House
Proud - J U LY 2 0 1 7 I S S U E -
THIS MONTH’S HOTTIE Pieta Mace meeting a local in Morocco, find out more about her on page 14.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
• GENERAL NEWS
• REGIONAL ROUND UP
• FAMIL S
• H OT S T U F F
• C E L E B R AT I O N S
MOD’S FOREWORD
GENERAL NEWS
HOT Travel Bazaar a runaway success! It has been eight years since the Auckland Region has held a larger scale Travel Expo, the new HOT Travel Bazaar took place in May this year. All seventeen Auckland House of Travel stores were part of the Bazaar, with every store represented at their own booking station. More than 80 suppliers attended the Bazaar, along with an international food court, cultural dancing and entertainment, as well as travel seminars on offer.
consultants and computers to handle all the enquiries! We have also had a lot of expressions of interest from tour operators, airlines and cruise companies etc who were not able to be present this year, but would really like to be involved in 2018 which is great. A massive thank you to the staff across retail and Holdings who worked tirelessly to make the HOT Travel Bazaar a massive success. Roll on 2018.
Over 3,000 people attended the Bazaar, the only improvement needed for next year is more
Well July is nearly over and that means we are well past half way through 2017, what an incredibly busy year we have had! 30 years in the business of enriching kiwi lives through travel and we are not slowing down at all. Like Doctor Who, we are reincarnating ourselves on a regular basis with new business partners joining HOT in a few of our stores. In fact in the last 18 months we have had a 20% reinvigoration, which has been fantastic to see. Many of our new OO’s have come from within our business, while some have come from other travel chains or re-joined us. This speaks volumes for the health of our businesses, the quality of our HOTTIE’s and strength of the brand. As you will see in the following pages we have a lot to update you on, the great success story that is GTN, the amazing experiences that many of you have been having around the world, the life changing events and the fun local activities too. Future Fit 3 kicks off on 24 July as we continue to transform ourselves and our sales approaches to meet the needs of the new travel customer. It is so pleasing to see the great results and data we are gathering
IN THIS ISSUE:
around what our customers love and seek from us through the Voice of Customer programme. The sheer number of WOW’s still blows me away, especially considering the massive expectations our customers have on us to deliver faultless travel experiences. I know the last few weeks have been challenging again with weather disruptions affecting both our HOT and Orbit customers, our consultants, and ticketing and reservation teams. The extra hours you all put in to resolve our customers issues are what makes us stand apart from the rest. I really appreciate it. I also know the IT system stability issues we are having are really impacting all of us. Mark Leadbetter and the team are as frustrated as you are and are working incredibly hard to get our suppliers to deliver on their promises. We know it is unacceptable and no one is taking it lightly, least of all me, Mark or his team. We will get this sorted.
celebrated HOT Wellington’s 30 years and their Top Corporate award with a great party in Wellington, and have had a fun Italian night out with HOT Hornby to celebrate their 2016 success. There’s dinner with HOT Newmarket next week as our Top Large and Overall Retail outlet which will be huge, and later next month we will celebrate HOT Mount Maunganui’s 2016 award. Not too tough a job as CEO is it! Personally I am hanging out for some sun, this week I am heading away with Nicki and the girls for an extended long weekend in Fiji to escape the rain and cold. I hope you all are getting a wee break soon yourselves as EB1 will be here before you know it. Travel safe, Cheers MOD.
We are working on finalising Awards for next year over the next few weeks so watch this space for an update very soon! We are really excited to have locked in all the activities for our special one off Top 30 trip in August to Vietnam, it will be fantastic. We
03 GENERAL NEWS
HOT KERIKERI UPDATE
MOD’S KITCHEN RULES
We are delighted to welcome Nikki Platt as the new OO for HOT Kerikeri.
The Shortland St kitchen was recently turned into a pop-up restaurant for the day, with head chef MOD, and his sous-chefs serving the staff curry, rice and an Asian salad. MOD claimed that the food had taken him all night to prepare but the containers from the local restaurant suggested otherwise.
