Accom Management Guide - Summer 2016

housekeepingWashroom Products: Choosing the ideal tissues and dispensers

refurbishmentCase Study: Edgewater Lake Wanaka

marketingRepeat Booking: How brands maximise repeat bookings

www.accomnews.co.nzIssue 31 | Summer 2016

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Ramada Auckland Federal StLeading the way in apartment style hotel accommodation

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03SUMMER 2016

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ISSN: 1173-0943

Summer 2016

industry04 Hospitality New Zealand Report: Tourist

levies – killing the golden goose

05 AA Tourism Report: A good balance essential when it comes to the bottom line

06 TIA Report: Infrastructure investment – the where and when

06 Tourism Export Council Report: Half of international visitors still using inbound tour operators for travel

07 Maori Tourism Report: A picture paints a thousand words

08 Special Report: More international tourists discover the uncrowded charms of the South Pacifi c

management11 Interview: Exclusive: an interview with

Geoff Mahony

what's hot12 What's Hot

profi les14 Ramada Auckland Federal St: Ramada

Auckland Federal St opens to strong demand

17 Novotel New Plymouth: Novotel New Plymouth Hobson now open for business

21 Quest Taupo: Quest Taupo a new choice in booming scenic North Island leisure playground

24 Amora Hotel Wellington: Superior accommodation at Amora Hotel Wellington

property26 Motel Rentals: Rent reviews and the motel

industry – part two

food & beverage28 Banquets: Turning restaurant downtime

into profi t

housekeeping30 Bunk Beds: Bunk bed revival set for 2016

34 Washroom Products: Choosing the ideal washroom tissues and dispensers

38 Trolleys: Hospitality trolleys: Bat-mobile or battered mobile?

refurbishment42 Bathrooms: Upgraded bathrooms are an

excellent chance to impress

45 Case Study – Edgewater Lake Wanaka: An ideal time for a refurb at famed beauty spot

technology 50 Telecommunications: Providing technology

for the self-contained guest

52 Catering for Guest Technology: Is ample connectivity for guest devices as important as providing hot water?

human resources56 Training: Hotel happiness

58 Front Desk: Front-desk team is crucial to hotel marketing

guest facilities60 Waterparks: What’s your Pooltention?

marketing63 Maximising Repeat Bookings: Invest in

your guests – A fresh approach to guest loyalty in 2016

64 Maximising Repeat Bookings: How brands maximise repeat bookings:

68 Maximising Repeat Bookings: Hot tips to increase repeat business

69 Websites: Your website is Gold!

energy & resources70 LED Lighting: Retro fi tting from halogen

preferred suppliers71 The Preferred Suppliers Directory

Cover photo: Ramada Auckland Federal St

i industry

04 ACCOM MANAGEMENT GUIDE

Hospitality New Zealand Report:

Tourist levies – killing the golden goose

AS WE COME OFF THE BACK OF YET ANOTHER RISE IN INTERNATIONAL TOURISM NUMBERS, COMPARED TO THIS TIME LAST YEAR, IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHY WE ARE SEEING THIS INCREASE. YES, THERE IS EXCHANGE RATES AND FLIGHT COSTS, BUT NEW ZEALAND IS A ‘BUCKET LIST’ DESTINATION FOR A GROWING NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM A WIDER RANGE OF COUNTRIES.

They want the one thing that New Zealanders can offer – a genuine experience in a country full of people who want to welcome them. Sure, as an industry we need to continue to realise the challenge of becoming more professional and understanding the needs of this wider customer base, but we are a genuine, honest country and that has a massive appeal for international tourists who may not experience the same closer to home. It seems that some local councils (Queenstown to name one) want to lead the charge on yet another opportunity to put off tourists choosing New Zealand as a preferred destination – another tax.

In recent months the idea has been re-fl oated that extra tax on tourists is required and the best way to manage the collection of this tax is via accommodation providers in the area.

The concept that a continued array of taxes on our tourists is an effective way to balance the books at a national or council level is not only fl awed as a fi nancial management method, but undermines what our largest growth industry in New Zealand is trying to do – attract more visitors. This comes also at a time when the Government has introduced a border control levy on arrivals into New Zealand, suggested to start this month.

Flawed and unmanageable

The concept is not only fl awed for its impact on tourists’ attitude

to their experience and thus what they say when they get home and on-line, it is unmanageable.

How is the community going to collect a nightly tax from those visitors staying with friends and family or those using private accommodation such as holiday homes and Air bnb? Could this tax be a fl at rate or will it be a percentage of the nightly tariff, and how will that be managed and policed? Will the business community help pay for the collection and administration costs – is this starting to sound like a local GST?

It is unthinkable that the levy would just be on commercial accommodation, if the focus is to fi ll council coffers, as the percentage of non-commercial accommodation continues to grow with more than 75 percent of these properties not even contributing to GST or paying appropriate rates to fund tourism in our regions.

If increased tax is what is required, why not just better manage the current accommodation providers. Over 40 percent of homes in

some high density tourism destinations are being rented out for a commercial return, but there is no requirement to

pay commercial rates.

Short sighted action

Every community, agency and commercial business continually looks for ways to increase access to funds to offer better

services, but this levy idea is a short-sighted action that could likely undermine the long term profi tability

of an important industry. This is not a precedent any region of New Zealand should consider strategic or at all logical.

The accommodation sector is a huge part of our tourism industry and is made up of such a wide range

of potential experiences, from international hotel brands through

to our small family-run local motels. None are in a position

to administrate more council revenue gathering plots when, as

accommodation occupancy grows, each of these businesses pays more

tax anyway.

As the fable suggests, killing the golden goose is a short-sighted action that destroys

the long term profi tability of an asset. Local tourism levies through the accommodation sector

will do just that.

This fantastic increase in tourism numbers that everyone has worked so hard to continue to develop should be seen for what it is – an opportunity to impress these visiting tourists so they continue to be our ever increasing domestic and international good will.

By Adam Cunningham, National President, Hospitality New Zealand

Adam Cunningham

OF PEOPLE FROM A WIDER RANGE OF COUNTRIES.

experience in a country full of people who want to welcome them. Sure, as

more professional and understanding

may not experience the same closer to home. It seems that some local councils (Queenstown to name one) want to lead the

way to manage the collection of this tax is via accommodation providers in the

of taxes on our tourists is an effective way to balance the books at a national or council level is not only fl awed as a fi nancial management method, but undermines what our largest growth industry in New Zealand is

How is the community going to collect a nightly tax from those visitors staying with friends and family or those using private accommodation such as holiday homes and Air bnb? Could this tax be a fl at rate or will it be a percentage of the nightly tariff, and how will that be managed and policed? Will the business community help pay for the collection and administration costs – is this starting to sound like a local GST?

It is unthinkable that the levy would just be on commercial accommodation, if the focus is to fi ll council coffers, as the percentage of non-commercial accommodation continues to grow with more than 75 percent of these properties not even contributing to GST or paying appropriate rates to fund tourism in our regions.

If increased tax is what is required, why not just better manage the current accommodation providers. Over 40 percent of homes in

some high density tourism destinations are being rented out for a commercial return, but there is no requirement to

pay commercial rates.

Short sighted action

Every community, agency and commercial business continually looks for ways to increase access to funds to offer better

services, but this levy idea is a short-sighted action that could likely undermine the long term profi tability

of an important industry. This is not a precedent any region of New Zealand should consider strategic or at all logical.

The accommodation sector is a huge part of our tourism industry and is made up of such a wide range

revenue gathering plots when, as accommodation occupancy grows,

each of these businesses pays more tax anyway.

As the fable suggests, killing the golden goose is a short-sighted action that destroys

the long term profi tability of an asset. Local tourism levies through the accommodation sector

iindustry

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AA Tourism Report:

A good balance essential when it comes to the bottom line

RUNNING A BUSINESS IS HARD – THERE’S NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT.

The scale of business doesn’t make a difference to that simple fact. Every operation has its complexities, its unique foibles and different areas of intense focus required. Usually the ultimate goal is the same – maximising the bottom line – which, in a very basic sense, is all about more sales.

However, sometimes the best way to maximise profits – or at least preserve them – is to be very selective about when and what is sold.

In short, a good salesperson knows what business to say no to. This is an important skill, especially for accommodation providers who must make many decisions between peak, shoulder and off-peak seasons to keep the cash-flow going and the end of year result on the right side of the ledger.

While bookings are flowing for most during the summer, it’s the rest of the year that requires more care.

Cheaper tariffs and other packages can be a good effective option to entice new guests, along with making more rooms available with online travel agents (OTAs), but what impact does this have on yield?

Not every sale will help with profitability. Volume growth isn’t useful if there’s no profit in it.

Understanding the cost base – all of it – during these times is important.

There are obvious costs when letting a room, but there could be hidden costs as well – or at least costs that aren’t fully considered at the time, such as the commission charged by OTAs or other channels that can be relied on a little more during the quieter times.

These can all chip away at the real return for letting the room, which can have a big impact on yield overall and, therefore, the bottom line at the end of the year.

Keeping a good handle on costs and ensuring that not too many rooms are offered in a way that will reduce return is important.

Achieving balance is the key, both from a cash flow perspective and ensuring the property remains open.

No one knows your business better than you. The right mix to achieve a good balance is going to be different for everyone.

Being tuned in to the pulse of the business as it changes during the seasons helps with decisions and ensures that a cautious approach is taken before committing to sales that might break the usual business mould.

By Moira Penman, General Manager, AA Tourism

Moira Penman

i industry


TIA Report:

Infrastructure investment – the where and when

AS 2015 CAME TO A CLOSE TIA HOTEL MEMBERS WERE REPORTING RECORD PERFORMANCE, AND SOME MEDIA WERE REPORTING THE ‘INN WAS FULL’ ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

While we have seen a huge influx of visitors in many parts of the country, and there will be some pinch-points in a few hotspots over summer, the reality is that we still have plenty of capacity around the country throughout much of the year.

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

As I’ve noted in earlier columns, TIA is having in-depth discussions about the infrastructure needed to accommodate tourism growth and how we can lead work on this issue.

We know that more hotels are needed in some areas, along with improvements to cruise port facilities. Many parts of the country also need better roading, water and sewerage infrastructure to cope with population and visitor growth. We also know new products are needed to attract visitors and provide a great experience at different times of the year.

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

The tourism industry’s Tourism 2025 growth framework highlighted that because many conferences are held in the shoulder and off-seasons, between March and November, creating demand for accommodation and other services at a quieter time of the year. And, because business event visitors often extend their stay, business events create opportunities for regional dispersal.

One of TIA’s priorities is to find out more about what is needed when it comes to infrastructure and where. We will be working with the main centre economic development agencies to identify the priorities. We may also need to commission research with a view to taking our findings to Government, including New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, with a list of priority projects we can promote to international investors.

We also plan to work with the Department of Conservation to create new attractions and activities on the public estate. As well as giving visitors more ‘must-dos’, more activities will help relieve pressure on current hotspots and encourage visitors to travel and stay in regions waiting to be discovered.

TIA’s Board is strongly of the view that taxing visitors to fund infrastructure is not a solution. The new Border Clearance Levy was introduced on January 1, 2016 and a number of councils are investigating the possibility of new tourist taxes.

We oppose taxes on visitors. Our visitors already pay $2.5 billion a year in GST, which is not returned to the tourism industry. We will continue lobbying central and local government for reinvestment of the revenue already collected from the tourism industry.

2016 New Zealand Hotel Industry Conference

Hotel infrastructure – what we need and where that investment could come from – will be on the agenda at this year’s New Zealand Hotel Industry Conference, at The Langham Auckland on June 1-2, 2016. This event, co-hosted by TIA and Horwath HTL, is the largest annual event dedicated to New Zealand’s hotel sector. Last year’s conference was a sell-out and we expect this year will be no different. Registrations will open soon. Be in quick to make sure you don’t miss out!

By Sally Attfield, TIA Sector Manager, Hotels

Sally Attfield

Tourism Export Council Report:

Half of international visitors still using inbound tour operators for travelRESEARCH CONDUCTED BY AUCKLAND TOURISM, EVENTS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (ATEED) AND THE TOURISM EXPORT COUNCIL NEW ZEALAND (TEC) HAS REVEALED THAT BETWEEN 40 AND 55 PERCENT OF INTERNATIONAL LEISURE VISITORS USE INBOUND TOUR OPERATORS AND DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS TO BOOK TRAVEL TO NEW ZEALAND.

ATEED, in partnership with the Tourism Export Council New Zealand, surveyed Inbound Tour Operators (ITO) to help determine the value the sector provides to the Auckland economy. Respondents were asked

questions around spend data for Auckland,

length of stay in itineraries and lead times for

various international markets.

Based on the research findings the ITO sector is

worth an estimated $139 million to Auckland in

terms of revenue from international visitors.

ATEED tourism manager, Jason Hill, says despite

the increase in the use of digital marketing

and online purchasing for travel over the years

the research has shown that the ITOs remain a vital link in the travel

distribution channels.

Lesley Immink

iindustry

07SUMMER 2016

Maori Tourism Report:

A picture paints a thousand words

NGA MIHI O TE TAU HOU KIA KOTOU – HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

As no doubt many of you will have done, the first morning back after the summer break was spent catching up with colleagues about what we had got up to over the break. Most of the NZ Maori Tourism team travelled out of Wellington over that time – to the East Coast, Hawke’s Bay, West Coast of the South Island, top of the South, Waikato, Taranaki, and Central North Island; in fact between the six of us we covered some miles.

With that comes a lot of discussion about the various experiences we had during our travels. Everything from booking into the heart break motel – you know the one – when you pull into the driveway and the sign is on a lean and the grass is long. You just know what’s in store – if you use the oven the element doesn’t work or you need to retrain to use the microwave – oh actually it’s more simple than the modern ones , turn the dial and it starts. It is surprising how you make do when you’re hungry. Yes, I can hear you say ‘go somewhere else’ – there was nowhere else! There was one saving grace, they were so lovely, I mean really lovely – very little English but we got through it. That said, I suspect we were the first humans they had seen for a very long time.

Talking about hunger, another colleague spoke of her experience in an unnamed fast food restaurant. Just as she had ordered, a large group of non-speaking punters arrived. They just wanted to order food, but language in this instance was a significant barrier. The solution – staffer goes to the back and brings out one of his colleagues who was able to communicate adequately enough that orders were taken and visitors were fed!

As visitor numbers grow, especially from non-English speaking countries (look at those emerging markets) we have some interesting challenges ahead, in particular around communication. Add to that our sector is made up of largely small business, so it is difficult, and in many cases, just not possible to have staff who are multi-lingual. Some

people have adopted some practical ways of dealing with this issue and they include pictures. Pictures on the menu, pictures on toilet doors, pictures at hotel and motel check-ins. Not costly and not difficult if you have a computer.

We recently attended the launch of the Queenstown Resort College in Northland and picked up an elderly hitch hiker on our way. He was Japanese. Unfortunately we don’t speak Japanese and he didn’t speak English. Technology – of course – saved the day. We found an app and started to converse with each other. Very quickly we managed to build a rapport and importantly we were able to take care of him. We were very lucky to have met this kaumatua, I mean, who gets to hang out with an 80 year old hitch hiker from another country who is so full of life and adventure. Now that’s Mana!

Mr Sakamoto has been hitch hiking around New Zealand on his own for the past two months and has about another month to go. He had not left Japan in 50 years, as he was busy working and raising his family. He decided to come to New Zealand as he heard it was very safe, and very beautiful.

Yes, our conversation with him was stilted and it took time. We had to simplify our questions and watch our use of colloquialisms. We used a combination of audio and visual, including body language and facial expressions. A dawn walk around the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi with barely 10 words spoken between us all. At every turn there was something different, the view, the sunrise, the foliage… the expression on his face spoke a thousand words!

Mauriora

By Pania Tyson-Nathan, Chief Executive, NZ Maori Tourism

Pania Tyson-Nathan

“Tourism operators are a vital part of the Auckland economy and ATEED works closely with the industry along the travel supply chain to ensure that Auckland tourism product and content is well represented,” he says.

“Tourism generates in excess of $5 billion of GDP each year and supports more than 50,000 full time jobs. This research has provided a good base to help us further understand the value of the ITO sector and how we can identify more opportunities to help this traditional trade channel grow.”

Other key findings were:

1. ITO sector is worth an estimated $139 million to Auckland in terms of revenue from international visitors

2. On average 28 percent of an ITO's total New Zealand revenue relates to consumption of Auckland product

3. Estimated 487,000 (or 77 percent) of ITO customers spend at least one night in Auckland

4. 87 percent of ITOs promote Auckland as part of their itineraries

5. 91 percent of ITOs operate as ITO with 72 percent of ITO business done direct with wholesale agents

6. 51 percent group bookings, 31 percent FIT – others up to 6 percent

were education, MICE and cruise

7. 40 percent of group bookings were series tours with 60 percent ad

hoc groups

8. 40 percent of Indian and Chinese visitors book the month prior to

travel.

This kind of research has provided the organisation with some interesting

market intelligence and given us a great understanding of the value of our

inbound operators. It’s quite clear that there is still a large proportion of

the international leisure market who prefer to use ITOs, particularly in the

more niche and high end international visitors,” she says.

