Hotel Magazine // July 2015

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July 2015 • Vol. 1 No. 1

The guest comes first for the concierge . . . Nick Steele, President Les Clefs d’Or New Zealand. www.hotelconciergesocietynz.org (see page 15)

UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH PROMISES BOOMING MARKET WILL CONTINUE NEW Zealand’s hotel and tourism market has experienced unprecedented first quarter growth this year with more and more hotel investors looking to establish a foothold in our booming market, according to the latest Colliers Hotel & Tourism research report.

“Auckland in particular is increasingly being recognised as an

international investment destination,” said Colliers national director of hotels, Dean Humphries.

“Many other regions have also Dean Humphries achieved historically high occupancy levels along with surging room rates and RevPAR growth.” The report identifies the continuation of strong inbound visitor numbers underpinning this positive performance now reaching 2.95 million in the year ending March 2015 – a seven per cent increase over 12 months.

Humphries said Auckland and Queenstown were the star performing regions achieving RevPAR growth of 20% and 18% respectively in the first quarter of 2015 compared with last year.

He added that Rotorua was the

surprise package with occupancy increasing by 8% this same quarter to 87.3% which assisted RevPAR growth of 17% in the year to March.

Humphries has also expressed his concerns over the shortage of hotel rooms where it has reached

critical levels in summer periods.

He said the growth in demand was outstripping growth in the number of rooms, especially in Auckland where a large number of rooms were being converted to apartments.

He told RadioNZ that the Government and local councils may need to look at some other initiatives such as those implemented in Brisbane where property developers and investors were given some form of rating relief or incentives to develop. His comments were backed up in Queenstown where at least another 500 rooms were needed over the next few years but only one 40room property was being built. l

RICK STEIN IN HAWKES BAY TOP British chef Rick Stein, a

regular on international tv shows, is heading up the 2015 Food And Wine Events series in the Hawkes Bay in August. The luxury lodge, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers is the venue for Stein to present recipes from his newest book From Venice To Istanbul. The event has been named The Magic of the Mediterranean weekend. l

TOURISM WORKFORCE GROWTH SOFITEL SO ON TRACK FOR 2016

THE new Sofitel So on Auckland’s central Customs Street is now progressing strongly for an opening late next year. The exclusive five star 133-room hotel will be managed

by AccorHotels with the property owned by the Pandey family’s CP Group. Directly opposite the hottest part of Auckland’s hospitality sector in the Britomart, the new hotel was formerly the Reserve Bank building. Demolition delays slowed the progress of the building because extensive reconstruction and resource consent work was required.

The original 13 floor building has had an extra three levels added. l

RECENT research release at TRENZ 2015 by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA), says by 2025 as many as 36,000 additional full time equivalent (FTE) workers will need to be directly employed in NZ’s tourism industry. That’s an increase from the current 94,100 to about 130,000 FTEs. The research forecasts the tourism industry’s labour market needs for the next 10 years.

Carried out by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER), it was released in conjunction with new government tourism forecasts showing that visitor arrivals are expected to climb to 3.75 million by 2021, up from 2.9 million last year.

TIA Chief Executive Chris Roberts says the predicted growth in visitor numbers and visitor spend is great news for New Zealand.

It confirms that the industry is tracking well towards meeting its Tourism 2025 goal of almost doubling total tourism revenue Chris Roberts to $41 billion. “But it also presents us with challenges – in particular,

how we are going to service all our visitors and ensure they enjoy an outstanding visitor experience,” Mr Roberts says.

The projections suggest that the workforce directly employed in tourism needs to expand by around 3600 FTE workers a year for the next decade. In addition, there will need to be significant job growth in sectors that indirectly support tourism. l

NEW AUCKLAND HOTEL PROPOSED DEVELOPERS Mansons TCLM have put up a proposal to develop the country’s tallest new office building in Auckland that would include a 125 room hotel.

Based on the central city site that once housed the NZ Herald newspaper on the Wyndham Street and Albert Street corner, the plan is for a 190m tall 30 level

tower that would house up to 4000 workers.

The Herald is moving several blocks away in November and there is already a demolition order on the site. Resource consented development is expected by October and a completion date of December 2018 is planned for the $675m venture. l

industrynews

PUBLISHER’S note ADDING TO THE INFORMATION MIX WELCOME to the first edition of our new monthly HOTEL publication, a sister magazine to our other totally locally owned restaurant and supermarketing editions. For those who don’t know us, Review Publishing has been operating continuously in Auckland since 1923 – arguably the oldest trade magazine group in the country. Our family business is only the company’s second owner having bought its titles in 1971 and proudly now have a second generation in charge.

We have no pretences to be a tourist publication but simply a support vehicle for the hundreds of local and international suppliers who have also backed the hotel and motel industry. For us, news and information comes first produced in an easy-read format and where page after page of lengthy features will not be the norm.

The opportunity to produce such a magazine (and yes, people still read the old fashioned way) comes about because the burgeoning industry continues to attract increasing levels of local and international travellers. New accommodation projects are joining the market all the time as the Asia-Pacific travel region hots up. In fact latest figures show almost 4300 projects with 871,000 rooms in construction in the region- more than anywhere else in the world.

At the same time, New Zealand is likely to have added appeal with the falling New Zealand dollar making it increasingly attractive for tourism and accommodation providers – great for the inbound business and it may well keep more New Zealanders in their own country for holidays.

We do hope that you enjoy the publication and opinions from industry leaders – hopefully food for thought in your individual marketplace.

PETER MITCHELL peter@reviewmags.com

CERTIFICATES OF EXCELLENCE

100% OWNED PUBLISHER Peter Mitchell, peter@reviewmags.com EDITORIAL Sarah Mitchell, sarah@reviewmags.com Krystal Spicer, krystal@reviewmags.com Thomas Fowler, tommie@reviewmags.com MARKETING Tania Walters, tania@reviewmags.com ADVERTISING Robyn Lambert, robyn@reviewmags.com SENIOR DESIGNER Raymund Sarmiento, raymund@reviewmags.com CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION Kieran Mitchell, kieran@reviewmags.com www.hotelmagazine.co.nz

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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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NEW Zealand garnered 84 certificates in the new Hotels.com global awards for excellence. The new programme recognises hotels that have achieved outstanding guest review ratings sifted from over 15 million genuine guest reviews.

In New Zealand, Queenstown came out on top with 10 awards including two properties that scored a perfect five out of five – the Villa Del Lago and The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel. The programme identified more than 6400 boutique properties in 117 countries that achieved review rating of at least 4.5 out of five. l

APRIL GUEST NIGHTS RISE NATIONAL guest nights for April were 3.6% higher than a year ago, the latest Statistics NZ report says. Most of the rise was from international guests with a 6.7% increase. Domestic guests were up 1.6% with nine of the 12 regional areas having higher guest nights. l

NEW PARK HYATT AUCKLAND AUCKLAND’S tourism industry is gaining increasing momentum and with visitor numbers ballooning the need for a broader offering of hotels is becoming more apparent, particularly at the luxury end of the market.

As part of the Wynyard Quarter redevelopment, Waterfront Auckland proposed a new five-star hotel project for the prime Team New Zealand site in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour.

Prominent Chinese high-end property development company Fu Wah International Group won the bid to develop the project. It then partnered with Hyatt Hotels to develop the site into a new luxury Park Hyatt.

The five star hotel will be situated in the premium tourist location on Halsey Street, with stellar views looking out on the Waitemata, Viaduct Harbour and Te Wero Bridge. It is also within a few hundred metres of the CBD and adjacent to the North Wharf restaurants and bars.

Fu Wah is using a team of local and international design consultants on the luxury hotel, integrating the rich local design

features with Fu Wah’s own and Park Hyatt’s brand traditions.

The hotel will also interact with the surrounding environment and activities with high emphasis on meeting “green” standards.

It will have close to 200 rooms, a ballroom, multifunction rooms and event spaces, entertainment facilities including a rooftop terrace, and a gym/health centre and day spa. Being a few steps away from the harbour, the hotel will be accessible to visitors coming in private yachts.

The project is now in the detailed design stage and is expecting to obtain resource consent approvals by the end of this year. Construction works will immediately follow and the hotel is scheduled to open in the first half of 2018.

Mr Chiu Yung, President for Fu Wah International Group, said the new hotel will be a landmark property on the waterfront, and through close collaboration with Waterfront Auckland, the project will kickstart other development of the area and bring about longterm economic growth. l

JET PARK NEW BUILD PROGRESS THE new build work on Auckland Airport’s Jet Park Hotel is well on track for a planned opening in April next year.

The work includes a 250 person multi-level conference complex and an additional 60 guest rooms.

The 17-year-old hotel has upgraded a number of aspects of the property and now has state of the art facilities and is

also developing a neighbouring property as an outdoor area for team building activities.

The hotel has just been awarded the 2015 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence as a top performer on that travel site, a further feather in the cap of general manager Jeeva JeevaNanthan whose property also took out last year’s supreme award in HospitalityNZ’s national competition. l

industrynews

DEVONPORT HOTEL ON MARKET

UPDATED FOOD STANDARDS

AN updated version of the Food Standards code has been released

by FSANZ and will come into effect on March 1, 2016 with no transition period. In preparation for the implementation of the new Code, FSANZ has advised all involved in producing or selling food should review the requirements that relate to their products and ensure they meet all the new requirements.

The changes were reviewed to make the requirements clearer and that it better met the needs of the industry.

ONE of the grand old dames of the Auckland hotel market is up for sale.

The Esplanade Hotel on Devonport’s waterfront with a Category 1 Historic Places listing came on the market last month with tenders closed early July. The 115 year old building of 1832 sqm is a boutique operation with 17 suites, restaurant, function and bar area with multiple tenants sharing the site. Its Edwardian style was retained in a refurb ten years ago and is one of the few large hotels to survive from the turn of last century. The neighbouring Devonport Wharf is currently having a $5.5m upgrade. l

CP GROUP EXPANSION NEW Zealand’s biggest hotel owner, the Aucklandheadquartered CP Group, is expanding. Five New Zealand hotels previously run by Staywell Hospitality Group were now under CP Group’s management, said Terry Ngan, CP’s new director of hotel operations.