Nikki is a returning HOTTIE having previously worked as a senior consultant in HOT KKE and we are thrilled that she is returning to the group as our new Business Partner. Over the last few months, Sasha and Mairead have been outstanding in the role that they have played in managing HOT KKE and providing outstanding service to our customers, while searching for a new business partner. The HOT KKE team will be relocating to join Nikki and the rest of the team in their current premises at the end of July. We are really looking forward to welcoming Nikki and the team to House of Travel.
Whilst MOD regaled the staff with a general update on the business, interspersed with some dad jokes (one of the perks of being the CEO is that everyone always laughs at your jokes), the sous-chefs, AKA the directors, served up a slice of Brent Thomas’ Dream Slice for dessert.
CLIA AWARDS Mel Morrison recently won the Rising Star award at the CLIA awards. She has only been on the cruise queue for around nine months and then just as a back-up consultant. Well done Mel.
1 3 H OT T I E P E R S O N A L A D V E N T U R E S
0 6 V O I C E O F C U S TO M E R C H A M P I O N S
1 4 W H AT A H OT T I E & H OT S T U F F
08 REGIONAL ROUNDUP
1 5 C E L E B R AT I O N S
11 FAMIL S -2-
-3-
GENERAL NEWS
MEET SOME OF OUR NEW OO’S With so many new Owner Operators joining the House of Travel family we thought everyone might be interested in getting to know some of them a little better. Nicky de Clifford and Lisa Hutchison from HOT Shirley, and Megan from HOT Taupo share some secrets.
NTIA 2017 Awards Finalists Congratulations to this year’s National Travel Industry Awards Finalists. They are all busy working on their presentations for judging at the end of the month, we wish them the best of luck! BEST TRAVEL AGENCY BRAND House of Travel BEST BRAND RETAIL - SINGLE LOCATION House of Travel Newmarket BEST BRAND RETAIL - MULTI LOCATION House of Travel Papamoa BEST BRAND CORPORATE SINGLE LOCATION Orbit World Travel Wellington BEST BRAND CORPORATE - MULTI LOCATION Orbit World Travel BEST YOUNG TRAVEL AGENCY EXECUTIVE Anna Ladines
BEST ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Emily Johnson - House of Travel Whangarei Chantelle Christian - Orbit World Travel Wellington BEST TRAVEL CONSULTANT – RETAIL Billy Ballantine - House of Travel Lakers (Invercargill) BEST TRAVEL CONSULTANT – CORPORATE Paul Johnson - Orbit World Travel Hamilton
MEG AN BI SHOP
NICKY d e CL IFFO RD What’s your background with HOT?
What’s your background with HOT?
I started at HOT Ferrymead as a part-timer just before the February earthquakes in 2011 and stayed there until my move over to be OO at HOT Shirley.
I started at HOT 15 years ago as a new consultant after Managing TRG airport for AIR NZ. I left to have a couple of kiddies and then worked for United Travel in Taupo since then.
What made you want to become a HOT OO?
What made you want to become a HOT OO?
I had managed two stores previously, during these years I was at Flight Centre and always enjoyed seeing a team grow and achieve collective goals. Being an OO gives me a chance to again work with some lovely people and watch their careers develop with HOT.
I have always loved the brand and the computer systems and becoming an OO was the next step. It was all perfect timing!
What’s your favourite holiday destination? Morocco or Turkey are very memorable.
Do you have a hobby or passion outside of travel? I am part of a book club and love to do a bit of DIY and gardening.
BEST TRAVEL AGENCY MANAGER – RETAIL Shelley Rich - House of Travel Mt Maunganui BEST TRAVEL AGENCY MANAGER – CORPORATE Melanie Veal - Orbit World Travel Christchurch
GTN TURNED 1!
What’s your advice to a new travel consultant just starting in the industry? Keep smiling, the job is hard but it will get easier, get comfortable talking to people, building relationships is the key to success. Have excellent time management skills. One of my mantras is ‘work on only one dolphin file at a time’. Ask your OO to get you on famils to destinations you are not confident in and make sure you take your own holidays.
What’s your favourite holiday destination? That would have to be Vietnam, I cant wait to go back again.
Do you have a hobby or passion outside of travel? I love to go fishing, yes a chic fisherman!
