AccomNews - Spring 2018

AccomNews The essential industry guide

Issue 42 | Spring 2018 | NZD $16.50 incl GST | accomnews.co.nz

AME NEW N NEW AND& FEEL BRO L OK

Waihi Beach TOP 10 Holiday Resort:

A great park that delivers

memorable experiences We specialise in furniture for hotels, motels, serviced apartments, resorts and refurbishments.

Call Dennis Clark now on +64 3 2880129 admin@hotelinteriors.co.nz • hotelinteriors.co.nz

Dennis Clark

Founder

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spring 2018 - Issue 42

spring 2018 - Issue 42

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AccomNews is distributed quarterly to hotel, motel, resort and apartment properties throughout New Zealand by Multimedia Publishing Limited.

The views and images expressed in accomnews do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The information contained in accomnews is intended to act as a guide only, the publisher, authors and editors expressly disclaim all liability for the results of action taken or not taken on the basis of information contained herein. We recommend professional advice is sought before making important business decisions.

Inside our Spring Issue Front Desk How do we look?

Industry 06 Meet the new accommodation guru for Hospitality NZ How do we attract people to work in tourism?

Is your back covered?

Advertising Conditions The publisher reserves the right to refuse to publish or to republish without any explanation for such action. The publisher, it’s employees and agents will endeavour to place and reproduce advertisements as requested but takes no responsibility for omission, delay, error in transmission, production deficiency, alteration of misplacement. The advertiser must notify the publisher of any errors as soon as they appear, otherwise the publisher accepts no responsibility for republishing such advertisements. If advertising copy does not arrive by the copy deadline the publisher reserves the right to repeat existing material.

Disclaimer Any mention of a product, service or supplier in editorial is not indicative of any endorsement by the author, editor or publisher. Although the publisher, editor and authors do all they can to ensure accuracy in all editorial content, readers are advised to fact check for themselves, any opinion or statement made by a reporter, editor, columnist, contributor, interviewee, supplier or any other entity involved before making judgements or decisions based on the materials contained herein.

AccomNews, its publisher, editor and staff, is not responsible for and does not accept liability for any damages, defamation or other consequences (including but not limited to revenue and/or profit loss) claimed to have occurred as the result of anything contained within this publication, to the extent permitted by law.

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PO Box 5104, Papanui, Christchurch, 8542, NZ Phone: (03) 365 5575 Fax: (03) 365 1655 mail@accomnews.co.nz www.accomnews.co.nz ISSN: 2624-2389 (Print) ISSN: 2624-2397 (Digital)

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SERVICE Gavin Bill, service@accomnews.co.nz CONTRIBUTORS Brendon Granger, Rayma Jenkins, Sally Attfield, Sylvia Johnston, Fergus Brown, Gerry Comninos, Justin Steele, Diana Relph and Caroline Campbell

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Commercially funded supplier profile or supplier case study Suppliers share their views in one-off, topical pieces General editorial. Case studies and features may cite or quote suppliers, please be aware that we have a strict ‘no commercial content’ guideline for all magazine editorial, so this is not part of any commercially funded advertorial but may be included as relevant opinion. Happy reading!

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Profiles 16 Beachaven and Waihi TOP 10 Holiday Resorts: A great park that delivers memorable experiences Himatangi Beach Holiday Park: Lovely family the heart and soul of Himatangi 19 Belt Road Seaside Holiday Park: Coastal park with magic touches 22 Four Points by Sheraton Auckland: An extra touch – SKY’s video on demand service 24 Mangawhai Heads Holiday Park: Tackling the impossible at water lover’s paradise 26

How to make Chinese visitors feel at home

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What’s Hot

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Refurbishment 30 Grand old dame of Auckland’s hotel scene goes contemporary with new refurbishment A picture tells a thousand words Indulging the lust for luxe without spending a fortune

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Property 36

KEY Supplier information or content

Holiday Parks Conference showcases industry stars Airbnb as a channel of choice... Why? Pushing the switch Need a new property management system? – Switching is easier than you think.

Marketing 27

STAFF WRITERS Mandy Clarke and Rosie Clarke

ADVERTISING Michael Piantoni, advertising@accomnews.co.nz

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Management 09

EDITOR Kate Jackson, editor@accomnews.co.nz

PRODUCTION Richard McGill, production@accomnews.co.nz

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FRONT DESK

Housekeeping 38 Bathroom amenities: Do guests really know what they want?

What makes the ultimate guest experience?

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Human Resources

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Apprentice chef tastes victory at national cookery awards Privacy and surveillance of staff

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Technology

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Cutting-edge hotel room may soon appear Down Under Artificial Intelligence: Coming to a hotel room near you

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Food & Beverage

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A new generation leading the way Spring 2018 - AccomNews

How do we look?

Hi readers, You’ll notice AMG has evolved into a sleeker and sexier version of its former self. We’re now Accomnews magazine - in line with our Accomnews website and newsletter. We’ve dropped any remnants of daggy noughties styling. What we haven’t dropped is quality editorial, expert commentary and practical guidance on issues that matter to accom professionals. As one of the world’s few truly independent publishing houses, we’ve always set the industry standard for excellence. Pretenders may come and go, but we know there’s a reason why so many of you hoard copies of our magazine in dusty backrooms all over Aotearoa. We know because whenever you get the chance, you drag our staff back there to witness them - it can be quite scary.

So please do let us know what you think. Your opinion counts and our graphics team is on tenterhooks.

So please do let us know what you think. Your opinion counts and our graphics team is on tenterhooks.

Kate Jackson, Editor, AccomNews editor@accomnews.co.nz

Across the ditch, momentum is swinging towards a law change which would free operators to set their own online room prices independent of OTAs. This seems to be stirring little response here despite the best efforts of campaigning resort boss Nik Kiddle of Queenstown’s Villa Del Lago. Granted, Australia has a celebrity multi-millionaire pushing the agenda, but Kiwis just don’t seem to care as

much. We’re more concerned with how to tame the Airbnb behemoth. Across the country, councils are grappling with how to collect bed taxes, and accom operators are wondering whether to fight or join the revolution. For those of the latter persuasion, our feature on using Airbnb as a channel may help.

As the tourism boom continues,

so does New Zealand’s unprecedented hotel-building blitz. With so many new players presenting gorgeously-styled new offerings, Accomnews magazine takes a timely look at what will make your accommodation enduringly popular. Fluff y bathrobes?

Fashion decor? Full-on connectivity? You’ll just have to turn to our Ultimate Guest Experience feature to find out.

Expert knowledge and superior service, with experience built over 30 years in the Furniture Industry.

Specialising in furniture for hotels, motels, serviced apartments, resorts & refurbishments Services Include • Furniture Design • Budget Analysis • Procurement • Project Management • Manufacture of Commercial Furniture • In-house Quality Control Management • Freight Management and Transportation • Full Installation • Commercial Warranties • After Sales Service • Satisfaction Guaranteed

Call Dennis Clark now on +61 421 384 212 to discuss your requirements | www.hotelinteriors.com.au Spring 2018 - AccomNews

FRONT DESK

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Meet the new accommodation guru for Hospitality NZ

By Kate Jackson, Editor

of our market and how we distribute our rates. They also provide great data and insights to guest booking behaviour.

I personally would like to see more hotels take back control of their inventory and transparency / accountability from OTAs on how they pass on rates. In the duopoly environment that they operate, I would welcome a code of conduct especially around the recent Trivago ads targeting misleading messaging and deceptive advertising.

Julie White joined the team at Hospitality NZ as chief operating officer in August.

Having worked with a range of high-profile hospitality giants including InterContinental Hotels Group, Event Hospitality and Air New Zealand, she brings a wealth of experience to her role steering the member-focused organisation through interesting times within the industry.

How do you feel about the ‘100 percent Pure’ brand?

What attracted you to the role and what unique skills and attributes do you bring to it?

I love working for the wider hospitality association in a career that I love and work first hand for our members on the key issues that directly impact their day-to-day business. I feel privileged to hold this position. I have been fortunate to do a job I love, and through this I have had the opportunity to work across most market segments within tourism, creating strong networks within New Zealand and internationally. I also learnt from working with global brands, national airline and standalone brands, that we all have similar issues. It does help to understand what these key issues are and how we need to collaborate to achieve the best outcomes for the industry as a whole.

What do you see as the major challenges ahead for the industry in NZ? A fair playing field and regulations that will come from this. What this looks like is still uncertain, but a framework needs to be established.

Distributors will come and go (most likely be bought out by the larger ones), but what will not change is the moment of

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Julie White

national strategy for the short-let rental sector?

truth and the joy of travel.

What do you think NZ does better than the rest of the world re: hospitality, and where do you think it falls down?

New Zealanders are first and foremost hospitable people who offer authentic experiences. Often the manager/owner leads from the front line and is part of guest experience as opposed to being removed and purely working on the business.

The New Zealand hospitality industry also collaborates with one another and are willing to work together.

As New Zealand’s leading export market (tourism), we have an opportunity to position a career in hospitality as a sought-after choice at school leaver level.

With the recent tightening of our borders, we fall short on being able to address skilled labour shortages.

Would you like to see a

It would be hugely beneficial to have a national strategy for the wider sector, the community, owners and New Zealand’s long-term sustainability of tourism. A national framework for short-term rental is a must, at least a register portal, capturing the true value of the sector, ensuring the safety of our guests, the delivery of a level playing field and owner advocacy. We need to ensure the long-term sustainability of New Zealand to provide a global standard of accommodation with supporting infrastructure, for both domestic and international guests.

How would you like to see NZ move forward on OTAs and their approach to rate parity?

Keeping in mind that OTAs are a channel who spend an enormous amount on advertising (above and beyond any hotel budget, in some cases they are the most efficient cost of acquisition), OTAs are an important part

INDUSTRY

Internationally, 100 percent Pure is a great tagline and did capture, at the time when launched, the essence of what New Zealand is (warm hospitality, breath-taking landscapes etc). This tagline was more aligned to our international visitors as opposed to our domestic travellers and I’m not sure if New Zealanders, as such, bought into it. The modern traveller’s needs have changed, especially when they are in the exploring stage looking for their next adventure. There are a lot of other countries around the world who also offer fabulous landscapes, so we (New Zealand) need to be able to offer more than landscapes, as travellers are looking for an experience-led itinerary. I have seen a real shift in luxury travel where unique experience is now the new luxury (money can’t buy, be-in-the-know moments) especially in accommodation.

I have seen a real shift in preference to boutique and lifestyle brands versus global brands. This is across several market segments from MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), leisure and corporate. There’s even been a shift in attraction experiences, such as a true inside up-close-and-personal experience versus a scheduled walk-around tour.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

How do we attract people to work in tourism?

Accommodation providers around the country are rolling up their sleeves in preparation for another busy summer season. And no doubt many of you are struggling to find all the staff you need to look after your guests appropriately.

At a time when tourism in New Zealand has never been bigger, we are continuing to face real challenges in attracting Kiwis into our industry.

At the end of August, I was delighted to attend the graduation of 27 people from disadvantaged backgrounds who have completed the innovative Fast Track Partnership Programme in Rotorua.

This hospitality training and education programme is led by AccorHotels and the ministry of social development, with support from Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA). It provides hospitality industry training and employment opportunities for work and income clients 18 years and up.

The programme not only delivers skills-based training, it also places emphasis on providing support, budgeting and creating bonds to ensure a more sustainable outcome. It has been incredibly successful to date, with the majority of

As tourism continues to grow, we urgently need to address these misconceptions. Tourism has been more successful in marketing New Zealand to visitors than promoting itself as an exciting career opportunity to young New Zealanders.

This needs to change now.

In Auckland alone, projections to 2021 forecast a 27 percent increase in the number of jobs in the industry, with an estimated 76,000 Aucklanders working in tourism within the next three years.

Sally Attfield, Hotel sector manager, Tourism Industry Aotearoa

graduates finding permanent roles within hotels.

ATEED is working with regional partners and a steering group on a plan to attract Aucklanders into tourism careers, basing their strategy on the insights provided by the research into young peoples’ perceptions of careers in the tourism industry.

Those of us who are already working in tourism know that it’s a fantastic industry with an enormous variety of career opportunities, full of people who are passionate about what they do.

But somehow we have not succeeded in communicating that to our school leavers and those who influence their choices.

TIA and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) recently surveyed young people across New Zealand about their perceptions of careers in tourism. You’ve heard the negative answers before careers in tourism are underpaid, undervalued and temporary.

There are limited pathways, parents don’t think it’s a good career, and tourism is an easy school subject for ‘dummies’.

TIA is using the research results to steer a project to attract young people across New Zealand into the industry. The research will also engage national industry stakeholders and employers to shape policies addressing tourism skill shortages.

At TIA we regularly profile young people working in the industry, posting their stories on our website. A lot of them say the same thing - they didn’t know the huge range of careers they could have in tourism until they joined the industry.

Some of these young people will be sharing their stories at

the Tourism Summit Aotearoa, taking place in Wellington on November 8. This year’s summit is focusing on what we need to do to grow tourism sustainably beyond 2025, including ensuring we have the people and skills we need.

Our young tourism leaders panel session will look at what attracted these young people into tourism, the barriers they faced and the opportunities they discovered.

We’ll also be presenting Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust academic scholarships to two tourism students who are entering their final year of study in 2019. As well as financial support, we are offering this year’s scholarship winners assistance with introductions and work experience with tourism operators and organisations who may become their future employers.

The summit always offers plenty of opportunities to challenge your thinking and insights into how the industry is changing - including what today’s young people are looking for. So I look forward to seeing many of you there. Registrations are open at tourismsummit.co.nz The youth perceptions research was a joint project by TIA and ATEED, with funding from the Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust. You can read more about the research findings on the TIA website tia.org.nz

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Spring 2018 - AccomNews

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INDUSTRY

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Is your back covered?

I am taking my lead from Kate’s first editorial as editor (welcome Kate) by stating the obvious - owning and running a B&B is all about personal service. From the friendly welcome at the front door, the chat over the welcome cup of tea and the hosted breakfast, the relationship quickly becomes more like a friendship than that of an owner and guest. Being connected with your guests in an authentic way is the essence of bed and breakfast or hosted accommodation.

B&B hosts are often open, friendly and trusting - BUT what happens when this turns sour?

We open our homes to people who are just names and usually with some sort of guarantee in the form of a credit card number. We do not have much more information about them even if we do have an email conversation. Especially if they have booked through OTAs or been booked by agents.