The hotels were previously branded Park Regis Auckland, Leisure Inn Rotorua, Leisure Inn Wellington, Park Regis Picton and Park Regis Dunedin, but CP Group also owns hotels around the world. Ngan said it decided to take over management of all its smaller hotels and run them in-house effective immediately.

“Plans for the future, some

KEY ACCOR EXECUTIVES

CHRIS Sedgwick is relocating to New Zealand to take over as Accor’s senior vice president operations for New Zealand, Fiji and Polynesia. He replaces senior vice-president Garth Simmons who moved to Indonesia this month to take on the role of COO Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Chris’s recent role with Accor was regional general manager Queensland and Northern Territory overseeing 34 hotels before being appointed vp operations of that region. He is well known to many in the industry having been at Ayers Rock Resort, Hamilton Island and Rydges in Asia, New Zealand and Australia.

Accor has also appointed its first female vp of operations in Gillian Millar who is now in Perth. l

of which have commenced implementation, include acquiring more hotels, refurbishment at the hotels, new hotel names, branding and a new website.”

CP Group has recently expanded its hotel operational management resources and expertise to operate the smaller hotels it owns and other smaller hotels it acquires. l

TRAVEL EXPO

OF interest to hotel management is this month’s Travel Industry Exhibition being staged at Sydney’s Luna Park venue. It runs over two days July 16/17 and covers various travel services and products.

NEW LOOK FOR ST MORITZ

QUEENSTOWN’S St Moritz alpine residence has been having a makeover including a replacement of all its bathrooms in the hotel’s 134 rooms and suites. Gone are the days of a shower over the bath for

this hotel instead it has generously proportioned walk-in shower rooms and spacious four point bathrooms in all the suites. Topping off the new black and white colour palette with marble accents, is the introduction of the luxury range of Gingerlily bathroom amenities

by Molton Brown London. The St Moritz overlooks Lake Wakatipu with its architecture and interiors offering intriguing works of art, bespoke furniture and unique charm.

FREE INTERNET

THE move by Heritage Hotels earlier this year to introduce free internet for its guests in both the Heritage and its CityLife properties is being reflected around the world. Operators of mega hotels that cater for the business traveller during the week, are now finally following the budget side of the road properties in also offering free wi-fi but the catch is that most of the big chains now require travellers to sign up for their free loyalty programmes and share some personal information.

This has been seen as part of a long term push to get guests to book through their own websites rather than use OTA’s.

THE DECAF SOLUTION

Attention all cafe owners, we at CoffeeTrendz are pleased to advise you that we can now offer plain packaged individually wrapped decaf coffee pods and dedicated pod group handles to fit your commercial espresso machine.

We take the hassle out of your decaf offering.

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NEW SKYCITY HOTEL MANAGER COLIN McClean has been appointed hotel manager for SkyCity Auckland. He comes from Accor Hotels, most recently as hotel manager of Ibis Wellington and has worked at several other Accor properties in New Zealand.

His background also includes roles at Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and at the Westin Auckland.

He holds a Masters degree in International Hospitality Management with first class honours and a Bachelors degree in Tourism Management.

SkyCity is currently boasting an occupancy rate of 92% and 108,000 rooms sold per year. l

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July 2015

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industrynews

FROM POLITICS TO RESORT HOTEL

THE former Northland MP Mike Sabin who resigned from politics in February this year, has been appointed chief executive of Peppers Carrington Estate, the thousand hectare five star resort on the Karikari Pensinsula. There are current plans to develop this estate into the country’s largest five star resort and market it to wealthy Chinese tourists. The property is owned by the giant Chinese real estate company Shanghai CRED who bought it off its American owners two years ago for almost $29m.

HOTEL CONFERENCE A REAL WINNER ABOVE: The Associate Minister of Tourism Paula Bennett addresses the conference.

BELOW: An on-stage interview with Christopher Hur of Host Hotels & Resorts.

NEW AWARDS FOR TOURISM

A REINVIGORATED awards programme has been launched by the Tourism Industry Association (TIA) with the usual two or three awards growing to nine business ones and three individual awards.

The awards have been aligned with the Tourism 2025 growth framework aimed at lifting performance and providing benchmarking.

Entries opened last month with winners, including a supreme industry award being announced at an Auckland function on October 2. Detail is on www.tourismawards.co.nz

SINGAPORE KIWI

NEW Zealander Tony Chisholm is now running Singapore’s newest $NZ285m Sofitel So. Originally from Takapuna on Auckland’s North Shore, he started his career with Hyatt Hotels in Auckland as a telephonist before moving to Duxton Hotels after six years. He moved to Accor in Vietnam in 2004, then to Singapore and on to Sofitel Brisbane before moving back to Singapore.

STARWOOD WANTS MORE STAFF

STARWOOD has launched a month long recruitment drive as it prepares to fill more than 13,000 new Asia-Pacific job openings by the end of this year. It is now running a series of events and activities across its 250 hotels with many opportunities for external recruitment. The Starwood Careers project comes as the company plans to open 30 more hotels in the Asia Pacific region this year.

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WITH over 300 delegates, last month’s New Zealand Hotel Industry conference in Auckland was an outstanding success.

For those who didn’t make it, the TIA’s Hotel Sector put a package together that involved a pre-conference technical seminar to discuss hotel developments, investment and management trends followed by a full day of panel discussions and opinions from leading industry players.

The event culminated in a gala dinner and the presentation of annual industry awards.

The morning session led off with a keynote address on hotel investment trends with Mark Durran of Jones Lang LaSalle followed by a panel discussion.

An interview came next with Christopher Hur of Host Hotels & Resorts who have a four year old portfolio of seven hotels in New Zealand, all with AccorHotels, who concluded that the hotel market here was a little dated and under-invested.

The premium overseas visitors market was addressed by Kevin Bowler of Tourism New Zealand followed by a hotel leaders panel discussing the hot issues. This was led by Jesper Palmqvist of STR Global from Singapore.

The afternoon led off with a look at the country’s economic outlook from Westpac economist Dominick Stephens followed by a broad panel approach to industry issues led by Smith & Wild futurist Dave Wild.

The Associate Minister of Tourism Paula Bennett added her opinions on the market and the country before the conference moved into break-out sessions covering information technology and tomorrow’s hotels.

The final act of the day was a keynote address and panel discussion covering convention centres, events, airlines futures and a range of topics..

All in all, an excellent day with a strong attendance throughout. l

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TIA SUPPORTS CONVENTION CENTRE

“CITIES all over the world are investing in convention centres but New Zealand has been lagging behind,” said TIA CEO Chris Roberts and the industry is looking forward to the benefits of the SkyCity development in Auckland.

He said business events were highlighted as a growth area in the 2025 tourism framework that targets revenues of over $41b over the next ten years. Being able to host medium to large scale events would see accommodation bookings spread among Auckland hotels and provide flow-on benefits. The lack of progress, now overcome, was a hot topic at last month’s TRENZ 2015 event in Rotorua. l

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DESTINATION Queenstown has appointed a new Convention Bureau manager in Regan Pearce.

His background includes AJ Hackett Bungy, Dart River Safaris and sales and operational roles with DB Breweries. l

July 2015

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INDUSTRY’S HAPPY GROWING PAINS The hotel sector is in a happy space right now, generally speaking.

WE’VE enjoyed outstanding performance over the last 12 months or so and there was definitely a positive buzz in the air at the recent New Zealand Hotel Industry Conference.

The national occupancy rate for the year ending May 2015 is just over 77%, and both average daily rate and revenue per available room are showing substantial increases on the previous 12 months.

These positive trends are being felt in every region of the country to a greater or lesser extent. And the indications are that this is set to continue through the 2015-16 peak season, even though we don’t have any international sporting events like Cricket World Cup on the calendar.

However, our success creates its own challenges. Some regions

are already experiencing the difficulties of finding enough people to deliver the outstanding visitor experience we strive to offer.

And there were areas this summer, particularly during Chinese New Year, that were bursting at the seams, signalling that the time is coming when

We are seeing more hotel developments around the country than we have seen for quite some time, with new properties in Auckland, New Plymouth, Wellington and Queenstown.

And of course rebuilding continues in Christchurch.

Speakers at the Hotel Industry Conference pointed out that this investment is not before time, with some of the current New Zealand stock looking tired and dated compared to Asia.

But it was also noted that the room rates being achieved in New Zealand don’t justify new investment at this time, aligned with the cost of development and the lack of available sites.

There has never been a better time to hold rates, even through the shoulder and low seasons. As SkyCity’s Brad Burnett said at TRENZ 2015, we have to charge premium rates, like the rest of the world does, and we have to be confident about it.

Hotels dropping their rates to attract off-season business do no favours to anyone.

No doubt these issues will come up for discussion at TIA’s Regional Tourism Summits

We are seeing more hotel developments around the country than we have seen for quite some time . . . we’ll have to turn business away if we can’t develop more accommodation and associated infrastructure, or shift more business to the off-peak seasons.

ACCOMMODATION REVIEW SITES The future of marketing in small business WE have all struggled with the incredible surge in online reviews about our properties. Although our immediate response to a negative review may be to angrily draft online rebuttals in defence of our business and staff’s honour, we must step back and find more constructive and less reactionary ways to respond.

But how many owner operators without the marketing and general staff resources struggle to realise the potential of these sites and reviews as organic marketing. No longer does a glossy brochure, or even a savvy social media campaign that

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tells everyone how good you are, actually work.

Using reviews to change the way you do things and be able to respond with, “thanks for your feedback and because of it we have done….” is a great way to spend your marketing dollar.

To some this is preaching to the converted. However, for many these reviews feel like personal attacks rather than opportunities to interact with a larger audience - people that will read reviews and your response. Help them to decide whether you are an open, honest service professional or

By Sally Attfield, Sector Manager – Hotels, Tourism Industry Association New Zealand

which are being held around New Zealand during July and early August. These Summits are an opportunity for all tourism operators, including accommodation providers, to debate the challenges and opportunities facing their businesses. To register, go to www.regionaltourismsummits. co.nz I look forward to seeing many of you at the Summits. l

Using reviews to change the way you do things and be able to respond with, “thanks for your feedback and because of it we have done….” is a great way to spend your marketing dollar. someone who reacts with defensive justifications. The choice of where they stay depends on your approach online.

