Hotel Magazine // February/March 2016

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THE BUSINESS OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT

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Feb/Mar 2016 • Vol. 2 No. 2

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THE 2016 EXPERIENCE WHILE 2016 looks extremely promising for the accommodation industry, clearly it’s not all going to be plain sailing. The industry is facing challenges on the quality of the properties, the skilled staffing levels, the increasing control of the growing number of OTA’s and the sheer number of rooms that need to be available.

To win the return of the forecast increasing guest numbers, we not only have to meet all these essentials, but also provide the guidelines for an enjoyable stay – not just be a sleeping haven Being part of the booming tourism industry means that hotels, motels and right down to the B&B’s must play an increasing role in providing experiences or at least the insight into local and regional experiences.

In addition to the external experiences guests are looking for, the internal experience is also key.

There are some excellent managers around and quite a few others who think that a clean room is all that their role demands. It will be a great year for operators who can think beyond the norm and create a real guest experience.

@langham_london

Peter Mitchell, Publisher, peter@reviewmags.com

thenumbers

@luxuryexecutive

Overseas visitors to Boston have increased by 76 per cent since 2005, and international overnight visitors increased 1.9 per cent from 2014 to 2015.

Total tourism expenditure in New Zealand reached $29.9 billion in the year ended March 2015.

International students studying in New Zealand for less than 12 months generated $2.2 billion in earnings in the year ended March 2015, an increase of 13.8 per cent on the previous year.

In December 2015, there were 1,547,900 foreign arrivals to South Africa. The arrivals were made up of 105,062 non-visitors and 1,442,838 visitors. The visitors consisted of 550,118 same-day visitors and 892,720 overnight visitors. The breakdown of the tourists by region is 234,523 from overseas, 642,721 from the SADC countries, 14,566 from ‘other’ African countries and the country of residence of 910 tourists was classified as unspecified.

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Review Publishing Co Ltd Suite 9, Level 3, 20 Augustus Tce, Parnell, Auckland PO Box 37140, Parnell, Auckland Tel (09) 304 0142 or Fax (09) 377 2794 HOTEL is published monthly under license. Please direct all enquiries and correspondence to HOTEL. The opinions and material published in this edition of HOTEL are not necessarily those of the publishers unless specifically stated. All material appearing in HOTEL is copyright and may only be reproduced with the consent of the publisher. Copyright 2015.

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industrynews

LOCAL HOTEL INDUSTRY OPTS FOR OTA CO-OPERATIVE

Gordon McGregor

Concerned about the millions of dollars being taken out of the local economy by overseas-based online travel agents (OTA’s), a new industry co-operative venture where property owners are the shareholders is being launched.

This is a world first and a partial answer to the huge growth being shown by the OTA’s where a new one seems to spring up every month and the big simply get bigger and dominate the market.

Hoteliers work vigorously to increase their bookings and the development of the commission agent OTA operations has spread the accommodation word but generally attracted customers out of the existing pool – at a cost of generally accepted 15 percent and likely to increase.

Creating a New Zealand-based OTA owned by the industry could stop this hijacking of local customers who account for at least 50 percent of the bed-nights, according to the man behind the proposal, Gordon McGregor, one of the owners of the popular Resort Brokers operation.

“Because I believe that OTA’s are a cancer in the industry, it was time to stop the rot

setting in and demonstrate to the world just what can be done. While the major few hotels catering to the international market might not be interested in our ideas, there are over 3000 motels and small accommodation players who could be part of this programme that will in a short time, return their investment and put the profits back in their pockets,” said McGregor.

McGregor believes, as do many others, that the internationally owned OTA’s are taking several hundred million dollars out of New Zealand every year in commissions, paying no tax or GST and starting to control the fortunes of small businesses. “We are simply setting up a non-profit organisation owned by the industry that will first of all undercut the commissions charged by then OTA’s and once the set-up costs have been returned we could get down to perhaps a 5 percent commission that would fund the ongoing work,” he said.

The estimated costs to set up the organisation with software, marketing and staff would be around $2m and McGregor is hopeful that the Government will chip in a contribution to eliminate some of the current cash outflow to overseas owners.

The projected cost of owning a piece of the co-operative could be as low as $1500 with this being returned quickly on reduced commissions and eventual rebates.

OTA’s are growing quickly and adding new features but a number of major hotel players have upped their marketing using television and print to attract direct bookings. The new proposed co-operative made just find a chink in the big OTAs’ armour and the results are expected to make an impact internationally. Gordon McGregor can be reached on 021 998 810. l

INCREASE IN GUEST NIGHTS

For the 20th month in a row, New Zealand guest nights rose in November last year, as the tourism boom saw domestic and international travelers spend more nights in all types of accommodation.

Total guest nights increased 4.6 percent to 3.11 million in November 2015 from the same month a year earlier, according to Statistics New Zealand. Domestic guest nights jumped 5.2

percent, more than the 3.8 percent gain in international guest nights.

“Guest nights continued to rise this month, with the South Island leading the way when compared with November 2014.

The Otago region had the largest increase in guest nights, boosted mainly by Queenstown and Wanaka,” business indicators manager Clara Eatherley said. l

TOURIST ROAD ‘A DEATH TRAP’ Pressure is mounting on Queenstown’s council to seal one of the Wakatipu’s most scenic but hazardous unsealed roads, and a magnet for increasing numbers of tourists driving to Lord of the Rings film sites. Tourism New Zealand’s Kevin Bowler said councils need to consider sealing more sections of popular roads in and around tourism hotspots.

NEW FLIGHTS LEAD TO TOURISM GROWTH The Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) has said that the new Singapore Airlines flight into Wellington will help deliver on the tourism industry’s goal of growing total annual revenue to $41 billion by 2025.

The new air route linking Singapore and Wellington via Canberra will launch in September 2016, with four flights per week, adding 110,000 additional seats to New Zealand’s air links with the world.

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“This new service connects Wellington to Australia’s capital city and to one of Asia’s most important aviation hubs. It will open up a lucrative visitor pipeline into the capital, delivering an estimated 25,000 visitors a year to New Zealand, spending $95 million,” TIA chief executive Chris Roberts said.

The tourism industry’s Tourism 2025 growth framework identifies increases in sustainable air connectivity as critically important to boosting the industry’s value, from its current $30 billion a year to $41 billion. “To ensure new air services are sustainable, it’s also vital that tourism operators on the ground get in behind them, by offering fantastic activities and experiences that appeal to that market,” Roberts said. l

The 10 kilometre road past Glenorchy, from the Rees Bridge to Paradise, is considered “very dangerous” and “could cause serious injury or death over the upcoming Chinese New Year”, according to Queenstown line producer Gary Strangman. The fines in the gravel are blown away, leaving stony, rough corrugations and visitors often crawl along at 30km/h.

The road is graded every so often, but a few days later it’s back to where it started. Tourism New Zealand has heavily promoted the country’s Lord of the Rings film sites, but Bowler said he is unaware of the road’s current problems.

“Many of our international visitors won’t have experience driving on unsealed roads, so there’s no doubt we need to consider sealing more sections of popular unsealed roads in and around tourism hotspots like Queenstown. Council staff will address the issue at the next association meeting. l

industrynews

WYNDHAM EXPANDS RAMADA

TRAVEL SITE RANKS TAURANGA

Hotel on Devonport, a boutique hotel in Tauranga central, has been awarded the top hotel in New Zealand for 2016. This is the first time a Tauranga hotel has won the hotel category of the 2016 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards in New Zealand. Hotel on Devonport also placed as the seventh top hotel in the South Pacific.

A Tauranga property has never ranked the top hotel in New Zealand based on TripAdvisor customer reviews before, however it isn’t the first time the hotel has been recognised by the online travel site. In 2015 the property, which has changed the skyline of downtown Tauranga, was appointed to the Hall of Fame after receiving a TripAdvisor Certificate in Excellence for five years running. Owners Paul and Debi Bowker said they were immensely proud and said it was a complete team effort with staff. The TripAdvisor Travelers Choice awards highlight the world’s top properties based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from travelers around the globe.

Winners were identified in the categories of Top Hotels, Bargain, B&Bs and Inns, Luxury, Service and Small Hotels. l

Wyndham Hotel Group has continued expansion of its portfolio in New Zealand after completing the fourstar Ramada Suites Auckland Federal Street, located in the heart of Auckland’s CBD, in October last year.

The 42-apartment, boutiquestyle hotel was developed by The Safari Group. The NZD$12 million development offers a mix of studio, one and two bedroom apartments.

The signing of the franchise agreement furthers Wyndham’s strategic efforts to grow the Ramada brand throughout the South Pacific. The company

WANAKA’S TOP LUXURY SPOT

RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR HOTELS New Zealand hotels enjoyed a recordbreaking year in 2015, increasing yield and productivity, according to new Tourism Industry Association statistics. TIA’s Hotel Sector members recorded a national average occupancy rate of 79 percent, up three points on 2014 and the highest level in at least five years.

TIA Chief Executive Chief Roberts said returns are also improving, which is needed to encourage investment and refurbishment.

The average room rate across all star grades was $157, up $12 on 2014. Combined with the improved occupancy rate, this pushed the average Revenue Per Available Room (RevPar) up by $14, and 13 percent, to $124.

“For hoteliers, RevPar is a key statistic as it provides owners and investors with yield information they need to proceed with

refurbishments and developments. Hotel revenues in New Zealand are still below what is being achieved in Australia and high land and construction costs in New Zealand remain a barrier. But the upward trend is encouraging,” Roberts said. TIA has identified infrastructure investment as a priority and is working with the government to identify opportunities and remove roadblocks.

“To meet the goals of Tourism 2025, it is essential that we encourage investment to improve the quality of current infrastructure to meet rising visitor expectations, as well as creating a positive environment for investment in new facilities,” Roberts said.

The tourism industry set itself a big goal with the Tourism 2025 growth framework, an industry worth $41 billion by 2025, but for 2016, it looks to be achievable. l

NIGHT FLIGHTS TO RESORT TOWN The introduction of Air New Zealand night flights between Queenstown and Auckland from July will bring massive benefits for everyone in the resort town, according to Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay.

Queenstown’s MP will be making sure the resort town has the infrastructure in place to meet a rise in tourism generated by night flights.

Barclay said every business will benefit from increased connection with Auckland Airport, a key port for international visitors.“One of the things that I’m focused on is ensuring that our infrastructure keeps

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up with that demand, with facilitating these additional tourists we need to be able to ensure that we are enabling a positive experience as well that we are promoting so heavily,” he said.

Barclay said it’s fantastic news, which will be welcomed by the business community.

He said every business in Queenstown is influenced by the tourism market, from hotels and motels, to bars, eateries and rental car companies. “The construction companies even from an increase in tourism, new busine sses are being created, so it’s everybody, the pipeline is just so huge.” l

recently announced the addition of Ramada Suites Christchurch to its portfolio of three properties in the country, with locations in Paihia and Orewa.

Barry Robinson, Wyndham’s president and managing director, said the new property will help fulfill the growing demand for new, quality-driven lodging in the area. Throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim, Wyndham Hotel Group currently has more than 60 hotels open and operating under its Ramada, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Days Inn, TRYP by Wyndham and Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham brands. l

Wanaka’s Lakeside Apartments has been voted New Zealand’s No.1 luxury hotel for the second year running in the 2016 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards.

The only 5-star Qualmark rated hotel in the heart of Wanaka, Lakeside Apartments also won in five other categories in the annual awards.

Aside from gaining the top spot in the NZ Luxury category, it was ranked number three in New Zealand’s Small Hotel category and number six in the Best Service category. In the South Pacific region, Lakeside ranked number three in the Luxury category, number six in the Small Hotel category and 11th place in Best Service. The top 25 hotels in each category are deemed winners. Winners are determined based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from TripAdvisor travelers worldwide.

Lakeside Apartments’ owner and manager Gary Christie said he’s thrilled the hotel has maintained its spot as best overall luxury hotel in NZ for the second year in a row.

“Our team works very hard to ensure all our guests have a memorable stay here at Lakeside Apartments, so it is wonderful to have that recognition,” Christie said. l

TODDLER DROWNS IN HOTEL BATH An Australian toddler drowned in a Wellington Hotel after her grandfather left her unattended in a bath, a coroner has found.

An inquest into the death of 23-month-old Leila Sofia Riquelme found she accidentally drowned after she was left alone in a filled bath at the Rydges Hotel in March 2014.