Being our homes there are personal décor and furnishing items, kitchen appliances and utensils, china, glassware etc. TVs and music systems throughout our properties.

Even if our personal space can be locked and is away from the guest area, for most of us, guests are sharing some areas

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B&B hosts are often open, friendly and trusting - BUT what happens when this turns sour?

Rayma Jenkins, President, Bed & Breakfast Association New Zealand

and access to the kitchen is usually open. Unfortunately, whilst we might be the perfect hosts and we have a genuine desire to be interested and hospitable, we are hearing more and more that all is not perfect in this relationship and we must be proactive to avoid incidents that we are reading about.

Most accommodation providers will have experienced many of these issues, but it can be awkward to raise issues with guests when you are hosting them in your home: • No-shows who have booked with an invalid credit card through the OTAs. Many hosts are now having to check the cc before the guests arrive by taking a deposit upon booking.

• Those who arrive with undisclosed extra persons (usually children). We do have regulatory obligations in regards to the numbers we can host and if your home is not suitable for children

this is a great concern and may of course upset other guests who are expecting a child free experience.

• Those who feel they can enter the kitchen and help themselves to glassware, china cutlery and even food. This is one I have experienced and I did feel shocked but then maybe they felt comfortable enough in our home that it was to them perfectly acceptable • Whilst not yet a common issue in New Zealand – arriving with dogs with false assistance dog credentials.

This is quite common in the USA but as New Zealanders generally do not expect to travel with their companion animals to hotels and B&Bs it has not become a major issue but it may be on the way. It was recently reported in a television news item that pet owners are purchasing genuine-looking coats to get their pets into places where they are normally not allowed. Licenced assistance animals do have special tags and registrations, but this

INDUSTRY

could catch the unwary.

• It is now generally accepted that guests cannot smoke in accommodation, but we cannot rely on the guests following the law and now it is being reported that accommodation is regularly booked for the consumption and supply of methamphetamines.

• And do you advertise your accessibility status?

For guests who do have issues with stairs and need ground floor rooms this can be a reason for a guest not staying.

So whilst it seems a complete anomaly for us who believe the strangers who enter our home will leave as friends we do need to protect ourselves with publicised policies and descriptions of our properties that make it very clear to those ‘strangers’ what is acceptable and expected.

And if the very worst should happen, make sure that your policies and procedures provide you with the protection that you are entitled to.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Holiday Parks Conference

showcases industry stars

Holiday park operators met in Hamilton for their annual conference and trade exhibition this winter.

The 200 park delegates received an update from deputy leader of New Zealand First, Fletcher Tabuteau, on how he sees tourism playing an important part in regional economic development.

Iain Cossar, general manager tourism and economic development from MBIE provided a well-received briefing on the work of the minister’s Responsible Camping Working Group and took questions from delegates.

With many large corporates operating in the holiday park sector in Australia, the conference featured a presentation from Grant Wilckens, the chief executive of Discovery Parks in Australia.

Grant is also the chairperson of the Caravan Industry Association of Australia. Grant provided a very interesting insight into how the holiday park sector operates and grows in Australia.

with THL. We see holiday parks eventually providing a national chain of EV charging stations for both international and domestic visitors.

The awards featured many new ideas, innovations and a real commitment to invest in upgrading facilities. There were numerous entries with parks spending between $1-2 million in new facilities.

There is a real realisation that holiday parks operate in a competitive environment where our competitors are not other holiday parks but other accommodation options.

The conference saw Holiday Parks NZ release a new research tool. It is the Holiday Parks Key Insights and this compilation of up-to-date information will be produced quarterly.

The 2019 Holiday Parks Conference & Trade Exhibition will be held in Wellington at Te Papa on July 31 and August 1.

Holiday Parks key insights July 18:

Holiday parks themselves spend approximately $356 million per annum - three quarters of this in their local community.

Expenditure

Visitor Behaviour

Expenditure by international visitors contributes directly to New Zealand’s export earnings. While staying at holiday parks, guests contribute over $1.1billion annually in direct expenditure to local communities.

Domestic visitors tend to stay longer at a holiday park (tending to ‘stay put’) than international visitors (they tend to ‘tour’).

Approximately $610 million (53 percent) is from domestic travellers and $542 million (47 percent) is from international travellers.

2016/17 studies by Angus & Associates revealed domestic visitors spend

They are also more likely to be repeat visitors to a park, and middle aged (whereas international visitors tend to be younger and firsttime park visitors).

Almost half of international holiday park guests are travelling in a campervan compared to just one in ten domestic guests. One quarter of guests stay in on-site built accommodation and tenting also accounts for approximately one quarter of the market. Almost half of peak season holiday park guests are travelling with children.

Winners of the annual Holiday Park 2018 Awards

Nigel Bromhall, chief executive of Chargemaster, presented on the development of electric vehicles (EVs) in New Zealand.

Chargemaster are suppliers of EV chargers to holiday parks as part of a joint project Spring 2018 - AccomNews

$146 per day on average, and international visitors $190.

The fantastic guest reviews tell it all for Himatangi Beach Holiday Park, winner of the prestigious 2018 Spirit of Hospitality Award sponsored by AA Traveller.

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This award is the holiday park sector’s premier award, made to the park which excels in providing an outstanding visitor experience.

Park owners Alice and Rueben Ebrey are 100 percent committed to providing the highest level of service every day of the year.

“We make it a family rule that when we step out of our house we have a positive outlook so our ‘positive vibes’ can be felt by customers.

We always take the time to engage with customers, even when we are busy.”

They analyse guest feedback and monitor all online reviews to make sure they are at the top of their game.

The judges said the park’s online reviews really tell the story, with guests raving about the customer service: “Wow. Best camp site in New Zealand. Great owners, friendly and wonderful location.”

“Facilities are spotlessly clean and staff very friendly and helpful. Loved being able to have our dog with us for the night too.”

“Stayed twice here in the last month in my campervan.

Owners are very helpful and site has fantastic clean facilities.”

The full list of Holiday Park 2018 Award winners Spirit of Hospitality sponsored by AA Traveller Winner: Himatangi Beach Holiday Park, Manawatu Finalists: All Seasons Holiday Park, Rotorua Athenree Hot Springs & Holiday Park, Bay of Plenty Miranda xoliday Park, Coromandel Russell TOP 10 Holiday Park, Bay of Islands

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TIA Sustainability Innovation Award

A haven for quality Haven Commercial director Roger Harris said: “Our focus on commercially rated and fully compliant furniture, including bunks and beds, has been instrumental in ensuring that our products are acknowledged for their product design, safety and performance, as required by the accommodation sector, with focus on health and safety in the workplace.”

“The company’s supply position to the hospitality accommodation sector stems from more than 30 years of personal experience in product design, contract manufacturing, sourcing, and distribution of furniture and homeware products.

In regards to the holiday parks sector, Mr Harris told us: “The current trends of higher specification ‘glamping’ and contemporary accommodation offerings, have reinforced Haven’s involvement with this strong member organisation, as shown in their extensive product display at the recent HAPNZ conference.

“Our ability to respond to large accommodation project upgrades, and new ventures, has been proven by utilising our strong supply relationships, allowing for these to be completed within often very tight timeframes.”

Outstanding Service to the Holiday Park Industry Winner: Richard and Noela Gunson Richard and Noela Gunson have made an outstanding contribution to the holiday park sector.

Richard served for five years as HPNZ President and is still an enthusiastic Board member.

The couple travel the country regularly, visiting parks and attending HPNZ events.

This generous couple are always the first to offer assistance and share their ideas. They have

Winner: Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve, Nelson/Tasman The Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve employs over 110 people between November and May and around 50 between June and October. It sustains staff levels through winter by developing products such as the Kaiteriteri Mountain Bike Park and the associated product development in accommodation and food and beverage. Free to enter, the mountain bike park has taken years of hard work, commercial and environmental planning, community engagement and volunteer activity to develop it into the worldclass facility it is today.

Resco Best New Build over $100,000 Winner: Kaikoura TOP 10

also travelled to promote New Zealand at overseas events.

Epay Emerging Star Award (for holiday park professionals under the age of 35) Winner: Peter Crawford, manager, New Plymouth’s Fitzroy Beach Holiday Park Peter has been recognised for his highly successful and professional business approach. He took over the holiday park in 2013 as a family business and since then has grown visitor revenue by over 30 percent every year.

MANAGEMENT

More than 20 years old, the main ablution block was letting the five-star Kaikoura TOP 10 down, with guest reviews noting it wasn’t up to the same high standards as the park’s other facilities. The owners embarked on an ambitious $200,000 facelift for the big bathroom block, and while the Kaikoura earthquake threw a major spanner in the timeline, the transformation is now complete. New features include custom-made heated mirrors, individual automatic flushing urinals and heat pumps on self-timers for guests’ comfort in the colder months.

Resco Best Upgrade under $100,000 Winner: Rotorua TOP 10 Holiday Park Located at the front of this award-winning park, the interior of this ablutions block was tired and dated and the wet flooring had become a hazard.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

The owners invested in a $42,000 upgrade, which included the addition of six new toilet cubicles and four showers, the installation of infra-red heaters which are very popular with guests, auto close doors, eco-friendly LED lighting and new double glazed windows.

Highly Commended: Wanaka Kiwi Holiday Park PGG Wrightsons Park Grounds Award Winners: Miranda Holiday Park & Rotorua TOP 10 Holiday Park Miranda Holiday Park, Coromandel It’s been a whirlwind year of constant activity at Miranda Holiday Park, with a focus on adding value and offering better amenities. Highlights include new family units, $5000 worth of new plants, an all-weather children’s playground, new street signage inside and outside the park, and an increased focus on pest control.

Rotorua Top 10 Holiday Park Over the past 12 months, park owners Jasmine and Jared Adams have invested the equivalent of $75,000 to upgrade the grounds, including new

When you need an experienced revenue manager Rooms Online are a team of experienced accommodation Revenue Managers working with Holiday Parks across New Zealand.

Rooms Online take care of managing online listings and carry out well thought out revenue management and dynamic pricing strategies. The team understand the ins and outs of doing business with the OTAs, and how to leverage these channels to even the playing field in today’s digitally reliant world. Their services ensure that all clients have the best possible foot forward with OTAs, and that most importantly the rates are always fluctuating with demand to really maximise re-turns. outdoor furnishings, artwork and outdoor family facilities and activities. Children are a big part of the park’s marketing effort and a new jumping pillow, trampoline areas and playground keep the kids happy while their parents relax.

Predator Free NZ Park Award Winner: Taupo DeBretts Spa Resort

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Rooms Online manage all third-party listings for you (set up, and ongoing maintenance)

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You will have a dedicated, expert Revenue Manager working for you

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No long-term contracts

reduce predators and restore native flora and fauna. The programme demonstrates good management and data collection and excellent collaboration and community engagement. There is a strong desire to educate other park owners about the importance and value of New Zealand’s Predator Free initiative.

Highly Commended: Blue Lake TOP 10 Holiday Park

This park’s predator free programme is focused on achieving solid outcomes to

HPNZ President’s Award Jason Hitchens, Leisurebuilt -

for his support of the holiday park sector. AA Traveller - for their long-term support of the holiday park sector.

HPNZ Board Service Award Lee Boot, Alpine Pacific Kiwi Holiday Park, Kaikoura Seekom Productivity Improvement Award Te Anau Kiwi Holiday Park ServiceIQ Award Hanmer Hot Springs TOP 10 Holiday Park

HAVEN COMMERCIAL

A Division of Haven Distributing Company Limited Haven Commercial is a division of Haven Distributing Company Limited; a product developer, importer, wholesaler and distribution company of furniture and homewares items through retailer and hospitality markets.

Haven Commercial Division provides sleep system options to the hospitality sector, including bunks, beds and storage accessories; manufactured and tested to AS/NZS 4220:2010 safety standards and successfully distributed in NZ & Australia to Backpackers facilities, Holiday Parks, Children’s Holiday Camps and other accommodation operators. Haven Commercial also distributes quality NZ-made Sleepyhead Commercial mattresses through their procurement & supply association with NZ Comfort Group, thereby creating a ‘one-stop’ shop for hospitality sleep systems.

Haven’s factory manufacturing relationships provide Quality Control testing processes, direct importation and distribution in NZ, both directly and through distributor agencies. Haven’s delivery network provides prompt and efficient supply channels and a proven sales & service record from many years’ experience

Haven Distributing Company Limited 7E ORBIT DRIVE, ROSEDALE, AUCKLAND, 0632 PO BOX 924, WHANGAPARAOA, AUCKLAND, 0943 PH: +64 (9) 213 3024 FAX: +64 (9) 479 8476 EMAIL: sales@havennz.com WEBSITE: www.havennz.com

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

MANAGEMENT

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Airbnb as a channel of choice... Why?

By Kate Jackson, Editor

Airbnb the home-share pioneer has evolved.

Over the last few years, an increasingly diverse range of property types has joined the ‘family’, including boutique hotels and traditional B&Bs such as Little Albion Hotel in Sydney. These hospitality providers see themselves as aligned with the company’s commitment to offering local, unique, authentic travel experiences.

There are now more than 24,000 boutique hotel rooms listed on Airbnb globally and in the past year the number of boutique hotel listings increased by 520 percent globally. There are also more than 180,000 B&Bs listed with Airbnb - an increase of 100 percent from last year.

For many hospitality providers, a key reason for working with Airbnb is access to a global network of guests in more than 191 countries. There have now been more than 300 million guest arrivals at Airbnb listings worldwide. In New Zealand, there were 1,470,000 guest arrivals at Airbnbs from more than 150 different countries of origin in 2017.

for traditional hospitality providers to use,” he said.

“Our global hotel technology partnerships with soft ware providers such as SiteMinder or ResOnline allow properties to quickly and seamlessly list on the platform.”

Earlier this year, Airbnb announced plans to target travellers who have previously preferred or only used hotels, introducing property categories of Holiday Home, Unique, B&B and Boutiques and Airbnb Collections.

McDonagh says of the move: “Importantly, we welcome

listings hosted by traditional hospitality provided they meet our community’s standards.

“We look for hosts who offer unique spaces and personal hospitality.

“Some of the specific qualities we consider are things like access to common gathering areas or events, guest rooms with personal touches that are individually unique, local influences or amenities, unique design characteristics which set the property apart and local maps or tours of neighbourhoods.

“Going forward, we are

We look for hosts who offer unique spaces and personal hospitality

“We are also working to make our platform even easier

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One such hospitality provider is theTerminus Hotel in Pyrmont, Sydney.

