When Richard Munro started out in the accommodation business, he filled the water bottle in a hotel lobby. Now, he runs the hotel lobby. That is, he heads powerful industry advocacy organisation, the Accommodation Association of Australia (AAoA).

As AAoA chief executive, Munro brings an insider’s eye to the job of representing the interests of employers in the accommodation sector. He has spent his entire career in hotel operations, advancing from part-time porter to general manager of Sydney’s high profile Star City. It seems he knew his destiny from very early on, nominating hotels when asked at school for his work experience preference.

"It led to my first real job, at the Kangaroo Point Travelodge in Brisbane," he recalls. "After a week of work experience, they gave me a job. Officially, I was a porter, but jack-of-all-trades, really. I still have the list of duties – things like running the flag up the flagpole every morning, putting the jug of water and glasses in the foyer, and filling minibars which, come to think of it, was probably not strictly legal as I was still only 17."

Despite some youthful adventures as a jackaroo in outback Queensland, and builder’s labourer for his father, Munro continued to be drawn to the hotel industry. He studied business at the University of Queensland’s Gatton Campus, and majored in hospitality. There was a brief return to the outback – as a food and beverage trainee at the Sheraton Ayers Rock Hotel & Resort – before a sea-change to the Gold Coast International Hotel in 1989 as a corporate trainee with Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation, later to become InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

"That really kicked off my career," Munro says. "It was a great training ground, and a lot of people who were there then have gone on to great things, among them Simon McGrath (now COO at Accor Pacific) and Simon Wan (now Staywell Hospitality Group chief).

Munro grabbed every opportunity he could with IHG to broaden his experience, advancing to work on hotel pre-opening teams, as Purchasing Manager at Brisbane’s Parkroyal Dockside, then Front Office Manager at Parkroyal Darling Harbour. It was his pre-opening experience that led him to one of the most challenging jobs of his career, that of Front Office Manager for Christmas Island Resort and Casino in the early 1990s.

"It was incredibly difficult because of the remote location, in the middle of the Indian Ocean with virtually no regular flights. The requirement for 50 per cent of staff to be sourced and trained from the local population made it even tougher," he says. Nevertheless, the Christmas Island Casino operated briefly as one of the world’s most profitable. Munro stayed two years, and the operation folded after four, falling victim to the Asian financial crisis, which stemmed the flow of high rollers from the north.

Back on the mainland, Munro continued to broaden his horizons, making the leap to Director of Rooms at IHG’s Crowne Plaza, Surfers Paradise. “When opportunities came up I grabbed them. I really relished change and growth.” In the late 1990s, after two years as Rooms Division Manager at Landmark Parkroyal in Sydney, Munro was again enticed by opportunity. This time, the leap was a big one – to Director of Sales for IHG.

"Actually it was Patrick Imardelli who tapped me on the shoulder for that one, and I’m very glad he did. (Imbardelli went on to distinguish himself as President and Chief Executive of Pan Pacific Hotels Group, and was named Hotelier of the Year - Asia Pacific, 2011 by HM Magazine.) Two years in that role laid the foundation for what would be a major career milestone.

In 2001, Richard Munro was appointed General Manager of Star City, responsible for a $120 million division and a fulltime workforce numbering over 1200. He was clearly ready for senior leadership, thriving in the role for almost a decade. This period also saw Munro move beyond his own hotel lobby, so to speak. “I took up some honorary roles, with a view to playing a part in improving the future of the industry,” he said. “It was really the first time I started to look seriously at the broader industry profile, rather than simply considering the individual business perspective.” For almost three years, Munro presided over the Darling Harbour Business Association, representing key tourism and business assets in one of Australia’s most visited precincts. “We lobbied very hard for some major projects, including the new Sydney International Convention, Exhibition and Entertainment Precinct, and Darling Quarter, which is now a really vibrant community precinct. It is very pleasing to see those come to fruition.”

During this time he also chaired the Accommodation Division of the NSW branch of the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) – an invaluable precursor to his current AAoA role. The seed had been sown. After leaving Star City in 2010, Munro completed a number of projects for Tourism NSW, and took on a business development role in Australia for the 500-strong international Worldhotels group. But it was to industry leadership and advocacy he was now drawn. “I came to the Accommodation Association in mid-2011, where I work on behalf of the tourism accommodation sector, to provide leadership, services, a strong unified voice. As an operator, I wanted to see better outcomes for the industry, to be hands-on with decision-makers, government and the media, gaining recognition for tourism and accommodation as a very significant growth sector in our economy.”

The AAoA works in four key policy areas vital to accommodation operators – employment, taxation, regulation and demand drivers. “On the employment front, for example, this year we have prosecuted a major case for the four-year review of the modern award, covering employment conditions and penalty rates,” Munro said. “We lodged a hefty submission on the merger of Wotif and Expedia, and we are working very hard in relation to building code regulations, and the difference between residential premises and commercial accommodation, in view movements like Airbnb.”

On penalty rates, Munro says all accommodation operators want is a fair approach, without hurting employees. “To be paying up to 275% penalty rates on public holidays is outrageous and it actually costs jobs,” he said. “Unlike restaurants and bars, we can’t just close our doors, because we have a 24-7 duty of care to our guests. We are working very hard to find a balance. It is a very costly process, not unlike going to court, but we are confident we will get there.”

The AAoA is member-owned, representing a very broad church, from premium hotel and serviced apartment operators to tiny B&Bs and regional caravan parks. “That is the beauty of it,” he said. “If you have just one bed, you should be a member, because you can have the weight of large blue-chip companies fighting for you. “Recently we have announced a memorandum of understanding on a joint venture with the AHA, so the industry’s two peak bodies will be working together to provide singular, consolidated advocacy.” Munro says this is crucial because tourism is a growth industry. “We are bigger in terms of employment than mining, and we are in a growth phase while other sectors, such as manufacturing and mining infrastructure development are in decline. We are a solution for government in terms of employment and economic growth,” he said.

So, for a man always in the pursuit of new opportunities, what does the future hold? Munro says he is focused purely on what he is doing now and the people he represents through the AAoA. “I am constantly driven by the challenge of improving outcomes for accommodation operators, and the new joint venture with the AHA makes the possibilities very exciting. I’m not going anywhere.”

With a wife and three children, the boy who hailed from far western Queensland has very happily made Sydney home. When he’s not pounding the corridors of power on behalf of the industry, he indulges two sporting loves – rugby and fishing. He’s especially proud to be founding member of Balmain Rugby. Though the suburb had a proud rugby heritage, from 1919 to 2004 it didn’t have it’s own club. That was until a couple of fans, Munro among them, decided over a quiet beer to re-establish the Balmain Rugby Club. “We won the grand final last year and are one of the fastest growing clubs in Australia,” he beams.

Just the man to have kicking goals for accommodation operators.