Coroner Garry Evans said the case illustrated the importance of vigilance when it came to children and water.

Leila, her 4-year-old sister Nina, mother, and grandparents Jane Cookson and Fernando Riquelme were staying at the innercity hotel to attend a family wedding.

The court was satisfied there was no criminal liability or suspicious circumstances. l

industrynews

$400K TOURISM BOOST PROMISE

EVACUATION FOR HOTEL DEBRETTS A fire at an Auckland city centre bistro forced the evacuation of Hotel de Bretts in late January. An alarm which went off at Hotel de Bretts in O’Connell Street in the early morning alerted firefighters to smoke at O’Connell’s Bistro.

Bistro owner Chris Upton said the kitchen at the central Auckland restaurant was destroyed and there was damage to dining areas. He said a fire investigator was looking at what caused the fire, suspected to be an electrical fault. l

HIDEAWAY BINS MAKE WORKPLACE RECYCLING PRACTICES EASY

Tauranga City councilors are supporting Tourism Bay of Plenty’s bid for investment in the city’s tourist facilities. The draft annual plan, which will be going for public consultation, will include a proposal to pay $150,000 to revamp the portable i-Port tent. The tent is used to greet cruise ship passengers at the Port of Tauranga.

Other measures include increasing yearly operational expenditure funding to Tourism Bay of Plenty by $150,000 for the provision of visitor services.

It makes up a shortfall in funding caused by increased activity, particularly at the i-Port. The proposal is to pay for it through an increase of the targeted economic development rate on commercial properties.

ACCOLADES FOR GISBORNE’S OASIS MOTEL A Gisborne motel has been named as one of New Zealand’s top five hotels by people booking costeffective holidays on a popular internet website, just months after a second online booking site named it Gisborne’s best hotel. Motel Oasis owners Hamish and Kate Deere said the motel came fourth in the Bargain Hotel (NZ) section of TripAdvisor’s 2016 Traveler Choice Awards.

In November, the motel was

Hideaway Bins helped ASB Bank lead the way in being proactive in recycling, ensuring that the business had workable practices that could be easily followed.

With a large volume of employees located in their North Wharf, Auckland offices, it was important that the recycling stations, which are located over five floors, were large enough to cope with the hectic demand and that it was easy for employees to understand the importance of recycling to the business.

The installation of 50L Hideaway Bins side by side proved an innovative solution for separating waste and recycling at ASB. The bins once used to dispose of waste or recycling are slide away out of sight, keeping the room clear of clutter.

Hideaway Bins are New Zealand made and designed and are made from high quality materials to ensure the units will withstand the challenges posed in a commercial environment. For strength, the framework is made from zinc treated steel which is then powder-coated for durability.

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High quality German soft close runners are designed to hold upwards of 47kgs, and they over extend to ensure the buckets will come clear of the bench top easily.

Unique to Hideaway Bins is the friction fitted lid that creates a seal across the bucket/s when the unit is closed, assisting with odour control. This lid has a Clinikill™ anti-bacterial powder coat to fight harmful bacteria, yeast and fungi keeping the bin solution hygienic, great for “high use” situations.

All buckets are made from a food-grade polypropylene and come complete with a liner holder designed to keep the bin liner in place. All buckets fit standard bin liners available from local supermarket chains. If space is limited, double bin solutions are also available with 15, 20 and 40 litre buckets to choose from. With many distinctive features to select from, there is a Hideaway Bin for every commercial requirement.

Hideaway Bins are distributed throughout New Zealand.

For more information contact Hideaway Bins, (09) 426-7456 or www.hideawaybins.co.nz. l

The one-off $150,000 will also come from commercial rates. It will keep the i-Port operating for another two years while the rebuild at Salisbury Avenue and the provision of ‘satellie’ i-sites at Phoenix carpark and in downtown Tauranga are investigated.

The council is providing another $100,000 in 2016/17 to fund design and consenting work. This would be loanfunded and repaid through commercial rates.

Construction won’t start on the new i-Site until the viability of the proposal has been assessed. Tourism in the coastal Bay of Plenty is a $2.1 million a day industry, totaling over $760 million in visitor spend each year. l

ranked Gisborne’s best hotel in Trivago’s Reputation Rankings, and Deere put the motel’s success down to sheer hard work. The couple has also put a lot of effort into ensuring a strong online presence. “Strong online presence is coupled with a very high priority of ensuring guests have as much value added to their stay as we can possibly give.

“So our guests have free bicycle and scooter hire, free fast unlimited wifi, free guest laundry facilities, free DVD and Playstation game hire and more.” The couple took over ownership of the motel about 18 months ago and have been happy with the way this summer has shaped up. l

NEW MANAGEMENT APPOINTMENT FOR HERITAGE

Heritage Hotel Management has announced the appointment of James Pringle as the national sales manager, based in Wellington. Pringle has over 10 years’ hotel industry experience, working mostly for the Hotel InterContinental Wellington, where he progressed from porter to business development manager. Most recently he has been a sales executive for Positively Wellington Venues. “I am thrilled to be working for a respected hotel chain with such an extensive range of hotels. I am a huge advocate for Wellington so it’s great to be based at CityLife Wellington presenting the full range of Heritage Hotels’ properties and facilities to clients,” he said.

Pringle will be reporting to the general manager of sales and marketing, Tony Howlett, at Heritage Hotel Management Ltd’s corporate office. l

worldcitizennews

MANHATTAN IN MIDST OF HOTEL BOOM

BURJ AL-ARAB ADDS SEA DECK

Dubai’s iconic sail-shaped Burj al-Arab hotel is to be extended with a 10,000 square metre deck, jutting out into the waters of the Arabian Gulf. The deck, constructed by a Finnish marine building firm, is the biggest revamp to take place since the hotel’s completion in 1999. It will open to guests in the second quarter of 2016, according to Jumeirah Group, the hotel’s management chain. Accomodating not only 32 cabanas, the deck will also have 400 sun loungers, two water pools, a restaurant and a bar. On arrival at the hotel in mid-February, the six sections will be lifted by crane and lowered onto a grid of 90 steel piles.

“This is the first time a structure of this nature and size has been built in one country and then transported to another country to be assembled and operated,” Jumeirah Group’s chief operating officer Robert Swade said. The hotel, where rooms start at around $1,800 per night, is undergoing a number of upgrades, including a bar on the 27th floor. Over the past one-and-a-half decades, the Burj al-Arab has seen a flood of rivals vying for position as the city’s most well-known structure. l

Manhattan, particularly Lower Manhattan, is in the midst of a massive hotel boom. Over 18,000 rooms have been added since 2010. There are at least another 36,000 rooms coming and 12,600 of those are already under construction. In Lower Manhattan alone, 6,300 rooms have been added since 2010, a 28 percent increase. There are 26 new hotels planned or under construction, representing 10,700 more rooms. Some of the new hotels downtown are the 50-story Holiday Inn ManhattanFinancial District, which opened in 2014 and is the tallest Holiday Inn in the world with 492 rooms.

There are also a few new hotels on the Lower East Side, including the 50-room Orchard Street Hotel and the 293-room Hotel Indigo.

Coming downtown later this year is the Q&A Residential Hotel, a 132-room property. 140-suite AKA Wall Street will also be an extended-stay property. Other new hotels downtown include the 36-room Riff Hotel Downtown, the 287-room The Beekman, and the 185-room Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown. The hotel boom isn’t limited to Manhattan. The 194-room 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge at Brooklyn Bridge Park and a 76-room boutique hotel called Gowanus Inn & Yard have been planned in Gowanus. l

WORLD’S FIRST GAMERS’ HOTEL IN AMSTERDAM

A new hotel primarily customised for gamers has opened in Amsterdam. Hotel Arcade is located in the De Pijp area and is close to the Amsterdam main centre. Each room is customised for the tourist and consists of a rack of comic books and a unique bar in the lobby.

All rooms come with a retro game console, without customers having to pay any additional cost, and provide a relaxed atmosphere for the customer with a leisure bar.

“I wanted to create a place where travelers and gamers feel like they are staying at a friends’ home,” hotel owner Daniel Salmanovich said. Salmanovich takes pride in his efforts turning the hotel into a “special place for people who love gaming.” A single room costs $83 per night, and four guests can stay in a quad room for $219. l

LUXURY PRAGUE HOTEL BEST IN EUROPE

Users of travel website TripAdvisor have once again named U Zlaté studnê Hotel in Prague as the top luxury hotel in Europe for 2016, having also topped the list in 2014 and 2015. Hotel Residence Agnes was voted as the best service in the world. U Zlate studne Hotel, also called The Golden Well Hotel, has 1,434 user reviews rating it as excellent, with 59 very good, 14 average, eight poor and two terrible.

In addition to being the top luxury hotel in Europe, it ranked third worldwide.

“Neither of us is into gold yet the abundance of it didn’t revolt us like it normally would since this old lady from the 16th century carries it like a charm. The staff are fabulously attentive. The location is perfect in a quiet cul de sac opposite the American Embassy,” one reviewer said. The list of best small hotels in the world also had a Prague winner, with Hotel Residence Agnes ranking at number 20.

It did even better in the best service list, coming in number one worldwide. U Zlate studne came in at 19 on the best service list worldwide and ninth for Europe. l

MARLIN HOTEL GETS NEW LOOK Miami’s The Marlin Hotel, once a hangout for Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams and Aerosmith, unveiled its new look interior in January. Built in 1939 and once favoured by celebrities, gone is the Caribbean-hip vibe that British fashion designer Barbara Hulanicki bought to the Marlin when it was owned by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, and the spare style that replaced it after Blackwell sold the hotel in 2004. MRK Investments, which bought the Marlin last spring for $9.5 million, has brought an updated Deco style to the lobby that recalls the hotel’s 1939 birth and a dragon theme to the new Asian-inspired restaurant.

The existing 14 rooms have been refashioned and are now dominated with wooden floors and neutral tones. A further 18 suites will be added in the year ahead, built into spaces that once held offices, Blackwell’s penthouse, and the famed South Beach Studios where Aerosmith and others recorded. That musical past won’t disappear altogether, said hotel manager Flor Rivas. Memorabilia will adorn the hallway that once led to the studio. “We don’t want to forget about that history or leave it the past,” Rivas said. l February/March 2016

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technologynews

HYATT HOTELS TARGETED

BY MALWARE

The Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa was one of more than 250 Hyatt hotels targeted by a cyber attack.

Guests who stayed in a Hyatt hotel between August and December of last year have been asked to check their credit card statement for unusual charges.

The Chicago-based hotel giant said that its guests were the target of a cyber attack and now the hotel company has unveiled the list of more than 250 hotels worldwide that were targeted, including more than 100 in the US. Hyatt’s chain includes more than 600 hotels.

Hilton Worldwide and Starwood Hotels & Resorts were also struck by cyber attacks last year.

In California, the hackers had access to credit card information from 21 Hyatt hotels, including the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, the Hyatt

Regency Orange County and the Hyatt Regency Long Beach.

An investigation by Hyatt found unauthorized access to credit card data from cards used primarily at restaurants of the more than 250 Hyatt hotels between August 13 and December 8 of last year.

A small percentage of the cards that were accessed were also used for parking and at spas, golf shops and front desks. Hyatt said it will provide its guests who may have been a victim of the cyber attack with one year of identification protection service from Austin, Texas-company CSIdentity.

In a memo to guests, Hyatt’s global president of operations, Chuck Floyd, said the hotel company has strengthened its security system to prevent future problems.

“Please be assured that you can confidently use payment cards at Hyatt hotels worldwide,” Floyd said. l

KIWIS GET DIGITAL

Global performance management company, Nielsen, has found that 3.1 million New Zealanders spend the equivalent of two working days online each week.

The latest research showed nearly three quarters use at least two devices on a weekly basis and nearly two in five use at least three.

Nielsen’s New Zealand Connected Consumer Report revealed 70 percent of online New Zealanders own a mobile device.

More than two thirds own a Smartphone and 33 percent own a tablet device. More than a quarter own both a tablet and a Smartphone, a

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fivefold increase since 2012. Close to two thirds of the New Zealand online population access digital content via a Smartphone each week, and over a quarter do so via their tablet device.

“Smartphones have become a dominant player in providing brands with a tool to deliver online content and experiences to highly targeted audiences at highly intentional times.

This means more opportunity for advertisers to engage connected NZ consumers at precisely the right moment with the right message,” Nielsen NZ research director Tony Boyte said.