Sharing both the good reviews and those that offer constructive criticisms with your staff can help them to increase ownership with a continued focus on improvement.

You’ll find that this open approach results in a steady growth in online review ratings.

We tried it at an individual property, across all departments, asking the entire team to help us achieve a better than 85% review average each month – rewarding them accordingly. Consequently, the property has never dropped below this percentage.

Food for thought, spend less time selling and more time responding – a way to sell your property in a changing and ever increasing online market.

Hospitality NZ represents over 2400 hospitality businesses in New Zealand, including more than 500 accommodation providers across the country.

The accommodation sector in this country is primarily made

up of owner operators and our Association supports through legal advice, national supply deals, local and national advocacy, national training programmes and a team of regional managers spread across the country to support the day to day challenges of operating a hospitality business. If you require support, want to increase profitability and occupancy, simply contact us at 0800 500 503 or online at www. hospitalitynz.org.nz. l

Adam Cunningham, National President, Hospitality New Zealand

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HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARDS

AUCKLAND made a clean sweep of this year’s Hotel Industry Awards that followed on last month’s conference in Auckland.

The awards attracted a record number of entries with the three individual winners spanning the generations and reflecting the talent in the hotel sector. Cohost Sally Attfield, Hotel Sector manager for TIA said this boded well for the future.

She added that the environmental award winner really set the bar for New Zealand hotels when it came to minimising its environmental footprint.

The winners were: • Outstanding young executive (sponsored by Service IQ) – Sam Swaffield, operations manager of Auckland’s Crowne Plaza.

• Senior hotel executive (sponsored by ReserveGroup) – Paul Columbus, gm of Auckland Airport Novotel.

• Hotel industry achievement award went to John Farrell, area director sales and marketing of Accor New Zealand and South Pacific.

• The hotel industry environmental initiative award (sponsored by Greenfield) went to The Langham, Auckland.

Co-sponsor Horwath HTL director Stephen Hamilton said the winners were inspirational and set a benchmark of excellence for the sector. He said hotels here operated in an extremely competitive international environment and continually improving the experience offered to both domestic and international visitors was vital. l

ABOVE LEFT: John Farrell is congratulated by Garth Simmons, vice president AccorHotels New Zealand and Fiji.

ABOVE RIGHT: Ryan McCallum from The Greenfield Ltd congratulates Franz Mascarenhas, managing director of The Langham, Auckland.

BELOW: Senior hotel executive winner Paul Columbus (left) with Reserve Group ceo Roland Leemans.

LEFT: Outstanding young executive Sam Swaffield.

HOUSEKEEPING SUPPLY SUCCESS WITH over 2000 product lines and a 17-year success story behind them, hospitality supply company Astro has built a strong reputation in the market – in fact they say they provide hotel housekeeping consumables and equipment with a real difference.

Being a 100% NZ owned company founded in 1998, Astro is well-known for its efficient service and is becoming a key business

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partner for a number of hotels across NZ, building long-term relationships with its customers.

The company is an importer and developer of a number of product lines, delivering direct to properties across the country. This gives it more control and ensures consistent quality in the products it provides while reducing costs through clients being able to deal direct. Developing and designing

customised bathroom amenities for hotel groups and properties is an example of how Astro is flexible and prepared to work with property owners to provide something unique for guests.

Here is what one of its customers said recently, “From the outset, Astro became our dedicated partner in developing the Bspoke range of room amenities. The consultative period was both engaging and informative, providing great insights into where

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guest expectations were currently sitting in the marketplace.

“Reuben Beatson assisted in identifying areas of potential expansion and development of the range and was able to provide a large range of samples that best met our particularly strict guidelines and standards.

The process of developing the range has been a great success and we are delighted with the results.” Chris McIntosh, General Manager of Blackstone Group. l

industrynews

EDGEWATER AT WANAKA TOUCHES THE SEASONS LAKE Wanaka’s Edgewater Hotel is well on track with its refurbishment programme with 34 of its 104 rooms close to completion in the first stage.

Set on a 10 acre site, with lawns stretching right to the water’s edge, Edgewater is nestled within the spectacular Southern Alps on the South Island and offers superb lakeside accommodation with fully serviced resort hotel rooms and one or two bedroom fully serviced apartments.

Surrounded by magnificent mountains and an unrestricted access to Lake Wanaka, the hotel provides stylish and modern facilities.

As the four distinctly contrasting seasons unfold in Wanaka, there are recreational activities to cater to all guests. The hotels ‘Touch the seasons’ by-line was at the forefront of the hotel’s thoughts when the plans for a refurbishment were established.

Edgewater general manager, Mike Barton, says the plans to refurbish the hotel started almost two years ago, with the refitting of

the guest rooms being the highest priority.

“The hotel hasn’t been refurbished in almost 12 years, so we were after longevity and adaptability with this project and if trends change in the next few years, we are able to change with them,” he said.

The hotel enlisted the help of commercial linen and textile experts, Texco International. “We wanted to use neutral base colours

and to bring the outside colours of the lake and the lawns indoors,” says Barton.

Pops of colour have been added to rooms via bed throws and occasional chairs and ensuring optimum high end comfort, Barton says the hotel has taken the advice given to them by Texco international design consultant, Cush Nelson, to ensure the highest standards of comfort for its guests.

“Edgewater was refurbishing its hotel rooms and the architect had used a very neutral palate.

Knowing that Wanaka can often have the inversion layer days we felt it was important to not only look at their new branding specifications but be mindful of the environment,” says Cush who also lives in Wanaka.

Given that the area is quite isolated, it was great to have someone on hand that was able to source fabrics and present them quickly.

“We’ve utilised Cush’s style advice and are now changing our pillows to lodge pillows, adding extra comfort for our guests, she has been a great listener and very hands on,” said Barton.

As part of the refurbishment, carpets were changed to solution dyed nylon, ensuring serviceability and comfort, LED lighting has been added as part of the hotels cost savings plan and blue tooth audio systems are being installed; ensuring rooms are up to date with customer’s needs and expectations.

Warwick as well as James Dunlop, were the main fabrics of choice.

Stage two of Edgewater’s refurbishment will begin at the end of the winter season and completion of all rooms and public areas is set for June next year. l

DESIGN BY TEXCO THE COMPLETE ACCOMMODATION PACKAGE

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We pride ourselves on the personal approach with professionalism, quality finished products and value for your money.

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July 2015

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industrynews

SKYSCAPER WILL HOUSE NEW HOTEL

PLANS are moving ahead for another new hotel in central Auckland but the development could be five years away despite resource consent being granted for the proposed 209m tall skyscraper – second only in height to the Sky Tower. The Albert Street and Victoria Street corner site, once occupied by the Royal Hotel, is owned by the Shanghaibased New Development Group and would include shops, a cinema, restaurants and some apartments alongside the proposed hotel. The site has stood empty since the mid-1980’s when the sharemarket crash ended plans for a Farmers department store.

NZ PROPERTY ON HOT LIST

CONDE Nast Traveller magazine’s latest 2015 hot list of best new hotels and resorts, has named one New Zealand property. In its Remote and Wild category is the Aro Ha Wellness Retreat at Lake Wakatipu. A selection of 60 properties made the list under different headings with none from Australia appearing.

WINE HARVEST COMPLETED

THE 2015 New Zealand grape harvest has been completed with the vintage producing top quality and flavour. The vintage size totalled only 326,000 tonnes – down 27% on last year’s record vintage with the reduction blamed on cool spring weather. The industry is forecasting there will be a shortage of 2015 wines especially given the rising export demand.

TIME FOR TENNIS

WITH the All-England Wimbledon tennis running earlier this month, the operators of Hotel du Vin Wimbledon just made it in time. The nearby 48 room hotel has just under gone a $2m refurb and opened on June 29. The early 19th century hotel was bought late last year by the Hotel du Vin group and is set on 34 acres of park next to the Wimbledon Common. A number of New Zealanders are known to have worked there.

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RESERVEGROUP’S NEW MARKETING PLATFORM BOOSTS PROFITS LEADING global hospitality management chain Swiss-Belhotel International, has teamed with ReserveGroup New Zealand to deliver an advanced desktop and mobile digital marketing platform to over 120 hotels and resorts.

Like many hotels today, SwissBelhotels has seen a dramatic increase in distribution costs through OTA’s so last year it decided it was time to create an execute a global strategy for the group to channel bookings direct and create a personal relationship with customers – no matter which channel the first booking came through.

After an extensive worldwide search for a technology partner to create the first of its kind Content

Channel Manager (CCM) for its hotels, it selected ReserveGroup for its already existing dynamic digital marketing system, evoSuite, that it could build on.

After spending 12 months adding new features to evoSuite to fit its strategy, the first delivery has just been completed. The CCM system helps the group significantly improve its communications, websites, operational and cost efficiency and the ultimate inbound marketing. It also makes it easier for guests to book direct and be automatically included in ongoing customer relationship activities.

The results have been “far beyond our expectations” commented Steve Woods, group director – e-Commerce Business

Development. Within 30 days of launch, the full development and implementation cost was recovered through increased direct reservations.

Since launching, direct online revenue has grown by 25% and conversion by 29%. The website’s performance has also been outstanding, bounce rate has reduced to an all-time low of 19% (with the average industry bounce rate being at least 40%) and the total number of page views per day increasing by 92%.

Several other hotel groups are already evaluating the system and Distinction Hotels New Zealand is in the process of porting their digital marketing to this new platform. l

growth levels with occupancy surging to over 80% and room rates having increased by 8% over the past year,” he said.

A record price is anticipated for this hotel based on recent trends including the Hotel Grand Chancellor at Auckland airport

and the Kingsgate Hotel in Wellington.