The information we have collated gives the organisation and industry

some qualitative data on the economic contribution to the Auckland

region and the wider tourism industry.

A copy of the report is available at http://www.tourismexportcouncil.org.

nz/tec-inbound-operator-report/

By Lesley Immink, CEO Tourism Export Council

i industry


Special Report:

More international tourists discover the uncrowded charms of the South Pacific

WITH INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS INCREASINGLY COMPETITIVE AND CORRESPONDINGLY AFFORDABLE FOR MANY, WORLD TOURISM IS BOOMING – ACCENTUATED BY A RAPIDLY GROWING MIDDLE CLASS IN SUCH COUNTRIES AS CHINA, INDIA, INDONESIA AND VIETNAM.

Another factor is that whereas long-distance travel was once largely the preserve of young people yet to be tied down by mortgages and children, or older people who had reached retirement age, those employed in several western countries are now eligible for five-six weeks of annual holiday, giving them travel options unknown to previous generations as they can now enjoy satisfying trips overseas without the need to jettison their jobs to do so.

Increasingly the problem for tourists is to find somewhere that is a desirable place to visit but is not already overrun with other tourists – already near impossible in much of Europe, the USA, and the UK. Where to go that still retains at least some vestige of its original unspoilt charm?

For New Zealanders, the attractions of warmer climes in the Pacific have been attractive for decades – and increasing. The general manager of Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort, Peter Hopgood, says business from New Zealand to the resorts on Fiji’s Coral Coast has almost doubled in the last two years.

“Three years ago, most New Zealand travellers only went to Denarau or the islands. Slowly but surely they are making their way down to the Coral Coast where the resorts offer a more authentic Fijian experience. The Coral Coast is the cultural and adventure capital of Fiji,” said Mr Hopgood.

“At Outrigger, the number of New Zealand visitors has increased by over 200 percent in the last three years. We expect this to grow by another 30 percent in 2016.”

When it comes to the Cook Islands, Karine Thomas is director of Navigate Oceania which manages global marketing for Nautilus Resort on Rarotonga.

“Nautilus Resort is experiencing considerable interest from not just domestic and Australian markets but from specifically northern European travel companies which traditionally promote Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific,” she said.

“Although European occupancy numbers compared to the Australian and

New Zealand markets are still low, sitting at around 10 percent, it shows a strong growth leading into 2016 – lead time is longer with Northern Hemisphere destinations. Additionally USA consortia are taking more of an interest in the Cook Islands as a destination (other than Tahiti and Hawaii). We are seeing growth, albeit in still very small numbers out of the USA,” Ms Thomas said.

International pressure

The relatively unspoilt charm of this part of the world is also largely behind the recent surge in tourism to New Zealand from far-distant countries, but the smaller countries of the Pacific have been traditionally a little more difficult and expensive to reach. However, this is changing rapidly, says Mr Hopgood.

“Fiji as a destination experienced an overall growth in tourism number of 6.7 percent in 2015. Whilst Australians and New Zealanders make up the main proportion of those visitors, there has been a dramatic increase in visitors from Asia and the United States.

“Fiji Airways has just taken delivery of a new aircraft and will commence flights to Singapore and San Francisco in early 2016. Whilst most people travelling to Fiji are coming for a holiday there has been a large increase in the number of guests coming here to get married or to attend a conference,” he said.

It is the pressure on other tourist hot-spots that is accentuating the trend. And with travel now increasingly possible for couples and their children, a different type of holiday venue is correspondingly popular – safe places with a warm climate, where children can enjoy their own activities, or be professionally entertained while their parents relax.

For all these reasons, the islands of the South Pacific have grown progressively on the travel horizons of holiday-makers worldwide. The attractions are obvious enough – blue seas, good swimming, friendly service – and not too many other tourists.

The islands might be a long way from the grand cathedrals, palaces and historic buildings of Europe but those can quickly start to pall. The South Pacific has a charm all its own. Trading with the locals in the town markets for fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, delicious local dishes and traditional handicrafts, for instance. Those feeling more active might try their hands at big game fishing, or water sports in the lagoon in front of their resort.

Quality accommodation

To some extent, this tourism has been restricted by a shortage of world class accommodation. Without sufficient tourist inflow to make it worthwhile, the big hotel and resort chains have been careful not to over-extend their investments there.

Outrigger Beach Resort, Fiji

Nautilus Resort, Rarotonga

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i industry


Special Report:

But that has been increasingly corrected in recent years. In this and subsequent editions, Accom Management Guide will begin looking at what is available now for travellers on a reasonable budget who expect a good standard of establishment to stay in. We begin with three resorts – two in Fiji and one in the Cook Islands.

Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort

Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort at Sigatoka, Fiji, celebrated its 15th anniversary late last year and is widely recognised as one of Outrigger Resorts’ premier beachfront properties.

Employing more than 550 Fijian staff, in 2014 it was named ‘Number One Family Resort’ in Australia and the South Pacific in TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards and is ranked among the top 25 best family resorts in the world. Outrigger Asia Pacific managing director Darren Edmonstone said the company is extremely proud of the property’s success and outstanding reputation for offering guests an authentic Fijian beachfront holiday experience.

“The success of this property stems largely from Geoff Shaw’s vision, the natural charm of our Fijian hosts and Outrigger’s values-led management culture that has over 68 years of experience operating resorts in island destinations,” said Mr. Edmonstone.

“Planning is well underway for numerous capital projects that will see the property and its facilities elevated. This will set the direction for the future as well as demonstrate Outrigger Resorts’ ongoing commitment and faith in Fiji and the strength of its tourism industry,” he said.

Work on the new capital projects is scheduled to commence in February 2016 with an upgrade to the resort’s main lagoon swimming pool.

Regarded by many as Fiji’s premier family resort, its unique Talai Butler Service and Meimei Nanny Service have endeared it to both the family market and the couples and destination weddings market.

Peter Hopgood, resort general manager for the past six years, believes that much of the resort’s success stems from listening and responding to guest feedback.

“Parents told us they wanted a quiet place to relax away from the main swimming pool, so we decided to construct a separate adults-only pool, bar and bistro area called Vahavu, meaning to ‘chill-out.’

“Opened in August 2013, this has been a massive success, and we now offer five child-free zones throughout the resort which are popular with parents and couples,” he said.

The Meimei Nanny Service is unique to the resort and is available in a package that gives families with infants, aged from six months to 12 years, four consecutive days of personalised and affordable care for up to eight hours a day.

Adults also appreciate the Bebe Spa Sanctuary, Kalokalo Sunset Bar and Ivi Restaurant, all of which provide a tranquil ambience for relaxing while children are cared for by their Meimei nanny or are being entertained at the Kids Club.

Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, Fiji

The award-winning, 5-star Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, Fiji is one of the South Pacific’s most renowned vacation destinations. Located on 17 flourishing acres of a former coconut plantation on the island of Vanua Levu, the eco-luxury resort overlooks the peaceful waters of Savusavu Bay and offers an exclusive escape for families, couples and discerning travellers looking for an authentic Fijian experience.

Attractions for a vacation at Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort are derived from the natural beauty of the island and the warmth of the staff. It says in its promotional material: “From the first interaction at check-in, to the bartenders and waiters, to the concierge and dive instructors, Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort is a place where the staff remembers the names of the guests – not because they are trained to do so, but because they are genuinely engaged and take pride in the experience they create for the resort’s guests. This is the true Fijian way.”

The resort recently launched a project to support the local community by advancing education with a new afterschool computer program. It involves 30 local school children in an ongoing series which is held at the resort. Taught by local, specialised volunteers, it aims to help children master code.

Nautilus Resort, Rarotonga

Overlooking Muri Beach and lagoon and just 20 minutes by road from the international airport, Rarotonga’s newest opening is the laid-back luxury of Nautilus Resort. Accomodation is in villas spread over one single level, each built and furnished to elegant luxury standards.

Guests have the option of two and three bedroom villas with ensuites, private plunge pool, lounge, full kitchen and dining terrace – light, tropical breakfasts are provided daily in the restaurant; or the junior suite with king bed and kitchenette. Guests have the option of absolute beach front or garden views.

Nautilus Resort prides itself on offering a “fresh new dining experience” showcasing Polynesian signature tastes. The cusine is Polynesian – European fusion using local seasonal ingredients with an emphasis on fresh produce and harvest from the sea. Nautilus took out the inaugural supreme award for Restaurant of the Year 2015, topping a group of Cook Island eateries. The Avarua town markets where locals trade for handcrafts, fresh fish, fruit, vegetables and delicious local dishes, is close by.

By Brent Leslie, Industry Reporter

Vomo Island Resort, Fiji

Three key goals for Best Western are:

1. To grow the brand with exceptional customer service and high quality midscale and upscale hotels in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacifi c. This creates a ripple effect for Best Western Hotels & Resorts worldwide as guests want to stay with Best Western throughout the world.

2. For the company to become a market leader in hotel management services. This is my passion and I love getting up each day knowing I can be in the position to make a difference to an iconic brand and the communities where we’re located.

3. Provide fl exible investor arrangements for the hotel management contracts. Flexibility is the key to Best Western’s management service model.

mmanagement

11SUMMER 2016

Interview:

Exclusive: an interview with Geoff Mahony

BEST WESTERN AUSTRALASIA’S GENERAL MANAGER OF STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT AND HOTEL MANAGEMENT SERVICES, GEOFF MAHONY, TALKS ABOUT HIS LIFETIME PASSION FOR SERVICE IN HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM AND THE POWER OF GOING LOCAL.

1. What drew you to this industry and how did you come to your current position?

A passion for hospitality. I loved the importance of people and really took pride in delivering a memorable experience. It was this passion for service which led me to airlines and eventually into a hotel career, where I have been ever since.

I completed a hospitality and commercial catering course – the main structure was a diploma of commercial catering through Sydney Technical College. I worked my way through hotels and Australian Resorts, a subsidiary of Qantas in the 1980s. I eventually left Australian Resorts and joined Plaza Hotels for fi ve years.

This led me to Best Western, where I was encouraged by a friend to apply for a position leading their regional services. How time fl ies – I’m celebrating my fi rst decade of service with Best Western Hotels and Resorts this year.

2. Do you think hoteliers should try working with OTAs and Airbnb rather than against them? Would you say it is easier for large companies to do this than it is for independent hotels?

Best Western does work very closely with our OTA partners. Equally, we drive business to our independent hotels. The rise of the online travel agents has changed the way people research travel and book hotels, so we lean on each other to drive bookings. However, people looking for the best rate on their accommodation should start by looking on a hotel brand’s website, which generally shows the lowest rate. Best Western advocates for a low-rate guarantee for all direct bookings through bestwestern.com.au or bestwestern.co.nz.

Generally, with no commission to be paid to online travel agents or other travel management companies, there’s a greater margin to work with this way. Plus, extra discounts are available by booking with hotels direct. We always encourage people to check the hotel’s website as the fi rst point of research in the booking process.

3. What’s your view on integrating social media into the fabric of the accommodation industry? Tell us how the day-to-day operations at Best Western have been affected by advancing social technology.

Social media is an exciting area for the tourism and hospitality sectors. We have a new breed of guests who we need to reach. This generation has grown-up with mobile phones, the internet, video messaging and tablet devices and expect a very personalised digital experience in addition to an interpersonal one.

We fi nd one-on-one social media webinars are a great way for our communications staff to continually educate, engage and empower our hotels with how to use social media.

At corporate level we use internal e-newsletters and an employee intranet to share updates and resources. Staff also communicate with each other at annual regional meetings, network online and join together at the Best Western Member Convention. The next convention is on the Gold Coast in August 2016.

4. What do you view as the most challenging part of your job and what is your favourite part?

My job is varied and I enjoy all parts. Interacting with dedicated and focused hospitality professionals. I love taking over a hotel and presenting it as a stronger business than it was previously. A stronger level of service, a better product and better experience for our guests is a really big part in what I do at Best Western.

The challenging part is ensuring that each hotel is constantly focussed on delivering high levels of service and that everything looks right; is in

place, is looking extremely sharp. I think as an industry, we have an obligation as hotels and resorts to deliver the best levels

of service possible. The guest experience at our hotels is absolutely central to all that we do.

5. “Going local” has become a hot topic for hotels, do you think it’s a good idea for brands to draw from local environments when developing hotels?

Going local is essential to understand for hotels going forward. Every hotel has an obligation to work with their

community. We get involved in local charities, support local businesses as much as

we can and offer employment opportunities for locals too. We use local tradespeople, produce for food and beverage and nurturing more local relationships to benefi t the local community. The community is your fi rst stop for word of mouth. Family and friends living in the area are the fi rst to recommend our hotels to their friends, family and businesses and this comes back to local businesses supporting your business.

Generally, with no commission to be paid to online travel agents or other travel management companies, there’s a greater margin to work with this way. Plus, extra discounts are available by booking with hotels direct. We always encourage people to check the hotel’s website as the fi rst

3. What’s your view on integrating social media into the fabric of the accommodation industry? Tell us how the day-to-day operations at Best Western have been affected

an obligation as hotels and resorts to deliver the best levels of service possible. The guest experience at our hotels is absolutely central to all that we do.

5. “Going local” has become a hot topic for hotels, do you think it’s a good idea for brands to draw from local environments when developing hotels?

Going local is essential to understand for hotels going forward. Every hotel has an obligation to work with their

community. We get involved in local charities, support local businesses as much as

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13SUMMER 2016

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c GuestGear p 07 827 6153 e [email protected] w www.guestgear.co.nz

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p profiles


Ramada Auckland Federal St:

Ramada Auckland Federal St: opens to strong demand

TRAVELLERS VISITING AUCKLAND CAN NOW REST COMFORTABLY AT THE CITY’S NEW APARTMENT-STYLE HOTEL, THE 4-STAR RAMADA AUCKLAND FEDERAL STREET. IT OPENED TO ITS FIRST CUSTOMERS IN LATE OCTOBER 2015 AND WAS OFFICIALLY OPENED AT A FUNCTION IN LATE NOVEMBER.

Ramada Auckland Federal Street is conveniently situated in the city’s central business district, about 30 minutes’ drive from Auckland Airport and a short walk to popular attractions such as Aotea Square, SkyCity, the Britomart precinct, as well as the area’s major businesses.

The boutique-style hotel offers a mix of 42 studio and one-bedroom apartments with impressive city views, contemporary décor, kitchens, washing machines and dryers. Additional hotel features include unlimited free wifi access throughout the property, and parking.

Experienced team

The decision to build was made in mid-2014 and involved the developers – Safari Group – along with business owner Marsden Asset Management and hospitality consultants BT Group. The Safari Group team is the same one that built the Ramada Christchurch and is currently working on Ramada Queenstown and Ramada Albany.

“The project from inception to completion took a relatively short amount of time,” said Benjamin Trotter, managing director of BT Group, which has headed the launch of the hotel operation.

It involved the conversion of a building on the site previously known as Osaka House – a student accommodation lodge. The developers completely cleared the floor plates and rebuilt the existing rooms to make them more spacious. The site was the main attraction. “It’s an incredible location, in a central part the city, and easy to access,” Mr Trotter said. “And Osaka House had the advantage of being a very solid building.”

Interior design was by Pam Taylor who chose the fittings and selected the colours to reflect the property’s ‘trendy’ feel. Mrs Taylor is also designing the interiors of other Ramada projects in development in New Zealand.

Wyndham Hotel Group

Ramada is one of Wyndham’s recognised brands in New Zealand and Australia. Wyndham Hotel Group is the world's largest and most diverse hotel company with approximately 7670 hotels and 667,000 rooms worldwide. It has highly recognisable brands and hotel choices in every category, from upper-upscale to economy.

Mr Trotter says the Federal St property has a licence agreement

pprofiles

15SUMMER 2016

with Ramada to utilise the brand and Ramada's back-end systems to generate further guest demand and room sales. However, the property is managed and owned independently. In officially opening the building in late November, Michael Osborne, director of Marsden Asset Management, said the relationship with Ramada and the Wyndham Group began with Edgewater Palms Apartments in Paihia about eight years ago. “It’s been a very good relationship,” he said.

This Ramada is the Wyndham Hotel Group’s fourth property in New Zealand and its first in Auckland. Barry Robinson, Wyndham Hotel Group’s president and managing director South East Asia and Pacific Rim, said the addition helps address the increasing demand for new, quality-driven accommodation in Auckland’s CBD.

“The Auckland area has long been a gateway to New Zealand and the most visited destination, welcoming more than 70 percent of the country’s visitors. The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) predicts visitor arrivals will reach more than 1.5 billion by 2020 and our new Ramada location is delivering to these travellers a contemporary, value-driven lodging experience with the comforts of home in the heart of the city,” said Mr Robinson.

Strong early performance

Mr Trotter said Ramada Auckland Federal St “performed exceptionally” in its first month of business – November, in line with the Auckland market. “A number of events and concerts in November contributed to that. With only 42 rooms at a premium standard, the product we have is in high demand. We expect the demand for quality accommodation to continue as people transition away from typical motel/hotel accommodation – with little to no in-room amenities – towards rooms with full kitchens, laundries and other residential-style facilities,” he said.