Almost nine in ten New Zealanders use social

NEW TOOL TRAVELPRO FOR SKYSCANNER

Travel search engine Skyscanner is now focusing on the corporate travel world with a new tool that aims to farewell expensive travel agents.

The TravelPro service acts like a business travel planning service so that a user, or multiple users, can search for flights and hotel options for a trip.

They can then put into a workflow for approval and booking by a designated employee of an organisation, working by way of both a desktop and mobile service.

The company, based in Scotland, said the search, save, sharing and user interface removes the hassle of travel options lost in inboxes, screen prints of flights and hotels, confusion over travel policies and over-spent travel budgets.

The se rvice is targeted at small to medium sized companies to reduce money and time spent on travel planning and booking.

Ross McNairn, the project’s head, said TravelPro will save 30 minutes of planning time per trip, plus the 5-10 percent fees of a travel agent. l

media, and three quarters use Facebook on a monthly basis. Desktop/laptops are still the most dominant device used for this activity, however mobile is increasingly prevalent.

The Nielsen report also found more than three quarters of online New Zealanders watch television and use a separate device to access the internet at the same time, with more than one in three doing so on a daily basis. Each month, more than half of online New Zealanders watch TV or movie content via the web.

“The rise of digital media engagement by New Zealanders has opened many doors for marketers, but also posed some unique challenges for an array of industry participants.

With so many new touch points out there, the opportunities are growing.

What’s more, the mobility of these devices facilitates online media access across a range of locations and situations, providing brands an opportunity to engage with consumers at the right time, in the right place and with the right message,” said Boyte. l

technologynews

TRENDING IN HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

2015 started with an emphasis on Digital Marketing. What is becoming apparent now is the comments and dialogues about personalisation of guest information and their experience. This means the capture and use of guest preferences, transactions and feedback for use in marketing. The end goal is to make each guest feel happy and spend more.

The key to achieving this is the daily use technology available at your fingertips. Your PMS system handles your guest information before, during and after a stay, as well as for returning stays. It must allow the entry, retention and action-prompting for the personal touches that each guest is provided with.

Your PMS must allow interaction with your guest, before, during and after their stay, usually by email and/or texting. This can be personalised and automated. Texting is a personal and great way to increase spend, for example by inviting guests to book dinner in your restaurant, or perhaps recommending a local event that might extend their stay.

Your PMS must retain guest analysis information such as nationality, market segment, purpose of stay, spend, and number of visits, all to be used for intelligent marketing.

It is suggested that this data is then best used by specialised hotel marketing and/or loyalty systems that will allow you to meaningfully reach out to guests with thank yous, invites, incentives, surveys, and whatever is in your program to win return stays.

A trend that has also been developing is the monitoring and management of social media mention and comment by guests, and by implication their experience at your hotel.

Again, the best option is to ensure that your PMS interfaces with specialist hotel systems for this.

The trend is for personalisation of a guest’s experience. The goal is increased revenues for your hotel. l

KNOWLAND NEW DATA PROVIDER FOR ATRIUM

Knowland has been selected by Atrium Hospitality to provide lead generation and market intelligence services to 37 of its properties within the United States.

Knowland is a globally recognized provider of meeting and group data, and offers extensive insight into market analytics, group industry trends, and powerful benchmarking through innovative products. Over the past decade, Knowland has developed innovative, creative products for the hospitality industry that help increase group revenue performance.

Atrium Hospitality, a leading hotel and asset management company, manages properties in 25 states. Atrium selected Knowland’s meetings search tool, Insight, to enable each of its hotels to meet its unique group needs.

Insight will give each property easy access to historical event details to find meetings and events that match those specific needs.

“Developing short and long-term sales strategies that maximize and drive profitability, plus achieve total revenue growth targets, is critical to our properties here at Atrium. Knowland offers our hotels a key advantage when it comes to finding the groups and meetings that are crucial to the successful execution of those strategies,” said Debbie McCarthy, vice president of sales at Atrium Hospitality.

“Atrium is known for delivering successful strategies that surpass the expectations of their owner groups, customers, and wide array of brands they represent. Insight fits their financial development and service delivery goals perfectly by empowering their hotels to proactively target new group business,” said Tim Hart, CEO of Knowland. l

Software to strengthen any hospitality business

February/March 2016

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realestate

DUNEDIN’S LUXURY CORSTORPHINE HOUSE ON SALE

HISTORIC CENTRAL OTAGO HOTEL FOR SALE An unrivalled opportunity has arisen for those who embrace hospitality with revenue streams from meals, beverages and accommodation.

Oturehua Railway Hotel (C. 1890’s), with its reputation for unparalled hospitality, fine food, excellent wines, craft beers and comfortable accommodation, is for sale.

This Free House situated in the scenic Ida Valley, beside the Rail Trail, is an hour and a half

ACCOMMODATION SECTOR BENEFITS According to recent New Zealand Tourism Industry Association statistics, New Zealand hotels enjoyed a record breaking year in 2015.

Average occupancy, with statistics taken from the TIA’s 23 member hotels, was up three points on the 2014 figures to 79 per cent, the highest level in five years, and add to this an average room rate increase across all star grades of $12 to $157. Together these statistics improved the average Revenue Per Available Room (RevPar) by $14 (13 per cent) to $124.

Underpinning this positive performance has been an improvement in the New Zealand economy and a continuation of strong inbound visitor numbers reaching a record 3.02 million in the year ending August 2015, a 7.8 per cent increase over the previous 12 months.

This is the first time tourism numbers, surpassed the three million threshold.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has forecast annual international visitor numbers to reach 3.8 million by 2021. Figures at the end of 2015 show that tourism has once again surpassed dairy as the country’s number one export

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from Dunedin, Queenstown and Wanaka.

Clientele include cyclists, tourists, locals, clubs and groups seeking an event venue.

Priced to sell at $680,000, it includes freehold land, buildings, plant, chattels and significant goodwill.

For further information phone Grahame 034445856 or email oturehuatavern@xtra.co.nz. l

earner, with an annual value now reaching 13.5 billion.

These positive trends are expected to continue through 2016 with several factors contributing to the ongoing growth trajectory.

Jetstar’s new regional services, which started on 1 December 2015, will help distribute visitors to the regions with an increase in bednights and a boost to regional economies.

Regional events will continue to act as draw cards for both domestic and international visitors. The New Zealand dollar has softened considerably which provides greater value for international visitors and creates greater incentive to travel longer distances, particularly with New Zealand’s growing reputation as a safe holiday destination. Fuel prices are also low, minimising airfare increases and reducing ground based travel costs.

As a result of the renewed sector buoyancy, there is large scale reinvestment with a number of hotels undergoing refurbishment. Buyer demand is also at an all-time high with an increasing number of investors wanting to purchase hotel assets.

We’re soon likely to see more assets being brought to the market as vendors start to take advantage of higher property values based on long term sustainable growth in revenue

Corstorphine House, one of Dunedin’s grandest homes, with previous guests including James Bond, an Oscarwinning actress and a prince, is on sale for $3.88million. The eight bedroom historic home, built in 1863 for John Sidey, is a New Zealand Historic Places Trust category one building, and sits on a 3.03ha property.

It had previously operated as a private hotel, with A-list guests including actress Gwyneth Paltrow, musician Chris Martin, actor Daniel Craig and Prince Charles. In 2009 the former $800-a-night hotel was converted back into a private home by current owner Paul Facoory, who saw himself as a custodian of the property.

“I am happy to remain owning Corstorphine House… unless I get an offer I can’t refuse,” the Dunedin businessman said. Facoory said there were plans to host weddings and events, so “Dunedin people can come and experience what the property is like.” Adrian Chisholm, of Tourism Properties, said the immaculate state of the property was a credit to Facoory, whose changes included a heating upgrade and double glazing of the historic greenhouse.

The listing coincided with an increasing interest in Dunedin properties, particularly those that capitalised on the growing tourism sector, he said. Corstorphine House could once again be a private hotel, luxury lodge, function venue, or stay as a luxurious family home, Chisholm said. l and profitability from strengthening yields.

Increased values have been highlighted by the recent record sale price achieved for the Novotel Ibis Auckland Ellerslie, the largest hotel to be sold in New Zealand since the Hilton Auckland in 2012.

With such favourable conditions and a very optimistic outlook for the accommodation sector in New Zealand, there couldn’t be a better time to get into the market. Contact your local LINK Business Broker for details on accommodation opportunities in your area.

Written by Dave Morgan, general manager at LINK Wellington. For more information freephone 0800 546 528 or visit www. linkbusiness.co.nz. l

Kingfish Lodge – Iconic New Zealand Property, Northland A hideaway like no other - 119,074m2 - the retreat is perfect for purchasers who value serenity, peace and time away from it all.

• 7 rooms positioned above the lodge restaurant / bar

Nestled privately in the hills of Whangaroa, this exclusive property has been a private escape for a number of celebrities over the years.

• 1x suite used as either the ultimate guest room or owners accommodation

Accessible only by water and air, Kingfish is approximately 10 minutes by boat from the small settlement of Whangaroa. Featuring luxury waterfront guest rooms (apartment style), a restaurant/bar, a jetty & boat, and a private beach .

• Land, buildings and/or business • Owners residence • Land on 13 titles

ref: 19935

• 5x waterfront rooms with uninterrupted views of Kingfish Cove and Whangaroa - Harbour

• Restaurant / bar offering a variety of dining options year round • Jetty / boat. Private beach The business currently operates in the peak season only but there are so many options for future owners: Keep the business operating and boost promotion to grow guest numbers, convert the property into an eco-lodge or health retreat, or close the business and utilise as a private residence/holiday home.

Location: Northland Asking Price: $5,850,000 Broker: Michael Osborne 027 242 6881 michaelo@linkbusiness.co.nz

Hotel 81 Rooms in Prime Location Opportunity to secure a hotel bursting with potential. Located on one of the best sites in Tauranga. Profitable with plenty of options for further growth or re-development to the land and buildings.

• 90+ carparks. Qualmark Rating 3.5 • 81 rooms, majority renovated • A replacement new roof in past 2yrs. Own hot water bore. Earthquake compliance • 24 hour liquor licence & large conference rooms. Two restaurants & huge kitchen • Beautiful NZ wood used throughout & full of leather furnishings

ref: 19271 • Corner site 4,813m2. Floor area 5,420m2 • City or water views from most rooms & only minutes’ walk to shopping, rose gardens & sports fields • Possible option to become student accommodation for the proposed University Campus • Prime commercial site consented under the district plan for height development to 19 metres providing 360 degree views of Tauranga Harbour, Mount Maunganui • Reinstatement value $16,500,000 Vendor expectations reasonable for such a site.

Location: Tauranga Asking Price: $10,500,000 plus GST (if any) Broker: Nuree Allan 0274 466 987 nureea@linkbusiness.co.nz

5 Star Motel, New 30 Year Lease, $300,000+ NP Boutique apartment-motel. Winner in the 2013 and 2014 Trip Advisor Excellence Awards.

Luxury 5 star central Whanganui accommodation made up of 28 superior sized units. All units include spa baths, free wifi, and LCD TV’s with SKY. Located on Victoria Street, this motel is a leisurely stroll to the local shops, supermarkets, and surrounding restaurants. Absolutely prime location!

ref: 18261

On-site boardroom allows the operators to host a variety of functions, events and conferences. Beautifully appointed owner’s accommodation with up to six bedrooms.

This quality building has low maintenance requirements.

Excellent financial performance with a positive trend in revenue. Currently returning $300,000 p.a.

Location: Whanganui Asking Price: $1,200,000 Broker: Dave Morgan 021 471 992 davem@linkbusiness.co.nz

Awards, Recognition & Associations

Michael Osborne - LINK Northland (09) 222 0120. Nuree Allan - LINK Bay of Plenty & Waikato 0800 225 999.

Dave Morgan - LINK Wellington (04) 472 7602.

LINK NZ offices are Licensed REAA08

Call us today: 0800 546 528

Visit: linkbusiness.co.nz February/March 2016

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SUCCESS FOR LEADING COMPANY Resort Brokers was founded by Wayne Keene and Gordon McGregor in 2002 to provide a specialised service to both owners and investors of tourism related properties and businesses. Gordon and Wayne headed up hotel sales for two multinational real estate companies and were brought together by way of a joint agency when instructed to sell the remains of the Manor Inn chain. This sparked a friendship and combined forces in one company for a short time before grasping onto the opportunity to go it alone. Thus, Resort Brokers was formed and 13 years later has emerged as the leading brokerage in the country. Having had experience in the sale of major international hotels and chains right down to modest motel leases the newly formed company became an immediate success. Since then the company has grown to 13, 12 of who are successful brokers spread across the country for geographic presence.