The hotel was built in 2000 and dual branded under the 4.5-star Novotel (147 rooms) and the 3-star Ibis (100 rooms). l

NOVOTEL IBIS HOTEL UP FOR SALE AUCKLAND’S Novotel Ibis Hotel alongside the Ellerslie racecourse is for sale, the largest hotel to go on the market in New Zealand in the past five years.

The six level 247 room hotel sale being handled by Colliers Internationals Hotel Division comes at a time when the sector is experiencing unprecedented trading conditions with strong inbound visitor numbers and virtually no new supply forecast over the short to medium term.

Colliers national director of hotels, Dean Humphries, said the time was right to offer a quality asset like this on to the market given the wave of investors wanting to take advantage of New Zealand’s booming tourism sector.

“The Auckland market is running at historically high

IHG’S MOBILE CHECK IN AND OUT IHG is in the process of rolling out in the American region, a new mobile device that gives guests the flexibility to manage their stay including confirmation of arrival times and SMS notification of when their room is ready.

It will be rolled out globally over time with Rewards Club elite members having exclusive access in the first instance.

As an extension of this Mobile Check-In and Checout, IHG have also introduced Mobile Folio that allows guests to view their hotel bill before receiving their final bill during Mobile Check-Out. l

NEW OTA LAUNCHED

THE expansion of OTA’s continues with HotelTonight opening in Sydney following a short trial there of the global app. The company is particularly targeting boutique hotels that often have a high level of unfilled rooms. l

INDONESIAN DATE THE second Tourism, Hotel Investment and Networking Conference is being staged in Indonesia this September. The event is at the Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort on September 2-3 with a number of international speakers, a line-up of seminars and panels by industry leaders. l

industrynews

NEW ZEALAND MATURING INTO WORLD CLASS PROVIDER IN the past 12-18 months, the accommodation sector has finally felt the effects of the increased visitor nights from both international and domestic travellers and the shortage of tourist accommodation over this last summer has resulted in increased room rates with hotel occupancy rates also rising during the shoulder season, says Tourism Properties principal Adrian Chisholm.

“Although the Global Financial Crisis in 2007 hit the NZ tourism sector like all other sectors in the economy, tourism has held up as fundamental contributor to New Zealand’s economy and way of life. Tourism currently contributes almost 9% of gross domestic product (GDP) as well as directly and indirectly employing nearly one in nine New Zealanders and is the second largest foreign exchange earner,” he said.

Tourism currently contributes almost 9% of gross domestic product (GDP) as well as directly and indirectly employing nearly one in nine New Zealanders and is the second largest foreign exchange earner.

INNOVATION KEY IN LINEN MARKET BEING a leading innovator in the commercial linen and textile market is paying dividends for Nelson-based Britannia Textiles whose offering to the hotel industry includes bed linen, towelling, cleaning products and healthcare lines.

The company backs up its local and imported product selection with its own in-house sewing facility that is equipped to custom make table cloths and table skirting.

While its customers are hotels, motels, restaurants, hospitals and commercial laundries, it is always on the lookout for new products especially in the quality end of the market where it has built a reputation for industry testing and meeting exacting specifications.

Among current trends, it has noticed many accommodation providers are implementing triple sheeting.

“This eliminates the need to

“The forward projections for NZ tourism visitor numbers for the next 5 - 10 years is giving developers and owners increased confidence in our tourism accommodation sector and new hotel developments, major office building conversions to tourist accommodation and refurbishment of existing tourist accommodation properties are all now becoming viable.

“To illustrate the increases, statistics just out, show international visitor arrivals for the four weeks ended May 31 are up and total visitor arrivals have increased 8% compared to the same four-week period last year: UP: China 45%, Canada 14%, Korea 13%, India 11%, USA 8%, UK 5%, Australia 3%, Germany 2%,” said Chisholm.

He said that at the recent

Adrian Chisholm

New Zealand Hotel Industry Conference, it was great to see the largest number of participants since this annual conference commenced nearly a decade ago and also to witness the focus on development of new and existing tourist accommodation properties.

“New Zealand tourism along with the accommodation and hospitality sectors have finally come of age and we can all look forward to a very exciting decade as the entire industry matures into a world class provider of accommodation, hospitality and leisure services,” he commented. l

use unhygienic and expensive bedspreads and duvet covers,” said Britannia’s Adam Olverson.

“To meet this trend, we have 25/75 polycotton and a 50/50 polycotton sheeting perfect for this purpose.”

Amongst the innovative moves from the company have been triple folding and also double stitching on the hems of towels that prevents fraying and giving extra strength.

And with many other ideas coming through, Britannia sees strong future growth coming from hotels and motels and especially those who have their laundries. l

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A sense of place

C

ONVENIENTLY situated 12 kilometres from Hamilton CBD, a mere two minute drive to Hamilton Airport and set amongst mature gum trees, The Narrows Landing Hotel offers its guests luxury accommodation, fine dining and state of the art conference facilities.

The boutique hotel is situated on a neighbouring site to the original homestead that was used in the 1800s as accommodation for those travelling the Waikato River by riverboat. These days the Narrows offer the same welcoming and relaxing environment but with 21st century style and opulence.

Building began on The Narrows Landing in 1996 with the framework largely constructed using recycled electricity pylons that had previously been scraped and buried. Great care was taken to ensure that only the bare minimum of flora on site was removed to accommodate the build. Local untreated timber was used throughout and many of the windows are made of Totara,

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well over 100 years old. A truly rustic natural environment has been created and the Narrows Landing sits comfortably amidst the magnificent trees, lawns and gardens.

A forerunner in sustainable builds, the interior is a seamless blend of rustic chic, classic style and tasteful design. The environment promotes an ambience that allows you to absorb the stunning songs of the many Tui that live in the area.

The hotel boasts 12 unique and homely bedrooms, each with their own balcony and bathroom, as well as three conference rooms, a three bed apartment, wine cellar and fine dining restaurant.

The Narrows Landing Restaurant attracts both food connoisseurs and dining aficionados alike. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, head chef, Julian Archaman, has designed stunningly delicious menus that feature simple, fresh food with a tasty modern approach.

“Our signature dish is the risotto,

I like to create Italian style food as it is comforting and homely but still delicious,” he says. The Narrows Landing also has a superb selection of wines on offer and as of July, visitors are able to reserve the cellar for a group of up to six, for dinner and wine tasting.

With five uniquely variable function rooms available, The Narrows Landing can cater for many alternatives. From small to larger groups, casual or formal events, they can also offer outdoor event areas on site if needed. The experienced and dedicated Events Manager, Sebastian Lemercier, will take care of your requirements. “We have the flexibility to cater for all our visitors, whether it’s a corporate function, retreat or family reunion, we can also offer exclusive use of the hotel,” Lemercier says.

With easy access to SH1 and SH3 and within walking distance to two of Hamilton’s popular golf courses, the Narrows Landing offers a unique accommodation option for those wanting to relax, an event or corporate function. l

We have the flexibility to cater for all our visitors, whether it’s a corporate function, retreat or family reunion, we can also offer exclusive use of the hotel.

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industrynews

ONE OF THE BEST SUMMERS FOR YEARS New Zealand motels have just come off one of the best summers for years. The results are looking pretty good but as always, uneven; different areas performed differently.

WE should have a decent cushion to carry us into the quieter winter period. It does still however irritate me that we are still finding it difficult to move out our rates. We know bed-nights are increasing and revenue is better in the 2015 season than 2014 but we are still only just around 2008 revenue figures.

In the same period we have seen local authority costs continue to rise, compliance costs continue to rise and the growth of alternative and expensive distribution channels that the public have taken to using.

The upshot of all this is that for seven years, margins have been squeezed and squeezed. We

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are making more money than last year and the year before but we have deferred maintenance, deferred capital purchases and debt to reduce! This, I believe, is not only an issue for my industry but for most SMEs right across New Zealand.

The politicians and commentators are suggesting that

surpluses; well I think SMEs need to start generating surpluses before they can start reinvesting in staff.

My worry is that raised wage expectations could actually be detrimental to the economy instead of beneficial if it is forced on the industry before it is capable of supporting it!

Overall though, we need to

There were days in the South Island where our internal room availability service (Duty Motel) had absolutely no rooms available anywhere. It has been a few years since that happened. there will be an increase in wages but I suspect that wage rises may be difficult to find as companies don’t yet have the disposable income to actually do it.

It would be silly to increase expenses and increase debt!

The Government keeps talking about the need to achieve budget

be delighted with the way the summer season has gone. We saw both international and domestic travellers move around New Zealand in great numbers. The days of turning up in town and not only getting a bed but being able to negotiate a price are well and truly passed.

If you didn’t book over the season you didn’t get a room.

There were days in the South Island where our internal room availability service (Duty Motel) had absolutely no rooms available anywhere. It has been a few years since that happened.

The winter period beckons and traditionally in most areas it gets quieter but that is just relative. It seems from the anecdotal evidence we have that it is still performing better than last year.

As long as we keep rates up, keep our nerve and maintain profitability then 2015 will be a cracker and then we can do all the things we want to, R&M, capital purchases, decrease debt and increase wages! l

Michael Baines, Chief Executive Motel Association of New Zealand

industrynews

WHAT MAKES A GREAT CONCIERGE? I AM often asked “what makes a great Concierge?” And it is hard to pin point one or two attributes that answer this question. The best answer can be found in Les Clefs d’Or’s International Charter. These values have been offered to us by our founding members and go as follows: • In Service through Friendship – Foster friendship to promote professionalism and mentor young members.

• The Guest Comes First – Create memorable experiences for guests and they will return and bring others.

• The Network – Share information and communicate with members from around the world. This collaboration is our most powerful tool.

• Intergrity and Respect – Your word is your bond. Be honest and fair in all circumstances.

• Strive for Excellence – Exceed expectations and embrace the highest standards of service.

• Discretion – Always respect and protect the identity and confidentiality of all guests.

Nick Steele, Executive Concierge Barclay Suites President Les Clefs d’Or New Zealand www.hotelconciergesocietynz.org

• Lead by Example – Take charge. Accept Responsibility.