What’s your advice to a new travel consultant just starting in the industry? Don’t do it hahaha, no seriously it’s a great job but be prepared for some hard work. Market yourself on social media to get new clients for free!
What four famous guests would you invite for dinner? Billy Connelly for the laughs, Elvis Presley for his music, Albert Einstein – my 10 year old wants to be an inventor and Katy Perry – for my daughter, she can introduce her to our chicken named Katy Perry.
What four famous guests would you invite for dinner? JK Rowling, Lorde, Tom Hiddleston (from the Night Manager) and Richie McCaw.
Global Travel Network, a buying group for independent agencies, celebrated its first year in operation at the end of last year, and what a 12 months it was for the boys – Rob Beecher and Allen Bell. With clients ranging from small independent agencies, travel broker groups, OTAs and anything else they can lay their hands on, sales have exceeded all expectations. Rob and Allen have been so successful in signing up new business that it has meant the bean-counters at HOT Holdings are having to reforecast their budget almost on a weekly basis! The latest group to sign up is the Aspire Travel Group, who are a group of 18 travel brokers and growing.
L ISA HUTCHISO N What’s your background with HOT? I started three weeks before the Feb earthquakes in 2011 at Upper Riccarton and worked there fulltime until my youngest started school. Then I went down to part-time and was a silver consultant.
What made you want to become a HOT OO? I had been a manager at FC and love being able to create a team environment where everyone has input and feels valued, and then we work together to create something awesome!
What’s your favourite holiday destination? L to R: Jeni, Allen, Sonia, Ron and Tania -4-
With two little boys – anywhere where they can be entertained. I recently went to the Mamanucas in Fiji and it was amazing, beautiful
beaches and great snorkelling. But to me holidays are all about spending time with family, as long as it has a pool and it’s warm we are all happy!
Do you have a hobby or passion outside of travel? My husband and I also renovate and rent properties so when we are not at work we are usually painting, gardening, building or fixing something!
What’s your advice to a new travel consultant just starting in the industry? This is a hard job initially but it is so rewarding once you get your head around it. We are helping people create amazing stories and experiences that will be with them for the rest of their lives. Enjoy it – this job never gets boring!
What 4 famous guests would you invite for dinner? Ryan Reynolds (Hunk – I mean actor), Bradley Cooper (ditto), J.R.R Tolkein and Jack Black (for a laugh!) Yes all blokes – but it is my dream dinner party! -5-
f o e c i Vo omer Cust HOUS
TRAV E OF
EL
69
%
TITLE
House of Travel’s Overall Satisfaction YTD
f o e c i Vo omer Cust HOUS
TRAV E OF
EL
79
%
House of Travel’s Overall Satisfaction - LAST 12 MONTHS -
VOICE OF CUSTOMER CHAMPIONS - Y E A R T O D AT E -
STORE
NUMBER OF SURVEYS
OSAT %
1
Westport
42
98%
2
Te Awamutu
201
3
Masterton
4
- 01 AUG 16 to 30 JUN 17 -
STORE
NUMBER OF SURVEYS
OSAT %
1
Te Awamutu
390
93%
94%
2
Coromandel
165
87%
167
89%
3
Motueka
459
86%
Motueka
209
88%
4
Rangiora
446
86%
5
Timaru
186
88%
5
Masterton
294
86%
6
Alexandra
145
88%
6
Alexandra
263
86%
7
Matamata
124
88%
7
Rotorua
533
85%
8
Rangiora
244
87%
8
Broadway
408
85%
9
Richmond
247
86%
9
Timaru
337
85%
10
Morrinsville
180
86%
10
Oamaru
138
85%
CONSULTANT
NUMBER OF SURVEYS
OSAT %
CONSULTANT
NUMBER OF SURVEYS
OSAT %
1
Aaron Ardern - Te Awamutu
43
100%
1
Aaron Ardern - Te Awamutu
77
99%
2
Emily Johnson - Whangarei
33
100%
2
Tania Wheeler - Te Awamutu
73
97%
3
Maxine Chisnall - Ashburton
18
100%
3
Maralyn Ward - Te Awamutu
78
95%
4
Simone Budge - Balclutha
18
100%
4
Diane De Jong - Orewa
59
95%
5
Sally Kennedy-Clark - Kapiti Coast