The sales team has vast and unmatched experience that assists vendors and purchasers alike into making informed decisions with mutually beneficial outcomes.

The formula of nationwide cover, experienced and competent brokers, excellent computer and Internet solutions, and newspaper profile ensures that Resort Brokers sell more accommodation business/properties than any other company in New Zealand. In recent years Resort Brokers have sold over one a week on average and the numbers don’t seem to be diminishing.

Keene said that the company operates in a niche market almost exclusively selling motels, hotels and management rights, mostly to Kiwis looking for semi retirement or returning from overseas. However, a significant proportion of sales in more recent years have been to new immigrants from Europe, South Africa and various parts of Asia. “The attraction of motels and management rights seems to be that unlike other forms of business you actually get a house to live in as part of the premises, you are generally in fantastic locations where people want to be and the skill set required to run

them has not out of the reach for most people.

These businesses suit people nearing retirement who want a financial boost to make their golden years more pleasant. They simply sell their house and use the equity to by and business and Gordon McGregor almost invariably earn considerably Wayne Keene more that their previously combined income.

However, some of the most successful new entrants to the industry have come from younger quarters where they may have advanced computer, sales and marketing skills,” Keene said. “There is no doubt that lower interest rates and active bank lending policies when coupled with increased demand have been driving sales to record levels over the last few years.

So we are currently enjoying a wonderful market with good equilibrium between sellers and buyers, supported by strong and growing market conditions, and funded by major banks who must believe in the future of the industry.”

Motels, hotels and management rights are high profile and are an important part of New Zealand’s tourism industry, which the Government markets heavily offshore attracting increased tourism numbers year on year.

“We have prepared three manuals to provide participants with information on buying, running and selling their businesses. We couple this with considerable research into interesting aspects affecting the industry so that the market is kept fully informed,” Keene said. Recent interesting sales include the Hotel DeBrett in Auckland, which transacted late last year and sold to a person who owns an exclusive lodge elsewhere in the North Island.

The hotel is a wonderful example of what can be done by refurbishing and remodelling older premises to retain the character and keep the guests interested. The vendor of this hotel had magnificent flare and the decoration and fit-out is unique.

“Outside our normal realm we were instructed to sell the very successful Mercury Bay Estate winery and cellar door in Cooks Beach, Coromandel and this sale took place in January 2016.

We found this to be a wonderful learning experience and look forward to getting a similar brief in the near term. We currently have one property under contract for $20-odd million for a hotel group and have a history of transacting in the middle and upper portions of the market.

We will be able to announce more on this and one other similar transaction in the coming months as due diligence is completed.” l

CHANGING TIMES AT COFFEYS FRESH LOOK FOR ADINA

Stefan McNeely

Matt D’Anvers

Coffeys Tourism Property Brokers continue to grow their presence in the market for the sale of accommodation based properties, with the addition of four new brokers throughout New Zealand.

With the recent retirement of two senior brokers, principal Kelvyn Coffey said the challenge has always been to find the right people for the role. “We have found that the greatest constraint to growth for our business has been finding that rare individual who has real estate qualifications as well as some background and knowledge of tourism and hospitality. So we are indeed fortunate to have achieved that in recent times,” he said.

Coffey said New Zealand is well covered with the current team now including Stefan McNeely in Tauranga, Matt D’Anvers in Pauanui, Adam Berry in Christchurch and Fiona McDonald

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Adam Berry

Fiona McDonald

based in Queenstown. This takes Coffeys to a total of eight brokers, four in each of the North and South Islands.

Coffey said that the accommodation industry is poised for some good revenue growth in years to come. “Everything goes in cycles it seems, and we are well due for the upward leg. With surging growth in visitor numbers and guest nights generally, this may put some real pressure on the existing room supply, resulting in tariff increases across the board.

The supply equation is likely to remain constrained due to very high building costs, which seriously challenge the viability of new developments at current room rates.” Coffeys has specialised in this niche of the real estate market since 1984, originally in the South island, having progressed to nationwide in 2010. l

Adina Apartment Hotels has recently had their room interiors designed and installed by SH Interiors. The repurposing of an existing apartment building in Auckland’s Britomart made perfect sense to the Russell Property Group, who engaged SH Interiors, a division of Southern Hospitality, to begin work on conceptualising the apartment rooms just over a year ago, using the existing rooms where possible and refiguring others to create an offering of 140 apartments.

SH Interiors worked with a New Zealand based off-shore operator to produce the full furniture package for the apartments. The results have been outstanding, marketing and communications manager Toni

Snell said. The look is fresh and modern and references the popular Scandinavian look, but has all the value of hard wearing fit for purpose product. Sourcing overseas, the turnaround time of three months was exceptionally fast and the financial advantages were significant.

SH Interiors also install into rooms, providing a complete turnkey offering. The SH Interiors team have many decades of working on design and procurement for both small and large commercial interiors projects. With a good understanding of sourcing both locally and offshore they offer initial design concept, and manage the sourcing and procurement of an already established design. l

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY LTD

PROJECT Adina Apartment Hotel Interior

SH Interiors, designs and installs the Adina Apartment Hotel’s newly refurbished room interiors …

The new Adina Apartment Hotel is a completely repurposed apartment building located just a short stroll from the Auckland waterfront.

The team at SH Interiors (a division of Southern Hospitality Ltd) worked closely with the Russell Property Group to create a look that reflects the Adina brands focus on comfort and lifestyle. With a good understanding of sourcing both inside of NZ and offshore, SH Interiors has added real value to this project from the design and sourcing aspect all the way to full installation.

The SH Interiors team have created stylish and modern room interiors with a fresh Scandinavian look.

SH Interiors do not stop at delivering product to site; they also install into rooms, providing a complete turn-key offering.

With a good understanding of sourcing both locally and offshore, SH Interiors add real value to a project.

The SH Interiors team: Grace Nattrass: grace@shinteriors.co.nz • Debbie Carr: debbie@shinteriors.co.nz • Tracy Cook-Kelland: tracyck@shinteriors.co.nz

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY LTD T: 0800 503 335 | info@southernhospitality.co.nz | www.southernhospitality.co.nz

LIGHT VIKING Light Viking specialises in bespoke decorative lighting. Light Viking’s Marquee style lights are made by a husband and wife team in New Zealand. “We take great pride in creating one-off, handmade lights, paying attention to every detail for a unique result for our clients,” owner Darcia Mather said. All lighting is tested and certified as compliant with New Zealand safety regulations.

For more information contact Darcia Mather at darcia@ lightviking.com.

AMBIUS PLANTS Ambius brings life and ambiance to the workspace. Lush green foliage, textured leaves and interior plantscaping displays create green zones for stressed out office workers and interior artwork to add energy and help individualise work space. Ambius offer a wide range of interior and exterior plantscaping solutions and also offer short term hire of plants for functions, events, weddings and trade exhibitions. For more information contact Graham Curgenven at graham.curgenven@rentokil-initial.com.

CHRIS KEENAN ARTWORK Abstract and energy landscape artwork, by artist Chris Keenan, studies and meditates on the elements, forms and energies within nature. The artwork looks for the essence of the subject in mind, body and spirit, and is then interpreted onto canvas or board. “I love the process of organic abstraction, and freedom of self-expression,” Keenan said. Keenan’s paintings create their own story. Her goal is to share this passion with others and connect her audience to New Zealand and other destinations. Commissioned works are accepted with a degree of artist’s interpretation.

For more information contact Chris Keenan at rose.cjk53@gmail.com.

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GIDON BING CERAMICS The new Gidon Bing Ceramics collection draws inspiration from the power and presence of reductive forms. The ceramics are an extension of Bing’s sculptural practice, where a fascination for the relationship between biological asymmetry and the artifact is explored. Although many of the objects possess sculptural properties, they are conceived and crafted for human function, for the pleasure of a more tactile experience when carrying out everyday activities. Each piece is crafted to exact standards and specifications. In collaboration with a master ceramicist, and after much experimentation, Bing has developed satin lustre, crackle, and speckle glazes with subtle and smooth non-reflective finishes with depth and organic texture.

For more information contact Simon James Concept Store, 376 6955 or concept@simonjamesdesign.com.

VOTSALO SOFA The Votsalo Sofa is made with Viro high-end synthetic fibre weave, Sunbrella outdoor fabric and quick dry foam.

The outdoor wicker is specifically designed and engineered for outdoor use and is UV resistant. Resistant to chlorine, salt, suntan creams and oils, it is colourfast and will not fade. Viro weave is the product of choice for all luxury hotels throughout the world.

For more information contact Brigitte at auckland@forma.co.nz.

WAZEBO OUTDOOR SHOWER Zucchetti’s success story first began in a small foundry in Valduggia in the province of Vercelli, set up by Alfredo Zucchetti in 1929. Today the Zucchetti.Kos Group consists of four factories and a logistics centre covering a total of 72,000 square metres, producing two million articles every year. Designers have built a starkly sleek collection of sculptured bathroom faucets, bathroom fixtures, bathroom accessories, and kitchen faucets. The structure is in stainless steel, joints in anodized aluminium and everything is painted with paint designed for outdoor furniture. The floor and ceiling are a mix of polymers and wood, specifically resistant to outdoor conditions, so Wazebo can be installed in coastal areas.

For more information contact James von Batenburg at JamesV@robertson.co.nz.

industrynews LARALA LIGHTS Specialising in decorative, ecofriendly LED lighting solutions, New Zealand-based Larala Lights create a unique ambience for all settings, both indoor and outdoor. Suitable for cafés, bars and restaurants, their Basics range features various shapes and adapted designs, such as Tear Drops and Eggs.

Larala Lights has developed a LED furniture range for commercial purposes, appealing to the hospitality industry and including low benches, bar stools and tables. Larala Lights gives people control over their environment and the ability to simply recreate the ambience. Multiple colours lets people decide the mood, wireless technology allows lights to be placed wherever desired, and a rechargeable lithium battery means it can be simply recharged and reused. All pieces come with a remote control and a charger.

For those interested in making a lasting impression and a great visual impact, enquire at www.laralalights.co.nz for a wholesale price list.

ROSE TINTED FLOWERS Having grown up with a botanical mother, helping her bind bridal bouquets since she was small, it was inevitable that Rosie Holt would one day pursue the floral arts. In April 2015, Rose Tinted Flowers was created. Her floral style is drawn from her English heritage with the designs she creates reflective of the eight years spent exploring country gardens as a child. The point of difference is her unique approach to floral arranging, ditching the outdated, overtly styled and rigid arrangements of previous decades for unique flower arrangements. Unlike usually seen in reception areas and corporate offices, herb bouquets and arrangements don’t look stylised or structured but instead naturally styled with seasonal blooms. Rose Tinted Flowers deliver to a range of offices weekly including advertising agencies, luxury B&B’s, beauty salons and media agencies. Holt and the team specialise in creating floral arrangements and installations for offices, retailers and hotels, in addition to weddings and events.

For more information contact Rosie Holt at rosie@rosetintedflowers.com.

DEHEI Dehei’s new range of soft, natural cotton knit bedding aims to set a new standard in sleep comfort and make bedding affordable.

Featuring lightweight 100 percent jersey cotton marle, the range draws on founder Daniela Schmidhalter’s European heritage to bring natural breathable bed wear to New Zealand shores. Dehei, meaning ‘at home’ in Swiss, combines Schmidhalter’s love of a minimal aesthetic with a classic colour palette. Four colourways are offered, Grey Marle, Oatmeal Marle, Coffee Marle, Charcoal Marle. The range includes sheets, duvets and pillowslips from single to king size. Schmidhalter was looking for an affordable bedding solution that was practical, timeless and one that suited her minimal, natural design aesthetic. She set about to develop a new range of bed wear that suited her lifestyle and after six months of development and testing, the range launched online.

“You can put them through any wash, in the drier and they actually get more comfortable as you use them. I really believe bedding can make a difference to the way both adults and kids sleep. My kids say sleeping in their Dehei is like sleeping in their favourite t shirt,” Schmidhalter said. For more information contact Daniela Schmidhalter at info@dehei.co.