This charter is given to each new Les Clefs d’Or member upon receiving their Les Clefs d’Or Keys. They are values that all members hold strong to. We ensure that with every interaction the values are upheld. We pride

ourselves on these values and acknowledge the importance of high standards and excellence.

Our guests are able to travel from one city to another, identifying Les Clefs d’Or members and know that they will be treated with the same Integrity, Respect and Discretion they have encountered in any other of our Les Clefs d’Or member hotels.

These values and continuity of service ensure that the society remains relevant and valuable not only to the discerning guest but also anyone who crosses paths with a Les Clefs d’Or Member.

I recall one event that summarises this relationship. Late in the evening a family with two young children walked into my hotel. This particular evening the hotel was fully booked. The frustration of the day was evident on the face of the children’s parents.

I took them aside and starting calling my colleagues at hotels close by. There was a room available at fellow member’s hotel within walking distance! To the

parents delight they confirmed their reservation with me and into the night they went.

The following day the family of four returned to my lobby. The young girl wanted to give me a small plastic toy to thank me for “finding them a home”.

It was not until the father explained to me that she has not been without this toy for months that I realised the impact and memories that we can create when working together in friendship. l

Les Clefs d’Or dates back to 1929, when 11 Concierges from the grand hotels in Paris realised that they could work more effectively as a team, rather than as individuals.

Serving their guests as a collective they were able to draw upon each other’s expertise and ensure that no request was unable to be fulfilled. They wore crossed gold keys on their lapels so that their hotel guests could identify them. The Society spread throughout Europe then to the rest of the world, whereby we now have around 4,000 Les Clefs d’Or Concierges in over 40 countries.

FREEPHONE 0800 663 272 P +64 9 431 2470 E info@archerconcepts.co.nz www.archerconcepts.co.nz

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July 2015

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PARIS RUNNING ON EMPTY

LUXURY hotels in the French capital are having a hard time with top CEO’s confirming that the first quarter this year was catastrophic partly due to the Charlie Hebdo terror attack which scared off much of the core custom from the US and the Middle East. The attack accentuated the decline in trade for luxury hotels that started midway through 2014 with an underlying trend of overcapacity and expected to last another five or six years.

AT HEATHROW

THE 351 bedroom Arora Hotel Heathrow in London known to many New Zealanders has been renamed Heathrow Hotel Bath Road by new owners M&L Hospitality of Singapore. The company’s UK portfolio now has two dual hotel sites in partnership with IHG and two more planned to open next year.

HOTEL QUICKLY BRINGS LAST MINUTE BOOKINGS HOTEL Quickly, one of Asia’s most popular last minute booking apps, has launched in New Zealand, with plans to disrupt the online hotel booking market – and secure 100,000 Kiwi users by year end.

The app has launched locally with 407 three- to five-star hotels across New Zealand cities and expects to have 600 hotel partners by the end of the year.

The Hong Kong based company has experienced rapid expansion across Asia and says New Zealand has been identified as a key market in its plans to become the dominant player in Asia Pacific.

Christian Mischler, HotelQuickly CMO and cofounder, says the New Zealand market, with 83% of Kiwis

AND IN BANGKOK

WELL Hotels & Resorts is opening its first Thailand property in the Q4 this year with a 235 key property that includes superior, deluxe, executive rooms and suites targeting health loving millennials and young families with a wellness bent.

EATING ALONE IS MAJOR CONCERN

INTERNATIONAL research has shown that 26% of travellers felt their biggest concern was dining alone and having no-one to talk to.

And many of those surveyed believed they received worse service when eating alone rather than in a group. In Britain, restaurant staff are now being urged to make solo diners feel more comfortable and not, as many do, usher guests into a hidden corner.

Seating by a window or facing the main area of the restaurant activity was key. In many cases, solo guests have been made to hasten their meal as if the restaurant cannot wait to free up the table.

TAIWAN MARRIOTT

MARRIOTT International has opened its first hotel in Taiwan with a 320 room five star property in Taipei. The hotel includes a huge 3000 sqm convention centre and a 1200 sqm ballroom along with a number of restaurants, a spa, shopping mall and apartments.

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now using smartphones, offers ‘great potential’ for apps like HotelQuickly.

“Travel patterns have been shifting from pre-booking trips and holidays towards last-minute bookings for spontaneous holidays,” Mischler says. “Cost pressures in both work and leisure are impacting customer choices, people are constantly seeking the value that HotelQuickly can offer.”

Services such as travel account for the largest category of expenditure via mobile devices in New Zealand, with an estimated $2.2 billion spent on services in 2014 according to Frost & Sullivan’s New Zealand Mobile Commerce Market 2014 report.

“The increased use of smartphones is changing the way consumers make purchase decisions, the immediacy of mobile encourages impulse purchasing, especially when large discounts are offered,” Mischler says.

He’s predicting fast adoption of the mobile app in New Zealand with the company expecting the New Zealand user base to hit 100,000 by the end of 2015.

About one million users globally have downloaded the app.

Mischler says the mobileonly offering enables

LATEST DESIGNS IN FURNITURE FORM and functionality to suit the demanding requirements of the hospitality industry is the commitment from the Don family with their Archer Concepts furniture and joinery business.

The company specialises in the broader hotel, motel, resorts and restaurants business and is

building a strong market both in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

“We are focusing on superior service and quality and offering a complete solution from planning and consultation through to the delivery and installation of furniture products,” said Lionel

booking with just a few taps and carefully curates hotel offerings to ensure only the best deals in a given location are shown.

“Our application acts like a private sales channel for hotels to sell off distressed inventory and bring up their occupancy,” he says.

“Hotels are happy to grant big discounts for these rooms that would otherwise go unsold.

This creates a win-win situation for hotels and guests: hotels get additional revenue, guests get fantastic deals at great hotels.” l

INTERNET KILLER

THE German Oetker Collection hotel group has introduced bedroom technology that enables guests to kill the internet. A switch located next to the bed activates a copper grid surrounding each room blocking wireless internet signals and since its introduction, over half the guests have opted to use the facility. Management said people were realising it was stupid to be constantly looking at incoming messages. l

Don. “It’s all about maintaining a level of guest satisfaction and having properties achieve the room rates they deserve.”

He said the company recognises the need to balance great design and service with responsible environmental practices using timber from sustainable forests and recycling waste where ever possible. Sales team leader Lionel Don is available on 021 850 767 to discuss latest designs in hotel furniture requirements. l

industrynews

July 2015

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industrynews

SERKO’S ANNUAL LOSS WIDENS

NZ DEAF DINING RESTARAUNT OPENS CQ Hotels in Wellington is offering guests a unique dining experience, launching the country’s first ever restaurant menu in New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL).

The menu includes NZSL symbols so diners can sign to order to order their meals and communicate with staff.

CAPSULE HOTELS

WESTERNERS trying to visit Japan on the cheap and settling for capsule hotels are now being advised to be cautious – especially if they are taller or broader than the average tourist. A travel writer has described the tiny rooms as tucking yourself into something alike to the size of a refrigerator – about a metre wide and two metres in length. While they are advertised for single tourists, they are generally used by Japanese locals working late and not wanting to travel home late at night. l

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The hotel had employed four deaf staff for the month of May to work alongside staff at CQ Hotels who had learned NZSL by completing courses run by NZ Deaf highly skilled tutors.

Customers can learn basic sign language through cheat sheets and graphics incorporated into the menu which will become a permanent fixture in the restaurant over the next 12 months. CQ Hotels General Manager Olivier Lacoua said he wanted to change the perception that deaf people were disabled, when in fact, they just spoke another language.

“This is a unique experience and it’s going to be a lot of fun. I want to break down that barrier of communicating with deaf people.

It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible.

Our commitment to working and supporting diverse groups within the community continues as we strive to be inclusive and engaging with all people within our society. There is also a sense of pride in our staff and their workplace for giving back to the community.” l

AUCKLAND-based online travel firm Serko has reported a wider annual loss in line with its prospects forecast, while reporting total revenue of $10.4m, up 55%.

Online revenues increased by 62% in total for the year.

The business added 46 new employees and ended the year with 133 employees spread between Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, X’ian (China), Gurgaon and Mumbai in India.

“In the context of Serko being in the fast growing travel technology space with a significant increase in the size of potential user base, our solid result reflects strong demand and the important balancing of

growth and profitability,” he continued.

As a result of the acquisition of Arnold Travel Technology, Serko says it expects around 30% of Australia’s total corporate travel expenditure to be flowing through its systems by the end of FY16.

In the last year Serko has launched partnerships with Expedia’s affiliate network to deliver hotel room booking, AirPlus for travel expense management, Intelligent Travel for a suite of new health and safety products as well as Routehappy, to provide Serko Mobile users with comfort-related flight information. l

BY PASSING THE OTA’S

THERE has been a call by Tourism Accommodation Australia for travellers to book direct with hotels and bypass OTA’s. This follows on the decision by one OTA to increase its commission rate effective this month. Expedia bought Wotif and raised its rate to 15% and several others have moved up to 13% with some in the industry saying that both clients and the hotels would suffer. Most affected are regional hotels, motels and B&B’s who don’t have their direct booking facility. It is understood that Expedia and Pricelinenow control over 85% of online hotel bookings in Australia. l

HOST HOTELS TO DOWNSIZE HERE HOST Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading lodging companies, is to downsize its New Zealand operations but will continue to look for new opportunities.

“We are being realistic about it, especially as we are being out-priced by some of the fresh investors here, particularly the Chinese,” said Christopher Hur , Host’s vice-president of acquisitions and developments, speaking at last month’s hotel Industry conference in Auckland. Host owns seven

hotels in New Zealand that are all operated by Accor.

He felt the local market was a a little dated and under invested and as a result Host was selling its non-core product and upgrading and reinvesting strategically in its portfolio. He said Host did know how to buy and how to sell but believed that while full service luxury hotels would always have a place, there would be more emphasis on lifestyle and midmarket product. l

industrynews

INCREASINGLY AWARE OF VENDING GROWTH THERE is increasing awareness in the local hospitality and accommodation industry of the advantages of vending equipment to provide a 24/7 sales outlet for a wide range of products. And while New Zealand has been slow to adopt vending it is now being seen as a valuable addition.

