Canberra Innovation Network empowers entrepreneurs to change the world by connecting them to leading experts and mentors to uncover ground-breaking ideas.
JULY 2025 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Marriott Mena House Cairo
We transport ourselves to the desert sands of Egypt—to a place where ancient wonders and five-star hospitality converge in a single unforgettable setting. Our destination is Marriott Mena House Cairo, a legendary hotel with perhaps the most iconic view in the world: the majestic Pyramids of Giza. To reserve you room, please visit the hotel website. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app
JUNE 2025 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Fairmont Banff Springs
The Fairmont Banff Springs is a legendary property which has enchanted guests for over a century with its grandeur, natural surroundings, and timeless charm. Set in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, it is easy to feel like royalty in this castle-like hotel . To reserve your room, please visit Fairmont Banff Springs. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
MAY 2025
Computing Showcase
Australian National University
ANU TechLauncher students participated in the Semester 1 Computing Showcase. To see a sneak peak of our Refresh projects and videos, check these out here. Our website is available here: Refresh.app
MAY 2025 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Soneva Jani
In the calm turquoise waters of the Maldives, lies a resort that embodies serenity, sustainability, and seclusion. This is Soneva Jani, a resort that has redefined what it means to experience barefoot luxury in the 21st century. To reserve you room, please visit the hotel website. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
APRIL 2025 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Armani Hotel Dubai
An incredible property located within a world icon, the Burj Khalifa. Our podcast features Mr Takehiro Ito, the former Director of Sales at Giorgio Armani's masterpiece. To reserve your room within the world's tallest building, please visit Armani Hotel Dubai. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
MARCH 2025 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo
The oldest luxury hotel in the world was opened more than 160 years ago by the visionary, Prince Charles III of Monaco. This podcast takes you on a journey back in time. To reserve you room, please visit the hotel website. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
FEBRUARY 2025 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
The Peninsula Hong Kong
Often featured towards the top of the list of the best hotels in the world. This hotel is a Hong Kong icon. It is prominent, and perhaps the in best location in the city, overlooking the magnificent Victoria Harbour. Reserve your room directly with the hotel. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
JANUARY 2025 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Dusit Thani Guam Resort
This month, our podcast travels to a tropical island in the heart of the Pacific. Guam is a beautiful tourist destination and home to some of world's top dive sites, being perched above the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on our planet. We are joined by a hotel sales and marketing guru, a good friend and a member of the pre-opening team for this property, Mr Takehiro Ito. To reserve you room, please visit the hotel website. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
JANUARY 2025
Y Combinator
Y Combinator (YC) is the most prestigious startup accelerator in the world. It has launched some of the most successful Silicon Valley style startups, such as AirBNB, Stripe and Dropbox. We applied for the most recent YC batch, along with 27,000 others, but were not one of 260 companies selected. Maybe next time!
DECEMBER 2024 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle
This month's podcast was released on December 6, 2024 which is the 100th birthday celebration of the iconic Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle. It’s a property set in a city famous for global leading organisations, including Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing. Seattle is also set in one of the most beautiful environments, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, and is the place to see orcas and even bald eagles. To reserve your room, visit the hotel website. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
NOVEMBER 2024
Computing Showcase
Australian National University
ANU TechLauncher students participated in the Semester 2 Computing Showcase. To see a sneak peak of our Shower Away projects and videos, check these out here. Shower Away is now part of Refresh.app.
NOVEMBER 2024 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Hotels & Waymo
Our Co-Founder, recently visited San Francisco and got to try out Waymo autonomous cars. In this episode he shares his thoughts on how driverless cars may impact the hotel industry. Visit the Waymo site here. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
OCTOBER 2024
SILICON VALLEY
Co-Founder, Peter DeMoor, visited the Bay Area, including Silicon Valley and San Francisco. After riding in brand new Waymo autonomous cars, a visit to Apple was on the cards, ahead of this year's event. The highlight was meeting Chris Saad, former Product Manager at Uber and Co-host of The Startup Podcast. If you are interested in startups, this is your 'go to' podcast!
SEPTEMBER 2024
Fairmont Hotels
Hotel Leaders
Peter DeMoor, visited the Canadian Rocky Mountains, including Fairmont hotels, such as Lake Louise (pictured) and Banff Springs. He also was lucky enough to visit Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle and the original Fairmont hotel in San Francisco (one of his favourite in the world). Fairmont is part of Accor. There are some wonderful hotel stories to share with you in upcoming Hotel Leaders podcasts.
AUGUST 2024
OLYMPICS
Shower Away
Not every occasion is 100% successful. Shower Away was ready to work with two Parisian hotels so that Australian Olympians could try the Shower Away experience at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, due to the strict rules the athletes weren't allowed out of the grounds, and into hotels, when they weren't in the village or at the venue. That said, it was a really enjoyable and successful Olympics, with Australia finishing fourth, ahead of the host country! Shower Away is now part of Refresh.app.
AUGUST 2024 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Copacabana Palace
Today we are travelling to perhaps the most incredible hotel in South America. It is the Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Rio is all about the environment, the people and a healthy dose of fun. The Harbour of Rio de Janeiro is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Today, we will explore the harbour, the beach and the iconic hotel that has placed Copacabana on the world stage for more than a century. To reserve you room visit the hotel website. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
JULY 2024 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Sheraton Grand Mirage Port Douglas
One of my favourite five-star resorts in Australia is the Sheraton Grand Mirage Port Douglas. It is a property I know well, having worked there in the early 2000’s and more recently been a guest. The town of Port Douglas is famous for being the perfect stepping off point to the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest. To reserve you room visit the hotel website. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
JUNE 2024 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Kruger Shalati
This podcast features the Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge. This luxury hotel is situated in the Kruger National Park, overlooking the Sabie River. You can see incredible wildlife from your hotel room and viewing platforms as elephants, lions, hippos and more come to to drink each day! Now also available on YouTube. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
MAY 2024
Computing Showcase
Australian National University
ANU TechLauncher students participated in the Semester 1 Computing Showcase. To see a sneak peak of our Shower Away projects and videos, check these out here. Shower Away is now part of Refresh.app.
