23 Jan 2026
Words John Miller Informer

Building on Success

Vivi Zhu and Leo Wang share both a life together and a marriage of talents. The couple moved to Australia from Suzhou, west of Shanghai, in 2009 to study: Vivi at the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School; Leo at Deakin University for a Master of Professional Accounting.

After the couple graduated they moved to Daylesford, Australia’s spa capital, to work at the Lake House, a boutique hotel on Lake Daylesford. They learned much about operating an accommodation business, but the working arrangement was far from ideal.

Vivi and Leo were ships passing in the night. Vivi, specialising in food and beverage, worked nights. Leo, an accountant, during the day. After the couple had their first child, they hardly saw one another. Vivi’s mother helped with babysitting because the couple were working so hard to get established.

“By that time, I suppose we felt we’d had enough working for other people,” says Vivi.

“We realised we could do something that combined our skills sets. That’s how we came to look at hospitality. Working at Lake House gave me a deep understanding of customer service, guest engagement, quality control … all the skills to operate a hotel, combined with what I learned at hotel management school. Leo is an accountant though, he can’t do F&B, so that ruled out running a restaurant. But we could both do accommodation.”

The couple started looking at motels and hotels within two hours’ drive of Ballarat, where they were living at that time. Their search was a long one, spanning 18 months and inspecting more than a dozen properties.

“We conducted extensive research and carefully looked at each opportunity individually,” says Vivi.

“With each one you learn something new. I think I became a very qualified accountant after I’d seen the profit and loss statements for all these properties!”

Finances were crucial to the couple’s decision-making, but so too was instinct.

“First impression is extremely important,” says Vivi.

“I always ask myself, ‘If I were the customer, would I be happy to stay here?’ That is the first question I consider when inspecting a property.”

The couple’s search ultimately led them to the 18-key Nagambie Motor Inn, whose freehold going concern was for sale. The property was only 90 minutes’ drive from Melbourne. More importantly, it passed Vivi’s first-impression test. The couple were also attracted by the motel’s low occupancy, which was then in the doldrums, hovering around 30%.

“We believed it had significant potential to increase revenue,” she says. “For a country motel, a 30% occupancy rate is exceptionally low.”

The couple set to work turning the motel’s fortunes around. Vivi says the couple applied three basic rules.

“First, deliver excellent customer service — always with a smile,” she says. “Second, build up strong relationships with guests so they choose to stay with you whenever they’re in town. Third, maintain high standards in cleaning, bedding, television and amenities. We invested a great deal of time, money and effort into all these areas.”

By the time the couple sold Nagambie Motor Inn (through ResortBrokers’ agent Jacqueline Featherby) seven and a half years later, they had succeeded in increasing occupancy to an incredible 85%. Having achieved what they had set out to do, the couple thought they couldn’t take the motel much further.

“We felt we’d already challenged ourselves to make it high end,” says Vivi.

“We couldn’t make big progress anymore. That’s why we thought if we could sell Nagambie, we could buy something bigger. We thought we were ready for that.”

Now with two children in tow, the couple were also motivated to move to Melbourne where primary education was better. The family settled in Croydon Hills in east Melbourne, buying a house and establishing their children at local schools.

“In the beginning, we were looking at accommodation properties in surrounding areas, so we considered Beaconsfield, Doncaster and the Mornington Peninsula,” says Vivi.

Ultimately, their search led them to Mansi on Raymond, an award-winning 36-key independent hotel in Sale, Gippsland, about 2.5 hours’ drive from their home in Melbourne. The couple were introduced to the property by ResortBrokers’ agent Chris Boschetti.

Mansi on Raymond was exactly what the couple were looking for: a freehold going concern with double the number of keys than Nagambie Motor Inn, predominantly corporate trade and a stellar reputation.

“At first, we believed the price was completely beyond our reach, but thanks to our finance broker, she made it possible for us,” says Vivi.

“When we arrived, we were amazed at what the vendors had done … the quality of the buildings, the layout and how well the rooms were maintained. The guest rooms were nearly 10 years old but looked only three to five years old.”

“We knew Mansi would be a major step forward for us. It was completely different from the business we had before. It didn’t feel like a typical hotel or motel, it felt more like an estate.”

Having worked at the Lake House in Daylesford, the couple also understood the appeal of mineral water baths in a hotel as a major occupancy driver.

“When we saw Mansi had huge potential for that, we thought we could attract locals as well as clients from Melbourne for the spa thing.”

Mansi also suited the couple’s stage in life. At Nagambie Motor Inn they were hands-on operators. Now, with two children and wanting to be more present as they grew up, the couple decided to employ two fulltime managers at Mansi: one on reception, the other in charge of housekeeping. That way, the couple could maintain their life in Melbourne.

“For Nagambie, we were living onsite, the kids were staying with us,” says Vivi.

“We could commit 100% of our time and effort to run it. But for Mansi, we have managers, so we have more time at home. It’s less stress and a better work-life balance. Our kids are older now and have a lot of school activities that require parents participating in events. Now, we’re able to manage it.”

Mansi is not completely hands-off for the couple. Leo is there Monday to Friday, and Vivi is there every other week.

“We learned that Sale is a different kind of guest market. Unless there’s a wedding, there isn’t much leisure trade. Monday through Thursday is busy, but Friday through Sunday is quiet. That actually suits us. It means I don’t have to be there on weekends and can spend more time with my children,” says Vivi.

The couple has grand designs for Mansi. The hotel has 36 regular rooms, which are full throughout the week with corporate trade. But there’s demand for more.

“Our major plan for Mansi is to expand the number of rooms for corporate guests,” says Vivi. “We also want to develop something similar to Hepburn Springs — a large swimming-pool-style mineral bath with accommodation alongside it. Our goal is to enhance the property to attract more leisure guests and draw visitors from Melbourne.”

“That’s our vision for Mansi. We aim to establish it as a landmark in Sale — a place leisure visitors immediately recognise for its high standard of service.” END