Gevenza (now the trading name for General Vending NZ Ltd) has been in operation since 2001 has been making its mark in this vending market and has a broad range of equipment now suitable for the hotel and motel industry.

It does see strong vending growth here with user friendly equipment that will offer a wide range of payment option including cellphone technology and touch & go cards.

It is the sole local agent for Adimac s.r.l vending machines of Italy and also sources and supplies other quality Italian coffee machine offerings for the HoReCa market The Adimac range of high quality machines includes coffee and hot beverage vending machines, chilled food,

snack and beverage vending machines and newspaper/ magazine vending machines..

For premium coffee, the main bench top model fresh bean espresso coffee from Adimac is the top selling Milano, now also available in a fresh milk (FM) version.

A totally new non vending machine developed especially for the HoReCa market, is the MyLatte that was launched in 2014. No barista is required to produce top quality coffee for guests.

The stylish MyLatte incorporates a fully integrated compressor refrigerator and utilises the renowned Adimac, direct dosing brewing unit and makes a great aromatic espresso coffee, caffe latte, cappuccino, and mochaccino with fresh milk, from freshly ground beans simply at the press of a button. It can also produce a delicious warming hot chocolate for the colder months or just any time at all!

Gevenza sells wholesale direct or through authorised dealers

and agents nationwide and has technical service assistance available from Kaitaia to Invercargill.

It also provides a coffee vending machine rental service to the more remote locations that are not generally serviced by the bigger companies and can also arrange very competitive finance over 36 months for lease to buy or rentals. l

DUBAI POPULAR

DUBAI efforts to position itself as a premier leisure and business hub have paid off with it now ranked as the fourth most visited global city out of 132 measured by MasterCard.

Top cities were London, Paris and Bangkok. Dubai welcomed

13.2 million overnight travellers in 2014. Work has now started on the expansion of Dubai’s second airport and the city is set to see a massive increase of 28,000 new hotel rooms by 2018. l

PEANUT BUTTER SACHET OPTION PROVES POPULAR The Nelson-based makers of Pic’s top selling peanut butter took a gamble by moving into the hotel/motel market with a product option that is now proving extremely popular.

THE company recently launched 15g single serve sachets that can be bought in packs of 200 from hospitality wholesalers or direct from the manufacturer. The product has proved perfect for B&B’s, hotel breakfast bars, motels, cafeterias and other hospitality outlets.

The sachets have been a long time coming for the producer company, Pic’s Really Good Peanut Butter. It initially experimented with a breakfast bar dispensing machine to minimise packaging waste but that didn’t work and the foil pack then seemed the best option.

And while this product is a smooth peanut butter, they still haven’t figured out how to get their crunchy product inside the sachet.

The 15g sachets are available at orders@reallygood.co.nz with a 200pack shipper having a list price of $60 plus GST and freight.

The company was established back in 2007 and its local share has skyrocketed since then with it having near 28% of the NZ market by early this year, a substantial margin over other traditional suppliers.

The phenomenal growth (up over 53% in supermarkets in the last quarter of 2014) is also reflected in exports to a number of overseas destinations.

In addition to its peanut butter, the company also sells a pure peanut oil made from high quality cold pressed Queensland peanuts.

For more information on the products from this South Island company, go to www.reallygood.co.nz

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industrynews

TABLEWARE IS KEY TO AMBIENCE PICKING the right tableware is high on the list of creating a dining ambience with F&B operations now working hard to provide atmosphere. Among the major suppliers to this market is Wellington-based Andrew Hawley Ltd who have taken a leading role for the past 68 years in New Zealand.

In fact the Hawley family has been connected with the tableware industry since the early 18th century in the UK. In Ne Zealand, the family has a long history of importing and distributing tableware, kitchenware, glass, crystal, cutlery, cups, saucers,

cookware and the popular Melamine.

In the hospitality market, the company has such brands as Stolzle Lausitz from Germany, one of Europe’s largest glass, crystal and tableware suppliers as well as one of the world’s largest crystal glass companies in RCR of Italy.

Other brands Hawley’s handle include Rockingham tea and coffee cups and saucers, JAB Melamine, Churchill, Bauscher porcelain, Prices Candles, Wedgwood, Royal Doulton and others. Working in the middle to top end of the market, the company has seen a trend away from white tableware to more innovative stoneware and vitrified coloured ware.

The Melamine and Rockingham ranges have been particularly popular and are firmly established in the hospitality market along with high interest in the introduction of the RCR “Luxion” lead free crystal glass products for the wine and spirit trade. l

32 VIA DEI BIRRAI

REPRESENTING a new language in the boundless scenario of the brewery sector.

It resets and re-defines the usual and takes the habitual concept of “beer” into another dimension, it becomes design in the form of a bottle. 32 is the number of the class that includes beer according to the Nice international classification, that indicates and categorises products and services.

Via dei Birrai represents the path of beer, which, similar to the

circle, is the eternal movement towards the future. Thanks to the happy insight of a skilful master brewer, a business expert and an engineer with a passion for home brewing 32 Via dei Birrai has come to be.

Whether for fun or for pleasure it is in any case a new brew maker style, which is intended to change the way people perceive beer and opening it up to complementary worlds. For more information or to order, contact European Foods on 09 551 7410 or info@ europeanfood.co.nz.

THE LARGEST MOST COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF CATERING EQUIPMENT & REFRIGERATION Supplying the Hospitality Industry for over 45 years!

ADIMAC

Now available the all new Adimac “MyLatte”, a versatile and stylish fresh milk cafe style machine. It can deliver a full range of espresso and fresh milk coffees and hot chocolates straight from the machine at the press of a button.

These machines will be perfect for hot bread shops, medium size cafes and larger fast-food or takeaway shops where a caffe latte, cappuccino or mochaccino can be produced at the press of one button so that valuable preparation time is saved.

We have added to our chilled vending machine range with innovative 24/7 Fishing & Hunting supplies, Pet Food Supplies and Pharmaceutical Supplies vending machines.

For more information contact us on our FREEPHONE 0800 111 820 or e-mail us at sales@generalvending.co.nz Unit 3/11 Homersham Place, Harewood. PO Box 31 103 Christchurch 8444

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NEW ZEALAND & AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST RANGE OF COMMERCIAL KITCHEN CATERING EQUIPMENT & REFRIGERATION

• Full range of equipment for shop fitouts • Kitchenware, Cutlery, Glassware and Cookware • Gasmax Ovens For great customer service and an extensive and competitively priced product range visit our new showroom at

146 Neilson St, Onehunga, Auckland Ph: 09 415 6470 www.fedproducts.co.nz

Serve Your Customers “Art In a Bowl” HOW TO MAKE ACAI BOWL PREMIX In a blender combine 1 ½ tablespoons of Matakana SuperFoods Acai Bowl Premix with ½ cup of your favourite milk and 1 small frozen banana or frozen berries. Blend until thick and creamy.

HOW TO BUILD AN 1) ACAI BOWL: (Serves

wl Premix 1 Pour blended Acai Bo wl into a chilled serving bo esli mu or la no gra 2 Layer with such gs pin top 3 Top with desired or ips ch t as fresh fruit, coconu cacao nibs nectar, 4 Drizzle with coconut (optional) up syr honey or maple

From ts n ie d re g In d o o rf e p All your Su acks P lk u B & il ta e R o C d NZ’s #1 Superfoo

Contact Us Now www.matakanasuperfoods.com info@matakanasuperfoods.com

+64 9 422 9618 July 2015

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industrynews

AUCKLAND LANGHAM REFURB RUNS TO MORE THAN $2.4M THE five star Auckland Langham has completed a $2.4m refurbishment of its meeting rooms. The Crystal Room is a stunning new venue that holds up to 180 guests for weddings, conferences and exhibition breakout spaces. It was previously the Waitemata Room that divided into three long narrow rooms and the configuration is now two more practical sized rooms.

Four new Gallery Rooms have

NZ’S MOST EXPENSIVE HOTEL SUITE

ONE of the most highly valued pieces of real estate on Queenstown’s waterfront will be home to the country’s most expensive hotel suite, commanding up to $10,000 per night for sweeping views of Lake Wakatipu and surrounding peaks.

Skyline Enterprises has begun work on the $6 million, 781m2 high-end premium site in the heart of the resort town’s CBD, with neighbouring Eichardt’s Private Hotel announced as tenants for a penthouse apartment and two further Lakefront suites to meet ultra-high net worth visitor demand.

The expansion takes the luxury hotel’s capacity to 7 suites, with the 240sqm penthouse suite (plus 100sqm balcony) featuring a

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commercial grade kitchen primed for private chef usage, two suites each with ensuites, a sauna, spa and even a powder room with uninhibited views across the picture-perfect lake.

Eichardt’s Private Hotel is part of the Imperium Collection of luxury boutique hotels, owned by Christchurch-born, Melbournebased businessman Andrew Cox. Cox was quick to recognise that Queenstown is seen as a key New Zealand gateway to premium visitors, and most recently purchased nearby New York style boutique property The Spire Hotel to add to his mix of exclusive, small and luxurious hotels, apartments, a private residence and restaurants within the group. l

TFE EMPHASISES OWN BOOKING SITE

DESPITE the proliferation of OTA’s and other specialised booking sites, the TFE Hotels group is putting emphasis on its own booking site, according to group director of marketing Emma Fraser. She said the company had the ability to own the guest experience from the time they started researching the booking through to post-stay. TFE now owns or operates more than 70 hotels in New Zealand, Australia and Europe.

PHILIPPINES POTENTIAL

EXPECT an increase in Filipino visitors once the new Philippine Airlines service from Manilla to Auckland begins operating later this year. In the past 12 months, around 14,000 Filipinos visited New Zealand but with four fresh flights a week, this will climb considerably. Outbound last year, 19,000 New Zealanders travelled to the Philippines. The new service will see 64,500 seats a year to Auckland.

been opened on the site of the Some Place Else bar that consolidates the hotel as one of the leading MICE venues in the country. It now has 13 quality rooms that vary in size to handle between four and 1400 people all with audio-visual capability that adds to a great F&B reputation. The Great Room is still the largest pillarless ballroom of any Auckland hotel seating up to 900 for dinner or 1400 for cocktails. l

RAMADA GROWTH

FOLLOWING a franchise agreement between the USbased Wyndham Hotel Group and the British Lester Hotels Group, 20 new Ramada hotels are expected to open across the UK over the next decade. There are currently three hotels there now that are being rebranded that will take the collection under the Ramada brand to 40 in that country.