20
100%
5
Angela Groenendijk - Broadway
96
94%
6
Betty Wakelin - Te Awamutu
15
100%
6
Kirsty McCartney - Morrinsville
93
94%
7
Kirsty McCartney - Morrinsville
43
98%
7
Lisa Dorreen - Coromandel
80
94%
8
Trudy Geddes - Blenheim
49
96%
8
Belinda Fifield - On Victoria
100
93%
9
Susie Brebner - Tauranga
49
96%
9
Claire Harre - Shirley
111
93%
10
Amanda Tunley - Cambridge
48
96%
10
Graham Kevern - Rangiora & Nicola Gray - Papamoa
82
93%
NB: Store must have a minimum of 30 surveys to be eligible for leaderboards Consultants must have a minimum of 15 surveys to be eligible for the leaderboards -6-
VOICE OF CUSTOMER CHAMPIONS
01 Jan 17-30 Jun 17
NB: Store must have a minimum of 100 surveys to be eligible for leaderboards Consultants must have a minimum of 50 surveys to be eligible for the leaderboards
01 Aug 16-30 Jun 17 -7-
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
Flight to the Lights II
Following the success of the spectacular world first commercial flight to view the Southern Lights, Orbit Travel Dunedin has announced a second flight. The inaugural flight, which was chartered and organised by Orbit Dunedin, sold out and generated huge media exposure not only around NZ but worldwide. If you missed it, Google ‘Southern lights TVNZ’ to see some of the footage, including a 5 minute piece from Breakfast TV. Hilary Barry was pretty excited! Orbit Dunedin have announced the second flight will take off on 22 March
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
HOT FEATHERSTON ST
2018, again with only window seats in Business class, and the window seat and the seat beside it available in both Premium Economy, and Economy, to ensure the lucky few get the best view possible. “The flight gives stargazers the chance to see constellations, stars, and planets as most of us will never witness – not to mention views of the Milky Way as it spills half way across the sky. Pretty amazing ”said Orbit Dunedin Managing Director John Harley.
TURNS 30!
On 25 May HOT Featherston celebrated 30 years in the market. Owners Paul and Adrienne Rennie, along with friends, family, existing staff (and some former) came together to celebrate ‘30 years of being awesome’ a few days earlier on 20 May. While the celebration was focused around HOT Featherston Street, it was also recognition of the success of the wider House of Travel Wellington business – which includes Orbit Travel Wellington and Orbit Massey, House of Travel Lower Hutt and Adventure Travel.
CRUISE NIGHT WITH HOT HAMILTON AND CALDER & LAWSON More than 120 people braved a chilly evening for a cruise show at the Ferrybank, jointly hosted by House of Travel Hamilton City and Calder & Lawson. All aspects of cruising were covered by presenters Judy Harkness, Pieta Mace, Carol Sutton and Tony Wakelin, and was positively received by everyone involved.
The HOT store first opened in Lambton Square in Wellington, but eventually needed a bigger store so moved to Featherston Street.
Q CARD WINNERS AT STEPHEN PARSONS
HOT Browns Bay
Mannequin Challenge
The team at Browns Bay thought they’d take on the mannequin challenge that has been going crazy in the USA, to help increase activity on their Facebook page. They decided to involve clients, sales reps (Wendy from Active Asia, Duncan for Singapore Airlines, Luke from Blue Lagoon), other Browns Bay stores (This is a Bag Shop, Bernies Bakery & Ray White) and the team. Everyone had a good laugh and it was well worth the effort. Browns Bay have now set up the challenge to any other stores! Click here to check it out on Youtube.
Orbit Nelson competes in mid-winter bike event
ASPIRE CONFERENCE - UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND -
In June the Orbit Nelson team competed in the Annual NMTBC Mid-Winter Breakout which is a six hour Mountain Bike event at Rabbit Island. In typical Nelson fashion the weather played ball with a sunny winter’s day.
