Doma Hotels is Canberra’s largest and most successful hotel company. Its suite of five award-winning hotels across the national capital provide 615 rooms, while a further three hotels providing 524 rooms are currently under construction across Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra.

Charged with the responsibility of controlling the property portfolio is Patrick Lonergan. With 30 years in the industry, Patrick joined the Doma team in 2014, having served in senior area manager and general management positions across the country.

As Director of Doma Hotels, Patrick oversees the expansion and management of the group and its assets. His strong financial and commercial acumen is combined with an intimate understanding of diverse hotel operations – from greenfield developments to acquisitions and rebranding of hotels.

Patrick Cheok has been the Regional General manager of Mantra Hotels (NSW & ACT) since October 2016. He joined the company in 2008 and has worked in various General and Area Manager roles. Prior to this, Patrick held senior leadership positions with Mirvac Hotels, Event Management and small business ownership.

Currently based in Sydney, Patrick is responsible for 18 hotels under the Peppers, Mantra and BreakFree brands. Properties range from luxury retreats to serviced apartments and boutique 5-star hotels.

With over 30 years’ experience in the hospitality sector, Patrick has been an industry advocate with active involvement in regional tourism and industry associations.

Gareth Long is IHG’s Area General Manager for regional NSW based at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley. With more than 20 years in the hotel industry, Gareth is an experienced and proven leader who has overseen key assets for various ownership groups throughout Australasia and South West Asia. A passionate hotelier, Gareth has taken opportunities to lead a number of IHG’s brands, to open a brand new property in India, work in corporate operations support across the Australasia and Japan region and more recently return to the field. He is a strong advocate for the industry and takes any opportunity to be involved in driving outcomes for hotels and hospitality. 

Monty Maguire is the General Manager of Powerhouse Hotel Armidale by Rydges .

Monty comes from a hardworking hotel family and has been immersed in the world of hospitality since she was a child. She studied Hospitality Management at Ecole Hoteliere in Lausanne, Switzerland before roles in five star properties including the Ritz Carlton Central Park, New York and Maradiva Villas, Resort & Spa, Mauritius. Monty’s love of food also saw her at leading London restaurants, The Wolseley and Rabot 1745.

Monty returned to the New England region in 2013 with a commitment to delivering exemplary guest service, high quality hotel and food experiences to regional New South Wales. Monty is the Vice President of Business New England (formerly Armidale Business Chamber) and works to drive growth to the region through the tourism and hospitality sectors.

An industry all-rounder, Tish Nyar brings strong operational and strategic experience to his role as Director of Operations for Australia and New Zealand. With TFE Hotels currently in the midst of a significant transition with a number of hotels in the development pipeline in Australia and New Zealand, Tish’s role has been to align the operations team and lay foundations for the growth ahead across six brands including TFE Hotels Collection and A by Adina properties. His wide range of expertise has been gained over 30 years in the hotel industry and has a proven track record in revenue management. His overall industry experience can also be seen in his work with the NSW AAOA team & past involvement with on the Board Accommodation Australia Board, TAA – AHA National and NSW and National Accommodation Division Board, his Strategic Management Certification from Macquarie University Graduate School of Management, Advanced diploma of Hotel Manager form the Blue Mountains International Hotel School. Tish currently manages a team of three Area General Managers and 50 hotel managers across TFE Hotels’ Australia and New Zealand network.

Mark Ronfeldt, Chief Executive Officer for Daiwa Living Waldorf Holdings, responsible for a growing portfolio of Apartment-Hotels across Australia and New Zealand.

Mark is a very experienced, highly-driven, strategic and pragmatic executive and business leader, within the Hospitality, Tourism and Real Estate sectors. With his proven experience in driving organizational growth, empowering and developing successful teams, creating a positive culture, sharing a clear vision and a real focus on creating customer and shareholder value, Mark is a true leader in the Hospitality industry.

Scott Boyes is Vice President Operations NSW/ACT for Accor.  Previously, Scott held the position of Regional General Manager of Accor in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

An experienced hotelier, Scott has worked in the hospitality industry since 1992, commencing his career with Accor Asia Pacific in 1994 upon graduation from the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School.

In 2005, he was one of three people from Australia/New Zealand to be awarded the prestigious Accor Bernache Award for his achievements in financial performance.

Theo Whitmont is a highly qualified and successful business leader with outstanding strategic thinking, business planning and management expertise.  He has an extensive understanding of the issues facing tourism and events operators in NSW and is passionate about creating a better business environment in which industry can achieve its maximum potential.  Theo has 25 years’ experience owning and operating Manufactured Home Estates and Holiday Parks in NSW and QLD.

Theo has served as President of the Caravan & Camping Industry Association (NSW) for 8 years and in that capacity is the lead industry consultant to the State Government in relation to industry reform and legislative change for Holiday Parks, Manufactured Home Estates, Motor Dealers in the Caravan and RV sectors and Manufacturers & Repairers of Caravans and RV’s.

Theo also serves as a Director of BIG4 Holiday Parks Australia and is a Judge for the NSW Tourism Awards.

As an owner operator, Theo has excellent knowledge of the ‘coal face’ and a demonstrated ability to conceptualise a business from the consumer’s view and to navigate the ever-changing demands faced by operators in the tourism arena.

Matt Rubie is Country General Manager for Frasers Hospitality in Australia, overseeing the operations and development of the Fraser brands across Australia for 7 years. Matt has over 25 years experience in the hospitality industry in both Australia and the UK, encompassing a wide range of roles such as Operations, Asset Management and Sales and Marketing. Since 2011 Frasers Hospitality has added to its initial flagship of Fraser Suites Sydney, adding three Fraser branded properties while adding a further three Accor properties to its Singapore listed REIT.