General manager Belinda Clarke says Airbnb provides an effective booking channel for the property’s three distinct demographics - weekday commuters, weekend leisure guests and - surprisingly - locals.

She told the audience at July’s NoVacancy Australasian expo:

Sam McDonagh

According to Airbnb’s Country manager for Australia and New Zealand Sam McDonagh, traditional hospitality providers choose to list with Airbnb for a variety of reasons including because it handles all payments and through its ‘Super-Host’ program offers a suite of support services.

committed to working together with hospitality providers across New Zealand and Australia and offering local, unique and authentic hospitality experiences to even more travellers.”

MANAGEMENT

“There’s lots of apartment accommodation in the city so when locals have family to stay, there’s no room to host them. They come to us - people use us as a branch of their homes and we support that.”

She added: “80 percent of people on Airbnb want to live like a local. They want to really experience these cities the way they would if they were a local or insider.” ■ Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Pushing the switch Modern cloud PMSs are deployed online, which means they can be accessed remotely on computer or mobile

By Kate Jackson, Editor

The purpose of a property management system is quite simply to make your life easier.

It should synchronise systems to simplify and speed up myriad everyday tasks, covering everything from taking bookings to tracking housekeeping.

Manually duplicating data, dealing with double-ups and booking errors or clicking through multiple screen to complete routine processes means you’re working with a system that is out of date or incapable of handling your requirements.

If your property management system is not helping you, it’s holding you back.

Why switch?

Technology is advancing so fast that systems which might have been cutting edge five years ago are not capable of handling the requirements of a modern hotel, motel or resort.

Mobility: Property management software that is installed only on a front-desk computer, for example, requires staff to stop what they’re doing and return to the front desk every time they need to check information. Modern cloud PMSs are deployed online, which means they can be accessed remotely on computer or Spring 2018 - AccomNews

A big factor to consider whenever you change PMS is whether you’ll be able to shift all the data mobile, giving staff flexibility to log in from anywhere and improving operation response times and communication.

Integration: A PMS which doesn’t integrate with your other hotel systems (point of sale, payment processing, customer relationship management software, in-room entertainment etc) means manually re-keying and managing data from multiple systems. This is timewasting and error prone, slowing down important tasks and potentially hampering speedy and effective customer service.

Packaging: Packages and special offers comprise a large part of modern accom marketing, allowing properties to differentiate their offer and providing guests with a value proposition. If your current PMS doesn’t support an integrated approach to features such as booking addons and ancillary sales, it may be inhibiting sales growth.

Connectivity: Properties that do not provide the ability to book online are becoming a rarity in accom and may be losing a significant chunk of business. It’s vital that a PMS connects to online sales channels (online travel agents, global distributions systems, etc) and automates availability and rate updates across those channels. If your PMS doesn’t integrate with a mobile-friendly online booking engine for your property’s website, it’s time for a change.

Loyalty: Guest relationships are ever more important in this era of hyper-personalisation.

A PMS that doesn’t allow you to record guest profiles or doesn’t integrate with CRM is not compatible with the modern approach to building guest loyalty.

Analysis: Most property management systems provide some level of reporting, from booking, occupancy and revenue reports to custom reporting features. A good PMS will offer the ability to generate customised reports, allowing you to easily filter, sort and export the data you need.

What to consider when switching The thought of switching systems may be a daunting one, particularly if you have a large amount of data to migrate from one system to another.

MANAGEMENT

A big factor to consider whenever you change PMS is whether you’ll be able to shift all the data you currently have logged over to the new system.

You’ll also want to make sure that the new system will let you migrate data in the future.

Data is far too valuable to lose, so make sure you talk this one through with various providers before making a decision.

The quality of internet coverage is another factor when choosing whether to opt for an onsite or cloud-hosted PMS. Cloud-based systems require a good internet service and offer great easeof-use, with data managed and stored externally but accessible from any number of devices.

They tend to be fast and have a lower initial investment. Data security is the main drawback as it will always be a risk to store all your data externally. Hacking is a very real threat and in recent years, hackers have targeted the accommodation sector.

With onsite hosting, security is tighter and internal operations are not reliant on an internet connection, although many of these systems can be integrated with online features.

The drawbacks with onsite hosting come down to the maintenance responsibilities, energy consumption and higher purchase cost. Combined systems that act like hybrid solutions are available at different price-points. ■

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Need a new property management system?

Switching is easier than you think.

Gerry Comninos

By Gerry Comninos, CEO, RMS

Technology and the way people use it is changing fast – are you keeping up? If the answer is no, then it’s probably time to consider switching your property management system.

It’s one of the most important decisions you will ever make and has the potential to completely transform your accommodation business.

Of course, switching property management systems takes time, effort and commitment.

But it’s often easier than people think, and the rewards can be huge.

Still not sure?

Then consider this: the longer you stick with outdated technology the further your business will fall behind and the harder it will be to catch up.

Move to cloud The biggest trend right now is operators switching from onsite server-based property management systems to cloud hosted products.

Fewer and fewer operators are heading in the other direction, it’s virtually one-way traffic.

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However, there is still a long way to go with an estimated 75 percent of the market still using onsite systems bought many years ago.

Over time there is no question that balance will change.

Indeed, this was a fact recognised by Melbournebased property management system developer RMS, which moved to the cloud more than five years ago.

Right decision The move took a lot of work but has been worth it, says Gerry Comninos, CEO of the company now known as RMS – The Hospitality Cloud.

“We had to move with the times or get left behind – it’s exactly the same risk faced by hospitality operators using served-based technology,” Comninos says.

Growth has really taken off as a result and RMS software is now used by more than 6000 hotels, holiday parks and serviced apartments in 30 countries.

“The market has spoken,” says Comninos, adding that this year alone more than 500 properties have switched to RMS. Major signings include the Scenic Hotel Group in New Zealand, plus significant client wins in Australia, the United

States, Dubai and India.

RMS has also started working on a pilot program with one of the world’s leading serviced apartment operators.

“This kind of growth wouldn’t have been impossible if we hadn’t moved to the cloud.

It’s where the demand is and is what clients want.”

Cloud v. serverbased systems RMS Founder Peter Buttigieg says switching to cloud-based technology is smart move for properties of all sizes, reducing infrastructure costs, increasing data security and boosting online sales.

He says cloud-based technology suits properties of all sizes and advantages include: • • • • • • •

Fast, flexible and easy to use Automatic upgrades No heavy upfront costs No bulky infrastructure Mobile friendly Superior connectivity Cost effective

“The properties we work with love the fact our system liberates them from costly servers, allowing them to focus on the business of selling and marketing rooms.”

Mr Buttigieg says cloud systems are also more secure than oldschool server-based technology.

MANAGEMENT

“We’ve really been able to step up our security since moving to a cloud-based operating environment, which is guarded by extremely robust firewalls.”

As a result, RMS has become the first hospitality technology company to achieve US Government FedRAMP security certification, enabling it to win a game-changing contract with US Marine Corps Community Services earlier this year.

More than just property management When switching systems, make sure you shop around and choose the one that’s right for you.

It should be robust and cost-effective, automating mundane tasks and creating greater efficiencies.

Make sure there are no hidden costs and the property managements system is simple to operate while giving you access to a range of tools that can assist with revenue management, trust accounting and banking.

At the end of the day, your property management system has to work for you, not the other way around.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

RMS Cloud: Complexity Simplified

RMS Cloud builds world-leading hospitality technology for motels, hotels, apartments and holiday parks. Our software is robust, cost-effective and always evolving to ensure user relevance.

Based around an acclaimed Property Management System, RMS software modules are designed to simplify the complex task of running an accommodation business, from checking in guests through to boosting sales, rates and distribution, all you need is an internet browser.

www.RMScloud.com

Direct Distribution

Point of Sale

Internet Booking Engine

Easy Integration

Enterprise Software

Free Global Support

Eliminate dependence on third party Channel Managers for distribution

Powerful booking engine, customised for your business

Manage, report, collaborate and cross sell across your portfolio

Seamless connectivity with your food and beverage or retail outlets

RMS integrates with the leading software partners

24/7 x 365 days a year, with no hidden costs

AND MUCH MORE!

+61 3 8399 9462

sales@rms.com.au

A great park that delivers

memorable experiences

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

Beachaven TOP 10 Holiday Park offers affordable Kiwi-style camping on four acres near the stunning Waihi Beach. It’s a hidden gem and gateway to both the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty. Proud owners Ian and Vicki Smith have spent over a decade investing in and developing this friendly, multiaward-winning park.

form or structure. Working with Steve Chambers of Stufkins and Chambers, we developed a longterm plan to create beautiful gardens and private spaces for guests, as well as protection from both the sun and wind.”

Branding...

In December 2017, Ian and Vicki decided to join New Zealand’s largest holiday park provider, TOP 10 Holiday Parks Group as a ‘classic park’, the Beachaven TOP 10 Holiday Park.

Ian told us: “Last year, TOP 10 segmented their parks into three

tiers, premium, superior and classic. This helps customers identify the type of facilities each park offers and makes it easier for them to choose.

This move allows TOP 10 to do a better job at ensuring the expectations of customers are met and will be more closely aligned where it matters.

“Beachaven TOP 10 Holiday Park offers everything expected from a TOP 10 classic park, including a kid’s playground, barbeque area and television room, plus limited free wifi and a number of recreation facilities

According to Ian, a great holiday park is dependent on the overall experience that guests enjoy during their stay, including all the touch points along the journey. And, this is a great park!

He told us: “Our aim was to create a park-like tropical oasis where guests can unwind and relax with their family. When we bought the park, there were only two trees and no gardens, it was a mish-mash of sites, units and permanent caravans with no

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Simon and Justine McCool

PROFILES

to enjoy. However, segmentation does not differentiate with great customer service or excellent cleanliness - you can expect this of all TOP 10s.”

Beachaven is simply offering another choice to the other TOP 10 Holiday Parks in the region; with nearby Waihi Beach TOP 10 Holiday Resort presenting as a premium offering.

He added: “Many of our guests tell us that they do not want all the ‘bells and whistles’ but rather a great camping experience with excellent clean facilities and great service. We certainly deliver, and we proudly joined the ‘wall of fame’ for TripAdvisor after winning a TripAdvisor certificate of excellence for five years in a row.”

This industry is currently in a time of constant disruption, whether from new accommodation competitors, Airbnb, or freedom camping that impacts directly on holiday park businesses. Moreover, the advancement of online real time communication means that customers happily share (good or bad) experiences on a global platform.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Ian advised: “Anyone in our sector must pay attention to their online reputation and become part of greater communication and marketing networks. By joining the TOP 10 brand we have help with maximising our online presence and we benefit from the brand’s excellent marketing and superb reputation.

“Regardless of living in a world of disruption, our guests will always remember how we made them feel and it is my strong belief that to be competitive as we move forward we must examine all that we do to

ensure that every part of the experience is excellent. Guests of the future will increasingly look for personalised service and boutique experiences.”

and their wealth of knowledge in the hospitality industry and high level of customer service have proven to be huge assets to the Beachaven TOP 10 Holiday Park.

Beachaven TOP 10 Holiday Park...

Owner Ian stated: “Justine and Simon certainly bring a hard-working attitude and fresh ideas to the business, we are fortunate to have them here.”

Simon and Justine McCool are the managers of Beachaven TOP 10 Holiday Park. Before taking on this position two years ago, their experience was completely entwined in the hotel industry, with over ten years of experience between them. Previously, they had worked for several Accor properties and private resorts

Justine and Simon strongly believe in providing their guests with the best customer service and experience they can provide.

Justine said: “Our favourite hospitality quote is: ‘Customers may forget what you said but they will never forget how you

made them feel’.” The day this couple became managers of Beachaven TOP 10 Holiday Park was a memorable one.

“We consider it a great achievement and honour to be the husband and wife team managing this park.

We combine all our previous experiences, from all sectors of the industry and bring in fresh ideas. We have enjoyed training our team to provide the best customer service to the guests and maintain the highest possible cleaning standards in both the units and the facility block,” Justine said.

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PROFILES

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Waihi Beach Reception

They have also created fresh social media marketing strategies to improve the recognition of the business and to help increase the occupancy levels.

Simon told us: “Ian and Vicki have worked hard to create this lovely park environment and the work is still ongoing and ever-evolving. We can now accommodate about 500 guests in a mixture of options including more than 50 sites for motorhomes and tents. This year we’ve greatly improved the playground by repainting it and installing a Lillypad Swing and a baby swing seat.”

“Currently we are in the process of concreting our entire park roadways at a cost of over $170,000 which will enhance the overall experience for our guests, connecting the park and making it easier for our guests to navigate. Witnessing the park’s growth and being part of these wonderful improvements has been a very rewarding experience for us.”

According to the couple, great planning and the use of professional tradespeople and experts with overall park design and interior design skills has ensured that the park, the environment

Now Classic, Superior and Premium Classic

Superior

and therefore the holiday experience has consistently improved for guests.

Justine noted: “An example of this, besides working with Steve Chambers, is having Urban Lounge develop an interior remodel fit out for our motels which we can roll out as we refurbish and upgrade these units. They were able to provide the ‘wow’ factor to the look and feel. The furnishings are fit for purpose and the colours look great.”

Simon added: “Of course we must also mention the fantastic team here at the park. We are a small but exceptionally hardworking band with our newly appointed permanent park assistant, Iona Dickson. We also hire backpacking couples as park assistants to help with the daily running of the holiday park and John and Chloe from the north of England joined us in February 2018.

“Our team are true professionals who provide our guests with outstanding customer service and they make sure that the cleaning standards are exceptional.

Our team is always there to help and they always have a smile on their face!”

Sustainability...

“This has been an exciting year at Beachaven TOP 10 Holiday Park, as we have signed up to the New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment and also to Predator Free New Zealand with our goal to become fully predator free by 2020. Once this is achieved we would like to set the example for the wider community of Waihi Beach,” said Simon.

Waihi Beach TOP 10 Holiday Resort...

Ian and Vicki Smith also own the Waihi Beach TOP 10 Holiday Res. Located next to Beachaven TOP 10 Holiday park, it is also a multi-awardwinning park, winning New Zealand tourism awards, a Supreme award for the Bay of Plenty, Westpac business awards as well as many others.

It was the first holiday park in New Zealand to be awarded a Qualmark Gold sustainability award when the category first came out. It has over 30 accommodation units as well as an all-year- round heated 25 metre swimming pool, spa, sauna, gym, pizza oven, underfives family room, TV lounge/ library and games room. ■

Premium

Our categories communicate what facilities and amenities our guests can expect on arrival, and will better cater for their varying expectations and needs.