“Most early sales have been direct bookings + sales via OTAs with minimal corporate and group business. Opening in November we didn't expect a strong corporate uptake due to the Christmas and New Year holidays, but now that we’re in 2016 we’re looking to build the corporate base in particular with those corporates and companies requiring fully

self-contained accommodation options for their employees, executives and contractors,” Mr Trotter said.

The property’s manager Margaret Simons says Ramada Auckland Federal Street is aimed at both corporate and leisure customers and she was “amazed” at the strength of the early bookings. “Really good, long bookings sometimes – and at a good price.”

She believes the property’s situation is a big advantage.

“It’s a great position. All the front apartments and the penthouse have lovely views. We’re 100 metres to Sky City and 100 metres to Aotea centre and close to many restaurants. People don’t really need a car when they’re here. When guests are flying in on business, they often don’t want to have to hire a car. When they’re staying with us, they can just walk or take a taxi. But if they do have a vehicle, we have parking here for them.

“We have a lot of guests from overseas and many of the tours they might want to go on leave from Sky City or Britomart, just a few minutes’ walk away,” Mrs Simons said.

“While we’re very close to several restaurants, it’s good for guests that they can cook when they want to. And it’s always handy to be able to throw a few things in the washing machine.”

Mrs Simons said another advantage is the lack of noise from outside. “We’re away from the noise of Queen St and there’s no through traffic. It’s very quiet here at night.”

Michael Osborne said new Ramada properties in development include Albany, due to open at the end of 2016; and Flat Bush, Manukau, at the end of 2017. Ramada Queenstown will open by the beginning of June this year.

“We’re currently seeking new opportunities in strategic locations with Safari Group.” He said Wellington was the likely site of a Ramada project in the near future.


p profiles


Ramada Auckland Federal St:

The most powerful, flexible, easy to use and affordable

property management system

www.innquest.com | +61 3 9728 2500 | [email protected]

roomMaster

Local Office in New Zealand

iQInnQuestAustralia

THE TEAM AT INNQUEST AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND CONGRATULATE THE RAMADA GROUP ON THE OPENING OF RAMADA AUCKLAND FEDERAL ST.

When it came time to look at property management systems, Ramada management sought a PMS system that was not only cost effective, but easy to use and feature packed.

InnQuest provided them the solution… roomMaster Premier Edition with SQL database.

roomMaster Premier Edition enables the Ramada group to run their modern operation with a system that is easy to use, a key feature when you have staff to train and a property to open. With roomMaster Premier Edition, Ramada added benefit of being able to create custom reports and run dynamic rates through the inbuilt revenue management features.

With automated yielding and the iQ-WorldLink interface to many popular channel managers, staff no longer need to constantly monitor and change the channel manager inventory and rates, leaving them able to take care of the guests while still achieving optimal revenues.

The fully integrated roomMaster solution adapts to the needs of all types of properties, in all types of locations, allowing you to work the way you want. roomMaster provides you with the tools to help you manage your business efficiently, not only allowing you to make stronger profits but to give you more time to attend to your guests' needs.

With a strong need to protecting our client's investment in roomMaster, InnQuest continually make improvements to the software (more than any other PMS vendor currently on the market), adding more than 100 features each year.

roomMaster was created by people from the hotel industry, with many years of hotel management experience, so you can be assured it will work the way you expect it to.

If you are looking for a solution to help you achieve the best results for your property, contact us for a consultation.

Congratulations Ramada Federal Street

FURNZ SPECIALISES IN INTERIOR FIT-OUTS FOR HOTELS, HANDLING EVERYTHING FROM INTERIOR DESIGN THROUGH TO PROCUREMENT AND INSTALLATION. IT HAS SPECIALISED IN THIS WORK FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS.

Ramada Federal St gave the Furnz team an unusual challenge which involved a retro look conceived by Pam Taylor from Kouros Design.

“We have worked with Safari Group and Pam on many projects over the past six years, said Furnz project leader, Jo Noton. “We usually join with them on a couple of projects a year and have developed an excellent working relationship.

“As the exterior of the building had Art Deco elements, Pam wanted to have a similar theme on the inside as well.

“There is obviously a lot of good reference material available on that style so we had fun putting some of our ideas into effect, such as retro style sofas with curved arms, bright orange, silver and black colours, adding touches of chrome for glamour and glitz. Bright artwork by Fiona Whyte and large mirrors to reflect light were used on the walls throughout the hotel,” said Ms Noton.

“As a team, we really enjoyed this project working with Pam Taylor and Safari Group, and we wish the team at Ramada Federal St every success.”

Art deco theme leads to retro creativity

pprofi les

17SUMMER 2016

Novotel New Plymouth:

Novotel New Plymouth Hobson now open for business

P (09) 431 2470 E [email protected]

‘thankful to be akey supplier of the

Novotel New Plymouth project’

Hotel FF&E Providers

WITH THE BEAUTIFULLY SYMMETRICAL CONE OF MOUNT TARANAKI PROVIDING A DRAMATIC BACKDROP TO THE CITY AND THE HIKING TRAILS OF EGMONT NATIONAL PARK JUST A SHORT DRIVE AWAY – ALONG WITH EXCELLENT SURF BEACHES, NEW PLYMOUTH HAS ALWAYS HAD A GREAT DEAL GOING FOR IT – A FACT QUICKLY RECOGNISED BY THE ORIGINAL ENGLISH SETTLERS WHO CAME THERE FROM PLYMOUTH, DEVON, IN 1841.

What those settlers did not know is that beneath the land area of Taranaki and also stretching far out under the sea, lay considerable quantities of oil and vast reserves of natural gas. Oil wells were being tapped in the region from 1865 on, providing an early source of employment and prosperity.

However, it was the discoveries of Kapuni in 1959 and the Maui off-shore gas fi eld in 1969, and the subsequent arrival of companies such as Shell, that really set Taranaki and its major city on their way. Large numbers of skilled construction and petrochemical workers were soon needed onshore, and for the offshore rigs in particular. Plenty of money was there to be made – and spent. New Plymouth became New Zealand’s oil and gas town, of considerable importance to the national economy.

Today New Plymouth is also known for its temperate climate, art galleries and beautiful parks. At the waterfront is Puke Ariki, an excellent museum and heritage centre, while locals and visitors can enjoy good shopping and an impressive selection of restaurants.

But for some years now, the growth in tourism was outstripping the supply of good quality accommodation, and local identity Philip Brown had a project in mind. Mr Brown is a New Plymouth based entrepreneur and property developer. Born and raised in Inglewood, Taranaki, he has established, owned and operated a number of very successful businesses both in and out of the region. He is a director of Hobson Hotel Property Holdings Ltd (the developer), Hobson Hotel Ltd, (the hotel operator).

Mr Brown had secured the necessary property in fi ve titles in 2010, comprising a church building and two dwellings. In 2012 resource consent was granted to construct a new 100 room hotel complex, conference facilities, restaurant and bar. Mr Brown appointed Murali Bhaskar of New Plymouth fi rm Boon Goldsmith Bhaskar Brebner Team Architects to head the design team.

A tendering process took place once Mr Brown had decided he wanted the hotel to be part of an international chain and Hamilton-based Foster Construction was appointed to carry out the project.

p profiles



Several options were considered and, after careful consideration, leading hotel operator Accor was chosen to be the operator.

And so in April 2014, Accor announced that a new-build Novotel hotel in New Plymouth would join its network in 2015 as its eighth Novotel hotel in New Zealand, with Sam Sherer as general manager.

Mr Sherer, who previously worked as an executive assistant manager at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and has been with the AccorHotels group for more than 10 years, said he looked forward to the challenge of putting his own stamp on the hotel and hoped it would provide guests with a unique experience.

However, his first task was to oversee the appointment of new employees to about 40 vacancies, which included a mix of part-time and full-time positions. He said that the response received was “incredible” with hundreds turning up to the main recruitment day.

“A large proportion of the prospective candidates had previous hotel experience. For some roles, experience wasn’t crucial as we were looking for people who had the right attitude and showed some x factor. All were from Taranaki, apart from those applying for two management positions,” he said.

Necessary addition

All the planning came to fruition on December 17, 2015 when the new 85-room Novotel New Plymouth Hobson was officially opened for business by the Honourable Paula Bennet (associate minister of tourism).

"It's impressive, the kind of spend you can see here." Taranaki's international reputation was growing all the time, so this hotel was "incredibly necessary", Ms Bennett said.

"I know you have bold plans for this region. Keep it local, embrace change, but make sure it's what you want – that it's true to the region."

Architect Murali Bhasker said architecture was about much more than designing a building – it was improving people's quality of living.

"We wanted to help Philip Brown create a space that reflected our region. A lot of great ideas come

out of a wine bar in the late evening."

This development was a confident sign of a "cool city – one that gets it." The building is cool and simple, he said. "Simplicity is mind-blowingly good. Looking good is a big deal."

By then, those involved in the project had good reason to be pleased with the amount of business the hotel was attracting. They were even more contented as 2016 began.

“It’s really encouraging so far with a strong lead of enquiries and bookings coming through,” said Mr Sherer. “We always knew it would take time to grow and develop the brand in the region but we’ve been extremely satisfied with the level of interest we’re drawing.” He was also very happy with the way his new staff were handling their positions.

“They’re all settling into their new roles extremely well. Everyone is excited about being part of the opening team and welcoming guests to the hotel.”

Developer Philip Brown and Paula Bennett – "impressive spend."

pprofiles

19SUMMER 2016

Potential 75% staff reduction • Potential 50% energy savingsNo more billing disputes • Elimination of product losses

No more expired products • Interface to front of�ce systemAttractive rent or lease options available

Contact Brantas on or [email protected] to find out how you can turn your minibar nightmare into a dream!

Good location and facilities

Among the factors the $22 million hotel has in its favour is position. It is in a prime location on the corner of Leach and Hobson streets, just a short walk from the town centre and conveniently accessible to all major tourist attractions. The site is the main arterial route into New Plymouth from the north and is located on the entry to the city CBD. Novotel New Plymouth Hobson features a mix of studio, executive and superior rooms, including one and two bedroom apartments. Complimentary wifi is available for all guests at fibre speed, and they also have access to a gymnasium and sauna.

When it comes to meals, their requirements are well taken care of – The Governors Eatery + Bar has seating for 85 people, and includes options for alfresco dining. With its two meeting rooms, the hotel brings a significant new range of meeting facilities to Taranaki. It is able to cater for 250 people in conference style, 180 people banquet style, and has an executive board room for 10. All conference rooms have state of the art technology with free wifi throughout the entire conference space. Natural light fills the room, which also has an outside space for canapés and drinks under a protected Ombu tree.

While New Plymouth is well supplied with conference venues, the new hotel is adding to that choice. “Other options in town can cater for much higher numbers than we can,” said Mr Sherer. “Our point of difference is that we’re brand new and have state of the art facilities.”

Well-timed arrival

So what will the Novotel New Plymouth Hobson mean for the city and the area? Stuart Trundle, the chief executive of the region’s combined tourism and economic development agency is the one to ask.

“The arrival of the Novotel New Plymouth Hobson is very well timed, at a point where Taranaki has seen sustained growth in our visitor numbers over many years and have a number of major tourism initiatives gaining traction,” Mr Trundle said.

Among these is the glistening Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre, which opened to critical acclaim and even stronger visitor numbers in July 2015. The centre has fuelled the enhancement of what was already a lively city CBD. Other new products will utilise Mount Taranaki – a one-day walk to rival the Tongariro Crossing – build on Taranaki’s events calendar, and offer exclusive tours into the region’s heartland.

“In terms of tourism, Taranaki has the products, operators, and unique experiences to support a growth strategy, and the Hobson is central to that,” he said.

“There is a strong medium-term outlook for the regional economy, particularly for the oil and gas sector, and regular international visitors engaged across that industry’s executive, technical and operational arms underpin accommodation demand.”

“Further, the Hobson will deliver a fillip for regional employment, and is a likely component in a recent surge in regional optimism, as measured by Venture Taranaki’s own six-monthly business survey.

“The timely arrival of the Novotel Hobson will enable Taranaki to further

leverage its natural assets and play a much stronger role in New

Zealand’s tourism story going forward,” concluded Mr Trundle.

Eighth Novotel

Novotel New Plymouth is the eighth Novotel to join the brand in New

Zealand, with other hotels located in Christchurch, Queenstown,

Wellington, Rotorua, Hamilton and two in Auckland.

As the mid-scale hotel brand within the Accor group portfolio, Novotel

offers close to 400 hotels and resorts in 60 countries, situated in the

centre of major international cities from business districts to tourist

destinations. Novotel aims for a consistently high standard of service

for both business and leisure travellers, spacious, modular-design

guestrooms, balanced cuisine available 24/7, excellent meeting facilities,

attentive staff, dedicated children’s areas and rejuvenating wellness

facilities. The Novotel group is a pioneer in sustainable development and

all Novotel hotels participate in the Green Globe worldwide environmental

certification programme.


Photo courtesy of Rob Tucker

p profiles



AS A COMPLETELY NEW HOTEL, HOTEL NOVOTEL NEW PLYMOUTH HOBSON REQUIRED THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY FOR EVERY PART OF ITS BUSINESS. IT WAS THE IDEAL OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN-ROOM SOLUTIONS VENDOR, BRANTAS INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY.

Over the past 14 years, as supplier to more than 200 hotels and resorts in New Zealand and the Pacific, Brantas has built a solid reputation as a one-stop-shop vendor.

“One requirement was the provision of guest room phone handsets which are durable and cost effective,” said Brantas director, Jan Strijker. “Telematrix phones do fit the bill in that respect and have become the preferred handset for hotel operators.

“Secondly, travellers expect up to date in-room security and the

team at Novotel were looking for a safe that would allow guests to safely store personal items, including laptops. However, Novotel also stipulated the safe must be good looking. The Be-Tech Harmony safes have a modern look, are easy to use by the guest and offer the hotel team the required override possibility with secure features and plenty of reporting capabilities.

Thirdly, the Novotel wanted guestroom glass door minibars that were energy efficient, durable and had the capability to be upgraded to automatic in the future, offering a solid investment.

The Bartech 55 liter U41 glass door was chosen out of a number of Bartech options,” Mr Strijker said.

“At Brantas we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to contribute our expertise to such a high quality, brand new hotel. We wish the team at Hotel Novotel New Plymouth Hobson every success in the future.”

Communication, security and refreshments

A PRIORITY FOR NEW PLYMOUTH NOVOTEL HOBSON WAS ATTRACTIVE AND COMFORTABLE BEDDING. AFTER RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ANOTHER HOTEL SUPPLIER AND THE ACCOR HOTELS GROUP, OWNER PHILIP BROWN MET WITH THE NORTH ISLAND REGIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER FOR TEXCO INTERNATIONAL, JASON JAMES.

“After visiting our showroom to view products and hold further

discussions, Philip supplied me with the bed matrix and a time-frame

of when the products would be required,” said Mr James. “We then

formulated a list of the products and quantities that would be needed,

taking into consideration what would also have to be kept on the shelf

for stock rotation and spares.

“Our previous regular dealings with other Novotel properties as a

preferred supplier became an important factor in ensuring the right

products were being put forward to align with the Novotel brand.

“Pairing that knowledge with Philip’s brief of providing a “visually inviting

bed that delivers comfort for the guest” led me to promote our luxurious

microfiber pillows and boxed continentals to provide a soft and light

comfort to the beds. Among the main benefits of microfiber filled

products is their ability to retain shape. They are also machine washable

and are a great down alternative. A carefully constructed pillow menu of

feather and down, memory foam and hypoallergenic were also included

to cater for varying needs,” Mr James said.

“Equally important to the initial fitting out of a hotel in its entirety is

considering regular future top-up purchases of the same product for

consistency. For this reason, drawing from Texco’s core stock line

instead of falling into the trap of placing an indent order would help

provide fast supply, as well as avoiding high future pricing due to

minimum order quantity requirements.”

Visually inviting and comfortable beds

ARCHER CONCEPTS IS A DIVISION OF

ARCHER FURNITURE GROUP, A THIRD

GENERATION FAMILY BUSINESS WHICH

BEGAN IN THE EARLY 1970s AS A SMALL

WOOD TURNING FIRM BUT HAS NOW

EVOLVED TO BE A MAJOR MANUFACTURER

OF FURNITURE, FITTINGS AND EQUIPMENT

(FF&E) FOR THE HOTEL AND HOSPITALITY

INDUSTRY IN NEW ZEALAND AND THE

PACIFIC ISLANDS.

Graeme and Lionel Don supervise the hotel and hospitality sector of the

business.

“We have a large range of standard products but specialise in bespoke

furniture to suit every hotel’s desired theme,” said sales team leader,

Lionel Don. “With our factory in Kaiwaka, just north of Auckland, we

service the whole of New Zealand and can easily export to the Pacific.

“We became involved at Novotel New Plymouth due to our relationship

with Accor Hotels. Philip Brown gave us a brief on the items he was

needing to source. He was looking for a functional, contemporary style

that fitted current Accor brand standards.