The Aspire Conference is an annual innovation gathering at Auckland
Orbit had two teams, one a little more competitive and one more social. The social team did really well considering it was a first for many, and the track was a little harder than everyone expected. The competitive team managed to get 2nd in the Corporate Challenge and 3rd out of the mixed teams.
seats. A great day all round.
University celebrating innovation at the heart of the future. Orbit was welcomed as a new supplier for travel to sponsor the day. We brought everything we could travel innovation wise, to dazzle and impress the University. We even managed to get Air New Zealand along with their sky couch product, Economy Class and Premium Economy Class
A Q Card representative happily presented the nationwide winners of the Q Card Promotion, their $3000 HOT gift card prize at Stephen Parsons in January.
“
HOT ON BROADWAY’S NEW LOOK HOT on Broadway have had a spruce up, and it’s looking pretty good!
Richard Lloyd has been a client of Stephen Parsons HOT for a
number of years now so we were thrilled to bits that he was the
lucky winner. It was certainly a complete surprise for him and it couldn’t have gone to a nicer guy. He has already used some of his voucher for his upcoming trip to Europe and plans on spending the remainder taking his daughter, Amelia, to Hawaii next year. - Brent Haines -
-8-
-9-
REGIONAL ROUNDUP 10 Years for Annie
HOT Hastings and Havelock’s Annual Cruise Expo
Congratulations to Annie for celebrating 10 years with HOT Whangarei. They celebrated with a nice little surprise cake and voucher.
HOT Hastings and Havelock North recently had their annual Cruise Expo – it was a huge success with 200 people registered.
FAMIL S
Hong Kong November 2016 Amanda Southon tells us about her recent highlights from the Hong Kong famil.
“
I was lucky enough to travel to Hong Kong on a famil with Hong Kong Airlines and Hong Kong Tourism Board. On our first day we went on a Traditional Cultural Tour which included an hour of Tai Chi on the waterfront learning from a Master, a visit to a 3rd Generation Tea House to learn the different types of tea and the etiquette of preparing and drinking it and an explanation of Feng Shui and how it influences the Cantonese culture.
Stephen meets Stephen Stephen Parsons meets with Vodafone Warriors Head coach Stephen Kearney in Palmerston North, having looked after all the air travel for the team and the Gold Coast Titans for their pre-season Match in Palmerston North.
HOT Contiki Nights House of Travel Matamata hosted a highly successful Contiki Travel Night at Redoubt Bar & Eatery. A good crowd enjoyed a presentation by Contiki rep Jordan Connors, on the company’s coach tours around the world for 18-35s.
The highlight for me was the day that we walked up the Dragon’s Back Trail which is about a 2025 minute drive from the city on the Hong Kong Island side. It took about an hour to get to the top from the start point as it is mostly uphill, especially the first 30 minutes, but this is a great opportunity to get outdoors and out of the city and see the beauty of the island. The views are amazing from the top and worth the effort. The day finished off with a drive
HOT’s Great Escape House of Travel staff in the Waikato enjoyed their quarterly social function in Hamilton, first tackling Confinement (where teams had to escape from locked rooms) followed by dinner at The Londoner. Great night, highly recommended.
House of Travel Cambridge was the major sponsor of the Patti La Trobe Ladies’ Open at Cambridge Golf Club. Pam Wright (Matamata), pictured right with House of Travel Cambridge consultant Joan Lawrence, claimed top honours at the event which attracted a field of more than 60 including players from as far away as Taumarunui and across the Waikato. For Pam Wright victory was particularly sweet after finishing runner-up on four previous occasions. - 10 -
We did the more usual sights of Hong Kong and explored Central Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok and went up the Peak in the tram. This is a must-do just before sunset so you can get the fantastic views of the lights of Hong Kong at night. The trip finished up with a dim sum cooking class and a visit to Nan Lian Gardens, a local Buddist temple and the Kowloon Walled City before we did an evening cruise in an authentic Chinese Junk. We had great weather, met some lovely locals and saw a different side to Hong Kong than just the shopping and busy traffic, although there was still plenty of that. Of course we did not miss the shopping malls or Ladies Market for a bargain or a drink in one or two of the rooftop bars of the city!