PREMIUM HOUSEKEEPING TROLLEY The Premium Housekeeping Trolley is the latest edition to the range at Specialist Cleaning Supplies and is a large, robust, well-built trolley. The Premium Housekeeping Trolley is designed specifically for the hospitality industry to carry supplies on top, clean linen inside and dirty linen or rubbish in the outside bags.

They measure 1190mm high, 535mm wide and 1460mm long. Premium Housekeeping Trolley is $449+GST. For more information contact Specialist Cleaning Supplies on 0800 477624, David on 0274 476999 or email david@scspn.co.nz.

CURTAIN MAGIC Don’t give customers a reason to complain about mouldy curtains. Simply spray Curtain Magic Mould Remover on the mouldy areas and watch the mould vanish without taking curtains down. Suitable for all colourfast: curtains (including thermals), blinds, nets and drapes.

No scrubbing, no taking curtains down, and mould vanishes in minutes. New Zealand made. Available in 1L, 2L, 4L and 20L drums. Watch demo and order on www. curtainmagic.co.nz or for more information contact 09 887 3667 or email order@removehousemould.co.nz.

WEINOR PLAZA PRO The Weinor Plaza Pro’s patented crossbeam guarantees extreme wind stability and a taut fabric. The sturdy retractable textile roof is especially suitable for large spaces within the commercial sector. From a 14° pitch, the Plaza Pro provides reliable rain protection and can be expanded to an enclosed weather protection with all-glass elements or vertical sun protection. Available exclusively in New Zealand through Artisan Flooring. For more information contact Mike Fenn on 09 302 2499, or email mike@ blindsbyartisan.co.nz.

CLAUS PORTO CLASSICO FANTASIA SOAPS Soaps from the Classico collection have delicate aromas, a creamy and moisturising texture, and are enriched with pistachio butter. Packed in vellum and manually wrapped in timeless centenary labels, these soaps revival vintage pride and carry on elegance through a modern design. The Classico collection offers a varied selection of floral perfumes. Classico soap bars with a wax seal come in a 150g, 5.3oz size. For more information contact Benny Castles at benny@worldbrand.co.nz.

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LANGHAM AUCKLAND

Last year, the Langham Auckland celebrated its 10th birthday. This month we chatted with the hotel known for its sophisticated five-star luxury to reflect over its 10 year history and see what’s in store ahead.

As well as turning 10, the Langham Auckland had an exceptional 2015, receiving an impressive lineup of awards and completing significant refurbishment throughout the hotel. The $2.4 million refurbishment of Crystal Room and the Gallery Rooms was completed, and the hotel’s award-winning restaurant, Eight, also recently turned five. 2015 saw the hotel take away awards including Luxury Classic Hotel of the Year, Environmental Initiative Award, Traveler’s Choice Award, Certificate of Excellence – Palm Court, Qualmark Enviro Gold Rating, and Earthcheck Gold Certified 2015.

Furnished with handcrafted wood furniture, there are a total of 411 guest rooms, 17 spacious suites, and 27 Langham Club rooms at the hotel’s Symonds Street location.

Langham Auckland’s marketing communications manager Veronica Johnston said the hotel’s investment plans ahead include continuing to refurbish and renovate. “The hotel’s management has made substantial investments over the past few years in the creation of contemporary banquet facilities with the Great Room and the recently completed Crystal Ballroom and Gallery Rooms.

“Our Food and Beverage offerings have seen the recent creation of a new Palm Court Lobby lounge bar and we are currently working on refurbishing ‘Eight’ restaurant. Our upgraded leisure facilities also boast the exclusive haven of Chuan Spa. We are now in active discussions regarding the renovation of our Classic Rooms,” Johnston said. The Langham Auckland’s history dates back to 1851, when Charles Partington built a brick windmill on the hotel’s current site.

In 1877, Partington passed away and his son Joseph took over. In 1941 Joseph passed away and in 1950 the mill was demolished. The hotel

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was known as Sheraton Auckland Hotel & Towers for many years after opening in February 1983. In 1998, Great Eagle Holdings Limited purchased the hotel building.

The Langham, Auckland was re-branded ‘Langham’ in January 2005 and the hotel underwent a $12 million transformation early in 2006 to create a look of sophisticated elegance consistent with other Langham hotels around the world. The hotel took its design cues from flagship sister property, The Langham London, after recognising a fall in favour for minimalist décor among international travelers. The new look is elegant and opulent, and offers comfort, luxury and sophistication.

In February 2009 the exclusive Chuan Spa and Health Club was opened. In 2010 the refurbishment and the extension of ballroom facilities were completed and The Great Room opened as one of the largest and pillarless hotel ballrooms in New Zealand. In 2014, new lobby lounge bar and restaurant Palm Court opened and stylish a la carte breakfast, all day and evening dining was introduced.

Diners can select a cut of the finest meat available and have it cooked to their taste, there is fresh sushi and sashimi made-to-order on offer and an array of sweets, desserts and pastries. Since turning five, diners at Eight have been offered a unique interactive experience, and a variety of cuisine at the restaurant’s eight kitchens.

The Langham Auckland works on a corporate social responsibility and takes pride in being a good corporate citizen both socially and environmentally in its local community, the wider Auckland city and New Zealand as a whole. The Langham Auckland has also adopted a cradle to cradle approach with all procurements, which involves looking at where all items, local or overseas, are sourced, what they are sourced from, how they are manufactured, by whom and under what conditions. Where possible all products used by The Langham need to be either recyclable or degradable.

‘Guests of the Earth’ is a Langham Hospitality Group programme that encourages guests to join their green journey in building a more sustainable hotel. There is a linen and towel reuse card in all rooms. As part of the Langham’s commitment to this project and to sustainability in New Zealand, the hotel has a native weta habitat in the lobby courtyard. This environment

is designed to showcase one of New Zealand’s iconic and indigenous insect species, the weta, for guests’ viewing pleasure. The hotel runs its own ‘Green Team’ which is made up of hotel colleagues who volunteer their time to promoting and working on CESR initiatives.

Key initiatives being managed by The Langham Auckland include general sustainability training for all staff through the Staff Induction Programme, locally sourced products from within the community as well as nationwide, staff awareness through training, notice boards and participation in events, reducing the consumption of water, energy and waste going to landfill, waste separation and recycling including food waste and general recycling, energy saving light bulbs in all rooms, room thermostats with motion sensors being trialed, and replacement of Perchloroethylene-based dry cleaning machine.

Since 2010 The Langham Auckland has had two chosen charities of choice, which are currently Garden to Table and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) New Zealand. The hotel works with both organisations closely each year to assist with fundraising, raising the profile of the organisations and promoting their cause to the hotel’s guests. The Langham Auckland is among the first accommodation providers in New Zealand to achieve Qualmark’s EnviroGold status. The Langham has demonstrated the highest possible level of commitment to environmental practices to achieve Enviro-Gold status. Every year towards the end of March, The Langham, Auckland joins millions of people across the world to support Earth Hour.

When the Langham Auckland secured the prestigious EarthCheck Gold level of certification through the world’s leading certifier of travel and tourism organizations in January 2012, it was a New Zealand first. To gain EarthCheck Gold certification, The Langham had to report its environmental footprint and adhere to an internationally recognised standard of best practice.

Each year leading up to certification, The Langham Auckland submits 12 months of operational data to EarthCheck to be benchmarked against industry best practice. A number of key indicators are measured including energy and water consumption, total waste production and community commitment. l

CATERING TROLLEY

The Catering Trolley is 103cm wide from the outside of the top handles and 95cm high to the top of the handles, and is 51cm wide. Available in black only, the latest design has optional side buckets.

The Catering Trolley has proved to be very popular in a variety of markets including hospitality, offices, healthcare and schools. For more information contact Specialist Cleaning Supplies on 0800 477624.

Catering Trolley is $149.00+GST. Side buckets optional extra. l

TEA TIME

HOUSEKEEPING

DEVONPORT CHOCOLATES – THE ART OF INDULGENCE Devonport Chocolates celebrate 25 years of crafting fine handmade chocolate this year. Throughout this time Devonport Chocolates has been privileged to supply many of New Zealand’s finest hotels and lodges with delicious amenities.

Using high quality chocolate coverture married with iconic New Zealand ingredients such as kiwifruit, feijoa, rosé wine and honey, Devonport Chocolates craft exquisite chocolate

treats with superb finish and presentation.

Delight guests with memorable small boxes with printed logos and Kiwi creatures or larger assortments and chocolate tablets.

All the options from Devonport Chocolates reflect quality standards and customer care.

To discuss the options available contact Stephanie Everitt on 09 445 6001, 027 445 6002 or email severitt@devonportchocolates. co.nz. l

SURFACE CLEANING EASY

Smartgel is an industry first real-time validation tool that visually confirms if a surface is clean or not, picking up anything organic including chemical residues, and much more than biofilms. It is based on the patented Thonhauser Persulphate technology and will visualise the hygiene level within seconds, creating a colour change on the surface without the need for any additional instruments.

Violet means clean and green means contaminated. It detects far more than ATP or APC swabs and is much more time sensitive than other instant validation methods. It will react with anything organic including all food groups, microorganisms, biofilms and chemical or surfactant residues. It comes as a two component product, including the colour change product added to the gel prior to use. Hygiene Technologies deliver effective, efficient food industry cleaning products and systems backed by experience and expertise and offer New Zealand’s largest range of cleaning products and systems for the food industry.

For more information contact 0800 732 525 or email info@ hygienetech.co.nz. l

Harney & Sons offer a range of premium display chests for restaurant or in-room use. Loose leaf pyramid sachets or premium teabags are available in a huge range of traditional or exotic blends.

These beautiful Cherrywood boxes are a great addition to fine hotels, luxury lodges, conference venues or restaurants.

For more information contact Harney & Sons on 09 412 2515 or visit www.harneyteas.co.nz. l

TOP QUALITY CLEANING TROLLEY

The Top Quality Cleaning Trolley is a standard, traditional cleaning trolley with heavy duty construction and quality wheels. Colours may vary. For more information contact Specialist Cleaning Supplies on 0800 477624. Top Quality Cleaning Trolley is $125.00+GST. l

STOP THE WATER! STOP THE WATER WHILE USING ME! is a range of cosmetic and body care items for hotel use. The average hotel guest uses up to 1,000 litres of water a day, or around 10 times more than the average household, exceeding the daily amount required by a factor of 40. This means that most water is wasted in hotel bathrooms. This is where STOP THE WATER WHILE USING ME! comes in. The typical, miniature bottles of cosmetics in hotel bathrooms are not only rarely used, but are also frequently thrown away unopened due to hygiene reasons. This results in immense costs to the hotel and excessive damage to the environment. STOP THE WATER WHILE USING ME! dispensers can be recycled easily and refilled using the refill pack or the five-litre canister, which has been adapted especially to the requirements of the hotel industry. By drawing attention to the issue, the body care range invites guests to save water, enabling guests to minimise the amount of waste in the bathroom along with water consumption. For more information contact hello@ stop-the-water.com. l

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Culinary Series Dinner At The Rees Hotel Queenstown’s Rees Hotel has announced its first True South Culinary Series Dinner for the year to be held on April 1, in partnership with Misha’s Vineyard Wines, one of New Zealand’s top 20 producers. Executive chef Ben Batterbury will bring his finely honed culinary skills to craft an eight-course degustation menu from the best of Central Otago’s produce, to complement a selection of eight exquisite wines from Misha’s Vineyard vintages.

Since 2009, Batterbury has been polishing his culinary repertoire for The Rees Hotel that includes French and English fusion recipes mingled with the flavours of New Zealand. With a love of using supreme quality ingredients and seasonal Southern produce he personally sources from local producers wherever possible. l

Chef Shortage Bites Tourism Pressure is mounting in commercial kitchens in Wanaka as chef shortage forces businesses to reduce menus and chefs to work 80-hour weeks.

Café and restaurant owners said there had been a shortage of chefs in the town for about 18 months, but the problem was escalating.

Wanaka Ale House head chef Rebecca Stevenson said the restaurant was relying on an agency in Christchurch to source chefs.

“It is hugely expensive. We have to pay the hourly rate, plus provide them with accommodation that, for the better of the business, we have to do but, ultimately, we can’t sustain it. An average working week is 60 hours. On a busy Christmas/New Year, I did 80 hours for more than two or three weeks in a row.” The restaurant was considering reducing opening hours because of the problem, Stevenson said.