“The designs were then finalised by BGBB Team Architects, with Archer

Concepts having input into the style of some of the items, such as the

booth seating in the restaurant,” said Mr Don.

“Where necessary, we made samples for final sign-off before

processing. The whole project ran very smoothly.

“We enjoyed working with Philip Brown and the project manager in

regard to meeting their deadlines. At Archer Concepts we were excited

to be included in helping to create New Plymouth’s newest hotel.”

Custom-made furniture

pprofiles

21SUMMER 2016

Quest Taupo:

Quest Taupo a new choice in booming scenic North Island leisure playground

TAUPO, WITH ITS STUNNING VIEWS OF THE HUGE LAKE AND MT RUAPEHU, HAS BEEN A POPULAR PLACE TO HOLIDAY SINCE THE EARLY DAYS OF EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT, AND ITS EXPANSION CONTINUES TO SURGE.

Its present day tranquility belies its volcanic history when the lake was formed by a super-volcanic eruption about 26,500 years ago. According to Wikipedia, geological records indicate that the volcano has erupted 28 times in the last 27,000 years.

Many attractions

Many like it for the opportunities for water-sports it provides, the trout fishing is legendary, for tourists it is close to the magnificent Huka Falls and thermal attractions of the Wairakei and Rotorua areas, skiers can use it as their base for the alluring snow slopes in view on the other side of the water, it is the gateway to Hawke’s Bay for those in the north, while its central North Island location mean countless thousands pass through it on their way to other New Zealand destinations each year, many breaking their journey for at least one night there. The clean air and bracing climate are another ingredient in the mix.

No wonder the city has gone ahead in leaps and bounds. Holiday or permanent homes surround much of the lake, large hotels and motels of excellent quality are numerous, along with cheaper accommodation of every kind.

Only about 33,000 people usually live permanently in Taupo district, but like other New Zealand holiday areas, this does not take account of the thousands of tourists, many from overseas, always crowding the many hotels and motels. The population expands exponentially during holiday periods, such as Easter and Christmas, when tens of thousands more from other centres pour in to stay at their homes on the lake.

p profiles


Quest Taupo:

Tourism is the main life-blood of the Taupo area. The hotels and motels are significant employers, and the shopping is very good. Restaurants do a roaring trade with permanent residents, long-stay tourists and holiday makers, and those just passing through.

Quest Taupo arrives

New accommodation premises seem to be opening up all the time, but there is always room left for a different type of establishment. One of the most recent of those is Quest Taupo, a purpose-built apartment complex which opened for business in early August, 2015. Designed by Safari Group, the project was a joint one between Safari Group and Quest, headed by CEO Stephen Mansfield.

Quest Taupo Serviced Apartment accommodation is located in Central Taupo and is within a 10 minute stroll of the town centre, the lake and the entrance to the Waikato River. Kitchenette facilities provide guests with the option of preparing a meal within the apartment instead of eating out. For those who like to cook for themselves, the Pack’s Save supermarket is just a 10 minute walk away.

Quest Taupo provides stylishly furbished accommodation consisting of various styled studio, one bedroom, as well as two and three bedroom interconnecting apartment accommodation and is available for all short and long-term accommodation requirements. It provides Triple Play with more than 200 free movies.

Quest properties are all operated by franchisees, in this case Shanmu and Hema Sundram.

Excellent alternative

“Quest Taupo offers self-contained, fully serviced apartments style accommodation to guests wanting an excellent alternative to traditional motel or hotel accommodation in Taupo,” said Ms Sundram.

“Our apartments provide fully equipped kitchenettes, private laundry and a living room. Apartment style rooms are the nearest guests can have to a home away from home.”

Ms Sundram says Quest Taupo is proving popular in its first few months of business.

pprofi les

23SUMMER 2016

“The Quest is a reputable brand in Australasia. Much of our business is based around tourism and therefore tends to be seasonal. Most of our guests are tourists and leisure travellers or from sporting groups. Some are corporates throughout the year. About 45 percent of our guests come from overseas, mainly from Australia, France and America.

“Summer is our busiest time. This summer has been very busy, especially from mid-December. Our guests are very impressed with the property since our rooms are fully equipped with a kitchen and washer/dryer. The property being brand new is an added bonus.

“We had a family of six stay with us for a week. They had a huge boat that there was plenty of room for in our car park. They really enjoyed our heated pool and spa tub and have now booked in to stay with us next summer too.

“Our effi cient and friendly service plays an important role in return guests. Guests love our most comfortable beds, the close proximity to the city and the self-contained apartments,” she said.

Quest Taupo reception hours are 7am to 7pm Monday-Friday and 8am to 4pm weekends and public holidays. Guests may still check in after these times using an after-hours lock box and call centre.


35 Market Place, Viaduct Harbour 1010 t +64 9 377 8616 | e [email protected]

Furnz Group is a leading interiorsbusiness specialising in integrating

all your space requirements.

Talk to us now about helping youcreate inspirational spaces.

Lodge look with a light touchFURNZ SPECIALISES IN COMPLETE FIT-OUTS FOR HOTELS THROUGHOUT NEW ZEALAND AND THE PACIFIC. IT FREQUENTLY WORKS ON QUEST PROJECTS IN NEW ZEALAND.

“Furnz is a Quest recommended supplier and we have a thorough knowledge of Quest brand specifi cations. We therefore work closely with developers to achieve brand standard,” said the project manager of the Furnz team, Jo Noton.

Safari Group’s interior designer, Pam Taylor, had come up with a look and feel she wanted to achieve at Taupo. She envisaged a lodge-type feel but with a fresh look – using light colours rather than dark tones to avoid closing the rooms in.

“Pam selected the colours and patterns for the soft furnishings, leaving it to us to expand the lodge look into all of the remaining furniture and accessories. The team at Furnz develops products with an emphasis on durability, resulting in product that looks smart and will last the distance,” Ms Noton said.

“We used Driftwood toned furniture and light timber features on side tables along with white accessories to give a fresh contemporary feel to the rooms. Furnz provided all the furniture, fi ttings and equipment – we procure and install everything from the cookware and tableware through to bed linen, beds and furniture. We basically take the hassle out of any fi t-out as we offer a full service from interior design through to procurement and installation. “Although Furnz is based in Auckland, we always have a team on-site to supervise the installation and this ensured everything ran very smoothly.”

p profi les


Amora Hotel Wellington:

Superior accommodation at Amora Hotel Wellington

KNOWN FOR ITS EXCELLENT FACILITIES FOR BUSINESS OR LEISURE, AMORA HOTEL WELLINGTON IS A SUPERBLY LOCATED 4½ STAR HOTEL IN THE HEART OF WELLINGTON. WITH MAGNIFICENT VIEWS OF WELLINGTON CBD AND THE HARBOUR, AND EASY ACCESS TO TE PAPA AND THE CABLE CAR, WELLINGTON’S BEST ATTRACTIONS ARE PRACTICALLY AT THE DOOR.

It is right in the arts and entertainment precinct, while shopping is on the doorstep, with the funky Cuba St around the corner and the designer shops of Lambton Quay close by. Adjacent is the Wellington Convention Centre and Town Hall, with the TSB Bank Arena and Westpac Stadium a brief walk away.

The nine-storey hotel offers some of the most spacious guest rooms and suites in the capital. The harbour-facing rooms frame the picturesque waterfront and city and afford panoramic views from the comfort of well-appointed accommodation.

The hotel was fi rst opened in 1986 as Plaza International and quickly became known as an iconic hotel on Wellington’s waterfront, with spectacular views. It was rebranded in the mid-1990s to Duxton Wellington and rebranded again as Amora Hotel Wellington in 2011. Refurbishment of all accommodation rooms was completed in 2011.

Comfort and style

Today, Amora Hotel Wellington offers superior comfort and luxury with contemporary style. Nearly all of the 192 rooms command unobstructed views of the Wellington Harbour and/or the city. The hotel rooms are spacious, featuring all the luxuries you would expect from a leading international hotel. Guests can choose one of or de-luxe rooms or relax and enjoy the benefi ts of the luxurious club rooms and club suites, complete with access to the club lounge.

The club rooms are located on the top fl oor and assure stunning harbour views, superior in-room amenities and access to the exclusive club lounge for complimentary refreshments and a gourmet breakfast.

It is a popular conference hotel with 11 highly-versatile function spaces, the largest catering to up to 300 people. Located on the ground fl oor, the 345sq metre Amora Suites have a capacity of 300 delegates in a theatre confi guration. The room has the added advantage of natural light in a private pre-functional lobby.

Situated on the mezzanine level, Wakefi eld Suite makes an ideal space for cocktail functions, benefi ting from natural light in a large pre-functional area.

The executive boardroom on level nine has an impressive space with exceptional views of Wellington Harbour and the city. The room has the added advantage of access to the adjoining Club Lounge for catering and breakout requirements.

When it comes to fi ne-dining, the award-winning Grill restaurant serves a fusion of contemporary New Zealand and international cuisine in a 5-star setting.

pprofiles

25SUMMER 2016

The restaurant plays host to the many events, including numerous wedding receptions. For those guests who wish to spoil themselves by relaxing with a touch of luxury, Bodyhaven is a boutique spa offering massages, facials, manicures, pedicures, spa packages and relaxing herbal aromatherapy baths.

Modern guest entertainment

With so many top-class attractions and sources of entertainment within a short walk around it, the Amora Hotel’s guests are extremely well-off for choice, but nevertheless cannot be out all of the time and still want to relax in their rooms.

Last year, it was time for the Amora to review whether its television system was still sufficient for those needs.

General manager, Liam Craughwell, says it was “a dated system” with a mix of pay-per-view and Sky.

“We’re always looking to improve our product and offering to guests. In-room TV had been an area highlighted in guest feedback and our internal evaluations as a product we wanted improve.

“We looked at a number of options from local and international products. The complete package offered by Sky was comprehensive, easy to understand and very user-friendly. It offered a huge number of channels at no additional cost.”

Mr Craughwell said the final decision to go with Sky Guest Select 50+ was because: “We wanted to provide our guests with a wide ranging selection of in-room entertainment that was familiar to our diverse market.”

Guest Select 50+ was added to the television service in all 192 accommodation rooms during October and November last year in a combined process between the hotel and Sky.

“Our maintenance department was able to assist Sky in the install of

the set top boxes, which reduced the overall installation and upgrade costs,” said Mr Craughwell. “It was a very straightforward process to follow.” He said the hotel’s management was extremely happy with the way the installation was carried out by the Sky TV team.

“There was absolutely no impact on the hotel day-to-day operations. The Sky team managed it floor by floor in a seamless transition and with installation solutions that ensured the hardware and cabling are well hidden from the view of our guests.”

He believes the Hotel Amora managers made a sound business decision when they decided to install Sky Guest Select 50+.

“The feedback we’ve been receiving from our guests is that it’s easy to use and gives them the feeling that staying in one of our guest rooms is like a home away from home. We’re well satisfied that we’ve provided them with a modern television system with a huge selection of channels and entertainment.”


SKY Business would like to welcome the following new sites to our Guest Select service!

• Cimarron Motel, Auckland• Copperfield Seaside Motel,

Paraparaumu• Greenlane Suites, Auckland• Pedlars Motel, Paeroa• Portmans Motor Lodge, Hastings• Woolshed Apartments, Havelock North• Fy� e on Riccarton Motel, Christchurch• Flames International Hotel, Whangarei • Charlton Motel, Gore• Amora Hotel, Wellington

• Powderhorn Chateau, Ohakune• Grand Central Hotel, New Plymouth• Wayfarer Motel, Kaitaia• Russell Top 10 Holiday Park, Russell• Aquarius Motor Lodge, Ohope• Eichardt’s Residence, Queenstown• Spinnaker Bay Apartments,

Queenstown• Park Regis, Picton• Carrick Lodge, Cromwell• Te Mata Lodge, Havelock North

MOTELS AND COUNTING...

NOW IN OVER

GUEST SELECT

Call us today on 0800 759 333 or visit guestselect.co.nz and let your guests enjoy the fantastic mix of Sports, Movies, News and Entertainment channels.

p property


Motel Rentals:

Rent reviews and the motel industry – part two

IN THE SPRING EDITION OF AMG WE ADDRESSED SOME MATTERS RELATING TO THE REVIEW PROCESS, AND THIS ARTICLE CAN BE VIEWED AT WWW.ACCOMNEWS.CO.NZ. NOW TO REVIEW THE SUBJECT OF CALCULATION OF MARKET RENTAL.

There are of course many different types of lease, however it is very uncommon to see one which actually stipulates that the rental is to be relative to turnover. There is ‘customary’ approach to apply rental as a percentage of turnover. This fi gure may be quoted as anything between 28 percent and 35 percent of revenue. (This variation alone would seem to make this an unreliable method.)

It does nevertheless seem to be the simplest approach and is often adopted, sometimes even by valuers. It is hard to ignore the fi nancial performance when assessing the rent and in many cases, the review is based around turnover. (No problem of course if everyone is happy with that.)

Inappropriate approach

There are good reasons though why the turnover approach may not be appropriate. If the lessee is a particularly good operator and produces an above average fi nancial performance, they should not be penalised by having to pay more rent.

Conversely, if the lessee is a poor operator, then this should not disadvantage the landlord as to the rental return they could expect relative to comparable properties. Most review clauses essentially state what the valuers are to take into account and what they are to ignore in their assessment. In plain terms, they are to disregard the performance of the lessee.

Determining market rental

So, what should determine market rental? Rentals paid by comparable properties is the main basis of assessment in the commercial market. Offi ce or retail space for example is normally let on an annual per square metre basis (plus operating expenses). There is generally ample evidence as to what the market is paying per metre for a particular type of property, based on location, quality etc.

Valuer’s challenge

The approach to motel rentals is usually based around rent per unit rather than per metre. Comparing one motel to others though, may not be so straightforward. There are many variables, not least the unit mix and confi guration, and also location, quality, amenities etc. (This is why it is easier to default to the turnover argument.)

Nonetheless, a knowledgeable arbitrator/valuer may reject any argument based on turnover and seek comparative market rental evidence. The valuer’s challenge is to fi nd comparable evidence and make adjustments according to the location, quality and confi guration of the subject property.

Fair rental motive

An exception to the above is when the rental is being set for a new lease. Commonly in that case the vendor of the lease is also the lessor (landlord) for the immediate future. In other words, they have a motive to negotiate a fair rental in order to sell the lease. Rental therefore could be based on turnover and the lease taken to the market, which suggests that supply and demand will determine what rent a lessee is prepared to pay in that negotiation.

Economic approach

Another good approach to setting rental for a new lease is often termed the ‘economic’ approach. This is based around the old rule of thumb of 33 percent of turnover being apportioned respectively to rent, running costs and profi t. (A guideline, but seldom the reality these days, particularly with OTA commissions eroding profi ts, but that is another subject.)

If however the turnover were to be divided by three, then after taking out running costs, the balance in theory would be divided equally between rent and lessee’s profi t. The economic approach is to take the actual running costs from the revenue and divide equally the profi t that is left to assess the fair market rental. Some valuers use this method with existing leases.

Ratchet clauses common

Most leases contain some type of ratchet clause. Many simply state that regardless of anything else determined by the review process, the rent cannot be less than what is currently being paid. (Known as a hard or full ratchet clause.) In recent years the move has been towards soft ratchet clauses, which may allow the rent to reduce if the market conditions can be proven to justify that. There are a number of different soft ratchet clauses. Some can be very soft, where the rental can drop back to the original fi gure at the start of the lease, which could be detrimental from a landlord’s point of view once the lease had been in place for a number of years.

A more fair method is termed the ‘averaging’ clause. This states that if the new market rental is determined to be lower than the current rental, then the rent can drop back to the average of what the new rental should be and what has been paid up until now. This effectively splits the difference between lessor and lessee and in theory, shares any downside due to prevailing market conditions. (This would normally be qualifi ed by stating that under any circumstances, the rent cannot be less than the rental at the commencement of the lease.)

Unusual twist

Conventionally, a hard ratchet clause could only be seen as undesirable for a lessee. However there have been situations where in a market with rapidly rising turnovers (for example Christchurch immediately post-earthquake) a hard ratchet could be an argument used in favour of the lessee.

If the rental is unable to ever come back from a new level, then the valuers need to be very careful as to how high to set that rental when it is possible that revenues could decline and return to normal. On the other hand, if there is a soft ratchet it could be argued on the lessor’s behalf that a higher rental is justifi ed in the current environment, given that it does have the ability to reduce in future.

Seek professional advice

It must be stressed that the contents of this article are not to be construed as technical and/or legal advice. One should always seek professional legal advice in matters around property, and particularly commercially complex areas such as this. We are more than happy to receive enquiries about this matter and offer advice where we can.

By Kelvyn Coffey, Appointed Consultant to MANZ

Kelvyn Coffey

Inky StoveP: 03 550 0471 M: 021 182 6940 E: [email protected]

ASHBURTON Ref #1932

Best Lease in Prosperous Ashburton

Very well presented, 12 units, trading exceptionally well. The vendors will be the Landlords and offer a new 35 year lease. Good systems in place making it easy for new operators. Ashburton serves a very large farming base and the local council are very forward thinking with their current developments.