”
Thailand November 2016 Olivia Harvey and Margaret Douglas from the Longhaul Christchurch team went over to Thailand in early November to check out one of our most popular destinations.
A large promotion night was also held with Contiki at Stephen Parsons in Palmerston North in January. Millie from Contiki commented that this was the biggest audience she had presented to, and received some big sales from the night.
HOT CAMBRIDGE SPONSORS PATTI LA TROBE LADIES’ OPEN
around the bays and beaches of Hong Kong and a stop for lunch on the waterfront in Stanley where we also had time to check out the local markets.
“ HOT KAPITI COAST ROCKS THE US OF A!! Miley Cyrus, Axel Rose, Frank Sinatra, Janis Joplin and Katy Perry all made an amazing effort at the USA Roadshow last night, and were the ONLY office where all staff dressed up. They were runners up in the dress up competition. Nicola also won a random draw prize of eight nights’ accommodation as well as some great sightseeing in Las Vegas.
Olivia and I had the opportunity to go on an eight day famil to Phuket and Bangkok at the beginning of November. While in Bangkok we went on a half day Temple tour taking us to three temples where we learnt about the traditions and history of each temple. Bangkok had great shopping, we spent time at the seven story MBK mall with a huge variety of shops. We also went to Asiatique for dinner one night using the free boat from Saphan Taksin Station. The view of the Bangkok night lights from the river was just amazing, we highly recommend going there at sunset or later and returning by taxi. At Asiatique you can find a Ferris wheel, fun rides, shops and restaurants which will keep you entertained for the whole night. From Phuket, we went on the Phi Phi Island tour where we visited some of the most beautiful places in the neighbouring islands. A highlight of the tour was Maya Bay and the
snorkelling spot. It’s a great day out although not so friendly for the seasick with the rough speedboat ride even with calm waters. We also visited the Phuket weekend Night Markets (only 45 minutes from Patong). If you love a bargain and trying local food this is the place to go. Another highlight was the Niramit Show which was fantastic. The show explains the history of Thailand with a recreation of traditional Thai villages on-site. This is a definite must-do. While staying in Karon we went to the Simon Cabaret show. This is a one hour show with beautiful sets, costumes and music by the lip syncing Ladies boys. I would recommend this only if you have the extra time. The streets of Karon and Kata are not as busy as Patong which has peddlers trying to sell things to you, so it’s more relaxing. There is also a big temple in Karon town where they have night markets on certain nights of the week. We thoroughly enjoyed the destination and especially the hospitality of the Thai people.
” - 11 -
FAMIL S
Africa
FAMIL S
Melbourne
November 2016
June 2017
Julie Woods from Riccarton shares her experience on a once in a lifetime famil to East Africa.
Recently HOT Hastings and HOT Havelock North went on a famil weekend to Melbourne.
We saw everything! We were really lucky with the wildlife – it was teeming with everything. I also learned a lot about the area that I had not covered before, I had done a Southern Africa by overland many years ago, so this five star experience was a tad different!
They had an action packed day of walking. Firstly the Queen Victoria Market Foodie walking tour with tastings which was fantastic. Then onto a Hidden Secrets Lanes & Arcades of Melbourne tour checking out the history, restaurants, bars and coffee shops frequented by the locals. Followed by an evening at Draculas.
“
We had an awesome small group to travel with too, Adam and Anita in particular had amazing knowledge. Seeing the leopard was probably our most premium spot and it was on our first day out from Entumoto (a great lead in camp maybe for families and those that don’t want 5-star). It was right in front of us, just walking along and then jumped up a tree sitting there happily while we took great close up photos, even without a flash camera. On the famil, Bushtops Mara was personally my favourite place.
”
Anaheim
November 2016
Jody Krivan’s Europe adventure. September 2016
Jody Krivan from the Longhaul Christchurch team travelled to Europe mid-September for a holiday, and here are some of her highlights.
“
Team lunch...fortunately not the leopard’s lunch!
South Australia
September 2016
Leigh Refugia from Longhaul Christchurch shares her thoughts on Anaheim.
