STREAMLINING THE ACCOMMODATION SECTOR

In the next three years, Quest Apartment Hotels NZ plans to open ten new properties. Three of these are set to open in 2023, including Quest Mt Maunganui and Quest Hastings in May, and Quest on Cambridge in Christchurch in July.

Beyond that, plenty of other locations across NZ could house new Quest facilities as Whangarei; New Plymouth; Hamilton CBD & surrounds; Wellington CBD, Kilbirnie and Newtown; Dunedin; Timaru; and Auckland’s Greenlane, Ellerslie, Onehunga, Grafton and the CBD, have all been on Quest’s radar.

The Quest brand represents over $1.2 billion in property value, with 40 facilities in NZ and Fiji. Despite the challenges that came with the pandemic, Quest still managed to open five new properties in Palmerston North, Takapuna, Mt Eden, Queenstown and at 256 Lambton Quay in Wellington.

Quest COO, Adrian Turner, said its model has business solidity and the base to bounce back and operate in turbulent conditions.

“The current sales quarter tracking suggests a high degree of resilience in our model and market. Demand is already ahead of projected budgets, and we expect it to remain so for the next 12 months at least – predominantly driven by the private sector. We’re proud to be the leading apartment hotel provider in every region where we operate,” Mr Turner said.

Embracing Technology And Evs

Many of the new businesses registering with Quest’s network are SMEs – a market sector that represents a significant portion of their clientele.

“We’ve received bookings from more than 1,700 new companies across our properties since the travel border was removed from around Auckland in mid-April. These companies, along with our established clients, are attracted to the ability for self-catering and eatingout being charged back to their room, so they receive a single bill at checkout,” Mr Turner said.

Staying ahead of the technology curve is also a key client mindset – something the Quest App has managed to successfully do.

“The app has streamlined the booking process for customers, allows them to remotely check-in, unlock their room and even book a Hertz rental car with extremely competitive partner rates,” Mr Turner said.

An increasing number of corporate clients are also converting to EV fleets which is why EV charging facilities are now standard in new Quest developments.

The story of Quest NZ began in 1998 when Stephen Mansfield took on Master Franchisor Rights, and soon after opened Quest Auckland and Quest Wellington for corporate travellers. The first purpose-built Quest was opened in 2002 – Quest Parnell.

Quest is the largest and fastestgrowing apartment hotel operator in Australasia, with over 170 properties located across Australia, NZ, UK and Fiji. Quest Apartment Hotels is the largest provider of serviced apartment-style accommodation in NZ with currently 40 Quest properties. The company prides itself on a local focus and ownership in each of its regions. Quest delivers accommodation and services to meet the needs of the NZ corporate traveller.