New Lease $795,000

Stefan McNeelyP: 07 925 2069 M: 021 910 233 E: [email protected]

MOUNT MAUNGANUI Ref #9799

Position, Prestige & Pro� t

Prime location and walking distance to one of the best surf beaches in New Zealand. This business is a must-have showing excellent and consistent pro� ts, offering the new owners an enviable lifestyle “at the beach” in one of New Zealand’s premier locations. Broad customer base and guest pro� le.

MR $820k + Mgr Apt $580k

Peter McGrathP: 06 929 7681 M: 027 449 1608 E: [email protected]

NAPIER Ref #8409

Popular On Napier’s Waterfront

Popular motor lodge in the centre of all the action. Every unit enjoys sea views. Tastefully decorated and a great mix of units. Napier city is booked out for ‘Art Deco’ Weekend, winery concerts and other major events. Buyers should have this motel on their shopping list.

Lease $790,000

Chris WongP: 09 551 0154 M: 021 106 6188 E: [email protected]

TAUPO Ref #9111

Charming Character Motel

New Lease $330,000

Fiona McDonaldP: 03 555 2129 M: 027 550 0966 E: � [email protected]

CROMWELL Ref #4090

Sit back and reap the rewards

11 units in the heart of Cromwell & land of 3,763sqm yet to be maximised. Hard to beat for value. Could lend itself to more income options. Competitive tariffs and good occupancy. Trading well and positioned for a new owner to further develop the land or grow the business.

FHGC $1,350,000

Adam BerryP: 03 550 0520 M: 021 409 441 E: [email protected]

KAIKOURA Ref #2600

Truly Something Special

MR $720,000 (NEG.)

Kelvyn CoffeyP: 03 550 0459 M: 027 432 0565 E: [email protected]

CHRISTCHURCH Ref #1400

Superbly Central and Very Pro� table

This prestigious managed complex operates as part of a franchise with over 100 properties. With 67 apartments this is an operation with some real horsepower. This may suit an experienced operator who can see the bene� ts of the economies of scale and the opportunity for tremendous cash � ow.

MR $1,950,000

Matt D’AnversP: 07 561 4213 M: 021 935 670 E: [email protected]

TAIRUA Ref #0987

A Little Gem at the Beach

Beautifully presented business features three suites with private decks and views to the Harbour. Two bedroom owners’ home is totally separated from the guest wing. Expansive views to the Harbour and large deck to enjoy after a busy day. Easily run by one person or run it while one partner works.

FHGC $770,000 (+GST if any)

www.coffeys.co.nzFreephone: 0800 263 339

Telephone: +64 3 366 9040 Facsimile: +64 3 366 9051 E-mail: [email protected]

Industry Specialists Since 1984

New Zealand Wide

13 units on the lakeside at Two Mile Bay. Affordable option in a prime destination. Potential to capitalise on developing the character of this property further. Good mix of units on a large section. Opportunity for new owners to enjoy a lakeside lifestyle and stamp their mark on this property.

Breathtaking location for a hospitality business. Executive accommodation comprising 12 luxury two-bedroom apartments under long term management contracts. The freehold investment manager’s home is included in the sale price. Opportunity for growth for a new hands-on owner/operator.

fb food & beverage


Banquets:

Turning restaurant downtime into profit

MANY RESTAURANTS IN ACCOMMODATION COMPLEXES HAVE TIMES WHEN PATRONAGE IS LOW; MANY DO NOT EVEN CATER FOR LUNCHTIME DINERS, ESPECIALLY IN TOURIST AREAS WHERE GUESTS ARE OUT SIGHTSEEING DURING THE DAY.

Banquet-style dining to fill restaurant downtimes can be a great profit area for small conventions, business meetings, club functions, birthday bashes and weddings. But they have to be done well as return business depends on a successful function. People enjoying a wedding will most likely recommend a venue for their work, club or family gathering.

The key ingredients for successful buffet catering is fresh produce, exquisite food preparedness, guest comfort and – above all, presentation.

Successful buffet service requires proper lighting and heating methods so food looks and tastes fresh, which means sourcing everything to

serve, hold, heat and cook, as well as furniture, linen, cutlery, crockery, beverageware and decoration.

Keeping it fresh

When preparing large quantities of food for lots of people, it can be difficult to keep food hot and fresh. That is where food warmers make a practical and convenient option. The purpose of food warmers is to keep food temperatures above the hazard analysis and critical control point danger zone. The HACCP danger zone is identified as 5°C to 60°C, which is the temperature range where most pathogens will multiply therefore, food that is held between 5°C and 60°C may become time-temperature abused and could lead to serious or fatal illnesses in guests.

Food warmers and rethermalizers can help to keep food at safe holding temperatures, but there is one main difference between the two. Food warmers keep hot, prepared food above the danger zone. Chilled or frozen food that is placed in a warmer will not reheat and rise above the danger zone, resulting in time-temperature abuse. If you are reheating food, it must be warmed by other means (stovetop, microwave or oven),

The buffet table originates from the brännvinsbord (Swedish schnapps or shot of alcoholic beverage) table from the middle of 16th century. This custom had its prime during the early 18th century and was developed into the more modern buffet around the beginning of 19th century.

The smörgåsbord table originally was a meal where guests gathered before dinner for a pre-dinner drink, and was not part of the formal dinner to be followed.

Smörgåsbord became internationally famous at the 1939 New York World's Fair exhibition, as the Swedes had to invent a new way of showcasing the best of Swedish food to large numbers of visitors.

The term buffet originally referred to the French sideboard furniture where the food was served, but eventually became applied to the serving format.

fbfood & beverage

29SUMMER 2016

then placed in a warmer. Unlike regular food warmers, rethermalizers can heat chilled or frozen foods through the danger zone to a safe holding temperature in the same unit.

Presentation mediums

Food warmers are also food presentation mediums, maximising product visibility and desirability. Countertop warmers are often used in the back of the house to hold prepared foods, saving space in the kitchen, providing more time for chefs to prepare and cook other foods, and helping staff quickly plate already-prepared entrées, sides, and more.

If you’re transporting pre-cooked meals from your kitchen to another on-site location, you will need the proper buffet equipment to keep safe and desirable temperatures – from chafers and chafing dishes to heat lamps and buffet warmers, carts and serving equipment.

It is also important to set up an eye-catching food presentation to entice customers to try your signature dishes. Decorating buffet ideas and setting up a beautiful presentation can add so much to an event.

All of us have seen a buffet table that was less than inspiring. It was set in a utilitarian fashion –- line 'em up and feed 'em – long tables with the food falling into rank like an army chow line.

Changing times

Not so today. Now most caterers, chefs and event hosts put more thought and creativity into creating memorable buffets or food stations at their events – so much so that these buffetscapes, or setting a buffet table, actually become part of your event décor – they help further the ambience and atmosphere of the theme you have chosen for your event.

Damask linen table cloths, skirted tables, table back drops, fitted chair covers with sashes, signs to label the featured dishes, centre piece table decorations, flowers, collectables, festive bunting and even ceiling draping, adds to the WOW factor.

As a restauranteur, you know that traditional cloth napkins have a time and a place in the restaurant and catering industry; but innovations in disposable napkin materials are making them a serious contender in applications once dominated by their cloth counterparts. Gone are the days where commodity paper napkins were the only other alternatives to traditional cloth napkins. Today, linen-feel napkins offer a step up from 2- or 3-ply paper napkins, while ensuring a thick, soft, and highly-absorbent option that matches the look and feel of actual linen. Linen-feel napkins are available in a variety of colors and patterns to match any place setting, and they are guaranteed to add an upscale look to your establishment.

Air-laid paper offers an environmentally-friendly product, great for eco-conscious operators. It's made by converting soft, random-laid fibres made from wood pulp or synthetic fibers into a sturdy and absorbent web, using air instead of water to transfer the fibres. Compared with normal wet-laid paper, air-laid paper is much softer, fluffier and more porous. It can be dyed, printed, embossed, coated, and made solvent resistant – and it is very absorbent.

Comfortable seating paramount

Providing comfortable furniture for guests is absolutely paramount. At

many events, guests are expected to sit for lengthy periods and hard, upholstered seats that are too low or too high are not an option any longer. A boring speaker is 10-times more mind-numbing when your back or bum hurts.

There is a wide range of fantastically comfy chairs (many that are stackable for easy storage) and tables to match that make a worthwhile investment. One final area to consider is to compare the costs of gas versus electricity for your buffet catering. Using a gas unit will raise the temperature of the kitchen or dining area in which it is being used, while electric units will not.

If you're going to be setting up in one location primarily, then natural gas or hardwired electric units are both options for you. If, however, you need to be able to easily move your table, say from front of house to back of house, then a portable gas unit will be better for you.

Mobile electric steam tables with casters make your operation much more mobile. This is ideal for applications like breakfast bars, where you might need to put your table into storage after use and then easily take it out again the next morning. Most gas steam tables are designed to be stationary but casters can be mounted onto propane powered units for outdoor applications like catering events.

By Graham Vercoe, Industry Reporter

Suppliers of high quality, long wearing textiles that consistently perform well and withstand

rigorous use and commercial laundering.• Table Linen standard sizes and make to size •

• Diamonds Towels • Diamond Bath Robes • • Diamonds Sheets • Top of Bed • Laundry Bags •

• Chefs Gear • Kitchen towels • Mats • • Mattress Toppers • Pillows •

Hospitality Textiles – 0800 467 83973 Felton Mathew Ave, St Johns, Auckland

www.hospitalitytextiles.co.nz

h housekeeping


Bunk Beds:

Bunk bed revival set for 2016

BUNK BEDS ARE A TOP NEW TREND FOR HIP AND COOL HOTELS.

For guests who wish to harken back to their youth, some independent and boutique style hotels are bringing them back to the free spirit of pyjama party overnight revelry! They also make rooms much more affordable.

Bunk beds are not just for youth hotels or family rooms anymore, some of the trendiest hotels in the world have added single, double or queen bunk beds to inspire friendship and memories that will last a lifetime. These are not your average budget accommodation providers though, some of these bunks come equipped with LED TVs, wireless connections, comfort and nostalgia.

Family hotels, hostels and smaller accommodation providers have always recognised the benefits of adding extra beds to small spaces. Your average backpacker is used to throwing their backpack onto a bunk and taking off on adventures. They are not too concerned about the comfort, or indeed safety, of their bunk bed but the increasing number of families and posh-packers who are travelling on a budget are looking for comfort and peace of mind above all else. Safety must be paramount…

Children danger

Consumer Protection Online warns of the dangers of injuries that can happen from unsafe bunk bed use, most commonly when children fall from the top bunk. Children can also get stuck in gaps or get their clothes caught on tall corner posts. This may lead to serious or even fatal injuries.

It states: “There is an Australian/New Zealand product standard that applies to bunk beds – AS/NZS 4220:2010. This standard is voluntary

and addresses the design and construction of bunk beds. While this standard is not mandatory, Trading Standards strongly advocates compliance with the standard.”

Accommodation providers need to take note that bunk beds are not suitable for children under nine years of age. They need to ensure that all ladders and guardrails are fixed and stable – check regularly for wear and tear and always repair any damage immediately.

They should also make sure that the mattress is suitable for the bunk bed, with no gap. And if replacing a mattress, make sure to check the proportions in relation to the height of the guardrail. Also make sure that a bunk bed is always placed in a safe position away from windows, window cords and well away from fans.

Top bunks should have guardrails or bed-ends on all sides and the guardrails should be smooth and free from protrusions or potential snag points, with no gaps of 95mm to 230mm in any part on the bunk beds, including guardrail rungs on ladders. This is to ensure that small bodies cannot fit through – however heads can get stuck.

Once an accommodation provider has ensured that they are buying a safe product from a quality supplier that will fit into the designated space, they can consider design, style and combinations. Double or single bunks or a combination? What will best meet your needs?

Industry opinions

Sharon McGeough from industry supplier, AH Beard reveals the option that they provide for properties “is a sturdy easy to assemble metal frame bunk with a powder coated charcoal finish. Available in either single or king single size, it is a simple slot is assembly that can be bolted to the floor to make the bunk secure, and we have a range of mattress choices to suit all levels of accommodation”.

Bunk in a Box

25% OFF* the top & bottomPurchase a “Bunk in a Box” before the end of March, & receive 25% OFF the top & bottom mattress price*.

www.ahbeardcommercial.com

For more information contact:Alan Hawkins NZ Commercial Account ManagerM: +64 21 906 017 | E: [email protected]

*To qualify for for discount your order must be placed before 31st March, 2016. Freight prices may vary depending on location.

h housekeeping


Bunk Beds:

She adds: “We also offer a roll-away option that is great for space-saving. It offers fl exible accommodation options for operators who need additional bed space. It has a compact lightweight design and handy wheels that make for easy storage when not in use, and an upholstered fi nish that will fi t with the décor and design of even the highest rated properties.”

Luke Brodie is the general manager of Vendella International, a New Zealand owned and operated business that supplies quality products to the hospitality and accommodation industry. We asked Mr Brodie to tell us what makes the perfect bunk.

He answered: “Bunks have been riddled with issues for years and many staff have their own horror stories. So the team at Vendella decided to lead the charge, combining some international leaders to design something with the fl aws removed…

“Flaw: The mounts on the legs holding the platforms break or split.

“Answer: We introduced a new bracket and bolt design. The platforms

are secured into a welded bracket which supports the weight – then a

bolt slides right through the leg and bracket, securely fastening the join.

“Flaw: The side rails and platform slats bend.

“Answer: Such a simple solution, centre struts and rail spacers that

strengthen the unit.

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33SUMMER 2016

“Flaw: Thin steel posts and rails

“Answer: For peace of mind, all steel is 1.2mm thick and powder-coated.

“Flaw: They are wobbly!

“Answer: With the extra struts, mounting system and thicker gauge steel, this is a very sturdy set.

“Flaw: You whack your head when sitting on the bottom bunk and it hurts!

“Answer: We’ve extended the gap between the platforms by another 100mm, meaning plenty of sitting space.

“Flaw: Once a bunk, always a bunk

“Answer: We split ours in two, making it easily usable as two single beds.”

Providing bunk beds in your accommodation is a great solution when you want to increase your capacity for heads on beds. They are also on trend right now and there are more design options to choose from. Even adult guests are excited to use them, if they are packaged correctly and if you buy well, checking for utmost comfort and safety. Consider this – bunk beds are also an easy and cost effective way to increase your revenue.

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

CODE DESCRIPTION SIZE PRICE

BD9070 Stacka Bunk 1905 L x 925 W x 1725mm H $425.00

Plus GST. Free Freight.

0800 836 [email protected] www.vendella.co.nz

1.2mm heavy gauge steel • Meets NZ & AU standards

Brand new design • Free freight NZ wide

STACKA BUNKI N T R O D U C I N G

EASY ACCESSThe ladder has 3 steps, all of which are welded.

This ensures safe and easy access to the top platform.

BRACKET AND BOLTThe platforms are secured into a welded bracket which

supports the weight, then a bolt slides right through the

leg and bracket securely fastening the join.

SAFE & SECUREThe side rails have a rail spacer (welded & bolted)

strengthening the rails, ensuring they stay straight.

HEAD SPACE!We have increased the gap between the platforms by

another 100mm to provide more room when sitting on

the bottom platform.

ANTI-FLEXThe mattress platforms have a central support rail,

welded in place increasing the rail strength and the

rigidity of the entire bunk set.

FREIGHTFREE

NZ WIDE

Exclusive to Vendella

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Washroom Products:

Choosing the ideal washroom tissues and dispensers

THEY MIGHT SEEM LIKE A RELATIVELY SIMPLE PRODUCT BUT WASHROOMS TISSUES HAVE TO COVER A VARIETY OF TASKS THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO US ALL.

Whether it is toilet tissue, facial tissues, or hand towels, they need to be especially constructed as near as possible to the ideal combination of strength, absorption, dissolvability, disposability, appearance and aroma.

Toilets are highly likely to be the place where any problems will show up. Always susceptible to blockages, especially when guests use them to dispose of tissue that is not intended to rapidly break down in water, a good deal of staff time can be wasted – or even more expensively, require the services of a plumber.

For facial tissue, likely to be mainly used by women applying or removing makeup, it will need to have the ideal combination of suppleness and strength. Any sense of abrasiveness is not likely to be very popular with the user, but nor will they appreciate a product that falls apart easily.

Hygiene must also be considered. Especially in a situation where water and steam will be present and where other guests have been

conducting their ablutions, any product that comes into contact with the skin will always have some possibility of infection.

And in these days of environmental awareness among both guests and the public, sustainability must be taken into account. Tissue that can be composted or recycled in some form is the ideal. More and more guests are warming to the knowledge that what they have just used will not just end up in landfills. As council dumps gradually fill up, hotels, motels and other accommodation providers will increasingly find their disposal costs rising. How much more advantageous would it be if that tissue could be composted on-site for the kitchen garden, or burned for energy in place of electricity, gas or another purchased fuel.