This is all part of ensuring we provide our guests with their very own unique holiday experience.

Visit for more information.

Waihi Beach Pool Area

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PROFILES

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Lovely family

the heart and soul of Himatangi

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

Himatangi is a small settlement in the Manawatu-Wanganui region on the west coast of the North Island, a stunning location where you will find the award winning, Himatangi Beach Holiday Park.

Search the whole country and it would be hard to find a cleaner, brighter, more welcoming holiday park than this.

and a variety of accommodation options, catering to both international and domestic travellers. The property consists of 92 sites very suitable for families and especially safe for children of all ages - kids simply adore the adventure playground, skate park, and BMX track.

catch some fish, or explore the massive sand dunes. “The village is basically a huge sand dune, so our surroundings are ever changing, our beach is amazing, and we have our own micro climate, so you never know what you are going to get when you come,” Alice declared.

The incredible location, only three hundred metres from the wild, rugged Himatangi Beach, means guests can enjoy amazing sunsets, play in the waves, throw a line out to

Reuben and Alice pride themselves on their friendly customer service and high standards of cleanliness.

Alice said: “However, it is the atmosphere of the camp that is

our greatest point of difference.

It is very welcoming, and the regular campers contribute to the warm and friendly atmosphere. They are always happy to help others and create magnificent memories.”

Describing the holiday park team, Reuben joked: “Well, there is me: the all-round nice guy who does everything and Alice, the dressing gown enforcer who keeps the office running and checks my spending!

For the last three years the charming owners of Himatangi Beach Holiday Park, Reuben and Alice Ebrey, have been toiling hard to make it the best that it can be. Both are happy to be part of a holiday parks sector where they’ve found such “positivity and a real push to work together to succeed”.

Reuben said: “It’s been wonderful to be surrounded by so many unofficial mentors, who share information and offer advice on all aspect of business and holiday park management.”

Himatangi Beach Holiday Park is a great destination that’s small and pet friendly with clean, modern facilities, plenty of space Spring 2018 - AccomNews

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“I must also introduce our apprentice holiday park managers, Lucas and Penelope (our three and four yearolds) and not forgetting Lisa our administrator, who was recently employed to help make things run smoothly. We also employ some casual staff over the summer period but mostly it’s just our little family at the helm.”

When the park was purchased

by Reuben and Alice it already had a fantastic reputation; the previous owners had made huge efforts to improve the holiday park and it had won the HAPNZ Spirit of Hospitality award twice.

“This gave us a great deal to live up to and we aimed to be the best holiday park in the lower north island,” explained Reuben.

improvements of the park and have more projects planned for the years to come. Recently they renovated three kitchen cabins and the bathrooms in the self-contained units, fitted a new solar and gas hot water system and made improvements to the grounds and gardens. An excellent rough and tumble playground was also installed for the kids and a new laundry area for the parents.

We asked Alice what she considers to be their biggest achievement and their steepest learning curve so far?

“We decided it was our goal to win the Spirit of Hospitality award on our own merits and happily we have achieved this.

The recognition is rewarding but it simply comes down to helping

customers enjoy their stay by looking for the little things needed to change their holiday from a good one to a great one.”

Reuben and Alice have continued the previous owner’s

Robert Embroideries the smart option Robert Embroideries supplied Himatangi Beach Holiday Park with their uniforms and embroidery.

Nicky Robert is the general manager of the iconic Palmerston North business, and she told us that the park owners were very happy with the products and service they received.

“We have found you very

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staff are always friendly, and the product is exactly what we asked for,” said Reuben, the park manager.

easy to deal with, helpful and flexible especially when we were making minor changes to the logo. The

Nicky Robert says: “We can embroider onto almost anything and we are seeing a trend of embroidered bathrobes in holiday accommodation.

Recently we have also been asked to embroider the word ‘make up’ on dark coloured face cloths – what a great idea!”

PROFILES

She said: “Just learning the ins and outs of the business was a huge achievement for us because we were both wage earners before purchasing the park. Our biggest achievement was winning the Spirit of Hospitality award, it validates all the hard work we have put in over the last three years.

“Our biggest learning curve was (and still is) customer service; 98 percent of customers are fantastic and easy to provide for, but there is also the two percent that really test our communication skills!”

Finally, what do Reuben and Alice enjoy most? “Watching our business grow, seeing families enjoy their holidays and getting great reviews from happy customers. Most importantly, we have learnt how the smallest of gestures can make a massive difference to a holiday experience.” ■ Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Sleepyhead

creates happy holidays Sleepyhead recently supplied Himatangi Beach Holiday Park with a range of beds for different room requirements including their popular Executive and Elegance mattresses.

Sleepyhead’s commercial manager Damien Hegarty says: “Our New Zealand-made

commercial beds elevate the comfort of guests staying in holiday parks, ensuring they have a great sleep while they are there.

By enhancing the guest sleep experience, we enhance their whole holiday experience, our beds take the park to another level of luxury, style and comfort.”

Sleepyhead is New Zealand’s largest and most trusted bedding brand.

The Sleepyhead Commercial range features leading innovative technology, designed for optimum comfort and durability.

Phone 09 276 9300 Fax 09 270 6006 Free Phone 0800 753 377 Email commercial@sleepyhead.co.nz

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

PROFILES

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Coastal park with magic touches

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

Travellers love Belt Road Seaside Holiday Park for many reasons – its aweinspiring views, the great location, friendly staff and the wonderful family who are its new owners.

There is more...

Belt Road Seaside Holiday Park and Motels is premier accommodation with 24 units (motels through to standard cabins) and 120 non-powered and powered sites. Only a short walk from New Plymouth City centre, it is located on the clifftop above the harbour with breathtaking sea views. Overlooking the Tasman Sea and Breakwater Bay, New Plymouth’s coastal walkway runs directly past.

With gorgeous pohutkawa trees, the grounds and gardens are verdant and magical. According to one guest, the park must have “busy magic elves” because it is also always so pristine! Guests return year after year to enjoy the spectacular views, lovely staff and stunning facilities that include a new Breakwater Lounge

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venue that’s ideal for small conferences and gatherings.

very little accommodation industry experience.

This is very much a family business and director Anna Crawford told us: “Our family have owned Taranaki’s only qualmark-rated 4.5 star, silver holiday park for just over 12 months now and it has certainly been one big learning curve! I came from ten years working in local government with

“However, we have an awesome team of ten amazing people, including our operations manager, reception, housekeeping and maintenance staff. The team played a vital part in the planning and developing stages of Belt Road and we have been able to learn from them. By

PROFILES

empowering them to continue to do what they do well, we had another very smooth summer and were free to concentrate on refurbishment projects.”

The park has a long history in New Plymouth stemming from 1909 when a small shed was erected for the ‘convenience of country people’ to camp by the seaside. In recent times the property has gone through Spring 2018 - AccomNews

many changes including the addition of two-bedroom motel units and a new communal facility including function room/lounge and six modern and spacious unisex ensuite bathrooms.

Changes continue...

Anna revealed: “We have three older-style concrete communal facility buildings that we are in the process of updating. We recently completed a renovation of what is known as ‘B Block’, including: a full rebuild of the showers, a replacement of the old concrete-style trough

urinals with new porcelain units (including a pint-sized kids option) and all the showers and toilets have new Resco doors.

“We also recycled the stainless steel basins, polished the fitments and replaced framing with matching Resco panelling.

We have given the space a new paint job throughout, including a blue feature wall that brightens the rooms along with new motion sensor LED lighting.

“In June 2018 we changed our property management and channel management system to Seekom. Why? Because our primary driver was to be cloud

Vendella the perfect one-stop shop “We’ve been working with holiday parks for ten years now and we’ve built some very rewarding relationships that we are very thankful for. Our park owners are great at what they do – we often see them go the extra mile to ensure they are offering the best guest experiences.

They’re a great bunch of Kiwis providing true Kiwi hospitality,” says Marty Brodie of Vendella.

Vendella’s team of consultants

based and we are pleased with the smooth transition.

The new system turned out to be a real asset in August when our park was struck by a tornado and we lost power for 20 hours. With Seekom, we continued to operate smoothly and took new bookings using our laptops and cell phones.”

This family is very committed to providing guests with memorable experiences and they pride themselves on their very high standards.

They aim to ensure the park is not just a place for people to sleep but a “place for

customers are consistently telling us that we make it easy for them to do business,” said Marty.

“Parks often have the most beautiful scenic views in the country, it’s great to see them investing time and effort toward sustainable tourism.

Marty Brodie

work with park owners to deliver cost effective product solutions.

A one-stop shop, park owners are thankful for the wide range of products and high level of service they receive. “Our

people to relax and regenerate with family and friends”.

Anna added: “I enjoy the flexibility that being part of this business offers, it allows me to have time with my young family. I also enjoy meeting new people and going the extra mile for guests to making their experience unforgettable. The New Zealand accommodation industry has huge potential and opportunities ahead and I am excited by it all... the emerging technologies and continued challenge of ‘working smarter’ to provide the best possible experience for all.” ■

sustainable business project, where their most popular pillow funds the planting of thousands of native trees throughout New Zealand.”

“Vendella are committed to sustainable tourism and are a finalist in the Keep NZ Beautiful Awards for the most

Supplier of choice to NZ Holiday Parks for; Dream 900gram Pillow • Stacka Commercial Bunk • Makers Napa Mattress Dreamticket Snug Quilt • Coral Fleece Blanket • Weavers Sheeting Dreamticket Mattress & Pillow Protectors • Makers Eclipse Bed Weavers Cardiff Toweling • Cutler Crockery & Cutlery • Jeri Sofa

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

PROFILES

0800 836 335 vendella.co.nz

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An extra touch

SKY’s video on demand service at the superb Four Points by Sheraton Auckland

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

Four Points by Sheraton Auckland is the first Marriott International hotel to open in New Zealand. At a time when Auckland’s tourism industry is booming, this new hotel adds much needed room inventory to Auckland’s limited supply, and delivers an experience designed to meet the high expectations of international visitors.

As expected, this hotel presents everything that the Four Points brand is best known for.

General manager Paul Gallop says: “Four Points by Sheraton Auckland offers uncomplicated comfort, exceptional service and the extra amenities that make a stay at our hotel an enjoyable, relaxing, homeaway-from-home experience.

“It’s a great time to be opening the doors, with occupancy and room rates at a record high in

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Auckland. We see huge potential for both Marriott and the Four Points by Sheraton brand in New Zealand, where demand for new hotel rooms continues to grow.”

Located on Queen Street in the heart of the Auckland CBD, the hotel is close to some of the best bars, restaurants and shops the city has to offer. The hotel’s stunning new rooftop bar will offer incredible city views when it opens later this year.

Guests will find a distinct Kiwi

touch throughout the hotel, with local materials and products used in the fit-out and décor.

Signature touches of this stylish and comfortable hotel include the Four Points by Sheraton Four Comfort bed (created

by Sleepyhead), free wifi, and complimentary in-room movies with SKY’s Video on Demand.

It satisfies the expectations of discerning travellers looking for more from their hotel experience; more style, more amenities and more facilities.

PROFILES

Tell our readers why SKY’s video on demand was used Paul explains: “Because its more than just TV; SKY’s video on demand is the entertainment hub of the room, offering HD blockbuster movies.

On top of this, our hotel has made them complimentary - one of the extra touches that guests love!

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

“Guests are delighted that SKY’s video on demand and IPTV system offers 36 SKY channels with HD sports, HD movies, additional news channels and country-specific channels. Furthermore, it offers secure screen sharing for Netflix and guest devices.”

SKY’s systems was “seamlessly” installed and programmed by the SKY team led by Brendon Brownie and Chris Shaw.

Paul says, “I would certainly recommend them - they deliver a superb product and service 24 hours a day. SKY’s video on demand is a great quality product that delivers an excellent guest experience.

Our guests are delighted with

the high-quality picture, wide range of channels (especially when a specific sport is being played) and with all HD pop-up channels. The free movies have been a huge hit with families and leisure travellers.”

Four Points by Sheraton Auckland is a first for New Zealand, but won’t be the last, as guests lap up this superb accommodation offering.

Paul says, “Auckland is an exciting place to be with a real buzz about it. It is only going to continue to grow and develop both as a tourism hotspot and a place to do business. We are looking forward to welcoming both locals and international travellers to our hotel.” ■

BEST WISHES The SKY Business crew extend best wishes to Paul and the team at Four Points by Sheraton Auckland.

We look forward to working alongside them to bring their discerning guests the best in TV entertainment.

Call us today on 0800 759 333 or visit guestselect.co.nz to find out how SKY Business can work for your property.

ACCO Y•

ION•I AT

O MM D

DUSTR N

2018 MEMBER

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

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Tackling the impossible at

water lover’s paradise

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

Noela and Richard Gunson, the busy owners of Mangawhai Heads Holiday Park, are preparing for a hectic 2018 summer season.

Formerly known as Mangawhai Heads Motorcamp, this park dates back to the 1940s and was originally part of the Wintle farm, whose owners used the beachfront as a private camp ground.

Noela revealed: “The Wintle family subdivided their farm and the beachfront land was given to the council with the request that it be used as a campground. It only had very basic facilities when we obtained a 30-year lease in 2014 so we immediately began improvements.” Armed with essential industry experience (previously Noela and Richard managed another park for 11 years), this couple have built a successful business in record time and are expecting over 800 guests this high season.

minute walk to the surf beach.

There are plenty of splendid spots to pitch a tent, park a campervan or stay in one of the comfortable cabins on prime beachfront land with stunning estuary views.

The Mangawhai Heads Holiday Park team...

Until recently, Noela and Richard managed with just a few helpers during the peak months. Noela revealed: “In June, we employed our son-in-law, Eugene O’Dell and, with our daughter Hayley, they will take over the running of the park, allowing us to wind down.

“Hayley’s son Mason and his cousin Dane (our eight and nine-year-old grandsons) are planning to be next in line to take over, although they plan to have many workers, so they can go fishing,” she laughed.

Developments...

The aim was to build a range of accommodation facilities in a beautiful park environment to accommodate discerning guests. The first improvements that Noela and Richard made

were to the grounds, and now the park presents perfect lawns and beautiful gardens. Next, they refurbished the old cabins and replaced a tiny reception area (attached to the front of the manager’s house) with a new reception building.

cottage into a reading/TV room, adding an indoor dining area and enlarging the kitchen on south side of the park.

