therefore they would be forced to go further a field for accommodation. This resulted in people actually supporting competitor regions.

In those times, the organizational equivalent of Tourism NSW had field officers who had responsibility for each region. The representative of this BM region was a mountain born and bred person named Larry Monk of Wentworth Falls. Gary Crockett, the youthful owner of the Mountain Heritage Guest House used to articulate his frustrations at the attitude of the operators and the negative impact that it was having on tourism in the region. So he and Larry Monk approached John Egan, a local born builder, owner of the Town Centre Motel, with a suggestion that they should visit and speak with the Central Coast as they were blitzing the mountains in a co-ordinate and co-operative approach. This was the impetus to establishing The Blue Mountains Motel Association, based on the central coast model.

In 1982, all operators were invited to an inaugural lunch meeting at the Rooster Restaurant where John Egan was elected President, Garry Crockett, Secretary and Eric North of 3 Explorers Motel as Treasurer.
The founding members consisted of 24 properties.

The principle of the Association was to act as a referral system between properties by way of a duty roster whereby the bookings were allocated to various establishments during the weekend. The rotating roster list was formulated at the beginning of each New Year. Each weekend it was the responsibility of all properties to notify the duty officer of vacancies,
to enable referrals to be passed on.

The Association became the main voice for the Tourism industry. The policy was to work with the Tourist Association of the day in a co-operative way to promote and protect the vested interests of the accommodation sector. Over the years the Association sector evolved, with the introduction of bed & breakfasts and self-contained.

The Aims and Objectives were:

To create a friendly and hospitable industry in the Blue Mountains
To analyze and act upon any problems which affected the accommodation industry
To liaise where necessary with Hotel & Motel Accommodation association
To liaise and co operate with Blue Mountains Tourism

A formal resolution was passed at the AGM on 22nd July 1991 for the Association to become an incorporated body and to effect a name change and appoint a public officer.
The name was changed to:
The Blue Mountains Accommodation Association Inc.

The main objectives of the Association:

To foster the promotion and co-operation of the accommodation industry, both within the Blue Mountains, Australia and internationally.
To assist one another through our Duty Roster System, and in conjunction with the Blue Mountains Tourism Authority to offer an internal referral system for bookings which offers a very special service to benefit tourists.
To continue to aim for the highest standard of proficiency within our industry, so as to satisfy tourism demands.
To foster friendship and co-operation within our membership, thus offering a united approach to service and hospitality within the accommodation industry.

The Association chose to adopt the Model Rules as set down by the Department of Business and Consumer Affairs (now known as Department of Fair Trading) as its constitution.

In 1992, the Duty Roster System ceased due to the establishment of several privately operated accommodation-booking services in the region.

Over the years the Association has nurtured and encouraged networking with one another. Also, as an industry, we can collectively lobby matters/issues pertaining to this industry at local, state and federal government levels as well as statutory and industry authorities.

Since its inception, the Association has seen major changes to our region and this Association has helped to make a difference

The Association is a financially stable organization due to the committed and continual support of our members.

Currently there are 40 financial members representing the following categories: Bed & Breakfast, motels, guesthouses, and self-contained cottages.

This current committee has been working to wards formulating additional benefits for members as well as their guests, by negotiating with local businesses to promote within the industry.