...Hoteliers often skimp on toilet tissue, not realising the difference in sheets per roll

(amount of paper per roll). Some toilet tissues will be the same price but markedly lower in

sheets per roll...

hhousekeeping

35SUMMER 2016

Also highly significant to both users and the management of any guest establishment is the quality of the dispensers the products are in. Any fault here and problems will quickly become apparent in both guest annoyance and cleaning staff cost-effectiveness.

Frustrated users are likely to take matters into their own hands, very likely using more energy than they should do to free the tissues they want, which can lead to an unsightly mess of jammed paper that staff have to sort out, or even damage to the dispenser – meaning even more time to repair, or possible replacement. Strong dispensers that function as smoothly as possible are essential and need to be carefully chosen and fitted.

Advice from two quarters

AMG asked the suppliers/manufacturers of two tissue products to the New Zealand market for their comments and advice regarding new trends and products – Solaris Paper and Star Line Group. Solaris Paper manufactures the Livi range in both New Zealand and Australia, describing it as: “a commercial suite of innovative washroom and hygiene solutions for the hotel, restaurant and catering (HORECA), cleaning and janitorial, educational and aged care industries.”

Star Line Group supplies a variety of products to the accommodation hospitality industry, including janitorial paper.

Operations manager Kris Finlayson says there are many variations in hand towel options, mainly coming down to size of the towel, how the towel is folded in the dispenser and the thickness and type of paper used.

“The most common paper towel is the S-fold – sometimes known as a slimfold – folded into the shape of an ‘S’ or a ‘Z’. Other options are widefolds, interfolds, compact towels, centrefeed rolls, as well as paper towels specific to a manufacturer’s own dispensers. It’s wise to check if your dispenser is supplied ‘free-on-loan’ with your previous supplier,” he said.

Quality and choice rising

Solaris Paper intends its range of toilet tissue, facial tissues, hand towels and dispensers to cater for every budget, “with a choice of economy, executive and premium luxury tiers that provide a high-quality product at an affordable price."

Category marketing manager Joshua Hastings says the competitive nature of the hospitality industry has led to a rise in quality upgrading and choice for property owners and managers across New Zealand and Australia. “We’re seeing a renewed focus on quality from our clients and we design our products to exceed these expectations, without exceeding their budget."

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Washroom Products:

"High-quality toilet tissue is one of the best ways to make guests feel right at home when they’re away from home, which is why we produce a selection of toilet tissue and hand towels that are both functional and sustainable,” Mr Hastings said.

Towel size and economy

Star Line Group’s Kris Finlayson: “When replacing dispensers, I would suggest the slimfold as it’s often the middle-ground between a decent sized towel and economy. Fitting a new supplier’s towels into existing dispensers could require sending an existing paper towel to the new supplier,” he said.

“Facial tissues come mainly in three sizes – a 200 sheet box (usually domestic use) and a 100 sheet box – the same shape but narrower. Finally comes the 65-90 sheet cube-style box – great for hotel and motel use as they look fantastic in a wide range of dispensers and take up little space.

“Facial tissue box covers come in various styles and materials such as stainless steel and durable plastic in many different colours.”

Sustainability and knowledge

“Livi is committed to providing products that help clients achieve their sustainability targets,” said Mr Hastings. “All tissue products are PEFC certified and made from virgin fibre, while its toilet tissue is dispersible and 100 percent biodegradable, to keep the plumbing of its clients’ properties in optimal condition.”

“When choosing toilet tissue, it is important to consider the right combination of softness and strength for your budget. The layer or number of ‘plies’ adds to strength, while embossing technology adds softness and bulk to the roll,” he said.

Star Line’s Kris Finlayson’s final advice is to learn as much as possible about tissue products before making any moves that could be mistakes.

“Hoteliers often skimp on toilet tissue, not realising the difference in sheets per roll (amount of paper per roll). Some toilet tissues will be the same price but markedly lower in sheets per roll,” he said.


ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUSCOMMERICIAL HYGIENE SUPPLIES

Ph: 0508 467 462 | [email protected] | www.insinc.co.nz

● Toilet Paper ● Paper Towels ● Tissues● Gloves ● Hand Care ● Bags

● Cleaning Products ● Food Packaging

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h housekeeping


Trolleys:

Hospitality trolleys: Bat-mobile or battered mobile?

THE HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT IS THE BACKBONE OF ANY ACCOMMODATION AND HOUSEKEEPERS ARE OFTEN THE UNSUNG HEROES.

Their job is often messy, usually thankless, sometimes frustrating and occasionally back-breaking. The tools of their trade are everything to them and can make the difference between job satisfaction and a thankless task. If housekeepers were indeed superheroes, the house-keeping trolley is their bat-mobile! Okay, most of us would laugh at that analogy but seriously – a housekeeper’s trolley is much more than meets the eye…

The size, shape and mechanisms of the trolley have changed over the years but they still remain an important part of the accommodation housekeeping department. The housekeeping trolley is the silent demonstration of how a business operates. And, consider this – it is one of the most visible pieces of equipment in an accommodation property – guests walk past them every day.

Often the housekeeping trolley, regardless of size, condition or style is in the corridor when guests are going for breakfast or checking out and if a business is operational 24 hours a day, then guests will possibly see more of the trolley than any staff member.

Most accommodation managers would not give much thought to the housekeeping trolley – its uses, benefi ts and the staff who use them. Chew over this: maybe now is time for the housekeeping trolley to come under the microscope?

Remember, fi rst impressions are everything. An untidy, unclean and out-of-shape trolley will portray an image of how the whole business is managed – sketchily at best. Unsightly house-keeping trolleys are not only unhelpful and possibly unsafe to the housekeeper using them but are also an unsightly mess for your guests.

Trolleys can speak volumes

An adequately stocked, tidy, clean, well-presented and overall sleek and well-groomed trolley will speak volumes about a business. Visitors and guests will perceive that this refl ects the place is being run effi ciently, is scrupulously clean and managed with love, care and attention. It also tells housekeeping staff that a slap-dash clean is not acceptable – a sparkling clean trolley is a spotless room and a ship-shape business!

What’s in your hotel guestroom? Is the décor outdated? Perhaps a guest recently complained about their stay and

you ask why?

Guests want to receive top notch service when paying for accommodation. They may look for the best deal but will still want to have the best service. Of course, the risk with guestrooms is that things are going to go missing or be broken – that’s why we can be reluctant to maintain them at the highest level – letting little things slip.

If your guestrooms are looking as though they need some love, then quality, style and durability are what you want. Modernise your guest’s bathroom with quality products that are made to last such as an aesthetically stylish wall-mounted mirror and the new ionic hair dryers that will provide your guests with extra comfort, leaving them with a lasting impression.

Word of mouth is the strongest marketing tool – leave your guests happy and they will spread the word.

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hhousekeeping

39SUMMER 2016

Standardised trolleys give a semblance of order and professionalism throughout a property so perhaps it is time to revolutionise the entire collection. If so, what factors should be considered?

Manoeuvrability is essential, especially along small corridors and into small lifts. Trolleys cannot have a mind of their own. Appearance, safety and productivity are also essential requirements – one size will not fi t all.

Productivity is always a worthy discussion; making more money by cutting costs and corners, but this does not tend to lead to a positive outcome for a business. To save money in the long term, have less work compensation, happier staff and fewer injuries, sometimes spending more up front will cut long-term costs.

It is not just careful consideration of the housekeeping trolley that is important, some businesses have an aging workforce and to refl ect this are purchasing motorised trolleys. This way they still get the job done effi ciently without exhausting their staff.

It is also common practice for large resorts to utilise golf buggies to carry housekeeping equipment between widespread complexes.

Ergonomics and safety

Ergonomically designed housekeeping trolleys, whether they are made of new lightweight materials or motorised, when specifi cally assessed for particular premises, will signifi cantly lead to a reduction in injury rates and associated medical, insurance, disability and workers’ compensation costs, as well as lost productivity hours.

Dependent upon their staff numbers, some facilities are making a transition to more motorised units while others are becoming more aware of the cart-less housekeeping trolley. This trolley is like a suitcase on wheels – perfect for staff on light duties and for some accommodation establishments.

The ever-changing work environment and occupational health and safety related regulations impact on trolley decision making.

Besides the necessary OH&S regulations, there are other reasons for choosing a suitable housekeeping trolley. Worker safety is always a valid issue but the safety of guests, such as children, is a concern as well. Guests should not have to struggle to manoeuvre their luggage around a trolley in a narrow hallway. Nor should trolleys obstruct emergency exits. It may also be necessary to secure the supplies, such as shampoos or food items when the cart is left unattended to avoid theft and from children swallowing products that may be adverse to their health.

Housekeeping trolleys should reduce guest inconvenience, blend in, increase employee satisfaction, reduce (hopefully eliminate) nicks and scuffs on the wall and carpet wear and tear, plus they should create a great impression. There are numerous housekeeping trolleys now available and through continual research, they are improving in their design, manufacture and production. When there is so much to choose from and consider, it can be diffi cult to know where to start.

Expert opinion

Weatherdon is a supplier of housekeeping trolleys to the industry and wants to make trolley buying easier. The company concurs that “clunky and cumbersome is out and nimble and nifty is the order of the day when it comes to housekeeper’s trolleys”.

h housekeeping


Trolleys:

Robert Weatherdon, managing director of Weatherdon Corporation, preferred supplier to over 600 hotels in Australia and New Zealand said: “As real estate is ever more at a premium, rooms are shrinking and corridors are tighter still. Even in the older style hotels, where space is more generous, housekeepers all seek out the most economic and ergonomic trolley.”

The days of heavy metal trolleys have also gone according to Mr Weatherdon, “Plastic is the new fantastic. Lightweight, manoeuvrable with swivel wheels that steer are amongst the must haves”.

He recommends quick-jump brakes to give emergency stopping power that will make life much easier for even the most petite of housekeepers who may not have the sheer muscle power to stop a full-loaded run-away trolley.

“Safety, security and size are what counts in the accommodation industry and the trolley has to be safe to operate. Safe-ride castors, horizontal protection-wheels and jump-on wheel brakes – as well as ensuring the trolley is never overloaded – this goes a long way to providing peace of mind,” adds Mr Weatherdon.

He advises that “no guest likes to come back to their room and see the trolley propping open the door and their personal bits and bobs in sight – so a trolley that can easily fit inside the room keeps everything private and the corridors clear and safe. Size does always matter especially when appearance and convenience count”.

Mr Weatherdon describes the trolley as the “work-horse that has to ferry everything from linen, toiletries, mops and brooms silently and discreetly and be standing by ready to perform large scale operations at the back of house day or night.

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41SUMMER 2016

And, he adds: “Reliability is fundamental, so is easy-wipe cleaning. Silence is golden when it comes to wheels, so it is good to have a few spares at the ready”.

Mr Weatherdon’s 10 commandments for what to look for when making a trolley purchase are:

1. A fully loaded trolley fits around all the tricky spaces 2. Wheels are replaceable – buy some extras to have on hand3. Dirty linen bags have external easy access zips 4. Shelves can be easily pulled in and out5. Doors that lock 6. Designated mop and broom holder7. Additional storage trays and configurations are available8. Horizontal protector wheels9. Adjustable shelves 10. Separate storage nooks

The moral when purchasing a new housekeeping trolley is to consult the experts in the field from the start so that an informed decision can be made to secure a successful purchase.

Buying a trolley that fits the accommodation’s specific needs and requirements, will not only save time and money, but also will also provide a safer, happier and more productive work place. If you buy smart, your well-groomed new trolley can reflect your business, not only in how it is organised and presented but also with your brand.


CODE DESCRIPTION SIZE PRICE

BD2130 Single 180 x 230cm $69.25

BD2136 Queen 230 x 240cm $86.20

BD2138 King 270 x 240cm $99.60

Plus GST. Free Freight.

0800 836 [email protected] www.vendella.co.nz

370 thread count • Satin trimmed edges

Machine wash/dry • 150gsm Microfibre fill

Generous sizing • Non-allergenic

DREAMTICKET

OASIS BLANKET

I N T R O D U C I N G

100% natural cotton, luxury sateen outer

TAUPE

RED

CHARCOAL

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Bathrooms:

Upgraded bathrooms are an excellent chance to impress

WHEN IT COMES TO GUEST SATISFACTION, NOWHERE MATTERS MORE IN AN ESTABLISHMENT THAN THE BATHROOM.

While anywhere in a guest room is subject to gradual wear and fading, as long as the room appears clean, guests will have at least some degree of tolerance.

But a bathroom exposes them to more intimate issues. It is natural for human beings to feel much more sensitive when their bare skin is exposed, as it inevitably will be with showers, baths and toilets,

And because of the nature of bathrooms, where steam and running water will take their toll on any surface and where the moving parts of taps and faucets will inevitably deteriorate, regular cleaning will only suffi ce for so long.

Cracked tiles, leaky faucets or any sign of mould will instantly leave guests with an unfavourable impression of inadequate standards – not what any hotel or motel manager will want them to go away with. Depending on the type of property, clean and well maintained bathrooms might not be enough on their own if they are little more than serviceable. Guests are very likely to have a high standard of fi ttings in their bathrooms at home and will expect even more touches of luxury when they are paying the rates charged in a good standard of hotel or motel.

This means bathrooms can present their management with a chance to impress. Shiny new fi ttings – perhaps something different guests may not have seen before – can leave a lasting good impression.

Everyone enjoys at least the occasional experience of opulence. Installing good quality bathroom fi ttings will not only give those who use them that feeling of being pampered, but in spite of what might be an initially higher price tag, prove more cost-effective in the longer term.

Quality amenities, towels and accessories can add more sumptuous touches. Colour can achieve so much. If there is anywhere in a property for a certain amount of guest indulgence, the bathroom is where it is likely to pay off the most.

Accom Management Guide obtained comment from senior executives in two companies which supply products to the New Zealand market, Methven and Nuovo Group.

What quality means

Managing director of Nuovo Group, Russell Poole, says quality can mean different things to different people: “As a business traveller, a refreshing start to the day might be high on the list with a generous walk in shower and a minimalistic space for the obligatory shave and teeth brushing and a good sized mirror to see how sharp I look.

“For a person on holiday it might well be a soak in a generous bath and space to make myself look glamorous for my night out. Either way, a bathroom fi t for purpose and of a good quality is high on the list of achieving the ‘wow’ factor that brings customers back time and time again.”

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We can help you to keep your �oors, bathrooms, showers and other natural stone and tiled surfaces looking beautiful and elegant. If you are having problems with tile and grout, natural stone – we will get it looking clean and new again!

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of what might be an initially higher price tag, prove more cost-effective in the longer term...

Elevate your guest’s shower experience with Aurajet™ and only use 9 litres per minute. methven.com/aurajet

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Bathrooms:

Mr Poole says guests’ good first impressions of a hotel when first entering the lobby can be quickly overturned if they find their bathroom looks tired and dysfunctional.

“Whether it be climbing over high sided baths to squeeze under a low shower rose, patch repairs to long past their use-by date tiling or chipped, flaky and small vanities with nowhere to put my bathroom essentials, these things make a significant impact on my happiness factor.

Methven has a long history of elegance, durability and innovation in bathroom products, including a wide array of showers, taps and mixers for the bathroom and kitchen.

A New Zealand success story, the company began in 1886 when George Methven first started as a producer of brass and iron hardware in Dunedin. Since then Methven products have become a household name in New Zealand, and increasingly other parts of the world.

Some of its better known ranges are Waipori, Maku, Kiri, Koha, Tahi and Aio. While it might have a long history, Methven is always looking at developing something new. Aio tapware, for instance, is crafted with ecobrass, which the company calls a “revolutionary” high quality, high strength material.”

“At Methven we like to make things better, so we spend a great deal of

time and effort on research and development to improve on conventional hardware solutions,” said consumer & trade marketing manager, Marek Koliandr.

Defining requirements

Nuovo Group’s Russell Poole says: “In any project, my first step is to define my customers’ key requirements and then to design to them. If you have a mix of business and holiday guests, perhaps look to have an appropriate number of bathrooms suited to the business traveller and others to the holiday maker,” he said.

“Equally as important is the ongoing cleaning and upkeep – ensure the room is designed using products and a layout that make the daily cleaning as efficient as is possible. Low/level entry glass framed showers on a vinyl base are an example where both boxes are ticked. Wall hung vanities not only look smart and make the room feel more spacious, they also make cleaning the floor easier.”

“We can assist with advice by knowing the full range of products available. Working with these every day enables us to firstly find the right solution for the room(s) in question. From there, our in-house team of builders and our dedicated team of subcontractors can get to work.

“At the end of the day there’s little value in dressing up the bedroom/lounge if your guests are then going to walk into a dated and scruffy bathroom – in fact the difference in quality only magnifies the poor state of the bathroom,” Mr Poole said.

Development emphasis

At Methven, the emphasis on research and development has led to the development of a completely new type of showerhead, the elegant Aurajet, which the company promotes as ‘turning conventional showering on its head’. Methven says the unique halo-shaped showerhead delivers a highly efficient, luxurious showering experience.