Richard said: “Following on from that, we built an amenities block on the north side of the park where the old toilets stood – they were built by the campers in early 1950s and were in the original condition.

We now boast fabulous new facilities with separate male and female toilets; it is now a clean and modern amenities block.

Behind the scenes, the couple have also been rebranding their park, collaborating with a designer.

“Last year, we purchased three cabins and renovated them to a high standard. Furthermore, we demolished the male toilet, so it’s now a laundry, and built a new kitchen with a huge deck and glass balustrade. Guests now enjoy their meals with perfect views of the water.”

And there’s more...

According to Richard, there are many more projects planned; transforming a run-down

“We love what we do and really look forward to the masses descending, adding vibrancy to the park,” said Noela.

The park...

Located 90 minutes north of Auckland, Mangawhai Heads Holiday Park offers a peaceful, relaxing holiday experience. A water lover’s paradise, it has safe swimming and water sports in the harbour and is only a five-

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The unique Mangawhai Heads Holiday Park brand...

“We are proud of our beautiful location and our point of difference is our gorgeous estuary, where dolphins often frolic, stingrays mooch and the we get the occasional visit from Orca.

“Our brand now depicts our sandy beach and sand dunes with view to head rock and harbour entrance, the blue swirls on the left represent waves and of course the obligatory beachwear - thongs,” explained Noela.

This industry is a supportive one, and Noela and Richard are very happy to share knowledge and are keen to help fellow operators.

Richard said: “We are not in direct competition with each other, so we must work together because this industry is all about delighting guests. Our biggest reward is to see everyone enjoy their experience, we are overjoyed to receive compliments from return guests who have noticed the progress we’ve made.”

Noela added: “We have learned that nothing is impossible!

“Sometimes you start out with a preconceived idea on how something will work and then you adapt.” ■

PROFILES

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

How to make Chinese visitors feel at home As more Chinese travel abroad, many hotels and tourism businesses may be wondering, “How are these Chinese tourists different from other nationalities?”

Well, without trying to generalise, Chinese tourists ARE different – largely because they are travelling for different purposes to other, more mature tourist markets.

And although Chinese tourists are becoming increasingly sophisticated, accommodation providers need to make sure they get the basics right in welcoming Chinese guests. So, what are the basics? Here are our top five practical tips for you.

1. Free wifi Firstly, some statistics: • Four out of five Chinese tourists share photos of their travels online through WeChat, Weibo and other platforms • Approximately 93 percent of Chinese travellers under 35 share information about their trip on social media • 71 percent of Chinese tourists aged 20 - 40 rely on social media for travel inspiration What do these statistics mean?

Basically, make it easy for your Chinese guests to get online and talk about you! Like most of us, Chinese are unlikely to use expensive global roaming options on their mobiles when abroad, so they are relying on you. And upgrading your internet to make wifi free doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg - the price difference could be as little as adding an extra $1 onto your nightly rates.

2. Accept UnionPay - and Alipay!

When you check into a hotel or book online, how do you normally pay? For most Australians, the answer Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Although Chinese tourists are becoming increasingly sophisticated, accommodation providers need to make sure they get the basics right in welcoming Chinese guests

Justin Steele, Director, China Ready Now

would be Visa or Mastercard.

However, for most Chinese, paying with these credit cards is still a very foreign concept.

In China, the dominant form of payment is UnionPay. In fact, there are over 4.6 billion UnionPay bank cards globally.

Accepting UnionPay is a real low-hanging fruit, which shows Chinese guests that you understand them and how they like to pay for items.

Take the UK retailer Harrods for example. Back in 2011, the upmarket British department store announced that it had installed over 80 UnionPay terminals at checkout counters at its landmark Knightsbridge store and airport branches.

Seems like a lot of effort for just some Chinese tourist dollars, right? Wrong! According to some accounts, £1 in every £5 spent by Chinese tourists in the UK is now spent at Harrods.

In addition to UnionPay, Chinese tourists have rapidly taken up using mobile payment, with the largest mobile payment technology, Alipay, now being used by 49 percent of Chinese tourists. This is also a big area for hotels to improve in, with 57 percent of Chinese travellers surveyed in Hotels.com’s 2018 Chinese International Travel Monitor believing that hotels should be doing more to improve their acceptance of mobile payments. And it’s not that hard - there are numerous third-party companies that will help you get set up to receive payment via Alipay and WeChat Pay in no time.

3. Learn some Mandarin (or hire someone who speaks it!)

Although some 300 million Chinese claim to speak a level of English, you can bet for most of them it is pretty rudimentary.

So why not try to meet them in the middle, with some rudimentary Mandarin of your own! There are few things that Chinese appreciate more than a “laowai” (foreigner) who has tried to learn some Mandarin - a language that all Chinese will readily admit is one the hardest in the world to learn.

Failing that, there are plenty of people of Chinese background and Chinese international students in Australia, so you could always hire a native speaker - but at least learn how to say welcome (“hwanying”) before you do!

4. Translated information guides/ welcome materials If learning some Mandarin or hiring someone proves to be too difficult, at the very least make sure you have a translated information brochure. Think about it - even if your Chinese guest is fluent in English, they’re going to be a lot more comfortable with something written in their native tongue.

Particularly if that something is a detailed guide to a location they’ve never visited before.

Chances are you’ve already a great information guide or brochure in English, and it is not difficult to find accredited

MARKETING

translators and designers online who can transform that into some amazing Chinese-language content.

5. Add a little extra (eg electric kettle/ disposable slippers) According to Hotels.com, the second most commonly requested item from Chinese hotel guests (with free wifi in top spot) is a kettle. And slippers are also a very popular request. Why? Well, in China, people avoid wearing their shoes inside the house, leaving them inside the front entrance and then transferring into slippers. It is extremely rare for Chinese to walk around barefoot. So, show your cultural understanding, and lay out the slippers, a kettle and a variety of teas. You’ll score points with your Chinese guests for sure.

Summary The big hotel chains are all spending big bucks to improve their ability to welcome Chinese guests. Hilton International, for example, has rolled out its Huanying program (huanying = welcome) to hundreds of hotels around the world.

For small and medium-sized hotels, some of the features of these programs are not practical or affordable. However, that does not mean you should do nothing! Follow our easy steps and you’ll be well on your way to making your existing Chinese clientele feel more welcome, and recommending you to their friends and family. ■

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WHAT’S HOT

Elegance Super Plush

This luxurious super plush bed is the top of the Sleepyhead range and has been designed for the most discerning of guests.

With our exclusive independent BioXCell spring system at its core, and Graphene and FusionGel+ comfort layers, it provides unparalleled sleeping comfort.

Features include: BioXCell spring unit, Heavy duty insulating layers, Graphene, FusionGel+ and Dreamfoam comfort layers, Plush Euro top, Fire retardant treated cover, Flip free mattress design, Platform base, Legs with castors, Full size range including ‘zip-combination’ Sleepyhead Commercial 0800 753 377 sleepyheadcommercial.co.nz commercial@sleepyhead.co.nz

A Goodie Bag full of benefits Currently you have to pay to have all your left over guest hair and body care products sent to land fill, which seems like a pretty big waste to us. So we invented the Goodie Bag. This little bag (made from recycled paper) is designed to encourage guests to take home their partially used amenities and finish them at home and then pop them in their recycling. The Goodie Bag has a number of benefits: It’s good for the environment by encouraging recycling. It’s good for your marketing as they will continue to think of their stay with you every time they use the product at home. It’s good for your environmental reporting as you will be significantly reducing room waste going into land fill.

Encouraging guests who genuinely want to do the right thing by reducing waste and recycling not only paints you in a good light, but has some genuine benefits for the hotel as well.

HealthPak, 09 579 6268, info@healthpak.co.nz, healthpak.co.nz

Safety Compliant Bunk sets

Electrolux SpeeDelight Discover your new productivity and savings with SpeeDelight. Enhance your menu especially around room service and deliver fantastic food options cooked perfectly every time and so easy to use. Chef worthy snacks thanks to the combination of 3 cooking technologies SpeeDelight produces food crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside.

Harvey Norman Commercial, 0800 222 699 commercial@nz.harveynorman.com, harveynormancommercial.co.nz

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When planning your next upgrade, you can be assured of fully complaint and safety standard approved bunks & beds, when sourcing though Haven Commercial. The range of fully tested and AS/NZS safety standard compliant bunk sets, in steel or timber, provides you with assurance of meeting the safety specifications, and reducing your facility’s exposure, under the Health & Safety Act 2015. In addition to the extensive range of bunks & beds, check out Haven’s range of storage and mobile bedding options.

WHAT’S HOT

Haven Distributing Co. Ltd, 09 213 3024, havennz.com Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Weavers Velour Bath Robe - 1240grm A fine touch for any room to impress every guest! 1240gm per piece, this Weavers bathrobe is made from premium quality 100% cotton. Luxurious & soft, cropped pile Velour giving a wonderful velvety feel, featuring two pockets and Double Belt Loops. 124cm Long, Machine wash and dry.

Contact us about embroidery logo’s Vendella International 0800 836 335 www.vendella.co.nz

Contemporary art for your accommodation property Mobile Art offers accommodation property owners an accessible, convenient and effective way to visualise, select and install original contemporary New Zealand artworks at your business. Beginning with an on onsite consultation and the development of a comprehensive art proposal the Mobile Art consultants can guide you through the buying and hiring alternatives that will work best for your premises and your customers. Mobile Art has over 1000 works in stock and can help you source and install artworks from a diverse range of styles, sizes and prices. If you are thinking ‘art’ then get in touch today for a completely obligation free conversation, or check out the Mobile Art website to see our stocked art.

Mobile Art Gallery, 09 630 6543, info@mobileart.co.nz, mobileart.co.nz

Super King Split Bed with zipper A hot favorite for hotel & motel industry, this Super King bed can be used as two long singles or one Super King Bed. The commercially tough zip keeps the two long single mattresses bonded together when used as a super king. Product comes with a complimentary triple layer mattress which is specially designed to eliminate the gap disturbance between the two mattresses. Available in all commercial range beds.

Slumberzone, 022 4124 444, commercial@slumberzone.co.nz, slumberzone.co.nz Spring 2018 - AccomNews

The ultimate in glamping tents Safaritents NZ can create an entire safari camp or just sell an individual tent, specified to whatever degree of simplicity or luxury you require. Our safari tents and lodges can come fully fitted with interior walls and furnishings including high quality bedding, furniture, kitchen joinery, etc. Each order can be manufactured bespoke to your own requirements. The interior specification of the tent is entirely up to you. Dishwashers and hot tubs are all possibilities!

Safari Tents NZ, 021 024 29278, info@safaritents.co.nz, safaritents.co.nz WHAT’S HOT

29

Grand old dame

of Auckland's hotel scene goes contemporary with new refurbishment Google ‘Langham Auckland’ or ‘Cordis Auckland’ images, or run a search on Instagram, and you’ll quickly discover just how much the iconic hotel’s visitors love the building’s chandeliers, which feature predominantly in many photos.

So when specialist design firm Space Studio were called on to refurbish the hotel as part of its rebrand from the Langham to Cordis – a new five-star brand of the Langham Hospitality Group – the Auckland company knew the chandeliers would be staying, even if the brief was for a contemporary look.

And stay they did.

Shane Jolly, Cordis Auckland Hotel Manager, says it’s a mark of the success of the refurbishment project that Space Studio managed to incorporate the old world charm and classical style of the chandeliers into a new, contemporary look and feel that fits with the Cordis brand.

The rebrand has seen the grand dame of Auckland’s hotel scene given a new lease of life, with Space Studio redesigning and refurbishing 411 guest rooms, including suites, along with the hotel’s reception and Lobby Lounge, the 10th floor Club Lounge and corridors.

A sense of fresh air Jolly says Langham Hotel Group was looking for a refurbishment that articulated the change of brand and modernised the hotel, while not losing the elements and charm that visitors and locals valued about the Langham.

“While the Cordis brand carries a more contemporary aesthetic objective than Langham, we did not want to lose the connection with the classical elements in the hotel that have become landmarks in themselves for visitors and locals to the hotels,” Jolly says.

“There are also some areas of the hotel that do not form part of the works so we are ensuring that the relationship to those areas is carried through in the new spaces.”

Dave Sweatman, Space Studio Associate Designer, says the existing classic design was used as the starting point for the new design.

“As the Langham, it was really rich and opulent, and the brief was to lighten the space and freshen it, so we stripped back some of the detail, making it more contemporary, and used proportion to exaggerate height, taking classical proportions and altering them in a more contemporary direction.”

Space Studio also looked to New Zealand’s natural environment for inspiration.

“A lot of overseas visitors come

The fresher finishes and improved lighting – with custom light fixtures – have been used to increase the light level throughout the refurbished areas.

Natural materials, including stone and fibres, feature prominently, with heirloom furniture and art in the hotel restored to provide an ongoing connection to the history of the hotel.

Local benefits in bespoke furnishing Sweatman says one of the things he’s most proud of is the furniture, fixtures and detailing.

The majority of the furniture was custom designed.

“It was a huge process to monitor the manufacturing and insure that the manufacturers interpretations of our drawings were what we wanted and that the level of detail was there – that the upholstery was perfect and the execution was doing the detail justice,” he says.

“It is one of the real successes that they managed to keep something as olde worlde as the chandeliers, but change the carpet and fittings to make it fit perfectly within the design,” Jolly says.

30

to New Zealand for fresh air, so we picked up on the silver skies for the colour palette, along with a little of the sunset hues of soft pinks and teals, to provide a sense of fresh air and lightness,” Sweatman says.

New Zealand companies were used for the manufacturing REFURBISHMENT

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

of all public area furniture, including a large star-shaped ottoman that is a key feature of the reception area, along with headboards in all the guest rooms.

Sweatman says the project has had a positive spin off for local providers, giving them a better understanding of the process and quality and execution required to meet the expectations of a five-star hotel.

Jolly says he’s particularly impressed with the sense of space achieved in the rooms.

“Space Studio managed to retain all the features you need to have in a room, but by taking out some of the larger furniture and replacing it with bespoke offerings, mounting TVs on the wall and so on, they’ve created rooms which feel a lot more airy, a lot lighter.

"It’s a mix of the colour palette and taking out the big chunky pieces of furniture and replacing them with more svelte designs,” Jolly says. “The way that has been achieved has been one of the best attributes of the overall finished result.”

Benefits extending beyond guests Jolly says guests aren’t the only ones reaping the benefits of the refurbishment. “The staff are very happy,” he says.

