Sydney, 22 June 2022 – Sustainably-led, independent hotel group Crystalbrook Collection today launches 'Meet Mindfully' - a cleaner, slower, more conscious way to travel and gather for meetings and events.

Tapping into the rising trend for work wellbeing, Meet Mindfully is designed to remove the stressors and environmental pressures of conventional corporate meetings, instead facilitating meetings of purpose and value. Each Crystalbrook hotel will also stir in its unique personality with proudly local destination experiences, transforming traditional concepts of team-bonding. Highlights include: guided sound healing at Crystalbrook Byron, local gin blending at Crystalbrook Kingsley and beehive workshops at Crystalbrook Riley.

“Crystalbrook's goal is to provide attendees with the space and culture that heroes the local environment, while also being empowering. We want guests to leave meetings at Crystalbrook feeling invigorated, both professional and personally,” said Crystalbrook CEO, Geoff York.

While every Crystalbrook property shares many similarities, the brand loves to champion each property's unique personality and this truly comes to life in meetings. When it comes to Meet Mindfully, Crystalbrook Collection has curated a series of team-bonding activities which encapsulate the very best a destination has to offer. Highlights include:

Crystalbrook Byron, Byron Bay

• Guided Sound Healing, using a crystal quartz singing bowl and chimes to leave delegates feeling uplifted. The sound frequencies slow down brain waves to a deeply restorative state, which activates the body's system of self-healing.
• Palm Weaving: immersion in a traditional artform that is both relaxing and energising. Delegates will begin the exercise with a guided walk through Crystalbrook Byron's on-site rainforest, followed by an hour of string making using palm fronds from the rainforest.
• Forest Bathing: immersion in the rainforest, tapping into its healing qualities through a quiet, guided, mindful walk focused on soaking up the sounds, scents, colours and "feel" of the forest.

Crystalbrook Kingsley, Newcastle

• Gin Blending Class with Earp Distilling Co: learn from the Earp distillery team about the history of gin and distilling, exploring both traditional and contemporary gin profiles before crafting your very own gin blends.
• Newcastle Afoot Walking Tour: venture on a personally curated tour of Newcastle, unveiling the best kept secrets of Australia's second oldest city. Explore Newcastle architecture, street art, seascapes, and laneways to uncover hidden secrets and learn about the city's history and new developments.

Crystalbrook Vincent, Brisbane

• A Vincent-Inspired Sketch 'n Sip: take a guided walk-through corridors of Crystalbrook Vincent and be inspired by the art of Vincent Fantauzzo. Then, delegates will join the hotel's resident artist to be led through a guided sketching session to create their own piece of art, all whilst sipping on a range of drinks created in Brisbane.
• Laughter Therapy / Laughing Yoga: humour is an effective tool to develop staff resilience and maintain a positive outlook. It increases engagement levels and creates a healthy working environment, helping teams to communicate and work better together, and solving problems faster. During this one-hour session, delegates will learn that laughter is a strong medicine.

Crystalbrook Riley, Crystalbrook Bailey and Crystalbrook Flynn, Cairns

• Beehive Workshop: experience an educational tour with Cairns Local Hero Graham Thornton for corporate groups to build camaraderie and a renewed focus on teamwork as evidenced by the beehive structure in nature. Each workshop includes a Q&A, before smelling and tasting a variety of honey, followed by a hands-on activity constructing a native bee house which will be donated to parks, community centres and schools. 
• Dreamtime walk: including full dance performance over an Aussie BBQ lunch by the Pamagirri Aboriginal Cultural Enjoy a didgeridoo playing and spear-throwing demonstration after lunch and learn how to throw a boomerang and then paint your own personal boomerang to take home with you either in group colours or with a personalised design.
• Paint Yourself Tropical: learn from Cairns local hero Grace Hopkins, an experienced art curator, and paint yourself a tropical scene in Cairns whilst sipping spritzes from the local Wolf Lane Distillery.

Meanwhile, all properties will also feature the below overarching initiatives:

• Daily Card Ritual: Individuals get to draw a card from the deck at the start of the day. The card will display a message cue, encouraging individuals to integrate this into their energy for the day. It could be to bring joy, to listen, to open up or to support another - each day, each card will have a special resonance for that person that day.
• Power-down Plans: adding a technology power-down period will allow delegates the freedom to consciously connect as a group and help limit emissions and carbon footprint. Individuals are also welcome to pop their phones into a locked “powerdown box” and head out into the area – from the Byron beachfront to the Cairns esplanade to backstreets of Newcastle, there's something unique at each of the destinations.
• Bike Around The Block: Groups can divide into smaller breakouts and each jump on a bicycle around the block (or along the beachfront.) This quick rush of activity stimulates blood to the brain and revives the spirit to vamp delegates up to engage fully in the next component of the meeting.
• Clean Up Kits: Australia's waste challenges go far beyond one day. With the help of a Clean Up Australia kit, Crystalbrook hope to inspire and empower groups to play their part to clean up, fix up and conserve the environment.
• Paperless Communications: where possible, Crystalbrook has removed the use of paper from meetings. Where paper is required, Crystalbrook uses forest stewardship council (fsc)® certified paper.
• Mindfully Safe: As well as ensuring all physical areas are covid-safe, Crystalbrook ensures wellbeing for the mind. Crystalbrook have partnered with The Indigo Project to provide attendees with free-of-charge meditation and tools to increase productivity and minimise stress. Attendees also recieve a complimentary 'Five Day Choose Yourself Challenge' and 'Power Down Plan' to maximise mindfullness and improve wellbeing.
• No plastics policy. Crystalbrook offers filtered water in reusable glass bottles.
• Local produce: 80% of all produce on banquet menus comes from within a three-hour drive of each hotel. As a group-wide intiative, Crystalbrook endeavours to support local and really bring to life their ethos of being authentically Australian.
• Recycled waste: All meeting waste is recycled under the brands 'Container for change programme'. Crystalbrook also works with OzHarvest to collect unused food from meetings to distribute to those in need within local communities.
• Coco Starter Kit: Each delegate will receive a CoCo Starter Kit, an environmental planter to grow their own herb kit.

The Meet Mindfully initiative is now available across the six Crystalbrook hotels mentioned above.

- ENDS -   

 Editor's Notes – What's in a name? Well, all our love, sweat and tears. Please note, Crystalbrook hotel names should not be shortened or altered. E.g. Crystalbrook Kingsley should not be referred to as The Kingsley or Kingsley.  

Correct hotel names:  

- Crystalbrook Albion  

- Crystalbrook Bailey  

- Crystalbrook Byron  

- Crystalbrook Flynn  

- Crystalbrook Kingsley  

- Crystalbrook Riley  

- Crystalbrook Vincent

About Crystalbrook   

Crystalbrook is one of Australia's leading sustainable and innovative independent hospitality companies. Each hotel in the portfolio carries an authentic expression of its location, a passion for responsible luxury, considered design and a twinkle of fun for a uniquely enriching experience.  

Crystalbrook's portfolio includes:   

- Crystalbrook Riley, Cairns, Queensland   

- Crystalbrook Albion, New South Wales   

- Crystalbrook Byron, Byron Bay, New South Wales  

- Crystalbrook Bailey, Cairns, Queensland   

- Crystalbrook Flynn, Cairns, Queensland   

- Crystalbrook Kingsley, Newcastle, New South Wales

- Crystalbrook Vincent, Brisbane, Queensland 

The Group also owns and operates a collection of fifteen restaurants, three spas, Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina in Port Douglas along with Crystalbrook Station and its subsidiary pastoral businesses.  

Responsible Luxury  

Responsible Luxury and sustainability is at the forefront of the way Crystalbrook thinks and operates. At a glance:  

• Operating a single use plastic free environment. No plastic straws, water bottles or single use bathroom amenity bottles (in the past two years the Group has saved over three million plastic bottles from entering landfill) 
• Farming their own beef 
• Sourcing at least 80% of produce from within a three-hour drive of each hotel 
• Use of technology, such as in-room iPads and mobile check-in to create paperless environments and experiences 
• Use of recycled and upcycled materials. Examples include key cards made from recycled wood, coat hangers made from recycled paper and toothbrushes made from sugar cane and cornstarch 

Crystalbrook Collection and Ghassan Aboud Group  

Crystalbrook Collection is part of Ghassan Aboud Group promoted by international entrepreneur and philanthropist Ghassan Aboud. The group is a multi-business conglomerate engaged in automobiles, real estate, hospitality, FMCG, food, retail, bespoke catering, media and logistics. In business for more than two decades, the group operates from its global headquarters in the United Arab Emirates with offices in Australia, Belgium, Jordan and Turkey. 

For further information:   

Melissa Dive, Account Director  

The Mint Partners  

m +61 484906720  

e melissa@themintpartners.com.au  

Katie Malone, Group Director, Marketing 

Crystalbrook Collection 

M: +61 424 927 964 

E: katie.malone@crystalbrookcollection.com  

crystalbrookcollection.com

Sophia Bakopanos, Director, Digital Marketing

Crystalbrook Collection

M:  +61 436 632 210

E:   sophia.bakopanos@crystalbrookcollection.com

crystalbrookcollection.com