ABOUT US

McNevins' Mission and Business Philosophy

McNevins' Mission

McNevins to  Develop and Maintain First Class Accommodation & Dining Facilities.

McNevins to  Strive for Excellence in the Service that we offer to our Guests.

McNevins to  Be the Employer of Choice for all our Staff.

McNevins to  Deliver High Quality Accommodation at a Reasonable Price.

McNevins' Business Philosophy

McNevins success depends on our people. Our Motels can only prosper and provide opportunities for employment and growth when we continually improve ourselves, and the work we do. We recognise however, that success is not measured by sales, guest counts, and numbers alone. We are measured as much by the way in which we achieve our goals, as we are by the actual achievements themselves. We believe that a commitment to uncompromising values and integrity should always guide our decisions and actions as we pursue our goals. Following are the core values that form the foundation of our measurement of success:

We believe in providing legendary service. Our goal is to provide the kind of unique and genuine sort of personal care and attention that our customers tell stories about.

We believe that good enough isn’t. We never stop trying to do it better, no matter how good we are. We constantly strive to "raise the bar.”

We believe in honesty and trust. We work to build trust with others in each and every transaction and interaction. We recognise that honesty and trust form the bond that holds organisations and relationships together.

We believe in the ongoing training and development of our people. We see it as a worthy investment in the future of the Motel and as a way of enabling our people to achieve their potential in whatever they do.

We believe our continued success depends on teamwork. We know that great achievements are only possible from helping and respecting each other.

We believe in doing business in a professional and orderly manner. We take great pride in having good systems, standardised procedures and being organised.

History of McNevins

The organisation that is known as McNevins today was first created by Brian and Jean McNevin in the early 1970’s with the purchase of ‘Motel Cessnock’ on Allandale Road in the Hunter Valley town of Cessnock in NSW.

As a young man, Brian McNevin had a strong interest in interior design and worked in the Soft Furnishing Department of McWirters Department Store in The Valley in Brisbane. With the outbreak of World War II, Brian joined the Army as a Private in the Service Corps, serving in the Middle East and the Pacific. It was during his time in Bougainville that he met and married Jean who was serving as an Army Nurse. By the end of the War, Brian had risen to the rank of Major and decided to make the Army his career. He retired from the Army in 1970 as a Brigadier.

On retirement from the Army, Brian McNevin took up a position as a Director of the Australian National Travel Association (ANTA) based in Sydney. ANTA were commissioned by the federal government to carry out 13 regional tourism feasibility studies across Australia, and it was Brian’s job to carry them out. One of these studies investigated the Hunter Valley Region of NSW.

In the early 1970’s the town of Cessnock in the Hunter Valley was best known for its coal mines and its goal. Brian McNevin, in conjunction with the ANTA study he was directing, anticipated that the wine industry in the Hunter Valley would grow to become a major tourism draw-card in the town and the wider region. It was his confidence in this prediction that prompted the purchase of ‘Motel Cessnock’.

With the burgeoning wine industry in the Hunter Valley that Brian had predicted, came a steady increase in the popularity of Cessnock as a tourist destination. ‘Motel Cessnock’ was repainted and progressively improved, adding to the success of the business. After about 5 years, Brian and Jean sold the Motel in Cessnock and purchased the larger ‘All Seasons Motor Inn’ on the Pacific Highway in Ballina, NSW. Once again Brian exercised his design and development skills to increase the size and quality of this Motel over a period of about 10 years.

By this time Brian and Jean McNevin were in their late 60’s and had achieved enough financial independence to afford a comfortable retirement. As part of the deal selling the Ballina Motel, they acquired a luxury waterfront home in Paradise Point on the Gold Coast in Queensland that would serve as their retirement home. Needless to say, within a few months, much to the disappointment of Jean, Brian McNevin was ‘clawing at the walls’ with nothing to do.

This failed attempt at a retired lifestyle roughly coincided with the return to Australia from the USA of Brian and Jean’s son Peter McNevin. Peter had completed a Masters Degree in Architecture in Virginia. Brian immediately identified the ‘cheapest Architect in town’ and so began a long and successful association between father and son, developing the three Motels in south-east Queensland. Peter would design and document the Architecture and Brian would once again engage in his passion for interior design. The property in Warwick was purchased in 1986 as a vacant block of land that has been developed in three stages. The Motel in Loganholme was purchased in 1987 in time for the World Trade Fair that occurred in Brisbane in 1988. Thirteen new units were added to this Motel and the old ‘Queenslander’ house on the site was converted into a stylish boutique restaurant and motel reception. Currently, plans have been approved for the Loganholme Motel to be further developed into an exclusive resort. The Motel in Maryborough was purchased in 1988. Work to completely refurbish this Motel began the following year, including the purchase of the property next door.