“Aurajet uses hidden nozzles which generate individual jets of water that collide against precisely angled surfaces within the contours of the showerhead,” said Marek Koliandr. At that moment of collision, the water travels across the surface edge and lodges out from the channel, creating stunning fans of water in a wide, even spray, enhanced droplet density, increased overall coverage and maximum warmth. It not only looks amazing but delivers a wonderful, luxurious shower experience.”

Consumer research really was at the heart of Methven’s Aurajet development from concept through to delivery, he said. “We carried out research in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom to ensure that as Methven went through the development of the product, we delivered a great consumer experience.

“From the outset, our research clearly guided us in terms of what people felt was important when they were selecting a shower for their bathroom and what their key considerations were when making this important purchase. It also guided us in terms of providing key insight into what people feel makes a good showering experience. This led us to the revelations of what people really want out of their shower time,” said Mr Koliandr.

“It made us at Methven realise just how important the experience is to people and that in many instances, the shower is the only place of sanctuary for them amidst their hectic lives.”


rrefurbishment

45SUMMER 2016

Case Study – Edgewater Lake Wanaka:

An ideal time for a refurb at famed beauty spot

IF THERE ARE ANY PLACES IN NEW ZEALAND THAT ARE LOVELIER THAN OTAGO’S LAKE WANAKA, THEY WOULD BE VERY FEW, AND EDGEWATER LAKE WANAKA HAS A PRIME POSITION THERE.

A privately owned, independent 4-star plus resort hotel only one hour’s

drive from Queenstown International Airport, it sits on the shores of the

lake at the foot of the majestic Southern Alps.

Ownership is in the hands of 65 individual shareholders, 95 percent of

them New Zealanders, who each own one or more rooms. They lease

their rooms back to the operating company, which they also own, and

which in turn runs the business as the resort hotel.

Set on four and a half hectares of park-like lakeside grounds, the hotel

has 103 guestrooms in three confi gurations.

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Hundreds of thousands of guests from New Zealand and overseas have enjoyed their time at Edgewater since it opened in July, 1986.

There is so much to enjoy. For a start, all rooms have magnifi cent lake and mountain views and are on the ground or fi rst fl oor. As well guests will fi nd:

• Two restaurants – both with indoor/outdoor dining options • A cocktail bar featuring fi ne local wines • Full conference and wedding facilities for up to 180 guests • Two all-weather tennis courts with rackets and balls provided • Golf putting green• Spa pools and sauna• Day spa for beauty, hair and massage treatments• Kayaks and mountain bikes to hire.

There is plenty of free parking for those who come by car, and befi tting an establishment of such quality – a heli-pad for those who choose to travel rather faster and in more style.

For those fortunate enough to spend some time there, Edgewater staff pride themselves on providing southern hospitality, friendly personal service and fresh local produce.

Time for refurbishment

Of course there have been refurbishments before in Edgewater’s 30 year history, and recently it was time for a new major makeover. It has been project managed by general manager Mike Barton and his management team including maintenance engineer Telf Stevenson. Mr Barton has been in the position of general manager for nearly two years, and before that was the fi nancial controller from 2003.

“This refurbishment was delayed a little because of the global recession,” he said, “but we had planned it for quite a while.”

And so an extensive two million dollar refurbishment was begun in early 2015 and will be completed later this year. While Edgewater had always

been maintained at a high level, it was beginning to date in some areas, said Mr Barton.

“With hotels you’re often a victim of fashion. I believe it’s not that things here were worn out, because we have a very stringent maintenance programme, but the colours, fabrics and technology around 11 years ago when the last soft refurbishment was done, were no longer appropriate.

“We’ve carried out the fi rst two stages so far. Out of our 103 rooms, we’d completed 68 by September. The other 35 will be done in May and June. We can’t take any more rooms offl ine until then because we’ve just been too busy. October, November and December were record months for us and the prospects for the remainder of summer are extremely positive.

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r refurbishment



“The stippled ceilings were in vogue when Edgewater was built in the 1980s, but they are certainly not regarded as being trendy now. We removed all the stipple and had the ceilings plastered to give them a clean, smooth finish.

“We’ve repainted walls, ceilings, skirting boards and doors in an off-white colour to make the rooms more light and bright.

“We’ve laid new earth-toned carpets and fitted new thermal curtains and sheers, and brought in a pop of colour with bed-throws, cushion covers and other soft furnishings.

“The theme is green and blue, in keeping with our corporate colours – and also with the view outside because we open up directly onto beautiful green lawns, leading down to the blue lake. However, if those colours are not in fashion in three, four years or five years’ time, we can easily change them without great expense.

“We’ve replaced some furniture – to a more modern style in terms of the couches, and with a sturdier type of pull-out bed in the suites. We found the dining chairs were still as good as anything that’s available these days, so we had them re-stained in a darker colour, and fully re-upholstered, along with the squabs in the window seats.

“To really set the rooms off, we’ve put new artwork on the walls. We worked with a local professional photographer, Christopher Thompson, whos provided us with beautifully framed limited edition photographs of Central Otago.

“Following a few issues with unstable signals we have recently changed wifi providers. The new host company has given us a very robust solution and guests may now enjoy a complimentary 1GB of data, per device, per day.

“We’re replacing the existing guest room lighting and part of the lobby area with LED fittings, which provide benefits both from an economic point of

view, and in better light quality. Bluetooth audio devices have also been installed in our suite rooms as an extra touch of luxury,” Mr Barton said.

“In the next stage we’ll be refurbishing the last third of the guestrooms, and then onto the bar and restaurant area in autumn where we will incorporate new lighting, new colours, new carpet and new furniture.

“Another big part of our business is weddings and conferences. Effectively we have three rooms available for conferences and functions. We have the Summit room upstairs which can hold up to 160 theatre style, and that had a makeover about five years ago. We also have an executive boardroom which will hold up to 12 delegates around a board table.

“On ground level we have the Pavilion, a venue in a conservatory style suitable for trade shows, conferences and weddings. It can hold about 120 people seated at tables. We’ve just installed a new floor in there made of recycled rimu from Christchurch – with a bluestone tile border around it. Double-glazed bi-fold doors have also been added and these can be opened up onto our lakeside lawn area.

“This project has taken a considerable amount of time and effort, however we are now seeing the results with more than 40 weddings being hosted in the Pavilion this wedding season.”

Excellent outcome

So, with the first stage of the refurbishment now completed, is Mike Barton and his team pleased with how it all looks so far?

“Absolutely, we’re delighted with the result and have received very positive feedback from guests and the travel trade. The rooms are a credit to the parties who worked on the project, including Warren & Mahoney who carried out some of the conceptual design, and fabric firm Texco who assisted us with some styling suggestions and colour selection for the soft furnishings.

“A lot of the other work has been outsourced to trades-people in our area, such as upholsterers and painting contractors while local electricians are doing all the electrical work.”

“It’s an exciting time for us to be carrying this out because of our prospects over the next few years. The tourism industry is in very strong heart at present. I think everybody in our industry is riding the wave and should be doing well. For us it’s the opportune time to be going through a refurbishment because we can virtually do it out of trading cash-flow – which is a great benefit for our owners as well.

“With hotels it’s a never ending process – you just have to keep refurbishing and replacing to stay with the market.”


Colours bring the outside in CLEVER USE OF OTAGO COLOUR WAS HIGH ON THE LIST OF PRIORITIES FOR THE REFURBISHMENT OF EDGEWATER LAKE WANAKA, AND WHO BETTER THAN A LOCAL DESIGNER FOR THE TASK?

Cush Nelson is the design consultant for Texco International and worked with the team from Edgewater on the project. Mrs Nelson lives in Wanaka where she has considerable local knowledge, as well as an expert eye for design.

“When deciding what colours and designs would suit the property, Cush took into account Edgewater’s branding specifications, along with the environmental colours,” said Texco marketing executive, Louise Ayling.

“Being a local, she knew that Wanaka can often have the inversion layer days and so felt it was important to create a warm and

inviting room, while keeping it bright and open. Keeping this in mind, she visualised green to bring in the grass from the outside – complementing the green with a shade of blue to emphasise the hotel’s proximity to the lake’s edge. The Edgewater’s ‘Touch the seasons’ by-line was another consideration.

“Cush presented several options to the Edgewater team who decided the blue and green options would perfectly suit the various rooms. Cush understood how important it was to take on-board the briefing from hotel manager Mike Barton, who was looking for neutral base colours while bringing the outside environment in – then adding a ‘pop’ of colour. Cush has kept the neutral colours while using colour via bed throws and occasional chairs to give the highest possible standards of comfort for Edgewater’s guests,” Miss Ayling said.

“Cush loved working with the Edgewater team and was thrilled with the look and feel of the newly refurbished rooms.”

rrefurbishment

49SUMMER 2016

Stable, robust guest wifi solutions INTERNET PROVIDER HEADQUARTERS N.D.C LTD FIRST BECAME INVOLVED WITH EDGEWATER LAKE WANAKA IN 2015 TO REVIEW AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH GUEST INTERNET ACCESS.

“For several years they’d been experiencing wifi connectivity issues across the entire complex,” said the managing director of the company, Uan Spijkerbosch. “We submitted a report of their existing system – its coverage and limitations – then isolated potential areas for improvement.

“The base issues were connectivity between buildings, poor coverage by the use of incorrect wireless antennas, along with an insufficient quantity of access points. We provided a proposal to Edgewater that would resolve them. Of the three options, a managed solution providing a large, daily, free component of data was chosen,” Mr Spijkerbosch said.

“As the resort was being refurbished, we had the opportunity of replacing the existing system while being able to perform detailed testing as we did so. We installed 24 access points (up from the existing six) in key locations to ensure maximum coverage of the accommodation and public areas. The system operates on a single password which the site can change, as well as offering payment solutions for heavy users.

“Since May 2015, HeadQuarters N.D.C Ltd has been delivering a reliable, stable and pro-actively managed free internet solution that allows the team at Edgewater to focus on their guest experience, knowing we're in the background to ensure the high quality remains. Our HQWiFi managed guest internet solution for Edgewater Wanaka is our benchmark, New Zealand-wide.

Otago biking delights for guests SCENIC, HISTORIC AND PEPPERED WITH EXCELLENT VINEYARDS, CENTRAL OTAGO HAS BECOME A CYCLIST MECCA. THE POPULAR OTAGO CENTRAL RAIL TRAIL AND THE MORE RECENTLY OPENED ROXBURGH GORGE AND CLUTHA GOLD TRAILS ARE ALL IN THE VICINITY OF EDGEWATER LAKE WANAKA, WHILE GUESTS AT THE HOTEL MIGHT HAVE A MORE LEISURELY RIDE IN MIND, SUCH AS A GENTLE RAMBLE AROUND THE LAKE.

That is why previous hotel general manager Lee Stock and now Mike Barton entered into a rental arrangement with cycling company Bike It Now! to have its bikes available for use by hotel guests at all times. Based in the historic town of Clyde and centrally located for people to ride all of the region’s trails, Bike It Now! is owned and operated by Kathryn Fletcher, Duncan Randall and Lisa Joyce, all residents of Clyde.

For its regular clients, the company offers cycle hire for full-day and multi-day tours, accommodating all abilities. Its fleet of 29 and 27.5 inch Avanti and Scott bikes have features such as ergonomic grips, hydraulic disc brakes, puncture resistant tyres, drop-down panniers, high spec componentry and padded seats. There are also children’s bikes, seats, tandems and tow-behinds which enable families to become involved.

For Edgewater Lake Wanaka, Bike It Now! offers a special service. “We provide high quality bike hire to two large tour companies that have tour groups staying at Edgewater,” said Kathryn Fletcher. “We come over from Clyde to do this at least 15 times a season.

“We also provide Edgewater with high quality Scott and Avanti hire bikes for its clients only to use while staying in Wanaka. We service these bikes regularly to ensure they are running extremely well.”

t technology


Telecommunications:

Providing technology for the self-contained guest

THE EXPECTATIONS OF MODERN GUESTS, AS WELL AS THE WAY THAT THE ACCOMMODATION INDUSTRY CONDUCTS ITS BUSINESS, HAS CHANGED THE FACE OF HOTEL TELECOMMUNICATIONS OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES.

The industry can only reminisce about the halcyon days of the 1980s; an era of profi table hotel telephone departments. Businesses could easily mark-up calls to a profi table (some say too profi table) level and guests back then had little choice but to use the guestroom phone and grumble about the cost.

Oh, how times have changed! With the arrival of the self-contained guest…

Typically this guest carries a laptop computer, a tablet and a smart phone or the newest trend, some sort of wearable technology. All that the self-contained guest wants, apart from a comfy bed, is a convenient USB port and free fast wifi that is seen as a must have.

Some of the technology trends in the industry have led to great improvements and savings for accommodation industry businesses and are changing how hotel developers plan their buildings, infrastructure, management structure and staffi ng requirements. Guests’ expectations to be able to connect to the internet seamlessly and without interruption, has led the industry to invest in better, faster wifi infrastructure so that guests can do business and use their smart devices with ease during their stay.

Besides being able to offer high density wifi for conferences and meetings, hotels also need to be able to offer access to audio-visual and digital facilities for conferences. For a hotel to offer extensive conference facilities, network design becomes critical to ensure indoor mobile phone coverage, wifi connectivity, VoIP, real time location services (RTLS) and internet protocol television (IPTV) – as well as all the accompanying AV and digital equipment, is essential.

Guest expectations have also changed the face of check-in and reception areas. Guests demand easy technology driven check-ins where they can do everything from the venue’s automated kiosk – from ordering room service to planning trips with a digital device. Modern reception spaces are designed with this in mind, as well as providing mini conference areas and multiple USB ports.

We spoke with industry expert Jan Strijker, director of Brantas International Technology, providers of in-room technology solutions and digital signage, with customers such as Hilton and Intercontinental. We asked what the newest hospitality features and technological advancements are.

He concurs: “Today’s technological advancements are focused around effi ciency at reception, concierge and for other forms of guest service and response such as fl oor runners. The advancements cover smart integration of the hotel PMS, middleware and eco-sub systems associated with the PBX, such as voicemail, screen based attendant. They also extend to incorporating the building management system. This creates effi ciencies in guest services that are customised for each hotel’s needs.

“These integrations ensure that appropriate information is made available to the appropriate staff member in either servicing a guest need, or in being alerted to a critical alarm status on cool rooms, or water pumps etc., even when they are mobile.”

According to Mr Strijker, hoteliers have the option to consume telephony in a number of different ways: on premise, cloud or as a service. “Both cloud and telephony as a service is challenging as the TCO (total cost of ownership) tends to be approximately 50 percent more over a six-to-eight-year period.”

We asked how, in his opinion, should cost conscious accommodation managers best provide effective communication solutions?

“There is no point in providing a communications solution that is not integrated and has less useability than the guests own smartphone,” he replied. “Therefore, the communications system must be smart and have intelligent functionality for staff effi ciency, while refl ecting a simple and non-intrusive ease-of-use to the guest.

“NECs mobility solutions for example, coupled with applications such as FCS eConnect, are now evolving to incorporate the guests own smartphone as a point of communications and to make it a familiar interaction within the room, and also outside the hotel while checked in.”

With effective communication between staff in an accommodation operation vital to the smooth running of the business, we asked what options are now available to link web, cloud, mobile and hardware devices.

“We strongly believe that wifi should be left in the domain of internet consumption and that voice communications are better served using the evolving carrier based 3G/4G services. Staff extension numbers can be securely extended from the PBX via the internet to the data pack of an associated smartphone, allowing the end user to have complete voice and application connections, regardless of their location within and without the hotel.

ttechnology

51SUMMER 2016

“Compressed voice allows for extremely cost effective bandwidth utilisation and the guest services applications are equivalent of thin client solutions, so the consumption of 3G/4G bandwidth is minimal – and when compared to re-cabling and provision of extensive wifi for voice, this approach can show significant savings and efficiency.

“That being said, mobile integration at the customer level is still very much a new concept with little-to-no adoption globally. Integration at the room phone with web-based interfaces for room services are more common or migrating the traditional newspaper to a tablet with web services is becoming common practice with services that increase the hotels RevPAR (revenue per available room),” Mr Strijker told us.

Guests want to use their mobile devices easily and without interruption and in and around hotels. So what are the best ways to amplify and disperse signals to give better reception in guest areas such as car parks?

Mr Strijker explains: “It depends on what each individual hotel is trying to achieve. If, for example the aim is to provide improved wifi for email and browsing coverage to a car park or extended pool area, then a directional Yagi with amplified masthead would typically be the approach – and this can be achieved quite cost effectively for simple data coverage issues.

“If the requirement is occasional use of voice and applications into the same type areas, then using SBCs (session border controller) provides a cost effective way to translate internal wifi connection securely through a proxy gateway and provide effective coverage throughout these domains.” The best way to increase your revenue is to give guests what they want. This includes providing for their technological needs as best you can. Some of the industry is sadly holding back and some larger hotels have even been found to block wifi signals in and around their property. According to The Wall Street Journal Online, “Federal Communications Commission officials warned that the agency will prosecute businesses that block people from using personal wifi networks.