Room attendants, in particular, have seen big benefits from the refresh. Where the old furniture was large and heavy, in keeping with the older, classic look of the Langham, the new furniture is lighter and easier to manoeuvre around.

The TV and minibar cabinets are elevated on legs making them easy to vacuum under, while bedside tables are now easier to get around. “Not having to move furniture around so much to get cleaning done is a huge benefit,” Jolly says.

“We’re all very proud of the refurbishment – from the sales team showing guests through to front desk welcoming guests, everyone is proud to show it off,” he says. Jolly says that integrating the colours and design into new areas of the hotel will also be ‘very easy’.

“It’s a timeless design that’s going to age well and that, for us, is the ultimate success.”

Space Studio, specialist design firm established in 2004 with a focus on design excellence and exceptional project delivery in hotels, lodges and resorts.

2018 Hospitality New Zealand award winner “Best Redeveloped Accommodation” for the design and restoration work on the iconic heritage building turned luxury boutique hotel, Hotel Grand Windsor.

Bronze Award winner at the 2018 New Zealand Best Design Awards.

For further information on Space Studio’s latest projects, visit www.spacestudio.co.nz. If you’d like to chat about an upcoming project, please email to reception@spacestudio.co.nz or call +64 9 377 2022.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

REFURBISHMENT

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A picture tells a thousand words The last decade has seen a dramatic shift in the way we think about art in traveller accommodation.

Gone are the mass produced, identically framed reproductions of yesteryear.

These have been replaced by a new generation of original, contemporary art, often referred to as ‘real art’.

Real art is used to convey the personality of the accommodation proprietor in a way that off-white walls and spotted carpet simply can’t do.

The chosen artworks identify the quality and style of the accommodation, be it hotel, motel, lodge, or a privatelyowned holiday house on the beach. Selecting original artworks that will enhance the guest experience and send the right message is critical.

Art is a way for any type of accommodation to differentiate itself from other similar styles of accommodation by creating its own unique brand and ‘look’. Long gone are the days when only luxury hotels displayed original artworks.

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Diana Relph, Director, Mobile Art Gallery

Repeat guests expect consistency at their accommodation of choice, no matter what city they are in.

Because they like the fluff y

towels, the brand of tea and the nice taps in the bathroom, these guests have become very loyal to their chosen brand.

They like to be looked after, and to feel that they are in a luxury environment. They like to be surrounded by contemporary and expensive art. Guests appreciate quality artworks in their rooms, are respectful of it and are often known to remark upon it. A comment supplied by one recent guest at a quality Auckland hotel read “Comfy beds, nice linen, good reading lights, plenty of towels, well stocked fridge, and AMAZING art!”

Guests appreciate quality artworks in their rooms, are respectful of it and are often known to remark upon it

REFURBISHMENT

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Art in accommodation is often used to tell a local story. To maintain a relevant and local feel, artworks are commonly chosen from local galleries and are created by local artists.

International guests come to our country looking for a memorable and fully New Zealand experience and that experience will be enhanced by the unique brand of their choice of accommodation.

We are so lucky that New Zealand by its very nature is such a terrific source of inspiration to the wealth of talented artists who reside here.

The style and tone of artworks will naturally change from one end to the other of any accommodation venue.

Large, expensive, statement pieces are most likely to be found in foyers and entrances where first impressions count, though all the public spaces from restaurants and bars to corridors, will have their share of original artworks too.

The artwork in the individual guest spaces will follow a theme but typically still be original works. They will be smaller, restful pieces, and more likely to match the bedspread and the lampshade.

It’s crucial that the art displayed in an establishment works together as a whole, rather than a piece here and a piece there, but it is entirely possible Spring 2018 - AccomNews

to maintain a consistent and cohesive identity and look by careful selection. A designer or art consultant is a valuable asset when choosing artworks for a larger scale establishment. A good eye, the ability to understand and follow a brief plus plenty of experience makes for a satisfying outcome.

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life – Pablo Picasso

Artworks in any type of traveller accommodation is determined by the scope of a project and its budget.

Many establishments will purchase a full complement of original art, while others prefer to hire a comprehensive selection of artworks. The primary benefit of hiring original artworks is to avoid a large initial financial outlay.

Art in New Zealand is generally hired depending on its size – not its value, so the hirer can be assured the quality of the hired works will be as good (if not better) than purchased works. The monthly hire costs are relatively low, and there is the option to purchase some or all of the art throughout the term of the contract.

Hired artworks can be exchanged for a new selection on a regular basis so as to keep any accommodation brand looking fresh and new.

Whether purchased or hired, original, unique, quality artworks in any form are an asset to any accommodation business. ■ REFURBISHMENT

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Indulging the lust for luxe without spending a fortune

By Kate Jackson, Editor

of the bush or the ocean - still audible over the gurgle of your Nespresso milk frother.

Glamping is the accom phenomenon taking the rough out of roughing it.

It allows a reconnection with nature without any of the headaches normally associated with sleeping under the stars.

So what do would-be glamping operators need to know?

There’s no frantic packing of towels and bedding, tin mugs and dented frying pans, gazebos and barbeques. There’s no climbing into a grit-laden sleeping bag. But there is the romance of a night under canvas listening to the sounds

Glamping requires sturdy, permanent tent-like structures, equipped with luxuries such as comfy beds, throws, aircon and ensuites. The most luxurious command price tags equivalent to a top hotel room - but can be put

34

More ‘Out of Africa’ than ‘Carry on Camping’, glamping is unashamedly stylish and comfortable.

together for considerably less.

According to the blog www. fdomes.com: “It might look like the owners invested their seven-figure nest eggs to get those luxury camping sites rolling, but no.

“Hundreds of glamping sites already out there, and still more popping up, are a living proof that the business pays off and is here to stay.”

The first step is to define your guests and their expectations are. From families and couples to business groups, diverse needs must be considered; honeymooners and VIPs may not enjoy sharing their glamping

REFURBISHMENT

experience with families, whereas activity tourists might be more amenable.

When it comes to facilities, will you provide a laundry room, a games room, spa, pool? Will you have cooking areas and shared bathrooms or include those facilities within each tent?

Location A plot of land away from traffic but with good access is a perfect starting point. It must be well-drained, offer wind protection and allow for parking.

Any luxe camping environment will need power, waste disposal facilities, fire safety measures and sanitary facilities.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Regulation Each state and council within it have their own rules governing camping, but wherever your proposed site, it’s imperative to check that zoning is appropriate prior to applying for approval.

Wherever your setup, you will need to acquire a Development Permit for any change of use when it comes to your glamping site. Once approval is given, it will need renewing at regular intervals – those timings again varying from state to state.

Pandering to glamping A business which creates tourism and employment with minimal environmental impact is generally welcomed with open arms and may be eligible for a supporting development grant. Diversification which supports a primary business, like glamping on farmland, is particularly sought after.

Choosing your structure Glamping covers everything from yurts and safari tents to converted caravans, pods,

SafariTents_FWFS.indd 3

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

barns, cabins and domes.

If you go the tent route, premium quality canvas with up to 20 years’ longevity and sturdy steel or wooden frames are a must. The canvas needs to be tough, waterproof and fire retardant (essential if you are going to fit a wood burner).

Top quality will result in a better return on your investment as the materials will last longer.

Standardised pre-fabricated glamping kits allow you to assemble the structure yourself and while they’re less customisable, can save a lot of money. Many include wood-

burners and insulation, making them year-round solutions.

Making your tents unique is vital and providing cosy and luxury touches is imperative if you’re looking to charge decent rates.

Money and maintenance At the beginning of each season, you’ll need to hose down tents and rub any marks clean with a cloth. No chemicals are required so this is perfect for environmentally sensitive areas.

The cost of a quality 6m x 7m

REFURBISHMENT

safari tent is around $7600.

Allowing around $3,800 for the base and internal decoration, you could recoup the cost of that tent in a few months by charging an average glamping rate of around $290 per night.

Across Aotearoa, pricing varies from around $100 to $600 per night (dependent on location, amenities and season).

Remember, it’s OK to start small. Two or three yurts may not break the bank but enable you to learn what works before you decide to decide to invest wholesale in your glamping empire. ■

9/10/18 19:50

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Your crucial LINK to navigate the market

In recent years, the commercial accommodation market has been rattled by the introduction of online players such as Airbnb, HomeAway and Bookabach, but despite this perceived disruption, the sector has continued to experience steady growth.

According to the most recent Statistics New Zealand Accommodation Survey, there has been an increase of over 428,000 guest stays in the first half of this year, as opposed to the same period in 2017. Looking back at the 2014 statistics, this is an additional 3.1 million (approx.) stays, which is a total increase of 16.87 per cent.

To accommodate this growing market, leading business brokerage, LINK, has invested heavily to ensure it offers the right expertise and advice, with a Specialist Accommodation Sector Team. The team of 12

36

to NZD$16bil, and that there will be a shortage of 4,500 rooms by 2025 – making accommodation one of the key growth industries.

specialist brokers possess combined experience of over 200 years, each having individually held senior roles in various hotels and motels prior to joining the business broking industry.

With increases in guest nights occurring in almost every region across New Zealand, this provides the perfect opportunity for experienced hoteliers to grow their portfolio, or for newcomers with an interest in the accommodation sector to capitalise on this thriving market, and therefore take advantage of a booming tourism industry.

This select group of accommodation brokers, split between the North and South Island, offer a trusted perspective to assist buyers identify potential market opportunities, and are well equipped with the knowledge and know-how to assist all types of commercial accommodation businesses, whether large or small.

This potential growth also extends to incoming migrants who need temporary accommodation while they look for a permanent residence. If the business is positioned in a good location, occupancy rates can be extremely high, regardless of the season.

With a proven track record, LINK has sold over 40 accommodation businesses to the value of more than NZ$100 million in the last 12 months alone, with sales of hotels, motels, management rights and holiday parks accounting for approximately a third of their revenue.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) expect international visitor numbers to rise to 4.9 million by 2023, a significant growth from the 3.5 million recorded in 2016. Further government research also suggests that by 2022, tourism expenditure will have increased

LINK was recently recognised at the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) awards, taking home four significant wins – Large Business Broking office of the year, Medium Business Broking office of the year, Small Agency of the year across all disciplines in New Zealand, and the coveted Innovation award, for its unique valuation tool.

LINK has grown to become the

PROPERTY

largest business brokerage in Australasia, and one of the largest in the world, with over 500 brokers and 28 offices internationally including the largest business brokerage in California.

In August last year, LINK raised NZ$3.15mil of capital via online investment marketplace Snowball Effect, to implement an expansion plan focused on the strategic acquisition of other successful business broking offices in key markets, such as Australia.

With the business continuing to grow using this capital, LINK is now undergoing a second private raise, targeting a further NZ$3.25mil to continue its acquisition focus, coupled with web and IT developments and various other growth capital initiatives - cementing LINK’s position as arguably the leading business brokerage in the world.

From small to large accommodation purchases or sales, LINK understands the complexities facing business owners every day and has the depth of experience and distribution to achieve client demands.

Call LINK to initiate contact if you are considering selling or purchasing an asset.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

0800 546 528 linkbusiness.co.nz Buying or Selling Your Accommodation Business?

Call LINK, Your Award Winning Business Brokers Motel Lease – Central Kerikeri!!

$550,000

Beautifully presented motel lease. Only moments away from cafes, bars, boutique shops and an on-site café. Within close proximity to Kerikeri High, Kerikeri Primary and Kindergarten and overlooks the Kerikeri

EOne Year Young Motel Business

$1,490,000

Kelly Rd, Cambridge is a new, superb motel business with 35 year lease and will tick all the boxes for discerning buyers.

15 units consisting of 14 x one bedroom units and 1 x two bedroom unit. Comfortable 2 bedroom 1 bathroom owner’s accommodation with high ceilings and spacious decks.

Daring to dream about this enviable opportunity should excite those purchasers who are seeking the best, who wish to grow their capital investment and who want to secure their future.

This new motel offers unsurpassable guest experiences and is backed with a long-term lease.

Kerikeri Jenny Blain 021 455 421 jenny.blain@linkbusiness.co.nz linkbusiness.co.nz/NL00102

Waikato Lindsay Sandes 021 895 940 lindsay.sandes@linkbusiness.co.nz linkbusiness.co.nz/EL01467

Domain.

EEntry Price Accommodation Business

$275,000

The Clyde Accommodation business caters to all guests - corporate, domestic and international leisure, as well as workers staying and playing in this area.

This is an entry level priced business to attract first time buyers with lifestyle living. There are 15 guest rooms plus campervan parks. A 30-year lease is in place and there are initiatives growing the winter and summer national park activities by local council.

Ohakune Lindsay Sandes 021 895 940 lindsay.sandes@linkbusiness.co.nz linkbusiness.co.nz/EL01264

EExceptional Motel Business in Hawera

$789,000

A superbly presented motel with excellent owner’s accommodation. It would be difficult to ignore this investment for return, presentation and client satisfaction. Consistent sales provides, confidence for serious buyers.

The Park Motel has been carefully planned providing for the most discerning clients ensuring satisfaction during stays, and repeat business, contributing to the motels trading success.

Taranaki Lindsay Sandes 021 895 940 lindsay.sandes@linkbusiness.co.nz linkbusiness.co.nz/EL01536

All LINK NZ offices are Licensed REAA08

ERotorua CBD Accommodation FHGC

$1,700,000

Never judge a book by its cover, this freehold opportunity could be just what you are looking for! Business with a twist, easily managed, includes a one-bedroom apartment. Can be run under management or owner operator, long established business going through a fantastic growth period and continuing to grow. Land 1012sqm, CBD street frontage of 25 metres. Geothermal hot water bore. Freehold Returning 4% under management. Land and buildings plus GST (if any).

Rotorua Carron Chote 027 289 6658 carron.chote@linkbusiness.co.nz linkbusiness.co.nz/BPW00806

EFerrylink Motel Picton FHGC

$3,000,000

Ferrylink Motel is for sale as a FHGC or just the business for $650,000 (plus GST) if applicable.

Very functional and easily managed 11-unit motel complex. In addition, a 2-bedroom unit previously used as the manager’s residence.

Cash flow is consistent and trending up.

Occupancy consistently on the rise. Majority of the units have been refurbished. Excellent mix of commercial and tourist guests. If purchasing just the business, a new long-term lease is offered.

Picton Jono Jarvis 021 177 9760 jono.jarvis@linkbusiness.co.nz linkbusiness.co.nz/EL00931

Bathroom amenities:

Do guests really know what they want?

