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Welcome to the Barter Edge Podcast—your insider guide to smarter business, bigger networks, and better ways to trade.
Whether you're a seasoned member or just getting started, we're here to share real stories, expert tips from different industries, and fresh ideas to help you grow your business using the power of the Bartercard ecosystem.
BC Amisha Soni 21 Aug-25
[00:00:00] Welcome to the Barter Edge Podcast, your insider guide to smarter business, bigger networks, and better ways to trade. We are here to share real stories, expert tips from different industries and fresh ideas to help you grow your business using the power of barter cart.
Jen: Oh, welcome to another episode of the Barta Edge. I'm your host, Jen Truro, and today I am here with one of our special Gold Coast members, Amisha Sony from Palazzo Colonnades in Surface Paradise. Now, the Palazzo Colons provides. Boutique Highrise Holiday accommodation in Surface Paradise. The 10 story building is nestled between the beautiful Nang River and the Sandy beaches on the Gold Coast.
It's an amazing location and so accessible. . They're fully self-contained. Apartments are complimented by our wonderful guest facilities. To ensure your time at [00:01:00] the Palazzo Colons provides an. Ideal holiday environment. Amisha. Welcome to the Barter Edge. Would you like to introduce yourself and tell us more about your amazing, . Resort?
Amisha - Palazzo Colonnades: Thank you very much for having me on the show, Jen. . Well pal, also Colonate, you were, you've summed it up pretty well. . But, uh, it's a. Three star property in the middle of Surface Paradise. It's halfway between Surface and Broad Beach, 50 meters to the T Tram stop. So a very convenient location and 150 meters to the North Cliff Surf Club and all the ocean way, . At accessible beaches accessible from the Ocean way. So yeah,
Jen: Yeah, and having it so close to the tram and that central, more central point between surfers and then Broad Beach, it gives you the best of both worlds. If you're coming up to the Gold Coast where you just outside that real hustle [00:02:00] and bustle of the nightclub,. Party, lifestyle of surface, . Paradise, but then you've.
Also got like all of those amazing restaurants and other facilities that you're so close to. So it really is the best of both worlds if you are visiting, . The Gold Coast, isn't it?
Amisha - Palazzo Colonnades: It, it definitely is with two tram stops to main Surface Paradise, the Surface Paradise Sign or Cabell Avenue, if you wanna call it, and two tram stops to the Gold Coast Convention Center and Broad Beach restaurants and cafes and bars. So when guests are, . If you are choosing accommodation on the Gold Coast, don't have to. Go, oh, either Broad Beach or Surface Paradise. You can stay right in between and enjoy the benefits of, . Maha, . Of, uh, two locations.
Jen: Fantastic. And also I know when I go on holidays, I love having more an apartment style.
Amisha - Palazzo Colonnades: Mm-hmm.
Jen: then you know it's a fully [00:03:00] contained apartment, so you've got more flexibility and that sort of thing as well. Within the apartments, you've got one bedroom and two bedroom to suit different needs. And would you say that having that apartment experience rather than just a hotel room has such a big advantage when you're visiting somewhere?
Amisha - Palazzo Colonnades: Oh, absolutely. All apartments are fully self-contained. They, have, a full laundry, a, a as well as a full kitchen with a full-sized fridge. So you are not, you can stay for a day or for 10 days or a month, and you are not. . Dependent on, on having to go and eat out every time is, I know for myself, my first thing for me is coffee in the morning.
So having, staying in a service department or a self-contained apartment, the best thing is I can make my coffee before I actually go out and talk to people. Be human with people. So that makes a huge difference. And, being so close [00:04:00] to Surface Paradise and Broad Beach and all the restaurants, you are spoiled for choices.
So if you don't feel like cooking or doing anything, you can just head out to a one of the hundreds of restaurants we have, on choice available. All the apartments have got a balcony, so you can sit outside and enjoy the views. We've got Riverview as well as ocean views and city views, depending on the side of the building you are on. and, yeah, they've all got, ducted, aircons and fans in the apartments. Again, it's a lot of convenience in there.
Jen: Yeah. Fantastic. Now you are a Bartercard member. How has Bartercard impacted. At your business and what success have you experienced since joining?
Amisha - Palazzo Colonnades: Bartercard has been very successful for me. It's given me a lot of exposure to industries and contacts that I couldn't achieve on my own. Being an independent operator, [00:05:00] and, having the support from, the likes of yourself. Wendy Renee has helped a lot when it comes to, being available in front of, a clientele that is looking for accommodation on the Gold Coast. It's, increased my bookings, in a different, in the corporate sector. And also, having a constant clientele coming from Bartercard, which again, gives me that, I'm not reliant on the holiday traffic at all times. Yeah, it's been very successful.