“
What a fantastic opportunity I was given to attend the Anaheim VIP Famil. This was a jam-packed seven days in Anaheim covering all the theme parks including Seaworld in San Diego. This was a highlight for me as they are really changing their focus to be on animal rescue, not only sealife but all animals. We were lucky enough to meet Buttons, a rescued Beaver from Canada who now resides in the park. Also totally out of my comfort zone was attending an ice hockey game at the Honda Centre. Not something I would have ever thought I would enjoy but the crowd really gets into the game and the whole atmosphere makes you get into the game and enjoy it. And to top it all off – Shop till you Drop Off at the Citadel Outlet Mall. Definitely some well needed retail therapy at the end of a super busy famil.
- 12 -
”
H OT T I E P E RS O N A L A DV E N T U R E S
“
Our trip to South Australia covered Adelaide, McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills and the Barossa Valley. There were so many highlights on this trip including blending our own wine and seeing baby chimps at Monarto Zoo, the top one would have to be cruising up the Murray River on an Unforgettable Houseboat. A great experience I would recommend for a relaxing getaway for groups of friends or families. Next we headed out to the Barossa Valley, a beautiful area with wineries such as Charles Melton Wines, St Hugo’s, Jacob’s Creek.
I joined Globus on their Spectacular Switzerland tour in September, and loved the in-depth look at this beautiful, clean and perfect country. We visited so many gorgeous places in Switzerland. My favourite city we stayed in was Zurich, I loved the quaint beautiful old town area. A must is to walk up to Lindenhof park where you will get the most gorgeous photos of the old buildings along the river. We travelled across the country to Geneva and stopped at the stunning medieval town of Neuchatel, then through the Gruyere region where you have to visit Gruyere Castle to try their famous double cream, on breakfast waffles it’s amazing! After this we visited the Jungfrau Massif, a definite must do in the Interlaken area with its stunning views and the novelty of being at the highest train station. We ended the tour in Lucerne, I highly recommend walking along the old town wall where there are still some of the towers you can climb up, as well as an old clock tower - the views from the wall and towers were amazing.
Next up we joined a seven night Avalon River Cruise from Basel up to Amsterdam, I can totally recommend this. We travelled on one of their newest ships in the fleet and upgraded to their panoramic suite. This is worth the extra money to be able to open up the huge sliding door to enjoy the view either from your bed or the couch. The scenery through the Rhine Gorge definitely lived up to its reputation, with all the beautiful castles. Some of my favourite stops along the way was Heidelberg with its hilltop castle, and really long pedestrian shopping street. Rudesheim is a tiny little town on the Rhine that is just absolutely picture perfect with some great places to have a drink in the evening. A must is taking the gondola up the hill over huge vineyards to a scenic lookout giving you gorgeous views over the river. We ended the cruise in Amsterdam where the boats park in a very central location, great for walking straight into the main centre for sightseeing.
”
Within the Barossa we visited Seppeltsfield where we toured wine cellars and tasted our birth year directly from the barrel, a unique opportunity to experience! We also whizzed around the historic heritage listed sites on Segway’s and up through the vineyards with Segway Sensations. Another huge highlight of South Australia is their fresh food made with quality local produce... A big area to see, with a lot of food and wine to taste.
”
- 13 -
W H AT A H O T T I E
Pieta Mace
Consultant - HOT Calder & Lawson What is the funniest or strangest thing that has happened to you at work?
H OT S H OTS !
C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S & C E L E B R AT I O N S
Check out some of our favourite travel shots from HOT staff.
It was a little difficult to keep a straight face when some potential clients came in wanting to go to ‘Fantasy Island’. But to beat that it wasn’t too long after, that some other people enquired about going to the Bermuda Triangle. Hmm!
What is your all-time favourite destination? That’s a toughie, I do love Africa because it’s so much more than just the wildlife. The people and the Savannah are equally as special. But then I’ve never been to anywhere that I wouldn’t want to return too.
If you were on an island and could only bring three things, what would you bring? My dog, my bestie and a good book…or wine. Aww, tough decision!
What is your favourite car karaoke song? At the moment Imagine Dragons “Thunder”.
If you were 80 years old, what one piece of advice would you give to your grandchildren?