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

You choose your collection of bathroom amenities based on the presumption that guests want those products and will use them. But what if they are left unopened and unused? Does this mean your efforts have been wasted?

Not according to the results of the recent study by Cornell University School of Hotel Administration: What Do Hotel Guests Really Want? Anticipated Versus Actual Use of Amenities.

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Because guests really do love their bathroom amenities and will use them more than they realise.

The study of fifty hotel-wide and in-room amenities details both the overpredictions and, in some cases, underpredictions of amenity use by 724 guests in 33 hotels operated by six hotel brands. The use of some amenities was highly overpredicted such as a spa, or in-room dining but guests under-predicted how much they would use bathroom amenities.

The study helps managers determine which amenities make the most sense for their brand. With hotel amenities being a multi-billion-dollar business worldwide, having

a good idea of what the most valued amenities are is gold.

The unexpected underpredictions tended to be the free amenities... including lobby seating, valet parking, and concierge service, for which the percentage of guests expecting to use the service was noticeably smaller than the percentage who did use them.

Packaged bathroom supplies are included in the list of amenities that’s use was woefully underpredicted by guests.

The data suggests that both sexes underestimate how much they will use the bathroom amenities, and not only do they use them more than they

HOUSEKEEPING

expected, in higher end hotels they are also more inclined to purchase amenities. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that providing amenities that guests predict they will use at a high rate will have a positive effect on their initial stay and may influence repeat visits.

How can this study help you to tailor your amenities to your brand and your guests? It suggests that a “newly opened destination might consider skewing its amenity offerings to those that their analysis shows tend to attract customers; while another brand that operates in a mature market, in which success depends on generating repeat visits through customer loyalty, would do well to focus Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Thomson’s Distillery formulations are based on Healthpak’s own essential oils and hydrosols. Extracted in the same Auckland production facility that makes bottles, caps and contents for Healthpak’s products.

Bathe Marine Skincare Hair & Body care products are enriched with Kelp Extract and Phytoplankton. The combination of these two super ingredients with Healthpak’s salon grade formulations represents the very best in guest hair & body care.

on amenities that analyses show encourage such loyalty”.

Matching your guestroom amenities to your property can have a surprisingly profound impact on the quality of your guests’ stay. And being able to choose the product match for your accom is essential. To do this, know your property and your guests, know what makes them special.

Tips...

If your accom is a small local business, choose simple amenity products that showcase your locale. You could lean towards soap bars and natural scents, taken from your unique environment.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

If your property is a five-star business hotel with sleek and modern design, you could offer products that appeal to future-forward, busy business guests; dental kits and luxury well-known branded products.

For luxury accom, research trends that appeal to these discerning travellers. Vegan products are a trending force right now, these popular products tend to double up as environmentally friendlier and cruelty-free. They are usually more expensive, which is why they are associated with luxury in 2018. Do not forget your men! Male grooming is a hot trend right now in the amenity realm. Think beards,

think beard oil, hair wax, facial exfoliators and travel razors.

Customise. Many suppliers offer customised packages for your property and brand. You can convert your guestroom amenities into a brilliant branding tool. This is particularly good if your guests like to take a few mini tubes of shampoo home with them, or if you find you have guests staying more than one night.

Instagram-able. Make your amenities “shareable”; get your custom brand known on social media and ask guests to review and take pictures using your amenities - there is nothing better than genuine word-of-mouth publicity.

HOUSEKEEPING

Industry view Jimi Kennedy-Grant, sales & marketing general manager for Healthpak.

“Guest hair and body care products represent a very small investment for the hotel but play a disproportionate role in impacting a guest’s overall perception of the hotel.

“Choose brands that fit your décor, absolutely, but make sure that the contents live up to the hype. Products must reflect your geographic location; guests, both domestic and international, want an authentic connection to your destination. ■

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What makes the ultimate

guest experience?

By Kate Jackson, Editor

those amenities that’ll leave a memorable impression on any guest by assuring ultimate satisfaction.”

Tanning butler? Tea sommelier? Perfume concierge?

Towel weight is measured in GSM (grams per square metre).

While some accommodation houses provide speedierdrying and lighter towels of 400-600 GSM, no ultimate guest experience is complete without towelling products in the 600-900 GSM. Although they may take longer to dry, they are super-absorbent, kind to the skin and decadently soft across the entire range of robes, face washers, hand and bath towels.

Ritzy experiences offered by hotels from Miami to Mayfair may ooze opulence, but they feel a little overthe-top for Down Under.

Which isn’t to say Aussies and Kiwis don’t like to be spoiled on check in. As nations admired around the world for the quality of our fresh produce, the beauty of our landscapes and the freedom of our lifestyles, we are attuned to quality.

life - which means the ultimate guest experience must make us feel a little bit special.

But a 2017 report commissioned

by HotelsCombined found in-room pampering to be among the main ingredients Antipodeans rate as important for a perfect getaway.

Towels, robes and slippers

“It seems that traditional offerings of a comfortable room, a bit of luxury and the opportunity to relax and recharge will always be core to the guest experience,” the research by Pureprofile states.

One of the great joys of a hotel stay is ‘me time’. Lying around in a cloud-soft bathrobe or padding gently to the ice bucket in comfortable slippers is enough to make guests feel they are truly cared for.

Australians and New Zealanders may not be particularly turned on by Jeeves proffering sun tan lotion poolside or a masterclass in lapsang souchong, but we do appreciate the finer things in

But beware, robes so starchy that stand by themselves and slippers that mimic the undesirables in a Kmart specials bin are capable of ruining long-dreamt-of moments.

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Stepping out of a spa bath into a vast fluffy towel is another one of life’s great holiday joys - just as exfoliating with a threadbare quasi-flannel leaves us feeling as fiery as our flailed skin.

As one industry insider puts it: “When guests step into their hotel rooms for the first time, the overall aura they’re immersed in usually sets the mood for their entire stay.

“A room’s atmosphere is made up of several elements - and those that ooze comfort are the ones that have guests affiliating a pleasurable experience with the hotel brand.

“Luxury towels are among

HOUSEKEEPING

Weight is only important, though, if the cotton is of a premium quality and this has to do with the length of the fibre, or staple (the average length of a group of fibres of any composition). Premium 100 percent cotton and thick pile ensure a soft, strong and hard-wearing towel that xand maintain softness over numerous washes.

Bedding The key to luxe bedding is going au naturel. Earth tones and allnatural fibres combine in soft, breathable sheets, down-filled comforters and plush blankets to make guests feel soothed.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Average daily cost to make a bed: $5 per day Average daily cost of a new bed: $0.55 per day Redefine the sleeping comfort of your guests with Slumberzone Tripedic® Technology Beds.

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POSTURE MATE SPLIT BASE SUPER KING SET $1145 +GST • • • • • •

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ORDER YOUR NEW SLUMBERZONE BED NOW Ph: +64 9 2682535 Mob: +64 224124444 Email: commercial@slumberzone.co.nz Web: www.slumberzone.co.nz Offers valid till 30/11/2018. NO terms & conditions apply.

Free Delivery across North Island (Minimum order of 4 beds)

coil wire, with manufacturers patenting coil structures which cover more surface area and provide greater support across the entire mattress. A good mattress should support the hip region and help to maintain optimal spinal alignment.

When Westin tested its trademark Heavenly Bed, it discovered an all-white bedding ensemble created a serene “halo effect’’.

Almost every luxe accommodation bed now features three high-quality white cotton sheets (long fibres and high thread count combine to produce softness) which are breathable and help guests stay cool.

A fluffy mattress topper is also part of the seduction, providing maximum comfort without compromising mattress support, so guests can indulge in cloudlike softness that promotes deep, restorative sleep.

Whether down-filled or featherfree, mattress toppers help in taking the pressure off joints, improving guests’ blood flow.

While most hotel pillows are generally polyester rather than down-filled these days, the upside is that they boast odour & allergy-free fill beneath their 100 percent cotton covers.

Good pillows must be supportive, yet soft enough to cosy into, with the best including a double gusset design allowing for optimal ‘spread’ of their filling.

Mattresses Westin was the first hotel group to craft a signature sleep experience, after consumer research conducted in 1999

Luxury towels are among those amenities that’ll leave a memorable impression on any guest by assuring ultimate satisfaction revealed a good night’s sleep was the service rated most important by guests.

Many major brands followed, with W Hotels developing the Do-Not-Disturb Bed, Rydges the Dream Bed and Four Points by Sheraton the Comfort Bed. These days, a comfortable bed is the starting point for any accommodation provider and should be the number one focus for hoteliers and moteliers when it comes to room design.

One of the keys to a good mattress is the number of coils

it contains. A typical mattress might contain 250 to 1,000 coils; a top-quality one will contain between 1200 and 4,900. As opposed to inferior mattresses, the ultimate guest room bed will boast pocketed coils with each coil contained in its own fabric ‘envelope’, ensuring it can move independently, instead of being tugged up and down by its neighbour. That means if your partner tosses and turns, it’s not going to keep you awake. A top-quality spring system offers superior support through 200mmhigh springs and stronger

Heat management fabric, designed to react to changes in your body temperature, is another feature of a quality mattress. It helps to keep sleepers at the optimum temperature, working independently across the bed reacting to the different body temperatures of each individual to ensure a more comfortable sleep. Multiple layers of components made from high loft fibre with super-fine foam structure offer maximum breathability, durability and comfort, enhancing the mattress’ pressure-relieving properties as it contours to the body.

The ultimate result?

There are many elements that make up a memorable stay.

But one thing’s for sure - the perfume concierge won’t smell as sweet to anyone who wakes up with backache. If a guest is cocooned in comfort and made to feel like a VIP, they’re more likely to spend like one and splash some cash on a return stay. ■

Luxury and unrivalled comfort from Slumberzone Slumberzone New Zealand presents Posture Perfect Ultra – the luxurious hotel bed with a promise of unrivalled comfort, enhanced support and longevity.

Posture Perfect Ultra comes in five zone pocket springs for accommodation owners / managers who want the bed to be more supportive and offer no partner disturbance.

For those who want a soft bouncy feel, we switch to the heat-tempered Tripedic® Spherical springs platform.

We further offer a choice of

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premium foams like Puralax® latex, Orthocoo®l gel memory foam or the revolutionary Slumberzone Durafoam® to customize the mattress to a feel and comfort of choice for accommodation owners / managers. The cushioning effect of the stylish Euro top assures that you will never need extra toppers on the Posture Perfect Ultra.

This mattress comes in a firerated charcoal black premium fabric. However, customers have a choice to upgrade to customized fabrics and colours.

Slumberzone bases are made from 100 percent A-grade pine wood and we strongly

recommend using a new base with a new mattress. Hotels can enhance the aesthetic value of their room by selecting a matching premium Warwick fabric for the base and head

HOUSEKEEPING

board. For bulk orders, we can make the head boards as per your design or liking.

For peace of mind, Posture Perfect Ultra comes with a factory warranty of 10 years.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Apprentice chef tastes victory at national cookery awards

By Caroline Campbell, Communications, ServiceIQ

Following an intense ninety-minute cook-off at the NZ Hospitality Championships in Auckland, Wellington’s Liam Wilkie has been awarded the prestigious ServiceIQ Champion Apprentice Chef title.

The award recognises the outstanding achievement of aspiring chefs who craft a professional career by learning as they earn in a real commercial kitchen, with all the demands and pressures for excellent standards that the fast-paced environment brings.

Liam beat off three other highly talented finalists with his delicious ‘taste of New Zealand’ dish: a sumac-crusted loin of venison, burnt orange kumara and butter puree,

Liam Wilkie

honey-glazed baby golden beetroots, sherry glazed baby carrots and beetroot tuiles.

Inspiration for his signature dish came from his love of game hunting in the hills around Taranaki, says Liam.

“When I was growing up I hunted for possum, red deer and rabbits. I really enjoyed making dishes with the food I got for my family which is another reason I love cooking.”

The 22-year-old is perfecting his skills to be a professional chef at the Copthorne’s Hotel’s upscale One80º Restaurant overlooking Oriental Bay in Wellington.

Winning the coveted title is made even more exciting with a very special prize - an all-expenses-paid trip to the famous Melbourne Food & Wine Festival in 2019.

The inspiring week-long experience will give Liam a taster of his main career goal for becoming a chef: to travel the world discovering the authentic cuisine and exotic flavours of other countries.

Liam got his first taste for what he wanted to do in life when he was 12 years old helping to prep food for weddings and events at a family friend’s catering business in his hometown of Hawera.

The job inspired him to study cookery and he was lucky enough to go straight from his hospitality course at high school into a cookery apprenticeship at the

Copthorne Hotel. Like his competitors for the title - Reece Jesson from Five stags in Pirongia, Brooklyn O’Neil from Brew’d Boulcott in Wellington, and Lorraine Va’afusuaga from The Old Vicarage Café Restaurant in Christchurch - he is carving out a chef’s career by training on-job with ServiceIQ’s New Zealand Cookery Apprenticeship programme, the only one of its kind in the country.

ServiceIQ hospitality sector manager Caro Anderson congratulates Liam who will soon complete his apprenticeship.

“His passion combined with impressive skills, knowledge and sheer tenacity is a prime example of the high-level of professionalism that can be achieved with the apprenticeship programme. We are extremely proud to have helped him craft his career. He clearly has a fantastic future ahead of him,” says Caro. ■

We are extremely proud to have helped him craft his career. He clearly has a fantastic future ahead of him 44

HUMAN RESOURCES

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

HOSTS AREN’T BORN THEY ARE

TRAINED IT TAKES A LOT MORE THAN HANDING OVER A KEY TO MAKE YOUR GUESTS FEEL WELCOME. Some people have the talent for service, but they still need to learn the right skills to do it well. The tricks of the accommodation trade. The art of satisfying customers and making them feel like guests.

Whether you run a hotel, holiday park or an international conference centre the difference comes down to three words and one simple and effective concept: on-job training.

It’s the difference between just doing the job and doing it brilliantly. So brilliantly in fact, that your guests come back more often, spend more, recommend you to others and write favourable reviews that help attract more guests.

Please call ServiceIQ now to find out how employees right across your business can go to the next level with one small step.

With ServiceIQ it could even be free.

0800 863 693

www.ServiceIQ.org.nz

Privacy and surveillance of staff

By HRINZ (Human Resources Institute of New Zealand)

Secret recordings

Snooping on staff through surveillance may seem straight out of 1984, but it is fast becoming common in New Zealand workplaces.