Jen: Standing out from the crowd. Like when you Google Accommodation Gold Coast,
Amisha - Palazzo Colonnades: Mm-hmm.
Jen: There is so much out there. So you'd be able to attract people right from around the country that see you because you're in the Bartercard network and go. Okay, well I'm gonna pick them because they're in the Bartercard network and they're a trusted supplier, so it's a great marketing tool for your business, [00:06:00] isn't it?
Amisha - Palazzo Colonnades: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. I don't have a day without at least three to four inquiries coming out of Bartercard and the bartercard,, members. So this is, again, I wouldn't have had those inquiries. Under normal circumstances, because again, people would look at their traditional booking channels, and when you're looking at traditional booking channels, they would go through the, the most price driven.
There's no loyalties sometimes in that section. So being a member of Bartercard, I do have that loyalty from the other members to come and stay and use the facilities, use the services that we provide.
Jen: Yeah, fantastic. And there are a lot of conventions and things like that here on the Gold Coast. You've already mentioned that you're close to the convention center. As well. So perfect location for our busy members or the ones that wanna just come and have a break. So, Amisha, what are some of the most innovative or [00:07:00] strategic ways that you've used those trade dollars that you've earned through the additional business that Bartercard's been able to get you?
Amisha - Palazzo Colonnades: so I have used, Bartercard trade dollars for most of, most of the traditional ways, you know, printing, social media, advertising on different channels, radio advertising photographers, over the past few weeks, I'm working with the, Wendy and Renee to use, tradesmen who are available on Bartercard as well to make sure the building and the facilities are maintained and kept up to date as well.
So we we're working through that and, it's not a one size fits all, but, Renee does work very closely with me to, offer different options, whether it's furniture packages or cleaning products, different avenues to use the trade dollars.
Jen: Fantastic. Now, from your experience in the hospitality sector, what trends or. Opportunity should business owners be [00:08:00] paying attention to right now.
Amisha - Palazzo Colonnades: . From my experience, I believe that business owners need to, diversify their marketing and, look at different options like bartercard and that we can go from there because that is a huge potential. There's an untapped market. There are the, the, the loyalty from the Bartercard members is there to come and use the property or the services.
So definitely there. And also use work with other Bartercard, members to be able to turn their trade dollars into cash.
Jen: Yeah. That's amazing. Amazing. So Amisha, . If someone else in hospitality, in that hospitality sector, whether it be . Venues, resorts, accommodation, like if someone else was in that space and they were considering about joining, what would you say to them?
Amisha - Palazzo Colonnades: Do it without any [00:09:00] hesitation. It's an un again, untapped market. Very. Consistent, loyal clientele. Once you build up the reputation and once you build up the, . The, profile, butter card has definitely inre improved my presence in the marketplace. So, and, and I, granddad used to always say, if you do what you always do, you get what you always got.
So Bartercard is a different avenue and . It's got a lot of potential. So, yeah.
Jen: Fantastic now.
Amisha - Palazzo Colonnades: talk to me, they can call me.
Jen: And the other thing is like, I had a friend coming up for a business trip, and she's not a Bartercard member, but we still recommended you. So you, you've been able to get referrals to cash paying business as well through the network, haven't you?
Amisha - Palazzo Colonnades: That's correct. It was right in the middle of the storm, so that's when it happened. Yeah, that is true. So it's not, not just Bartercard [00:10:00] members, but also the members that are not on Bartercard have come and stayed. Because of the Bartercard connection that comes through.
So again, this, I look at it as these guests or these clientele would probably, I would have been lost in a c of a hundred property options, whereas it was narrowed down to myself being a Bartercard member and that relationship.
Jen: Well, Amisha it is so. Great having you in our network. It's great seeing you at the Bartercard events now that they've started again on the Gold Coast and getting you out networking through our community. Absolute pleasure to have you on today. If you are looking for a great place to stay when you come to the Gold Coast, please get in touch with Isha and Google the Palazzo colon aids.
Beautiful facility, resort style pool. Like she said, it's it's apartments so that you've got the flexibility, but you're also in the [00:11:00] middle of surface paradise and Broad Beach, so you get the best of everything. So Amisha, thank you for being here with us on the barter edge.
Amisha - Palazzo Colonnades: Thank you.
Thank you for being with us today and sharing your stories and expertise. If you wanna find out how Barter Card can help your business, or if you wanna be a guest on our future podcast, contact our team at hello@bartercard.com. Make sure you tune in for our next episode of the Barter Edge.