Case Study: Tourism

“When COVID hit, and Brisbane did go into lockdown, I was able to work from home – that’s something I wouldn’t have been able to do with our old system.”

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Four generations of McGuires have run hotels in Brisbane and the South East Queensland region – it’s a passion for hospitality that seems to be in the blood.

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Irish ex-policeman James McGuire saw an opportunity and took it, opening a pub in Brisbane in the early 1900s.

That was the first of what would become a family empire, spurred on by legendary pub owner Richard “Dick” McGuire who took over the business in the 1960s. His four children, Richard, Regina, Jim and Tom, worked alongside their dad from the get-go, and even today, the next generation is still hands-on – with 17 grandkids waiting in the wings.

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Still family owned after 120 years

 

That spirit of togetherness is at the heart of the group’s success today. McGuires is the largest family-owned hotel chain in Queensland – with ten establishments across the state.

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Being still family-owned is a rarity these days, with many owners selling to multinational chains. But keeping it in the family means the McGuires can continue providing honest value for money in friendly, neighbourly hotels. It’s a big part of why McGuires has been such a long-running success, even with the twists and turns of changing tastes and expectations (not to mention a global pandemic).

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As the business has passed from one generation to the next, it has adapted to become more modern and efficient – and when the latest generation started to move up the ranks, it was the group’s disjointed business management system that they started eyeing up first.

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“In 2016, the next generation of family members started to come through who were more up to date with technology. So we started to look at how to better integrate our systems,” says Angela Corcoran, Head of Group Accounts.

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Manual processes hindering progress

Out-of-the-box system limited in functionality

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The business was experiencing a raft of challenges – their old system required hefty manual entry, despite having a digital accounting system.

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“There were three of us that were basically just doing data entry – it was slow, tedious, and you lacked the time to do any kind of analysis because you were constantly stuck in the circle of data entry,” Angela explains.

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Reports weren’t in real-time, so management simply couldn’t see how the business was performing today – only what had happened the month before.

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And then there was the issue of keeping systems updated across all ten hotel sites.

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“Logistically it was a nightmare!” says Angela. “The file sizes back then didn’t really send well, we were backing up with USBs or sometimes discs, and then we’d have to send it up with one of our in-house couriers before I could even start the work on it.”

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MYOB Acumatica brings hotel family together

System customised to meet business needs

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It didn’t take long for the new generation of McGuires to notice that Angela and her team were consumed by data entry – leaving hardly any time to analyse the data.  

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“My eyes lit up when I found out what MYOB Acumatica was capable of and how much time it could save me and my team,” says Angela.

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Customised to the business, MYOB Acumatica offered flexibility and more functionality, allowing her team to multitask.

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Integrated, streamlined, working efficiently

Automated workflow speeds up daily tasks

 

Every day, stock invoices from across the business are imported into MYOB Acumatica from multiple sources, as well as sales and banking from their POS, gaming machines and accommodation systems. The system automatically handles huge transaction volumes and generates a weekly CSV wage file in minutes.

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For Angela, this change has improved efficiency and reduced her stress levels.

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“I would never once go for more than a day or two on holiday because trying to play catch-up when you got back was just a nightmare.”

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“Streamlining that business function means we’ve been able to scale back and refocus our time on continual improvements and efficiencies – like at the moment, we’re in the process of setting up bank feeds – that will ultimately help to drive the business forward,” she says.

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Easy automatic-payment approvals

 

The business has also tightened up its bill-approval process, switching the responsibility from staff at head office to individual hotel managers.

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Before, bills would be paid before managers were able to check them.

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“We just couldn’t move the paperwork around quick enough for manager approvals to happen before getting the bill be paid on time,” Angela explains.

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Now, supplier invoices are automatically loaded to the system, where managers can view and approve payments. This gives better visibility of running costs and means errors are picked up quickly.

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Access to real-time reporting

 

Because Angela and her team are now freed from mass amounts of data entry, the business has access to powerful real-time financial insights – within a week of the current trading date – shifting the team’s focus from completing manual processes to contributing valuable strategic recommendations when planning for future growth.

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“We’re getting utilised in a different way. Now, we’re getting a lot more involved with business decisions and fixing errors in a timely manner,” Angela says.

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Adapting to a global pandemic

 

Migrating the business to a cloud-based system has not only been critical for working from home but being able to access data remotely is now the new normal. Angela says the business is lucky they’ve been able to stay somewhat operational – before MYOB Acumatica, accessing data remotely just would not have been possible.    

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“When COVID hit, and Brisbane did go into lockdown, I was able to work from home – that’s something I wouldn’t have been able to do with our old system.”

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No longer running ten steps behind

 

With MYOB Acumatica, McGuires has shifted focus from repetitive administrative tasks to projects that add value and drive business performance.

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“The difference it has made both from a work and personal health perspective – I couldn’t fault it,” Angela says.