ALBERTA, CANADA
MELBOURNE, AUS
Amanda Tunley
Julie Ann Mold
HOT CAMBRIDGE Had a lot of fun dog sledding at Spray Lakes, Alberta, CA.
HOT PRODUCT AKL Early morning Swanson St, Melbourne, AUS.
David Williams from HOT Christchurch City captured these amazing images.
To live life without regrets.
CRAIG & LAURA -ORBIT C H R I S TC H U R C H Craig Jenkinson and Laura Mules (both Orbit Christchurch) were married on 1st April at Christchurch Botanical Gardens. Congratulations!
BABIES! BABIES! BABIES!
TURTLE IN TOKORIKI
JAIPUR , INDIA
TAJ MAHAL, INDIA
WHALE BAR, MALDIVES
CHILD WORKERS, INDIA
Anna Sarjeant from HOT Holdings Akl recently spent time in Cambodia & France
ANGKOR WAT, CAMBODIA
Who do you want to find out more about? Send us your nomination of who should feature in the next ‘What a HOTTIE’! Email houseproud@hot.co.nz with the heading ‘What a HOTTIE’. - 14 -
CRÉPES, LYON FRANCE
TRAFALGAR TOURS, SOUTH OF FRANCE
ERICA ARMAGNACQ -HOLDINGS AKL-
LU CY M U N Z E R - O R B I T TA U R A N G A -
KRISTEN TETENBURG - H O T R I C C A R TO N -
MIKE WILLIAMS -HOLDINGS-
Erica, Justin and Lilly are pleased to announce the arrival of Harvey Thomas who arrived 28 June weighing 6lb 5oz.
Lucy and Finlay Dawson were over the moon to announce the arrival of Heidi Summer into their lives on the 7th March, weighing a tiny 4lb 1oz. She’s very sweet!
On 1 March 2017 Kristen and her husband Shane welcomed MJ into their world. She was 7lb 9oz and 55cm long. She has already had her first swimming lesson and loved it!
Mike and his wife Marissa, announced the arrival of Kaia Rose Williams born on April 17th at 5:12am weighing a wee 5lb 9 ounces.
J A C A S TA B R O W N -ORBIT CHC-
K AT I E G I L L E S P I E -HIGH ST LANES-
Jacasta and hubby Chris welcomed baby Lilah Mary Brown to the world on 11th April. Lilah was born at Christchurch Womens Hospital at 3:53pm, weighing 8lb 2oz.
Katie and Luke with their baby Phoebe, who was born on the 27th January 2017.
Do you think you have an awesome photo or even a great selfie from your travels? Email us your prized shot and we’ll feature it in the next House Proud - email houseproud@hot.co.nz - 15 -
“I didn’t get any taller, but thanks to them, I had grown.”
Bring in your ideas and we’ll help you get there.
At House of Travel, we strive to create the best holiday for you at the best value – that’s our service guarantee. We understand everyone has different travel needs and that’s why we love it when you bring your ideas to us because together, with our experience and local knowledge, we can create the perfect holiday at the perfect time for you. We use the same travel sites you do, like Expedia, and many more that you can’t access. Plus, we have direct relationships with airlines and hotels around the world, which gives us extra buying power. We combine this with our expertise and negotiating skills to deliver some of the best deals and bonuses on offer that you might miss if you booked yourself. So, we promise to truly deliver the best of both worlds and that’s our guarantee. We’ve helped create enriching travel experiences for 1.8 million New Zealanders over the last thirty years. We understand that it isn’t just the place you go, it’s where that place takes you.
The best holiday for you.
At the best value.
What this means: We’ll combine your ideas with our experience and expertise to deliver you the best holiday possible.
What this means: We’re committed to providing the holiday you want at the very best value possible.
We’ve got your back 24/7 from the moment you contact us until you’re home again. We value your feedback on your last HOT holiday, so we can make your next trip even better.
We promise to utilise all our buying power to search out a great price for your holiday. We know value means different things to different people, so we take the time to understand what’s important to you.
The best holidays are created together. Let’s chat. The best holidays are created together. - 16 -
- 16 -