The team at bustling Bendooley Estate in the beautiful Southern Highlands of NSW know a thing or two about service – they host almost 300 weddings a year, run a busy restaurant, offer wonderful  accommodation, have an amazing book barn café and somehow find the time to tend a vineyard. 

Bendooley Estate is a long-term client of RMS Cloud, so we were very excited when operations manager Charles Cowell reached out to let us know that two of our staff - James Bennet and Sam Toplis – had been providing exceptional service and helping grow their business.

“I have been managing and operating hospitality businesses for the past 15 years and I have never come across any company that comes remotely close to the exceptional service that these two gentlemen offer us,” said Charles.

“Between the two of them they have assisted me in growing the business exponentially and they deserve nothing but praise. They have helped me out when it’s been their days off and out of hours.

“Nothing has been too much trouble for them despite my sometimes ridiculous requests.

“Whatever I ask gets done. For them it’s not a job – they believe in the product. If there is a problem, they will just get it fixed. Nothing is too much trouble. 

“The RMS software is good, and they have an incredible knowledge of it. Everything we throw at them they do it with ease.”

It’s another reminder of the difference that committed and knowledgeable customer support can make – building the best technology will only get you so far, at the end of the day it’s people like Sam and James who make the difference.

People are also the x-factor at Bendooley Estate, near Berrima, a couple of hours south of Sydney. It’s owned by the Berkelouw family, who have been trading books across two countries, six generations and more than 200 years.

They bought Bendooley Estate in 1977, relocating the headquarters of Berkelouw Books from the Sydney CBD to the Australian bush, which gave them the space to accommodate their incredible collection of books.

Bendooley Estate started with the Berkelouw Book Barn 40 years ago and has since expanded to include a restaurant, The Stables function centre, a vineyard/cellar door and six luxury cottages. 

There’s also The Bendooley Larder in Bowral, which features local produce and food prepared in the kitchens at Bendooley Estate.

And there’s more to come with well-advanced plans for a 40-room hotel, a second restaurant and a conference centre with capacity for 100 guests.

Meanwhile, the Berkelouw Books business returned to Sydney in the mid-1990s, and now has stores in Paddington, Leichhardt, Mona Vale, Balgowlah, Cronulla, Rose Bay and Eumundi.

May the journey continue.