VIETNAM CROWNE

IHG has signed a management agreement with a Vietnamese developer for a 300 room Crowne Plaza on the island of Phu Quoc, the third hotel under this brand in Vietnam. It is scheduled to open in 2017.

US INTO CHINA

SEVERAL US hotel chains are ramping up their push into China, pledging to build dozens of properties there in the next three years. Sheraton, owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts, has announced plans for nine new resorts in greater China within two years.

July 2015

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industrynews

BREAKFREE IN CHRISTCHURCH THE newly remodelled 263key BreakFree on Cashel, is strategically located on Christchurch’s Cashel Street to capture a large and diverse range of corporate and leisure business.

The former, All Seasons, hotel closed after the February 2011 earthquakes, but was as a highly successful concept and the largest hotel in the South Island.

Due to its prime central city location and contemporary urban design, the property

FIND YOUR ROOM?

AN NZ Herald travel writer reckons it could be a tough job finding your room after a few drinks when you’re staying at the yet to be opened Abraj Kudai Hotel in Saudi Arabia.

Due to open next year, the property has 10,000 rooms and cost $NZ6.3billion to construct.

SAGE BRAND IN OZ

THE 138 room Chifley Hotel in Adelaide has been taken over

by SilverNeedle Hospitality and turned into a four star Sage Hotel, the company’s first venture in Australia.

General Manager is Roger Law.

BEST WESTERN

BEST Western in the UK has launched the first of three hotels in its BW Premier collection in part of a wider move to improve the public’s perception of the group’s 275 hotels in Britain which are often negatively impacted by the motel image of the brand.

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quickly established itself as one of Christchurch’s leading hotels, on the strength of robust demand from business, leisure and group sources.

The property was originally constructed in 1987 as a commercial office building and two decades later was retrofitted to become Hotel So. An extensive refurbishment and redesign of the hotel has been underway since new owners, Auckland based Russell Property

Group and an investment partner, purchased the property in January 2014. This includes an expanded ground floor café/restaurant and the inclusion of a number of high quality traditional hotel rooms located on the top floor executive level.

Russell Property Group managing director Brett Russell said it was pleasing to be part of the Christchurch resurgence.

“A total investment of over $30m has been committed to the

LANGHAM SYDNEY IN WORLD TOP 10 RANKING AN all-encompassing redevelopment programme completed last December has won the Langham Sydney a place on the world’s top 100 hotels list.

The American Robb Report has named the hotel only six months after it re-opened its doors and is the only hotel to make the list in

Australia or New Zealand.

Langham Hospitality acquired the older Observatory Hotel in 2012 and a luxury 98 room redevelopment was executed in four months last year.

Rooms there now start at $A635 per night. General manager is Sonia Lefevre. l

project, which will also see the hotel reach a Grade A seismic rating, incorporate a new exterior façade and provide an active and expanded ground floor opening onto Cashel Street.

This will undoubtedly revive what is arguably the City’s most popular hotel by offering modern and vibrant, yet a highly affordable accommodation for the tech-savvy business and leisure traveller.’

The remodelled stylish hotel has a contemporary interactive café, restaurant and bar, breakfast room, guest lounge, a conference room catering for up to 80 people and two boardroom style meeting spaces with capacity for 20 people, as well as 24 hour reception, internet kiosk, guest laundry and onsite parking.

The redevelopment incorporates some of the latest smart technology throughout the hotel recognising the importance of technology for discerning travellers.

These include highdefinition and interactive digital entertainment systems and advanced communication and information capabilities.

Plans for self check-in kiosks are to be implemented late 2016, which will further provide guests with capabilities rarely experienced at such affordable levels. l

STOCK INNOVATION VEGETA Delight Vegetable stock powder is innovation in powder stocks.

It has been independently tested and has met strict nutrition standards to earn the Heart Foundation Tick.

Vegeta Delight Vegetable stock contains 40% of real vegetables and is the ideal choice to complement all savory dishes, with its variety of full flavour and aroma. l

industrynews

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ontrend

OUTDOOR HEAT OFFERS COMFORT

AUCKLANDbased Outdoor Concepts has been winning the hearts of the hospitality industry with its range of heating options for both indoors and outdoors.

As a leading premium equipment provider, director Tim Hardley, travels the world to source the latest and best products that are available in heating outdoor and large indoor spaces In addition to the Slimline Stainless and W series heaters they have now introduced Slimline Shadow from Infratech, a sleek new infrared heater in matte black.

Infratech collaborates with leading architects, interior designers and engineers to provide low profile, energy-efficient heating systems that blend seamlessly into a property’s décor.

In response to high demand, Outdoor Concepts have added the single element heater from the Infratech Slimline Shadow range.

The Infratech W and Stainless series have been best sellers for Outdoor Concepts for 10 years in the hospitality, commercial and

residential markets.

Infratech heaters are made in the USA and durable enough to weather years of outdoor use, can be wall or ceiling mounted and are available in 2.4, 3 and 4 kilo-watt models.

Italians are world leaders in design and Tim realized the potential of the Phormalab heaters when he spotted them in Italy last year.

They are both high performing and stylish and can be positioned for either internal or external heating. The efficiency is not compromised by design and can be wall mounted or free standing, this version is portable and can be positioned in any area.

Phormalab is a heater but also a design element that is easy to insert into any outdoor space. See more at www.outdoorconcepts.co.nz l

AKARUA PINOT ROSÉ

Available early June, RUA Pinot Rosé will be one of the very first Rosé’s to hit the shelves this year, released from the 2015 vintage. With consumer demand showing no signs of slowing down for this popular varietal and many wines selling out within months of release, the new vintage of RUA Pinot Rosé will be available nationwide.

TAME YOUR CRAVINGS

Scalzo Food Industries has announced the launch of Nutters, a new range of 7 nut mixes to satisfy the growing trend for snacking in New Zealand. The Nutters range offers a product to suit any snacking occasion and your nutty mood, whether it’s for mouth-watering flavours or a straight energy boost.

PULLED PORK FROM LEADER PRODUCTS

Succulent Pulled Pork slow cooked for tenderness and marinated with a hint of smokey flavours from Leader Products. Simply thaw and heat for flavour enhancement, ideal for sliders, sandwiches, tacos, salads and pizza.

Add your own flavours to create your own signature dish.

Available from all good food service distributors in 1kg bags.

MONSTER J GIN

With a high juniper content, this new flavoursome gin has been crafted

by Colonial Commodities and will be part of a new continually updated series testing the boundaries of gin flavours. The gin is produced in a small craft distillery in Auckland and has been packaged in a smaller bottle, allowing a more accessible price and size for bars and restaurants to test this unique product. Since the rise of craft beer it became obvious to Anthony the similarities with the gin production process and the varieties of flavours possible. This first product is an extreme take on a more traditional style juniper heavy gin. Looking forward you can prepare to expect the unexpected in future releases as it tests the boundaries of botanicals, processes and strength of flavor. For more information or to order contact Anthony on 09 633 0079.

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AMCO NON-STICK SPRAY

GrainCorp Foods have re-released the Amco Cooking Spray with a new-look while continuing to deliver the same great nonstick performance. Quick and simple to use, Amco Non-Stick Cooking Spray requires just a light spray for the perfect nonstick release from all cooking surfaces. The spray is made with canola oil, which is a great source of Omega-3 and is approved by the Heart Foundation, meeting all the Tick’s strict standards for saturated fat and trans fat content.

ontrend

PURE COCONUT SUGAR

Matakana SuperFoods Coconut Sugar is quickly gaining popularity as a preferred sugar substitute with customers who want to watch their refined sugar intake. Coconut sugar’s low Glycemic Index won’t spike blood sugar levels like regular sugar and keeps customers feeling fuller for longer. Its sweet caramel taste is a natural alternative to use in coffee, baking or sprinkle over desserts instead of regular sugar. Available in 4g sugar sticks or in 250g, 1kg and 23kg packs. For more information visit www.matakanasuperfoods.com.

MELA JUICE

In response to a market heavily dominated by beverages containing added sugar and caffeine, Mela provides a healthy alternative. Mela juices have no sugar added, are preservative free and contain no GMO’s. The company is a family owned an operated business and have been creative in setting themselves apart in the market. Apples are pressed by separate variety to create single variety apple juice that caters to a range of taste preferences. The juices range from ‘Tart and Zingy’ (Granny Smith) to ‘Sweet and Punchy’ (Royal Gala). Mela are the only beverage company in New Zealand to make apple juice by single variety. The juice has a shelf life of 18 months. For more information or to order contact Sarah Wright, mela@mela.co.nz or 06 3048012.

PALM LEAF PLATES

Palm Leaf Plates offer a range of natural, sustainable plates and bowls made from the fallen leaves of the areca palm tree. The 100 per cent biodegradable plates and bowls are durable, lightweight and require minimal processing from tree to table. The fallen palm leaf is gathered, washed in spring water, then heat-pressed into shape, which also sterilises the leaf, no chemicals, waxes dyes or additives are used. Palm Leaf Plates are a stylish and unique alternative to other disposable tableware on the market.

They are stronger, more natural than corn-starch, sugar cane, paper and bamboo plates, and they won’t harm the environment. The cottage industry provides a source of income for many families in South Asia, making Palm Leaf Plates a responsible decision for your business and the environment. This is truly nature’s tableware.

For more information visit www.palmleafplates.co.nz or call Desmond Burdon on 09 817 7944.

JUST ADD WATER Prenzel Mulled Wine Mixer is simple to use and full of flavour, just add three parts boiling water. It is no mess, no fuss and no waiting mulled wine that customers will love. Made with red wine and brandy, and a subtle blending of wine, cinnamon, cloves and a few trade secrets, Mulled Wine is popular throughout the world and has been served during the winter months for centuries.