Secret recordings have been a hot topic in recent years. Covertly recorded conversations may be illegal if the person recording is not party to that conversation.

Monitoring workplace technology is useful in protecting business reputation, confidential information, and company property.

No one wants to find disparaging comments online.

Nor find that staff have ‘pulled a sickie’ on social media.

Despite having good reasons for monitoring technology, many employers walk a fine line between keeping an eye on employees and breaching staff privacy.

The Privacy Act 1993 sets out information privacy principles which govern the collection, use, storage and disclosure of personal information relating to individuals, including employees.

You should have workplace policies to inform staff that company technology is monitored, so there are no surprises.

Let’s take a look at how employers should monitor staff through technology, while meeting privacy obligations.

Can you covertly record conversations with staff?

The recent political debacle in Southland is a prime example of what can go wrong with recording workplace conversations.

Former Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay faced police investigation after he recorded a critical staff member’s private conversation. Former prime minister Bill English claimed Barclay had just “left his dictaphone on” in the office, and police closed the case after two investigations due to a lack of evidence. While recording conversations with staff may be allowed if you are party to that conversation, it’s better to ask for consent first than forgiveness later.

Otherwise, your employee could claim that you have breached your employer obligations to act in good faith, or your recording was unfair and intrusive.

Recording with CCTV Are you at risk of shoplifters and light-fingered employees?

Have you experienced huge financial losses as a result?

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is a common tool for reducing shrinkage and is widely deployed for deterring and detecting crime. While useful for investigating misconduct, it can be overly intrusive and is easily misused, putting you at risk of breaching privacy and employment laws.

Privacy concerns led to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner releasing CCTV guidelines, which can be found on its website: www.privacy. org.nz To rely on your CCTV technology, you should manage your system with an effective CCTV policy and plan. If you wish to follow the privacy commissioner’s CCTV guidelines, you should: • Identify a need for CCTV, consult with anyone who may be affected, and develop a plan to set up the CCTV system; • Develop policies in relation to the CCTV system; • Choose the right equipment to meet your purpose; • Ensure that the positioning of cameras is not intrusive; and • Use signs to alert employees and any visitors to the fact that they are being filmed and recorded.

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HUMAN RESOURCES

Following these guidelines reduces the risk of paying out for personal grievances or privacy claims.

Tips on monitoring staff • If your organisation collects sensitive information, allow staff access to computer files on a ‘need to know’ basis. Otherwise, block access information, and monitor any unwarranted browsing with an alert.

• Only record conversations with staff (and other individuals) if they have agreed to conversations being recorded.

• Before recording any phone conversations, let your employee know that calls are recorded, and what they are used for, such as training purposes.

• Ensure you have comprehensive policies in place around use and monitoring of workplace technology.

Consult with staff about workplace policies before implementing them.

• Be fair and reasonable in your investigation of staff around disciplinary issues. ■ Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Cutting-edge

hotel room may soon appear Down Under

By Kate Jackson, Editor

TV, working, meeting with colleagues or kicking back with room service.

A US hotel room has been judged so groundbreaking it has been granted its own patent.

• A desk area with an uncluttered work space where you can focus on work.

• A welcome station, which gets you settled with a space for keys, bags and coats.

InterContinental Hotels Group’s WorkLife Room, to be rolled out in a $200 million overhaul of Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, is considered sufficiently new for the US Patent and Trademark Office to approve its registration.

• A bathroom, with modern and bright design to help you feel re-energised.

The room is born of the bleisure generation – blurring the lines between business and leisure through a ‘third space’ concept which allows easy transition from work to after-hours activities.

Beds and sofas angled away from walls with an emphasis on ultimate comfort and optimal TV viewing are one of the signatures of the new design.

It offers ultimate connectivity, both through 14 charging stations for digital devices and through the relationship between furniture pieces within the space.

Patents for hotel rooms are rare. Intercontinental is the only major hotel chain to have apply for one in recent years, although Disney successfully patented its Star Wars-themed suites in 2016.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

According to the Crowne group, the rooms feature: • An angled bed, which opens up more space for the room’s distinct zones. Also, a cocooning headboard, Beautyrest mattress, plush linens and Sleep Advantage aromatherapy kit.

• A sofa nook, a multi-purpose space for reading, watching

TECHNOLOGY

“The WorkLife Room was carefully conceptualised, tested around the world in prototype format and in fully built hotels,” said regional vice-president Meredith Latham.

“We fine-tuned until we had a product that was the best version of a hotel guest room for the modern business traveller.

“Our guests have voted, and this room delivers improved satisfaction, our teams love it and now the US Patent office sees the uniqueness.” ■

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Artificial Intelligence: Coming to a hotel room near you

By Brendan Granger, Director Technology 4 Hotels

room can “pay attention” to preferences so that things like favourite TV channels and temperature settings can be made instantly available.

In recent years, the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) has become a major point of intrigue in the travel sector.

Right now, travel brands are using AI to power a new generation of chatbots that can communicate with customers and handle requests through text-based “conversations”.

But chatbots represent a stepping stone towards something much bigger.

This kind of experimentation could pave the way for a new generation of “smart” rooms that observe preferences and tailor devices to meet the unique needs of every person.

Brendan Granger, Director, Technology 4 Hotels

Controlling in-room tech

In the future, hotels will begin to use AI in far more dynamic ways, including within the hotel room itself. Soon enough, guests may be able to control devices and make requests entirely through an in-room voice-controlled device. It’s a scenario that might not be so very far away.

The technology needed to control every device in a room purely through voice is already being used. Just recently, Aloft Hotels debuted their voice-activated rooms to enable guests to change the temperature, adjust the lighting, and turn on the TV using an Aloft App and iPad linked to Apple’s Homekit and Siri.

AI assistants such as Google Home and Amazon Echo are already being used by consumers to play music, receive news and weather updates, shop online, and more. AI no longer exists in some far-flung future. It’s here now, and it’s advancing quickly.

But while controlling devices in this way is undoubtedly a useful and interesting perk, the true potential of combining in-room tech with AI lies in the possibility that a room can learn about preferences and remove the need for interaction altogether.

With that in mind, here are a few ways AI might be used in the hotel rooms of the future.

For instance, Starwood Hotels (the owners of Aloft) are experimenting with ways a

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Ordering hotel services While chatbots provide a fast way to order services and make requests, an AI assistant would make this process even easier.

Instead of being fixed to their smartphone, a guest could ask for more towels, request room service, or make a reservation at the hotel restaurant - all while getting on with other things.

It would also be possible to make requests and receive tailored recommendations. After a long flight, a weary guest might want to book a spa treatment to help unwind and relax. Instead of listing every possible treatment, an AI assistant would be able to suggest the most suitable options to help with jet lag.

By monitoring booking history and enquiries during a day, hotel staff would also be able to access that data in the future. For instance, if a guest

TECHNOLOGY

had asked for extra pillows or requested that specific drinks be topped up in their minibar, hotel staff would be able to prepare a room accordingly to meet those needs ahead of time.

Acting as a local guide AI would also act as the ultimate destination guide, acting as an invaluable resource on local sights, landmarks, and attractions.

Asking a question like “where can I get a great cappuccino?” or “what beaches in the area are great for families?” could result in a tailored recommendation based on information sourced from review sites, travel blogs, tweets, and Facebook posts.

A guest might also ask to be updated about upcoming events of personal interest such as music festivals, gourmet food markets, art exhibitions and theatre productions.

Coordinating travel plans and bookings would also be possible during the same interaction.

For instance, after finding out about a great restaurant across town, an in-room assistant could then reserve a table, send the restaurant directions to a person’s smartphone, and book an Uber to pick them up.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Amazon Echo Family

Providing information on the hotel All the practical details about a hotel’s amenities and services are typically available in a series of printed documents. But a hotel room of the future would remove the need to manually check for relevant information.

A guest could simply ‘ask’ their room a question such as “when does the pool open?” or “does the gym have a cross-trainer?”. When asking about the hotel restaurant menu, a guest might also request tips on recommended dishes that match their tastes, or even pairing suggestions from the hotel wine list.

Clearly, this kind of service would be of major benefit to hotel guests.

AI no longer exists in some far-flung future. It’s here now, and it’s advancing quickly

AI has advanced rapidly in recent years and hotels have an opportunity to use it in a number of game-changing ways.

Soon enough, a person may check into a hotel room and use an AI assistant to order room service, turn on the TV, book a massage treatment, and plan their latest trip.

Not only can AI provide a more personalised experience, it can free up hotel staff from dealing with requests that don’t always require personal interaction.

Travel assistance Checking out of a hotel can sometimes be a pretty hectic experience, especially when there’s an early flight involved.

But assistants such as Google Home can already remove a lot of the stress associated with travel.

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Smoothing out the checkout process ultimately means that a guest would leave the hotel feeling both positive and relaxed.

The future of guest experience

If information about particular amenities or services was repeatedly requested, an AI assistant could identify these as preferences and make relevant suggestions about other services that might also be appealing.

Along with checking the status of flights, Google Home can set an alarm, call an Uber, and provide real-time traffic data - all of which means a person can reach a destination on time with minimum hassle.

In addition to easier planning and arranging transport, they could ask their in-room device to have front desk come and collect their luggage or bring their car around for collection.

While it’s still early days, it’s clear that this technology will play an increasingly central role in hospitality.

Google Home

TECHNOLOGY

By at least considering its potential now, hotels can begin to prepare themselves for a time when it becomes increasingly central to the guest experience. ■

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A new generation

leading the way The nation’s best hospitality juniors were honoured at the glittering Hospitality New Zealand Rising Stars Awards recently.

per cent from April, despite the traditional winter slowdown.

The number of industry jobs advertised online was up 15.8 per cent, one of the biggest increases of all sectors measured. Advertisements for chefs were up 18 per cent in May compared to the same time last year.

The talented youngsters are the vanguard of a movement to attract New Zealand’s school leavers into hospitality careers and ease a critical shortage of homegrown chefs, bar tenders, front-ofhouse staff and sommeliers.

New Zealand’s tourism industry is undergoing unprecedented growth, while the 2018 Restaurant Association Hospitality Report shows Kiwis are eating out more often than ever.

Coupled with the growing demand for skilled hospitality workers is a seeming dearth of students keen to take up careers in the industry which has traditionally offered low wages for long hours worked over evenings and weekends.

An August law change is also making it harder to employ foreign workers in hospitality,

Sharon Wallace, Rotorua Restaurant Association president, told the NZ Herald: “There is a real shortage.

There doesn’t seem to be enough employees out there to fill the demand and the requests for staff have increased significantly.”

Heide Holtz

with skilled migrants now required to earn over a $48,859 threshold to qualify for a visa.

Hospitality NZ recognises only too well the importance of selling the industry to the next generation, new COO Julie White identifying it as an area of weakness nationally.

“As New Zealand’s leading export market (tourism),

we have an opportunity to position a career in hospitality as a sought-after choice at school leaver level. With the recent tightening of our borders, we fall short on being able to address skilled labour shortages,” she told us.

The June Jobs Online report issued by the Ministry of Business showed vacancies in hospitality and tourism up 1.6

She said times had changed and hospitality workers now sought quality of life in their careers.

“From an industry perspective they need to realise that people want things like a weekend off to spend with their families,” she said.

Which is why Hospitality New Zealand sees recognising and rewarding talented youngers as such a priority moving forward

Winners of the Rising Stars Awards

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FOOD & BEVERAGE

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Chief Executive Vicki Lee said: “These awards, which we introduced last year, are a way of giving our up and coming industry leaders some well-deserved recognition.”

A recent report from Tourism Industry Aotearoa and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development canvassed 1,700 young people, parents, teachers and career advisors on their perceptions of tourism and hospitality as viable career paths.

Lee says the research will help the sector develop strategies to show young people there are numerous attractive, sustainable opportunities and careers in the rapidly-growing industry.

hospitality roles enticing, it also suggested some ‘myth busting’ was needed.

“Hospitality actually offers fantastic opportunities for people in both cities and regions. Hospitality jobs allow people to gain transferable skills in a hands-on environment, meaning people often quickly work their way up in the industry, and can also take what they’ve learned wherever they go”, said Lee. The winners of Hospitality NZ’s Rising Stars Awards have already clocked the value of shining in an industry desperately seeking quality employees.

“As New Zealand tourism and hospitality continues to grow, it will be increasingly essential that the industry attracts and retains quality candidates. The roles in which shortages are forecast include managers in all areas - as well as baristas, chefs and waiters,” she said.

“I would hire them both today,” one judge commented about emerging accommodation professional winners Heidi Holtz and Catherine Hepburn, both of whom have worked their way from lowly positions to management roles at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and Wellington’s West Plaza Hotel respectively.

While the study showed that young people often found the social, cultural and adventure aspects of tourism and

Unsung hero award winner Janae Fitzgerald is a school leaver who now works frontof-house at the Theatre Royal

Spring 2018 - AccomNews

Hotel in Kumara, while upand-coming chef winner Dean Thompson leads the kitchen at Wahi at Oceans, Tutukaka.

Up-and-coming bartender winner Zac Goy is a manager at Red Light District in Christchurch, up-and-coming barista Hannah Daken is front of house manager at The Arborist in Wellington and up-and-coming duty manager Nikita Henderson runs a tight ship at the Woodbourne Tavern in Renwick.

Breanna Turner, up-andcoming front of house winner, supervises the restaurant at Northstar Complex in Oamaru, while former dish pig Shaun Bates has risen over six stellar years to become general manager and director of Napier’s Indigo Restaurant.

The up-and-coming entrepreneur award winner is also now Hospitality New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay branch president. ■

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Chief Executive Vicki Lee

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GUEST SELECT NOW IN OVER

MOTELS AND COUNTING...

That’s right, over 780 Motels and Hotels in New Zealand have embraced Guest Select. What is Guest Select? It’s a SKY decoder in every room with access to over 50 channels, it brings Kiwis the most amazing TV experience and we know your guests will love it too.

How Guest Select could benefit your business · · · ·

Show the channels your guests are used to watching at home Increase guest satisfaction Create a competitive advantage Generate repeat business and improve occupancy levels

We continue to receive great feedback from our growing Guest Select operators who have made the move, with comments like: “They simply love the variety of channels” “It makes for happy guests” “Great to be able to give guests what they have at home” Call us today on 0800 759 333 or visit guestselect.co.nz and let your guests enjoy the fantastic mix of Sports, Movies, News and Entertainment channels.

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spring 2018 - Issue 42