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Summary

A quick rundown on McGuires Hotels

• First pub acquired in the early 1900s, now the largest family-owned hotel chain in Queensland, Australia

• Still a family-run business after 120 years

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Running like clockwork with Acumatica

• Stock, sales and banking can be seen across their business entities and locations

• Accessible, real-time reporting now being used to drive business performance

• Cloud-based ERP allows remote access and working from home capabilities

• Simplified approvals process helps hotel managers stay on top of running costs

• Administrative tasks streamlined and automated = better employee output

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World Challenge Expedition

 

"It's great to be able to access the system in the cloud from anywhere"

 

A world challenge? MYOB Acumatica is up for it!

 

World Challenge organises international tours for students, who get to experience exciting parts of the world in a safe, well-supported environment. MYOB Acumatica & People provides a cost-effective business system with an emphasis on user-friendly payroll management.

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Background

 

World Challenge started back in 1985, and takes over 8,000 students on expeditions to over 40 destinations every year. Its work is strongly influenced by seasonal factors and its payroll fluctuates accordingly.

 

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The Problem

Needs had outgrown the system

 

“We’d been using MYOB AccountRight for a number of years and we’d simply outgrown it,” says World Challenge’s Australian Finance Manager, Shaye Franks. “It only allowed access for one login at a time, it was slow and cumbersome and didn’t provide the reporting capabilities we required.”

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World Challenge went looking for a system that could handle all the various sub-accounts in its GL, combined with reliable HR & Payroll management. A cloud-based system was another priority, for scalability and cost saving.

 

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The Solution

Easy to access and fully integrated

 

MYOB Acumatica was chosen for its multiple ledger capabilities, that enabled consolidated reporting and eliminated the complexities of managing various intercompany transactions. Acumatica has given World Challenge the functionality it needed, at a price it could afford.

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Shaye also praises Acumatica for its user-friendliness and reporting capabilities: “Without training you can easily navigate through and understand the different areas and processes. The drill-through in reporting and being able to attach files and comments has helped us with audit trails.”

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The Outcome 

Flexibility where it counts most

 

The Acumatica People module stores all the payroll data. It’s easily configurable, to fit a wide variety of employee scenarios, and live data that can be manipulated to cover any special reporting needs.

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World Challenge prides itself on delivering safe, rewarding travel experiences for young people. Its highly experienced staff in the field are supported by skilled support people, aided by a reliable back-office system that enables comprehensive management and reporting.

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Summary

Before

• Slow, dated, cumbersome system

• Limited reporting capabilities

• Difficult to handle complex transactions

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After

• Integrated accounting, payroll and HR functionality

• In-depth, flexible reporting

• Complex GL requirements handled easily

• One view of all employees

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Museum of Australian Democracy​

 

"Without Acumatica we would be doing the same old things the same old way."

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A world challenge? MYOB Acumatica is up for it!

 

World Challenge organises international tours for students, who get to experience exciting parts of the world in a safe, well-supported environment. MYOB Acumatica & People provides a cost-effective business system with an emphasis on user-friendly payroll management.

​

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Background

 

World Challenge started back in 1985, and takes over 8,000 students on expeditions to over 40 destinations every year. Its work is strongly influenced by seasonal factors and its payroll fluctuates accordingly.

​

​

The Problem

Needs had outgrown the system

 

“We’d been using MYOB AccountRight for a number of years and we’d simply outgrown it,” says World Challenge’s Australian Finance Manager, Shaye Franks. “It only allowed access for one login at a time, it was slow and cumbersome and didn’t provide the reporting capabilities we required.”

​

World Challenge went looking for a system that could handle all the various sub-accounts in its GL, combined with reliable HR & Payroll management. A cloud-based system was another priority, for scalability and cost saving.

 

​

The Solution

Easy to access and fully integrated

 

MYOB Acumatica was chosen for its multiple ledger capabilities, that enabled consolidated reporting and eliminated the complexities of managing various intercompany transactions. Acumatica has given World Challenge the functionality it needed, at a price it could afford.

​

Shaye also praises Acumatica for its user-friendliness and reporting capabilities: “Without training you can easily navigate through and understand the different areas and processes. The drill-through in reporting and being able to attach files and comments has helped us with audit trails.”

 

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The Outcome

Flexibility where it counts most

 

The Advanced People module stores all the payroll data. It’s easily configurable, to fit a wide variety of employee scenarios, and live data that can be manipulated to cover any special reporting needs.

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World Challenge prides itself on delivering safe, rewarding travel experiences for young people. Its highly experienced staff in the field are supported by skilled support people, aided by a reliable back-office system that enables comprehensive management and reporting.

​

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Summary

Before

• Slow, dated, cumbersome system

• Limited reporting capabilities

• Difficult to handle complex transactions

​

After

• Integrated accounting, payroll and HR functionality

• In-depth, flexible reporting

• Complex GL requirements handled easily

• One view of all employees

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