Alchemy café head chef Jan Tomlin said she had worked in the industry for 40 years and had never experienced such a shortage before. “Just about every business in Wanaka is advertising for chefs,” she said. Restaurant Association of New Zealand Southern Lakes branch president Grant Hattaway said the shortage was not unique to Wanaka.

He said the problem had been exacerbated by a boom in the tourism industry. “It is an issue and if it is not fixed it will slow down the tourism industry. People come here having heard good things about New Zealand wine and food, beverages, and if they don’t really get the quality that’s going to fall short of their expectation and well, it will be counterproductive to tourism.”

Celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey had created a misconception of the realities of working in kitchens, he said. He believed pay was not the main reason people left the industry. “You have got to meet the market and the rates have certainly gone up significantly.

That’s just the reality. It is tough on businesses, not just chefs.” Speaking about a similar chef shortage in Wellington and Queenstown, Tourism Industry Association chief executive Chris Roberts said a good chef was “now priceless”.

“I think we have to raise the profile and status of tourism-related jobs like chefing,” he said.

Tourism Industry Association NZ hotels chair Penny Clark said in Queenstown the shortage was getting worse because many chefs could not afford to live there. She worried the country would get a bad reputation if it could not get enough chefs to produce quality food. l

Dinner With Nigella

TV personality Nigella Lawson visited the country and was the guest of honour at a gala dinner in January at the Langham Hotel in Auckland as part of a speaking tour held on both sides of the Tasman.

Tickets to the black-tie dinner ranged from $400 for a single ticket, to $8000 for a VIP table of 10.

Lawson headed south, to be guest of honour at an event held at ILT Stadium in Invercargill, where a VIP table of 10 was selling for considerably less the Auckland price at $5000.

Event organisers evidently felt Aucklanders would pay more than Southlanders to see Lawson.

The chef, journalist, broadcaster, TV personality and food writer spoke about her business success and culinary delights.

Guests dined on a four-course meal, including New Zealand’s finest food and wine. l

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Robinson Appointed Executive Chef Dean Robinson has been appointed to the role of executive chef at Heritage Hanmer Springs. Robinson is a New Zealand born chef who was trained in the SPHC hotel group in the South Island before moving up to Auckland. After three years as head chef at Parnell’s Non Solo Pizza, he moved to Chile to take part in the opening of the Akarana Restaurant in Santiago for three years.

Most recently he has held the executive chef role at Peppers Bluewater Resort and joins the Heritage Hanmer Springs from Braided Rivers Restaurant and Bar. Robinson hopes his South American experience will add some spice to the Heritage Hanmer Springs menus, as will his history with VIP banquets, weddings and events. l

Standardisation Of Straws Drinking straws have never been the subject of standards and specifications but now a recently published International Standard, provides general requirements for dimensions and performance properties of plastic straws.

This standardisation will help manufacturers to produce consistent quality products. The new standard covers a range of straws, straight, flexible, extendable, spoon-shaped ends, or with sharp tips to break filmsealed containers. Straws must now conform to the food contact requirement of the market and show their resistance to hot and cold temperatures and bend without breaking. l

food&beverage

Sharing Menu At Aria Introduced

A brand-new dining concept has been introduced at award-winning Aria Restaurant and Bar at the Crowne Plaza Auckland.

Designed to share, the new dinner menu offers hotel guests and visitors a relaxed and interactive food experience. The selection of dishes includes small and large plates, sides, sweets and awardwinning Kapiti cheeses. Guests can enjoy global cuisines made from fresh local produce with the help of the restaurant’s team who can help perfectly match the dishes.

According to executive chef Adrian Walker, the new menu is a more relaxed style and presentation and reflects a customer-driven change for dining experiences in the Auckland market. “We’ve changed the menu concept to allow for more creativity and imagination from the chefs to help excite our diners. Seeing what your partner or friend has ordered and suffering immediate ‘food envy’ is a thing of the past,” said Walker. l

Silver Fern Awards

This year’s Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards saw Auckland’s Botswana Butchery take out the title of Premier Master of Fine Cuisine.

The popular restaurant also won awards for Best Beef Dish and Best Metropolitan Restaurant. Executive chef Stuart Rogan who manages both the Auckland and Queenstown

St Moritz Celebrates Wine

establishments as well as Auckland’s Harbourside Ocean Bar and Grill impressed the judges with his dish, Silver Fern Farms Reserve beef eye fillet, braised short rib with parsley, mustard and horseradish crust, carrot puree, asparagus, whipped garlic and cep jus.

Other award winners are Palate Restaurant in Hamilton, and Salt on The Waterfront in New Plymouth, Pravada Café in Wellington, and Pitches Store in Ophir. l

January saw Queenstown’s Hotel St Moritz offering guests the chance to celebrate some of the best Pinot Noirs in the world. In support of the annual Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration guests were wined and dined with its signature ‘Pinot Pinot Pinot’ experience.

Three wines were matched with hors d’oeuvres from its award-winning restaurant Lombardi. “Our passion of Pinot Noir is second to none and our team are enthusiastic about educating and informing guests about the special variety,” said Hotel St Moritz general manager Jo Finnigan. l

Here’s a golden opportunity to do good together.

Cafés and restaurants can now join this popular TV advertised campaign and support the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.

SIGN UP NOW

Visit www.pinkribbonbreakfast.co.nz or freephone 0800 902 732

February/March 2016

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Mentoring Young Chefs

Invivo Moves Into Winery

New Zealand winemaker Invivo has moved into a historic 114-year-old winery south of Auckland after securing a long-term lease and full control of the winery. First designed and constructed by the New Zealand government in 1902 as New Zealand’s first viticulture research station, the winery was originally headed by industry pioneer and viticulturist Romeo Bragato.

Invivo cofounder Tim Lightbourne is looking forward adding another chapter to the winery’s long history. “It’s exciting to be taking over the place where Romeo Bragato made some of New Zealand’s first export wines.

The guy’s a legend. Winemaker, innovator, and exporter. The history of the place, the great stories that have been documented also really appealed to us,” said Lightbourne. The winery will give winemaker Rob Cameron even greater creative control and an on-site bottling plant will turn out up to 12,000 bottles a day of Invivo’s award-winning Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and other New Zealand varietals.

“I’ve also got my eye on the enormous copper still,” said Cameron. “Who knows what we could make in that beast!” The winery’s still dates back to WWII when it was used to make medicinal alcohol. Invivo’s move to the historic winery follows last year’s $2 million equity crowd funding raise, the first New Zealand Company to reach the $2 million statutory crowd funding limit. The company now has 444 shareholders, including Graham Norton. As well as the winery, Invivo is investing in product development, further staff and marketing, and is already working with Norton on the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, which will be among the first Invivo wines to be made and bottled at the 114-year-old facility. l

Young rising chefs will have the opportunity to capitalise on the skills and experience of some of the country’s most successful restaurant chefs in a bid to advance their careers in a new mentoring programme. Five positions are available as part of Ora King Salmon’s new Next Generation mentoring programme. The aim is to help the successful applicants, commis and chef de partie with two-to-three year’s kitchen experience, develop the skills to excel in the industry. The programme will be split into two stages; one week stage at the allocated mentor’s restaurant between March and May and a one day workshop and follow up day in Auckland with topics covered by mentors and industry experts such as leadership, life balance, provenance, social media, trends and dish inspiration.

The mentoring programme combines hands on experience and theoretical modules, both mentored by some of our leading kitchen professionals. Entries for the Ora King New Generation mentoring programme can be found on www.orakingsalmon.co.nz. l

Recipe Swap For Top Chefs February will see four of Germany’s rising culinary stars visit New Zealand to take recipe swapping to a whole new level. The young European chefs will be hosted by Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) on a four-week tour that will see the visitors experience the tools and techniques of the NZ culinary scene by gaining work experience in the restaurants of some of the country’s finest chefs. As part of the exchange organised by Deer Industry New Zealand, the educative trip provides the opportunity for the European Chefs to work with some of New Zealand’s top culinary talent including Meredith’s Michael Meredith, Depot’s Kyle Street, Logan Brown’s Shaun Clouston and Amisfield’s Vaughan Mabee.

“The goal is to further inform our European visitors about New Zealand’s farm raised venison offering and to illustrate our wider culinary landscape,” said DINZ marketing manager Marianne Wilson. “As Germany is New Zealand’s biggest market, representing around a third of our export sales, we are keen to share Kiwi expertise on preparing and cooking venison with our European friends and in turn soak up some of their experience.” l

Your wish is our command Tired of being treated like a number by your food distributor?

Wishing for a more responsive and flexible delivery option?

With Countrywide Distributors’ 11 members, discover the energy and responsiveness of local owner-operated members who appreciate your business and go the extra mile when you need it • Competitive pricing from the group’s collective wholesale buying power • Personalised service and in-depth product knowledge keeping you in the loop with what’s new • Consistent delivery times • Good stock levels for reliable and accurate product delivery

Visit www.countrywidedist.co.nz to find your local distributor and make a flying change

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”

From the big boss to the drivers and rep, they all know my name. Not too big and not too small!

”

100% OWNED

3/12/2015 10:44 AM

columns

MANAGING GROWTH IN THE ACCOMMODATION SECTOR Sall Attfield, Sector Manager Hotels, Tourism Industry Association New Zealand

I hope everyone is busy with a fantastic summer season and you’ve also had an opportunity for some down-time. We are now well into the new year and from all accounts it is living up to the pre-Christmas expectations of a boomer.

We knew that 2015 was a big year for our accommodation sector and the year-end numbers have proved just how big it was. TIA’s Hotel Sector members recorded a national average occupancy rate of 79%, up 3 points on 2014 and the highest level in at least five years.

The average room rate (across all star grades) was $157 (up $12 on 2014). Combined with the improved occupancy rate, this pushed the average Revenue Per Available Room (RevPar) up by $14 (13%) to $124.

These improved returns will help encourage investment and refurbishment, which is definitely needed as our visitor numbers continue to grow. While our hotel revenues are still below what is being achieved in Australia, and high land and construction costs in New Zealand remain a barrier, the upward trend is encouraging.

However, continued rate growth is still needed and it is important that we continue to work on this by managing the various channels

and not being afraid to correctly value our product offering. To meet the goals of Tourism 2025, it is essential that we encourage investment to improve the quality of current infrastructure to meet rising visitor expectations, as well as creating a positive environment for investment in new facilities.

We know that more hotels are needed in some areas, along with improvements to cruise port facilities. Many parts of the country also need better roading, water and sewerage infrastructure to cope with population and visitor growth.

We also know new products are needed to attract visitors and provide a great experience at different times of the year.

Positively, in the latter part of 2015 we had announcements that both the Auckland International Convention Centre, and a new council-funded Wellington Convention Centre and movie museum had been green-lighted.

The tourism industry’s Tourism 2025 growth framework highlighted that because many conferences are held in the shoulder and off-seasons, between March and November, they create demand for accommodation and other services at a quieter time of the year. And, because business event

visitors often extend their stay, business events create opportunities for regional dispersal.

Two important ways we can spread the benefits of the big growth in arrivals – more than 200,000 additional visitors annually - are smoothing out seasonality and encouraging regional dispersal.

TIA has identified infrastructure investment as a priority for our efforts this year and we are working with the government to identify opportunities and remove roadblocks. The tourism industry set itself a big goal with Tourism 2025 – an industry worth $41 billion by 2025 – but as we head into 2016, it looks very achievable. l

2016 New Zealand Hotel Industry Conference

Hotel infrastructure – what we need and where that investment could come from – will be on the agenda at this year’s New Zealand Hotel Industry Conference, at The Langham Auckland on 1-2 June 2016. This event, co-hosted by TIA and Horwath HTL, is the largest annual event dedicated to New Zealand’s hotel sector. Last year’s conference was a sell-out and we expect this year will be no different.

Registrations will open soon at www. nzhotelconference.com Be in quick to make sure you don’t miss out!

ROMANCING NEW BUSINESS Nick Steele, President Les Clefs d’Or New Zealand

“To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world” Dr Seuss

There are many different philosophies on how to create the right environment for excellent guest service within a hotel. I do wish to share with you a philosophy that I have instilled in my Concierge Department for many years, which I have found to be exciting, engaging and rewarding.