MAY 2024 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Peace Hotel Shanghai
The Peace Hotel is perhaps the most iconic of Shanghai's historic hotels. The ‘Mansion of the East’ is a landmark and an institution. We will spend time with the CEO of the Swatch Art Peace Hotel, which is the South Building and a short tour with the General Manager of the Fairmont Peace Hotel, the North Building. We will discover a legendary hotel jazz band, where the band members have been playing every evening since 1980 in this more than luxury 5-star hotel. To book a room at the Fairmont Peace Hotel please visit here. Check out the Swatch Art Peace Hotel here. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
APRIL 2024 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Icehotel, Sweden
In 2024 the Icehotel will be rebuilt for the 35th time. Each year the hotel melts away in the long summer days and is rebuilt in winter complete with ice carvings and beautiful lights within and the northern lights outside. To see beautiful footage of this hotel or to book a room in winter, or any time of year, please visit icehotel.com. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
MARCH 2024 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Hilton Hotels & Resorts
This podcast is all about the Hilton Hotels and Resorts, and how Conrad Hilton acquired one hotel in Texas and created one of the largest and most well-known of the global hotel empires. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
FEBRUARY 2024 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
The Venetian
This podcast features the Venetian-Palazzo Resort Las Vegas, the largest luxury hotel in the world! This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
DECEMBER 2023
Port Douglas Hotels
Community-minded and generous
Some wonderful Port Douglas hotels have donated luxury hotel room showers through the Shower Away platform, in conjunction with the SES and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services. Reserve a Port Doulas shower here. Showers are available free of charge to residents of Port Douglas whose residential showers are not operational as a result of the cyclone. Shower Away is now part of Refresh.app.
DECEMBER 2023 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Jamala Wildlife Lodge
This podcast features the one and only Jamala Wildlife Lodge. So much more than a five star hotel, you will discover a series of wonderful experiences that are out of this world! This hotel has to be seen in real life to be believed. If you have the opportunity, and the means, and your travels bring you to Canberra, the capital of Australia, we whole-heartedly recommend visiting the National Zoo and Aquarium and within it, the iconic Jamala Wildlife Lodge! For more details, visit jamalawildlifelodge.com.au. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
NOVEMBER 2023 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Burj Al Arab Hotel
This podcast is all about the Burj Al Arab, often known as ‘the world's only seven-star hotel’ and a symbol of Dubai's luxury and extravagance. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
You can listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
NOVEMBER 2023
Shower Away Team
Australian National University (ANU) TechLauncher students participated in the Semester 2 Computing Showcase in 2023. To see a sneak peak of our Shower Away projects, check out our information page. Shower Away is now part of Refresh.app.
OCTOBER 2023 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Royal Hawaiian
This episode of the Hotel Leaders podcast takes you on a wonderful journey to the Hawaiian Islands to discover the 'Pink Palace of the Pacific'. You will discover how the founder, Ed Tenney, Sheraton and now Marriott International have transformed the hotel, which with the financial backing and stewardship of the Osano family, to become one of the most recognisable hotels in the world. Photo: Sue DeMoor. This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
You can listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
SEPTEMBER 2023 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Accor Hotel Group
Our second episode of the Hotel Leaders podcast takes you on a deep dive, as we learn about the founders, leaders and history of the Accor. We’ll explore the secrets which enabled Paul and Gerard to build this iconic hotel group, which now includes more than 800,000 rooms in 110 countries! This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
You can listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
AUGUST 2023 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Raffles Singapore
Our first episode of a brand new podcast launched in August 2023. Welcome to the Hotel Leaders Podcast, hosted by Peter DeMoor. This episode introduces you to an iconic hotel, started by hotel visionaries. There is nowhere else quite like Raffles Singapore! This episode is brought to you by Refresh.app.
You can listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
JULY 2023 - PODCAST
Hotel Leaders
Our trailer for a brand new podcast launched in July 2023. Episodes introduce you to founders and leaders of iconic hotels and hotel brands.
You can listen to our trailer on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
JUNE 2023
Meet a Co-Founder
Featured in Canberra Innovation Network program advertising
Co-Founder, Peter DeMoor is an active member of the Australian start-up community, seen here attending a recent First Wednesday Connect event.
Idea to Impact is a competitive program for innovators introducing and applying practical tools to master the art of turning ambitious ideas into high impact ventures.
MAY 2023
Shower Away Team
Winners!
Australian National University (ANU) TechLauncher students attended the Semester 1 Computing Showcase in 2023 and the Shower Away team won the poster award. Shower Away is now part of Refresh.app.
APRIL 2023
What Makes a Great Hotel Shower?
A luxurious shower experience is different for everyone. A great shower is comfortable, enjoyable and there are a few factors which contribute to this.
Water
The water temperature and pressure are consistent, strong and easy to adjust.
The showerhead will provide great coverage to allow you to easily rinse-off and feel wonderful.
Design
The shower is spacious enough to allow for comfortable movement, without feeling cramped.
Showers are private and safe, as you would expect in hotel rooms.
Beauty
Great showers are stylish and professionally cleaned by hotel housekeepers.
Showers offer all the amenities you require, from shampoo and hairdryers to fluffy towels.