Prenzel Mulled Wine Mixer is available in 500ml bottles, 5 litre and 20 litre containers.

For more information or to order contact, The Prenzel Distilling Company on 0800 773 693 option 1 or email Barbara@prenzel.co.nz.

MAC’S MID VICIOUS PALE ALE

Mac’s Mid Vicious, mid-strength pale ale, has been bottled following its March debut on tap in Mac’s Brew Bars and bars nationwide. A lighter take on the American-influenced pale ale style of Mac’s Three Wolves, a mix of American and NZ hops provides the characteristic citrus and tropical fruit notes. At 2.5 per cent ABV, it turns down the alcohol, but keeps the volume up on hop aroma and flavour.

PIC’S SINGLE SERVE The makers of NZ’s top selling peanut butter, Pic’s Peanut Butter, have launched new single serve sachets for foodservice outlets. The 15g foil sachets of Pic’s smooth peanut butter can be purchased in packs of 200 from hospitality wholesalers or direct from the manufacturer. They’re perfect for B&B’s, hotel breakfast bars, office cafeterias, hospitality lounges and cafés. Pic’s peanut butter 15g sachets are available via orders@reallygood.co.nz. In addition to its peanut butter range, Pic’s also sells a pure peanut oil made from high-quality, cold-pressed peanuts from Kingaroy, Queensland.

NEW CLEANING AGENT

QUICKLEEN-S, a product that won an innovation award at the last NZ Fine Food show, is a non-toxic, non-caustic and 100% biodegradable cleaning product that is claimed to outperform the strongest chemical rivals. Quickleen-S is a cleanser, degreaser, sanitiser and polisher all rolled into one and is particularly recommended for the hotel and hospitality sector. The environmentally friendly benefits are a compelling reason to buy the product along with a 30-day money back guarantee if used as directed.More information on www.quickleen.co.nz or phone 09 423 0210.

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PEPPERS AT TEKAPO FRESHLY REFURBED ANOTHER South Island resort has gone through a recent refurbishment that is proving spectacularly popular with its high clientele.

Situated near the shores of Lake Tekapo and surrounded by the spectacular landscapes of the Southern Alps, Peppers Bluewater Resort offers spacious Lake Tekapo accommodation.

Inspired by the landscape, the architectural design of the resort

reflects the natural colours and textures of the Mackenzie Basin and these colours and textures have been incorporated into the recent refurbishment of the resorts 142 rooms.

Peppers general manager, Andrew Freak says he wanted the rooms to incorporate the ultimate in modern luxury.

“We asked Texco International for their help, as we have worked with them before,” he said. Freak and Texco International design consultant, Cush Nelson, spent six months working through fabrics and textures for cushions, throws and fitted bedspreads, before finding the right fit.

“I wanted the textures and fabrics to blend in with the landscape as well as our outdoor environment and that’s what we

achieved. The fabrics are elegant and have a slight sheen, allowing them to change colour with the light,” Freak said.

Cush Nelson says there was a focus on making the room’s look and feel warmer as the winter can be very cold in the area. “With the throws, we used similar

colours but with different designs for the twin rooms and super king rooms. We felt the rooms needed a bit of a lift and best way to create this was using the gorgeous James Dunlop Celine Abyss fabric which reflects the natural light and also draws in the beauty of the lake.” l

MARYSVILLE’S VIBE

NETHERLANDS LARGEST HOTEL

TFE’s Vibe Hotel brand is evolving in Australia and its latest offering is the Marysville property in Victoria’s Yarra Valley region.

The new opening of the 4.5 star hotel has 101 guest rooms, a conference centre and exhibition space catering for upwards of 350 people as well as a restaurant, café, gymnasium, pool and spa. l

Rem Koolhaas’ design firm, OMA, has been tapped to build a 25-story hotel that will become part of the RAI exhibition and convention center in Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district. With 650 rooms, and a endless list of amenities including a television studio, a gallery, “3-D, holographic meeting space,” a restaurant, a bar, a spa, and a sculpture garden, the Nhow Amsterdam RAI Hotel will be the biggest hotel in the Netherlands. The 300-foot-tall hotel’s design which was selected over 10 competitors resembles three

triangular boxes stacked on top of one another at jagged angles around a glass cylinder, a jazzy, cubist-inflected structure. It echoes the architectural styles of the RAI’s other buildings, which have received national heritage status, including architect Alexander Bodon’s Europahal, from 1961, and an accompanying advertising pillar, called “The Signal,” that displays threesided signs. It’s expected to become a hub for event planners, exhibitors, and visitors of large, multi-day international events. Construction is planned for 2016. l

F&B TREND TO THE HEALTH CONSCIOUS DELICIOUS foods for the health conscious is a strong trend in the market and catching this wave has been well established Matakana Superfoods who have built a reputation for supplying unique health food products.

After introducing Chia seeds and pure coconut sugar to the local market, the company’s range has now grown to include over 50

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lines . These include organic extra virgin oil, fermented coconut soy and teriyaki sauce substitutes, coconut flour, cacao powder, a new instant organic quinoa powder, Acai berry powder and Acai bowl premixes.

These products can be used to create many gluten free, dairy free, vegan, raw or paleo food options making menus innovative

and suitable for a wide range of diet lifestyles, according to director Kevin Glucina.

“We also have a range of organic smoothie powders that use a selection of nutrient rich superfoods such as a Maqui berry,, Chia seeds, Lucuma and Cacao and including blends such as Supershake, Superchoc, and Supergreen.

“With the increasing emphasis on health foods, more people are looking for healthy food options that help enhance their overall wellbeing and we are striving to provide products of the high quality from organic and sustainable co-op farms around the globe,” said Glucina. l

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industrynews Hospitality NZ Opinion

THE COST OF INCOMPLETE WAGE RECORDS THE vast majority of employers maintain good wage and time records – but unfortunately not all. Some employers are learning a costly lesson about their own failure to keep the required wage and time records. All employers need to ensure that they are maintaining time and wage records.

The rationale for this legal requirement is ensuring that all parties are aware of where they stand, in terms of payments that have been made and ensuring that employers are meeting their legal obligations. (for example payment of minimum wage, payment for hours worked) Retention of records and meeting minimum requirements is unique in employment law, as it is not just the employer who can bring a claim for failure to comply.

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment’s labour inspectorate has the ability to bring a claim against any employer where they have failed to maintain adequate time and wage records and have not complied with other statutory minimum requirements.

As well as ordering reimbursement of costs, the inspectorate has the ability to request significant fines against

those employers who do not comply. As well as wage and time records employers need to keep other information where relevant, including details of any work permit.

Fines have been significant and rising. A recent case resulted in a $66,000 awarded against a wellknown Auckland restaurant chain for (amongst other shortcomings) not providing wage and time records, holiday and leave records.

The Authority in that case made it very clear that it did not consider failure to maintain these documents simply a ‘technical breach’.

The absence of written employment agreements is also an area of increased focus for the Inspectorate, for which fines up to $10,000 are possible.

There are plenty of steps which you can take as an employer to ensure you are compliant. The key is maintaining and retaining good records in relation to your staff and knowing what your obligations are as an employer. l

HERITAGE’S CONFERENCE VENUES THE Heritage Boutique Lake Resort in Cromwell that joined the organisation a year ago, is proving its recently opened on-site conference centre was a popular decision. The five star property’s conference facility can house 300 people theatre style and seats 150 for a banquet.

And in New Plymouth, the recently joined Devon Hotel has opened a state-of-the-art conference centre on a bigger scale that handles 750 people in theatre style and 450 for banquets. Its grand auditorium can be broken into three separate conference rooms. l

NICK FAGERLUND is Hospitality NZ’s Legal Advisor.

0800 500 503

VEGETARIAN DISH CHALLENGE

HOSPITALITY UNIFORM SPECIALISTS

• Custom NZ made Aprons, Chef Jackets and Pants • Imported Aprons, Chef Jackets and Pants • Representing Fashion Biz, BMV and more for all your Front of House requirements.

BLAZEY UNIFORMS 0800 252 939

Ph: 03 365 5680 Fax: 03 379 9575 Mob: 022 0232 472 www.blazeyuniforms.co.nz

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POTATO fennel mousse, cimin carrot puree and root vegtable dauphinoise are just some of the tantalizing tastes featured in this year’s New Zealand Vegetarian Dish Challenge.

Popular Kiwi chefs have sharpened their knives for this year’s premier vegetable competition following a growth in popularity of plant based diets. The national competition which celebrates the very best of fresh New Zealand grown vegetables, attracted more than 200 entries from chefs across the three categories of breakfast/brunch, lunch and dinner/fine dining. Finalists include Kaylin Thomson from one80degrees Restaurant, Copthorne Hotel, Oriental Bay

in Wellington who produced a kumara and orange cake featuring cumin carrot puree, gremolata cavalo nero, poached egg and Sauce Maltaise for the Breakfast category. Well known chef Marc Soper from Wharekauhau Country Estate in Palliser Bay is a finalist for the Lunch category with his Salt baked celery root, braised endive, potato fennel mousse, textures of winter vegetables and vadouvan spiced granola dish. Also making the finals from Wharekauhau Country Estate is Cole Falloon with a kumara flan with potato and leek galette, orange salad and pickled vegetables dish.

The three winners will be announced later this month. l

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conference

EXHIBITOR DISPLAYS AT HOTEL CONFERENCE

PRODUCING their wares for the 300 delegates at last month’s Hotel Industry Conference 2015 worked well for the suppliers who took the plunge. Exhibitors in the breakout room next to the conference auditorium at Auckland’s Langham Hotel confirmed they had strong interest and a number of sales through participation. Morning and afternoon teas were served in the exhibition area. Some of the exhibitors’ stands are pictured here. l

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FRIENDS AND FAMILY OVER FOR A ROAST?

WE’VE GOT A WINE FOR THAT. Invite a few familiar faces. Add a surprise announcement. Or two.

Season with jokes - any quality. And a bottle of something special.