Hotels can be many things to many different people. Exciting, Mysterious, Extravagant, Mundane or even Routine. How, as an hotelier, can I ensure I am creating an environment within the lobby to ensure the success of my department? The Concierge deals deeply with the arrival and departure process and for the most part begins the long line of services that one will encounter during their stay.

Hotels are romantic, no matter what your reason for being a guest.

Of course there is the obvious, Husband and Wife taking a special night away, a partner who is on the cusp of proposing to their significant other. Guests who are beginning an evening of celebration

for any of a multitude of reasons.

Partners celebrating anniversaries, partners who are at the earliest stages of their relationships. These are the guests that we immediately think of when we talk about romance.

Then there are the corporate guests who are romancing a new business deal or existing business partnership, old friends who meet within the walls of a hotel to catch up on old memories, the multitude of family celebrations that are hosted at our restaurants, friends who share high tea together, the guest who has saved their entire working life to take their one trip of a lifetime. Hotels are far from mundane or routine, they may be operated with military like precision, however they are and should be warm inviting places to visit, to be romanced.

Once in this mind set it is very easy to begin romancing our guests, it starts with the simple things that you may do on a first date.

Opening a car door, standing back while others walk through a door before you. Being polite and using

manors to present yourself in a positive light. Being thoughtful to someone else’s needs does seem simple but essential. Being “old fashioned” and chivalrous in your interactions.

Being romantic takes great care and thoughtfulness, it is selfless and caring. It ensures that you are putting someone else’s needs and happiness above your own.

It may sound a lot like a one way street but the rewards for treating people in such a way are timeless.

Often it creates strong bonds, builds trusting rapport, engages staff, surprises and excites all that are involved. Romance does not have to be about two people joining in a physical relationship.

Romance is about two people thinking selflessly in exciting and unexpected ways. Romance breaks down barriers and creates a sense that you do genuinely care.

Romance is not brash or aggressive, it is soft and affectionate. l

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EXPERIENCE HUBS It’s all about the experience.

Adam Cunningham, National President, Hospitality New Zealand

It is no secret that international tourism numbers are up, domestic tourists are everywhere and the accommodation sector is, in general, having a well-deserved increase in yield and occupancy.

In the meantime the international catch cry for hospitality / tourism is “create experiences”.

It’s not good enough to develop a good service standard and quality of room and then spend our time trying to get every guest to spend as much of their dollar in our single environment.

Guests are looking for a whole regional experience - the right accommodation, a tucked away café that sells “the best coffee” and a tour that takes them past the touristy stuff. We all, in different ways, try to offer access to these experiences, but in many countries now we are seeing experience hubs created by like-minded businesses working together.

It’s not a case of recommending the local restaurant; it’s taking those relationships to a new level where each operation is actively involved in marketing

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It’s not a case of recommending the local restaurant; it’s taking those relationships to a new level where each operation is actively involved in marketing and supporting each other. and supporting each other. Not only will this increase the quality of the experience for guests, but also develop goodwill for a region and potentially form financial partnerships that grow business for all involved in the hub.

It may be as simple as the local accommodation provider, restaurant and tourism operator developing an all-inclusive “combo” package, all the way through to marketing partnership strategies for an entire town or area. This way all partners have skin in the game and are not only marketing themselves, but the wider group of local experiences.

Whether this is done by formal

arrangements with profit share or informal groupings, creating an experience hub helps ensure that the only impression a guest has as they walk away is a positive one.

An experience does not happen in isolation. When a guest realises you are helping them access something genuinely local and not just trying to upsell your own product range, you help create a feeling of trust and faith, as well as increased word of mouth.

So walk up and down your street, block or area and ask the question – would this operation add value to my guests’ experience? If the answer is yes, start talking. l

www.ServiceIQ.org.nz

0800 863 693

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.

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.

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.

IT TAKES A LOT MORE THAN HANDING OVER A KEY TO MAKE YOUR GUESTS FEEL WELCOME.

TRAINED

THEY ARE

H O S T S AREN’ T B O RN

the apple of the industry FOOD&HOTELASIA, more popularly known as FHA or the “Apple� show, will be held from 1215 April 2016 at the Singapore Expo. This wellestablished biennial trade show is into its 20th edition and everyone in the food and hospitality industry says that they are keenly looking forward to it.

From our research we have compiled some compelling reasons on how a visit to FHA2016 can benefit your business.

New products, technologies and possibilities FHA has been the preferred platform for companies to launch new products, technologies and solutions. It will definitely be a multi sensory experience, and more importantly, critical for our business to be updated on what’s new and available; and what the other possibilities in the market are.

Take a look at who is exhibiting in the online show catalogue on the website: www.foodnhotelasia.com Thousands of quality choices and opportunities More than 3000 exhibitors from over 70 countries/ regions and 54 group pavilions expected at FHA2016 will offer thousands of quality choices and alternatives.

New business opportunities abound from exhibitors who are looking for representation in our market.

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Acquire new knowledge and insights FHA2016 International Conference consists of four concurrent industry-focussed tracks covering F&B Design, Technology & Operations, Food Safety & Supply, Bakery Production, Hotels & Resort Management. With over 120 industry experts sharing their knowledge and experience there are many benefits from practical insights on upcoming trends, opportunities and technologies.

Make informed and decisive commitments FHA is one of the shows where manufacturers make it a point to be present at their booths along with their agents and distributors. This means that, you can get queries answered immediately and negotiate on the spot with manufacturers.

Get inspired Held within the show are four renowned competitions that attract top talents from around the world. As you get awed by the competitors vying for first place as recognition of their skills, knowledge and creativity, you can also draw inspiration and even pick up new skills and techniques by watching them in action.

FHA is a very important regional exhibition for us and provides an opportunity to meet with our customers from South East Asia, the Pacific, Australasia and even the Middle East. Its a great platform to meet, greet and showcase our latest product offering to the region.

We cant wait !

STUART MURRAY GM Sales and Group Export Manager Moffat Group

technologies that provide tangible solutions which we can leverage on.

Pre-register to gain free admission There is an admission fee, but the good news is that if you register before 31 March 2016 it’s free. Simply pre-register at www.foodnhotelasia.com/pre-registration.

Technologies that work for us FHA has remained relevant in serving the evolving needs of the industry in the region. Like us, many businesses face pressing issues such as productivity stagnation, rising cost of operations, labour shortages and more. We can expect to find a wide range of new equipment and ‘disruptive’

FHA CULINARY CHALLENGE 2016

The fundamentals of the food and beverage industry are the people who have committed valuable time and effort and through their passion ensure the highest standards are attained.

FHA Culinary Challenge (FCC) is the region’s most prestigious international culinary competition dedicated to the promotion of

Since 1978

FHA

Culinary Challenge

culinary excellence. With strong support from the World Association of Chef Societies and the regional chef associations, it is the ultimate arena for hundreds of budding culinary talents from around the world to display their masterly skills and be accredited by a panel of internationally acclaimed chefs.

LEGEND:

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t h n e vines e e w t e b SILENI ESTATES

Restaurant and Café spoke to Sir Graeme Avery, CEO and President of one of New Zealand’s world-class wineries Sileni Estates and Chief Winemaker Grant Edmonds to talk history and exciting new sustainability practices being implemented.

Established in late 1997 by the Avery Family, Sileni Estates began as a greenfields vineyard and winery development by Sir Graeme Avery and chief winemaker, Grant Edmonds. Featured in Greek mythology alongside Dionysus, the god of wine, Sileni Estates boasts a state of the art winery designed to crush over 1500 tonnes of grapes. Its winemaking team have honed their skills in wineries around the world and strive to maintain high standards in environmentally sustainable viticultural and winemaking practices.

Sir Graeme had become familiar with the great Old World food and wine regions from his successful company Adis’ operations in Milan, Paris and Madrid. He had always wanted to combine this passion for food and wine with the business experience he had acquired over 22 years of developing export markets at Adis and the Sileni business was just the key.

Over the years Sileni’s biggest accomplishment has been becoming a major exporter of New Zealand wines in its 17 years since establishment, and today distributes its brands in 81 global markets. Sileni wines are European in style, and are light and elegant to be enjoyed with food.

“Today, wine and cuisine is all about the natural flavours of the food and the natural flavours of the grape variety,” said Sir Graeme. As the current cuisine has become significantly lighter and healthier, this has been a natural fit with the Sileni wine style. The vineyards biggest concern in terms of the impact of climate and weather pattern change is the water availability.

According to Sir Graeme, gradual increase in temperature will be of benefit for New Zealand grape growing where one or two degrees more heat will provide better growing conditions with riper fruit and better wines. “New Zealand at present is on the cusp of a cool climate wine growing region and any increase in temperature will be a positive. Whereas most wine regions of Australia and some in Europe will, for example, become too hot for wine grapes with a one or two degree increase in heat,” said Sir Graeme.

Productions for the wines operate from two regions, Marlborough and Hawkes Bay. Sustainable wine projects like energy use, packaging and projects specific to the wineries themselves are a focus for the company’s chief winemaker Grant Edmonds. Around four years ago the winery brought in a consultant to look into the energy use and they highlighted several areas for savings. These included turning off some obsolete heating units, putting timers on chillers to utilise low cost power, using waste heat from compressors to pre-heat hot water and encouraging staff to turn off unnecessary lighting

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and electrical machinery. “We managed to reduce power consumption by over 19 percent in the first year,” said Edmonds. “Since then we have also changed several of our processes to lower energy alternatives which means that our total energy consumption at the winery has still not risen above what it was four years ago although our throughput in that time has risen by more than 50 percent.”

Sileni have shifted from conventional cold stabilising (reducing the wine to 2 degrees for 10-14 days) to using the addition of a plant based material to bind with tartrates and prevent their crystallisation without any chilling needed.

“We have moved from conventional red wine pumpovers using pumps to irrigate the cap, to a system of compressed air bubbles that push the fermenting juice up through the cap from the bottom. This means we run a single air compressor for about four hours instead of the four pumps running for 18-20 hours daily with the conventional method,” said Edmonds.

The company have also moved to cases without the cardboard dividers, reducing another area of potential waste. As some of the wine is bottled offshore the company doesn’t have to ship packaging around the world and use glass, cartons and labels produced close to the point of consumption. For the last five years, Sileni have been composting the solid waste including skins and stalks etc) and returning the compost to the vineyards. This process recycles nutrients and has the added benefit of suppressing weeds and retaining soil moisture and structure. “We use sheep for leaf plucking on most of our blocks as they negate the need for mechanical plucking (no fossil fuel use in tractors) while keeping weeds down at the same time,” said Edmonds.

Looking forward, Sileni aims to have both solar water heating and photovoltaic cells installed at the winery. These will provide pre-heating and base load, potentially reducing power consumption by 20 percent or more, and complemented by energy efficient light bulbs and sensor technology.

As Sileni looks ahead, the company hopes to fully understand the changing wine business environment and the impact of new technology on tomorrow’s consumer behaviour and business practices. The outlook for the industry provides a whole lot of new and different thinking for innovation, based on a full understanding of the end consumer. This year the company looks to achieve continued growth in the current markets and development of new markets, as well as the start of a stronger programme of brand communication through gaining a better understanding of the end consumer.

Its wines have won more than its fair share of significant awards across all the varietals it produces. Some recent notable awards include a trophy for Best Pinot Noir for the Estate Selection Plateau at the Sydney International Wine Competition, and the latest release of the Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc, 2015, has won multiple gold medals, at the San Francisco International Wine Competition and the New Zealand International Wine Show. The 2014 Estate Selection Lodge Chardonnay and 2014 Cellar Selection Chardonnay were both awarded double gold at the China Wine and Spirits awards.

The company has operations in New Zealand with staff in Hastings and Blenheim, as well as in growing operations in Australia, USA and UK/ Europe. It has 50 full time staff worldwide and many part-time and contract staff, especially in vineyards in Marlborough and Hawkes Bay. Sileni’s current portfolio comprises of the Cellar Selection entry level range and Estate Selection reserve range. Varietals include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Syrah, as well as Rosé and Sparkling Brut, Sparkling Pinot Gris, Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc and Sparkling Rose plus a Late Harvest Semillon.

In exceptional harvest years, with outstanding grapes, Sileni produces a limited release icon range, the Exceptional Vintage, including a Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir. l

industrynews

CHOOSE WINE LIKE AN EXPERT One of the key factors that have driven the growth of the wine market in Asia is the evolution of the middle class in the Singapore region, who bring with them greater disposable income and an increased emphasis on the quality of life.

The number of new prospective wine drinkers in this market and the correlated increase in spending is set to grow further year-on-year by 22.84 percent from 2013 to 2017.

With wine infiltrating Asian lifestyles and deeper prominence placed on wine education, ProWine Asia 2016 caught up with Lisa Perrotti-Brown recently to get some tips on how to discern good quality wines. Brown is the author of “Taste Like a Wine Critic: A Guide to Understanding Wine Quality” and a Master of Wine, a title held by only a select few hundred experts worldwide. She recently travelled to Singapore to lead an exclusive Wine Quality Seminar for Singapore’s leading players in the wine and spirits sector, including Cold Storage, AA French Wine, Boncru Fine Wines, Asia Wine Network, Gerard Bertrand, Cellarmaster Wines, Grand Vin, The Wine Company, Vinum Fine Wines, Wine Connection, Pernot Ricard and many more. Organised by the Wine Advocate, a global wine publication featuring consumer advice of wine critic Robert Parker Jr., the seminar made up of theory and tasting sessions that offered participants insights of what constitutes a good wine, was sponsored by Messe Dusseldorf GmbH and supported by Singapore Exhibition Services.

According to Brown, accessing a wine’s relative level of excellence happens at a point of tasting, while the quality of wine will result from its development and processing from grape to glass. Indicators of wine quality can include its fruit ripeness (as manifested in the wine), intensity and concentration, balance, and length of finish. For example, good quality wine should have ripe, approachable tannins and fully expressed flavour compounds as opposed to a dilute, overly sour and/or astringent/hard wines.

Balance refers to the wine’s components all existing in harmony and complementing each other so that no single aspect is obtrusive on the palate.

This means that a wine should appear “seamless” in the mouth with no obvious edges such as too much acidity, oak or tannins.

The length of finish measures how long the wine’s taste lingers after it has been swallowed or spat. Great wines have long, pleasant and often complex finishes, which means that the drinker may taste the flavours of the grapes or fruits that are in the wines for a minute or more after swallowing.

Other factors that come into play will include the wine’s ability to age, its regional typicality, value for money, the situation (e.g with food), and its uniqueness. Naturally the first thing in determining the quality of wine is if there is presence of any faults. The more common ones include cork taint (TCA) and oxidation, and can be detected when an aroma or flavour in the wine appears ‘off’ or just wrong. Cork taint occurs when 2,4,6 – Tricloranisole or TCA, generated by naturally occurring fungi that often exist in the crevices of wood or cork, comes into contact with chlorine compounds present in pesticides, cleaning agents, wood treatments etc. When cork taint occurs, the wine will give out a musty, mouldy aroma. Controlling the source of TCA has proved extremely difficult and currently there are no remedies.

Another wine fault is the oxidation or reduction of the wine that happens when wines are either exposed to too much oxygen or too little respectively.

When oxidation occurs, this usually results in a breakdown of its attractive colour.

Whites go a dull brown/straw, rosés go brown/orange, reds become paler with an orange/brown rim. Chilling grapes and juice helps to slow oxidation. Though interestingly, oxidation is being infused into the wine style of Vin Santo, Tokaji, Vin Jaune and Tawny Port. Reduction on the other hand, may result in the wine smelling like rotten eggs, garlic or onions, or the aroma of burnt tyres.

In remedy, swirling or decanting the wine in question can help to dissipate the malodorous compounds.

ProWine Asia 2016, the newest ProWine satellite event for Southeast Asia will be staged in Singapore from 12 to 15 April 2016 at the Singapore Expo.

Spanning an exhibition area of 5,000sqm and backed by strong international participation from 17 countries and regions the event will showcase a wide array of products and services. Trade visitors to the event can also look forward to participating in more than 300 tasting sessions, master classes, in-depth seminars, lectures and presentations hosted by various key industry players. l

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Dale’s Brewing Co

European barley malts and an authentic Belgian ale yeast give Dale’s Gold Medal Belgian-style Pale Ale biscuity and toffee-like malt flavours, with hints of spicy clove and bubblegum.

Whole New Zealand hop flowers, of the Motueka variety, provide hints of citrus and a quenching, dry finish. “My love of brewing evolved into a career after I entered several beers in the 2010 SOBA National Homebrew Competition. Pitted against 300 entries in the country’s largest competition, I was delighted to win the supreme champion award,” owner Dale Holland said. “These days I still design and perfect my recipes at home, but brew my award-winning beers at a commercial craft brewery in Marlborough.”

For more information contact Dale Holland on 029 4445 143 or email dale@dalesbrewing.co.nz.

Eagle Brewing

Eagle Brewing produces boutique craft beer, brewed in the heart of Christchurch. Eagle Brewing set out in 2010 to brew small batch ales and lagers full of flavour. With all malts sourced locally and some of New Zealand’s purist water, the resulting beers have been winning awards in both New Zealand and Australia. The main range is available in bottles and for tap dispensing, with seasonal offerings for tap and soon in cans.

For more information contact eaglebrewingnz@gmail.com or phone 02102418123.

Renaissance Brewing

Emerson’s

Emerson’s is an icon of New Zealand craft brewing. To achieve a standard of excellence Emerson’s use a range of malts from the leading maltsters of New Zealand and around the world and premium New Zealand grown hops. Pilsner has been the entry point for many beer lovers and future brewers into the world of craft beer. Having outgrown several sites, the company is poised to move into a new purposebuilt brewery in mid 2016. For more information contact sales and marketing manager Greg Menzies at greg@emersons.co.nz.

Funk Estate

Funk Estate is a brewery nestled in Grey Lynn, Auckland.

Originally from Wellington, Funk Estate has spread its wings into their own facility in the big smoke. Funk Estate makes a range of solid drops, as well as some bigger, bolder and wackier numbers.

Funk Estate’s range includes Parleyer Pilsner, a hop forward Pilsner with a pleasant light and spritzy character and a low key citrus and pine aroma. Oh Lordy Pale Ale has Munich malt, which provides a bit of biscuity pleasure, and is combined with a generous amount of kiwi hops carefully selected to summon some citrus, passionfruit and grape notes. So’phisticuffs IPA is bold, balanced and strong, bringing together the quintessential elements of an IPA. Super Afrodisiac Imperial Stout is a little number whipped up each year for Valentine’s Day. It is infused with a myriad of aphrodisiacs to make the silky-smooth imperial stout.

For more information contact Shigeo Takagi on 021 162 9835 or email shigeo.takagi@funkestate.com.

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Renaissance Brewing’s low alcohol craft beer, Empathy Pale Ale, was recently voted the best low-strength beer in New Zealand by Consumer NZ. Brewed by the multi-award winning Renaissance Brewery in Marlborough, Empathy weighs in at a light 2.4% ABV but doesn’t compromise on flavour as it uses the same amount of hops as beers twice its strength.

This hop hit helps give the beer lots of flavour and stability and has fast become the choice for establishments that want to replace their flavourless low strength beers with a craftier offering. For more information, contact sales at Renaissance Brewing. For the South Island, contact Terry Mitchell on 0274330687. For Wellington, contact Regional Wines and Spirits on 043849735. For Hawkes Bay, contact Rod MacDonald Wines, Oliver Kettle, 021624429.

For Auckland, Hamilton and the rest of New Zealand, contact Scott Allen on 0211022373.

Hallertau

Hallertau Brewery has been producing ‘hopping good beer’ at their North West Auckland location since 2005.

An on-site bar and restaurant serves the local community and attracts day tripping Aucklanders, mountain bikers and surfers. Late 2015 saw the installation of a brand new 2500L Brew House and national distribution to meet growing demand. Hallertau’s core range of 6 – 8 beers encompasses international styles from Kolsch, IPAs, Schwarzbier to barrel aged and sour beers. One-offs, seasonals and collaborations regularly appear throughout the year. Owner Steve Plowman is a home brewing geologist who turned his passion into his profession after undertaking a brewing course at Australia’s Edith Cowan University. Steve’s aim is to make New Zealand beers with their own local brewing style, taking interpretation from the best of international styles and flavours.

“I’m a fanatic not a purist, and simply put, that means I’m all about throwing convention out the window to get the best product,” he said.

For more information contact hoppy@hallertau.co.nz.

Regent 58

The Herbalist

The Herbalist ales have been formulated by a herbalist, using the addition of herbs to impart subtle aroma, flavour and bitterness to the beers. The range includes The Herbalist Manuka Ale, with Manuka leaves, fennel seeds and burdock root, balancing the astringency from the Manuka with a hint of aniseed and bitterness. The Herbalist Rosemary and Liquorice Ale uses rosemary leaves and liquorice root to add subtle bitterness, savory flavour and sweetness. Both ales pair well with food.

For more information contact info@ theherbalist.co.nz.

Altitude

Altitude Brewing catches people’s eye with its range of award-winning craft beer. An approachable family of styles captures the flavours of New Zealand on the inside, and the fun of the country’s mountain culture and history on the outside. Each bottle has a unique story to tell and brings an awesome New Zealand experience to life. Based in Queenstown, the heart of the Southern Alps, Altitude are proud to distribute their medal-winning ales around Aotearoa.

For more information contact beerplease@ altitudebrewing.co.nz.

Mike’s Brewery

Mike’s Brewery has been recently recognised as the Oldest Real Craft Brewery in New Zealand.

Mike’s OMPA or Onemorepaleale, 5.5% ABV, is one of the most popular beers on offer for those looking to stock Real Craft Beer in their establishment. The beer is the zestiest Pale Ale on the market with an aroma of grapefruit and zesty citrus.

The flavour is bold and the bitterness is upfront, but the finish is well rounded, and one that fans come back for.

Available in 330ml and 500ml bottles and kegs directly from the brewery.

For more information contact Ron at 0508 4 MIKES or email ron@organicbeer.co.nz.

Following last year’s changes to drink driving regulations Regent 58 Brewery & Alehouse concentrated on adding two lower alcohol ales to their range, a Red Ale 5% and a Session Ale 4%. Both were highly successful and now, with autumn nearly here, Regent 58 are reintroducing one of their most popular ales, ESB (Extra Special Bitter). With its tawny brown colour, light floral aroma and malty, biscuit flavours, this ale is perfect to enjoy on cool evenings.

Like all Regent 58 brewed ales, the ESB is a “real ale”, meaning it’s not pasteurized, filtered or artificially carbonated. This gives them an especially long shelf life and preserves all the rich, fullbodied flavours loved by drinkers of traditionally brewed ales.

For more information contact Brent Goble and Gary Fisher on 06 379 8860, 027 318 3142 or email regent58@xtra.co.nz.

Raindogs Brewing Co

Raindogs Brewing Co is a Christchurch-based brewery producing a range of fine beers using the best New Zealand ingredients.

The beers feature unique New Zealand hop varieties grown in the Nelson area, malts produced in Canterbury from the finest locally grown barley and wheat, and untreated Christchurch artesian water perfectly suited for brewing. Deadwood IPA is a strong pale ale heavily hopped with a range of New Zealand hop varieties to give lush fruity notes, along with mandarin and grapefruit. This is balanced by a medium malt body with a bitter finish to give great drinkability.

For more information contact 021 2226070, raindogsbrewing@hotmail.co.nz, or distributor BeerNZ on 0508 233769.

Liberty Brewing Co

Liberty Brewing Company, based in Helensville, Auckland, has the capacity to brew about one million litres of beer per year. “We are very excited to have our own brewery finally and can make whatever we want whenever we want and release seasonal beers, giving our customers more variety than they got used to when we brewed out of our garage in New Plymouth,” Liberty Brewing Company said.

Halo Pilsner is based on the Czech style lager. It has a robust malt presence with a cleansing hop balance. Halo is brewed exclusively with New Zealand ingredients, which differentiates it from the European style. For more information contact Christina Wood on 021 422 961.

Hawkes Bay Brewing Co

Hawkes Bay Brewing Co cold-infuse mandarin flavours using their Old Fashioned Ginger Beer recipe to create a crisp, spicy and refreshing 4% alcohol Ginger Fusion beer for consumers to enjoy anytime. Hawkes Bay is famous for sunshine, great wine and art deco. And now, thanks to Hawkes Bay Brewing Company, beer can be added to that list. Since 1995 Hawkes Bay Brewing Co has been combining traditional techniques with 100% pure and natural ingredients to brew their beers, ciders and ginger beers.

For more information contact +64 6 844 9259.

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