“In a so-called enforcement advisory Tuesday, the FCC said its enforcement bureau has witnessed a “disturbing trend” in which hotels and other commercial establishments block wireless consumers from using personal wifi hot-spots on their premises. It said it would be aggressive in investigating and acting against any blocking.”

The lesson for all accommodation providers must be – do not stand in the way of technology – it makes sense to go forward and provide for those self-contained guests.


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t technology


Catering for Guest Technology:

Is ample connectivity for guest devices as important as providing hot water?

LIKE IT OR NOT, THIS IS THE AGE OF BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE (BYOD).

Today’s guests arrive with their own content and online subscriptions, most have a clear idea of what they want and what they are accustomed to. They want to be able to view their regular news or social media updates and access content on one of their favourite apps and catch up channels such as Amazon Prime, Netfl ix, Hulu, Stan, YouTube, and more.

New content is always going online and more guests will want to access them on their own devices, not to mention business travellers with individual needs. Accommodation providers who enable their guests to connect to the web’s unlimited resources will offer a more varied and personal service.

Spiking demand for connectivity is placing an enormous burden on many hotel wifi networks and pressuring accommodation providers to invest in modern infrastructure. Guest reviews on TripAdvisor and the emergence of dedicated wifi ranking websites have been tracking interest in hotel wifi .

Guest room technology specialist Brendon Granger, the general manager of Technology 4 Hotels, agreed that we are living in the age of BYOD: “Guest’s arrive at a hotel with a myriad of communication and entertainment devices. We are now living in a society obsessed with and reliant on its gadgets. These gadgets keep us both connected and entertained.

“Hotel guests bring devices with them and are watching their own movies and programmes in the comfort of their room. Why do they want to use their devices? Because they have spent time and money loading their ‘life’ onto their devices and they know how they work.”

He told us: “I believe that increasingly, in-room technology is less about what hotels provide (IPTV and

pay-for view movies) and more about accommodating what guests are bringing with them. The key for hotels is to provide them with the power, infrastructure and the bandwidth to achieve this.”

According to Mr Granger, the factors that accommodation providers should consider when catering for BYOD include power, internet connectivity, bandwidth and infrastructure/hardware.

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ttechnology

53SUMMER 2016

Major challenge

A major challenge, he explained, is to provide adequate power for all the devices that guests bring with them but “on a positive note, the USB has become the default standard for charging mobile devices”. If guest rooms have well positioned and located power points, “you can replace them with a power point that has two built-in USB ports. This will allow your guests to charge any mobile device they bring with them, as long as they have the appropriate charging cable”.

If the power points are not well located and you are not about to refurbish, he recommends “something like a power rail that can be placed at the desk to provide both power points and USB charging for your guests”.

Mr Granger also suggests that there should be at least two ‘free power’ outlets available for guests’ devices and if these power points do not have USB ports, then at least four power points should be provided.

Referring to internet connectivity and bandwidth he recommends that:

“Wifi access should be available throughout your property, your service should allow multiple connected devices on the one plan and your bandwidth needs to be suffi cient to cater for the streaming that guests now expect when using applications such as Netfl ix.”

Hotels also need to ensure that their internet plan or service has the ability to connect multiple devices at once. Mr Granger suggests that: “Three devices are a minimum for a single guest as they may want to connect up both a smart phone and tablet or laptop. For families, you may need to have plans offering up to eight simultaneously connected devices.”

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t technology


Catering for Guest Technology:

Reviewing connections

With this demand he also suggests that hotels need to monitor what guests are downloading and have some restrictions in place if possible. “They also need to review internet connection to their property to asses if it is adequate for the number of simultaneous guests using their internet service,” he adds.

Although guests bring their own devices with their own content, according to Mr Granger they would still prefer to watch the content on the larger accommodation in-room TV – exactly what they would do at home. He says: “We know this because hotels tell us that guests keep fi ddling with their TVs and even leave cables connected to them.

“To allow guests to connect to the TV without damaging it or impacting the next guest who occupies the room, you need to make sure the TV ports are accessible to the guest (on the front or side, not the back). You also need to consider things like the length of the antenna cable, so that when the guest swivels the TV it will not get ripped out of the socket or damage the TV.”

A connectivity panel, he explains, would allow guests to plug their device in without the need for tampering with the TV.

“In a nutshell, the benefi t of choosing the right technology is guest satisfaction. Happy guests are repeat guests and will also comment positively on TripAdvisor, improving your scores and bringing in more guests.

“At this point, technology is being used as a differentiator by hotels, but as the millennial traveller starts to make up a larger mix of hotel guests, technology will be paramount. International brands have already jumped onto the hotel technology bandwagon, with Starwood’s W brand embracing the millennial guest by incorporating technology and millennial-friendly design into their hotels early on.”

Number one issue

Poor battery life is the number one issue for smartphone users, according to Ben O’Leary from Kube Systems and he told us: “The hospitality industry is quick in recognising this. Bigger phones with larger screens and a growing addiction with being connected outstrip

current lithium battery power. Meanwhile, additional hardware platforms (Apple 30-pin vs. Apple Lightning cables) and shorter product lifecycles (iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s) push hotels to constantly chase the ever-evolving technology.

“Dead battery anxiety drives guests to seek power outlets for their devices, wherever they may fi nd them: walls, pillars, behind the front desk. Some studies indicate that customers would stay at a premises for up to 30 minutes more had they been able to charge their device.”

Accommodation providers should expect the demand from guests for power and connectivity to “only increase as more devices link to the world of the internet [of things] – such as watches, health devices, and the like”.

But, Mr O’Leary warns: “It is important not to be tied down by one type of technology.

At one point, hotels installed docking stations with Apple 30-pin connectors, only to see them become redundant quite quickly. Don't try to pick a winner – there are many device standards and selecting a ubiquitous solution

is key.”

Availability factor

Another factor is availability. He suggests: “Along with a guest’s wallet, the mobile device is one

of the most important elements of a traveller’s fl exibility, so keeping that device charged and available to use at all times should be a matter of

priority for managers. Just as wifi is now expected everywhere, so too will charging power opportunities.

It’s only a matter of time and adaptability.”

It is essential that managers choose wisely. According to Mr O’Leary, the considerations are: Total Cost of

Ownership (TCO), improved customer satisfaction, increased demand and lower operating costs.

He says: “As a traveller myself, I must have spent hundreds of dollars on new charging cables in multiple cities in multiple

countries. I have also inadvertently ended up with a few chargers from a number of hotels as well. I want to avoid hunting

for a power point behind the bed or in the lobby and I can personally guarantee improved satisfaction when my need is met.

“I am also certain the hotel does not want the costs associated with delivering device chargers to customer’s rooms or having to replace them. In this day-and-age, customers are more demanding than ever – and more powerful thanks to the internet and social media. A great experience will be rewarded through loyalty and referral. But

not to be tied down by one type of technology. At one point, hotels installed docking stations

chargers from a number of hotels as well. I want to avoid hunting

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55SUMMER 2016

the opposite is also true which can lead to lost opportunities and revenue.”

Jan Strijker is the director of Brantas International and he also believes strongly that accommodation providers need to be able to provide for guests ever increasing connectivity needs. He told us: “There are several means available to do that. Bluetooth speakers incorporated into bedside clock radios, mediahubs, connected to TVs and wireless solutions allowing for wireless connectivity to TVs for content sharing.

“Content is not only residing on the guests’ devices, but in the cloud, via streaming applications such as Netflix and countless radio streaming portals. A robust internet connectivity solution is essential.

“A hotel manager recently commented to me that he felt guests find internet access almost more important than having warm water, such is the outpour of complaints if the internet is not working!”

Connectivity is a burden that has to be addressed, options are available to solve those technical dilemmas and any good industry supplier can advise what is best for your individual requirements. There is no getting away from the fact that guests see wifi and connectivity as a priority – it is perhaps not as important as hot water though just yet!


hr human resources


Training:

Hotel happiness

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ONE OF THE KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL HOTEL, ASK THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP THE PERFECT ROOM FOR CUSTOMERS – HOUSEKEEPING. IT’S A GOOD PLACE TO GET A CAREER IN THE INDUSTRY UNDERWAY AND YOU CAN EARN AND LEARN FROM THE DAY YOU START.

Haylee Keepa-Gordon hadn’t planned to go into the hospitality industry. Two years ago, she was a school leaver looking for work when her father noticed an advertisement for a housekeeping role at Ibis Hotel. She applied, got the job and it’s turned out to be an ideal way to gain valuable skills, knowledge and kick-start a career.

“It was an awesome opportunity that you wouldn’t want to pass up,” says Haylee of her experience training on-the-job at the Novotel.

So far, she’s managed to save for a holiday in Australia, and even better, gained a National Certificate in Hospitality (Accommodation) Level 2.

“It looks great on my CV,” says Haylee of the qualification she achieved with ServiceIQ and Accor Building Futures. “It’s a really good learning experience and I don’t have a student loan, which I’m really happy about.”

Housekeeping is “the spine of the hospitality business”, says Novotel HR manager Riti Sharma. As a room attendant, it’s Haylee’s responsibility to make sure each room looks spectacular when guests walk in. She also needs to get the details just right, such as making sure regular guests’ rooms are stocked with everything they need, including their favourite tea.

Haylee says: “It’s not just a job for us. Our culture at Accor strives to create a memorable experience for guests as well as staff.”

Job satisfaction

“I clean the rooms, dust, make up the beds, and make sure every surface and detail is very clean and tidy. I’m also a self-checker so I have to assess my rooms and ensure everything is perfect. Sometimes when I go into a room and see the big mess I have to clean it can be stressful. We do have hard days but I’m more used to it now.”

Haylee gets pleasure and job satisfaction from great reviews and working with her team.

“The best thing about the job is when guests surprise me by appreciating what I do,” she says. “One of our regular guests thinks I’m an expert at bed making. She once made her own bed and got me to check that she’d done it properly.”

Fun atmosphere

“I also work with a great group of people. Everyone is like family here – staff and guests. It’s a fun atmosphere, it’s really happy and we get on well. We have a lot of laughs. Our manager encourages us to give feedback and suggest ideas and improvements. It’s a great culture”.

Her next step in the hospitality industry is to cross-train on-job for a qualification and a role in front-of-house reception.

ServiceIQ offers the New Zealand Certificate in Hotel Reception Level 4 as well as qualifications for many other departments of the hotel business.

Haylee Keepa-Gordon

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hr human resources


Front Desk:

Front-desk team is crucial to hotel marketing

THE FRONT-DESK STAFF ALWAYS HAS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE SUCCESS OF A HOTEL BY CREATING POSITIVE FIRST IMPRESSIONS. NOWADAYS, HOWEVER, THESE STAFF MEMBERS ARE KEY PLAYERS IN HOTEL MARKETING.

As everyone who has ever worked behind a front desk knows, guests' experiences at registration set the tone for their entire stay. If things go well, such as if they are properly greeted and if they truly feel welcomed upon arrival, the rest of their stay tends to be positive. When something goes wrong later, they tend to be much more forgiving.

However, if they have a negative fi rst impression, two things happen. For one, they become hyper-critical during the rest of their hotel stay, looking for fl aws like a white-gloved inspector checking for dust at the tops of the picture frames.

Secondly, they get what I refer to as "bad guest karma." In other words, the guest who has a bad experience at check-in literally attracts trouble from that point forward. Theirs is the only room that housekeeping forgets to clean; the only room service tray that gets delivered late and the only wake-up call that gets missed.

Back when I worked at the front desk we were told, "Be careful. An unhappy guest will tell nine to 10 others!"

When I fi rst became a hotel industry trainer I used to make my participants calculate the potential for lost business if one unhappy guest caused us to lose 10 future bookings, and it was scary. In today's world, we can add at least a few ‘zeros’ after that ‘nine to 10’ number. Here in the era of online guest reviews, what we used to call "bad word-of-mouth advertising" is now "word of click." As a result, today's guests can become our biggest advocates and apostles to spread the great

news about their wonderful experiences, or they can become our worst nightmares.

Although all guest contact staff have the opportunity to create memorable experiences, the front-desk reception has the most signifi cant impact as it creates the initial impression.

We hoteliers used to think of hotel marketing as being a separate department serving a specialized function, such as creating public relations campaigns and developing printed marketing collateral and eventually creating website content. Now the majority of potential fi rst-time guests start their research at online guest review sites such as TripAdvisor, or they read the reviews posted at online travel agencies and metasearch websites. What they read there is perceived to be far more credible than what is published on the hotel's website.

Therefore, training your front-desk team to become ‘positive fi rst impression makers’ is more important than ever before. Here are some front-training tips:

Conduct pre-arrival planning at least 24 hours in advance. Review special requests and block rooms accordingly.

Train your front-desk colleagues to review your arrivals list at the start of each shift. Looking for guest names that seem familiar will help you recognize many of them when they enter the lobby. Similarly, review the list of events taking place. Immediately recognizing events and being able to direct participants creates a positive impression for meeting planners and also attendees.

Doug Kennedy

hrhuman resources

59SUMMER 2016

Doug Kennedy is president of the Kennedy Training Network Inc a leading provider of customised training programs and telephone mystery shopping services for the lodging and hospitality industry. Doug continues to be a fixture on the industry’s conference circuit for hotel companies, brands and associations, as he been for over two decades.

Make sure all guests are greeted with proper and dignified welcoming remarks such as "Good afternoon," "Welcome to the hotel; how may I assist you today?" and not with a raised eyebrow and nod, or curt remarks such as "Checkin' in?" "Hi guys" or "Last name?"

Ask for an ID in a friendly way and don't make guests feel as if they have just been pulled over by the police for a traffic stop. (Example: "May I just see an ID to verify?" versus "I need to see your ID and a credit card.")

Likewise, make sure guests who compliment us by saying "Thank you" are responded to with dignified replies such as "You are most welcome" and not with "No problem."

When a reservation is missing, and when rooms are open, train your staff to first let guests know, "We do have rooms tonight, but I'm trying to locate your reservation. Do you have the confirmation number? Could it be under another name?" This will avoid causing them to panic.

For full-service hotels, train the front desk to encourage guests to use a bell services staff member so that they can ensure everything is working properly in the room and that guests know how to operate the features, especially in newer high-tech guestrooms. Train the front desk to say, "Douglas, our bellman, will escort you to your guestroom..." and

not to say "Did you need help with your luggage?" making them feel like the proverbial 98-pound weakling.

Train your staff to anticipate needs in advance.

No guest will be impressed when he or she asks for a basic item and it is delivered; however, guests will be impressed when services are voluntarily offered. (Examples; offer a wake-up call for guests checking in late; offer more towels for larger parties; offer a late check-out for guests staying one night who arrive after midnight.)

Encourage the front-desk colleagues to welcome and acknowledge all members of the party, including the children and pets if applicable.

If availability allows, asks guests if they prefer a particular location for their room. Some guests prefer to be at the end of the hallways away from the elevator for privacy while others prefer to be right next to the elevator for convenience.

gf guest facilities

60ACCOM MANAGEMENT GUIDE

Waterparks:

What’s your Pooltention?

THE FIRST ‘OFFICIAL’ WATERPARK IS THOUGHT TO BE WET 'N WILD IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA, DEVELOPED IN 1977 BY GEORGE MILLAY THE CREATOR AND FOUNDER OF SEA WORLD. IT IS BELIEVED TO HAVE STARTED THE TREND OF LARGE, MULTI-FEATURE PARKS. THERE ARE CURRENTLY ABOUT 1000 WATERPARKS AND POOLS WITH WATER FEATURES IN THE US ALONE.

Why do families love water parks? Quite simply because there is something fun for all the family and they appeal to kids of all ages, from tots to teens, and of course adults have fun too. Water has refreshed and sustained humans since the dawn of time but today’s large-scale waterparks are a 20th century invention.

They are absolutely the best way to have fun and stay cool. Long, hot summer days just shout out… waterpark! The best family waterpark experiences are created by combining just the right mix of rides, attractions and aquatic settings that will have families rushing back time after time.

Careful consideration

So are you thinking of adding a waterpark to your accommodation? Are you busy dreaming up fast slides, body fl umes, spray pads, wave machines and climable structures, lagoons, action rivers, lazy rivers and shallow play pools? Just the thought of creating a waterpark is fun – right?

But you need to stop. First things fi rst, think about whether your expansion plans are feasible or not and if those plans will suit your guests.

If the answer is yes, then you will need someone (a water park expert) to organise your splash-happy ideas into a functional and safe plan that will work for your brand, accommodation, guests and location.

The plan should be designed to maximise your project’s potential while developing the greatest entertainment impact and value possible. It should take into account your guest-fl ow, maximise your revenue and it should carefully plan the placement of your waterpark to be in conjunction with revenue drivers, such as food and beverage areas.

AUSTRALIAN WATERSLIDES & LEISURE PTY LTD

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This experience ensures a unique blend of creativity, innovation and commercial reality.

More than just a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative waterslides and water play attractions, we are also able to advise clients in the areas of concept and design, feasibility studies and park operations. We provide one of the most comprehensive ranges of waterpark rides in the world.

From a gentle body ride where a toddler can ride on his parent’s lap, to the very latest “white knuckle”

rides which will excite even the most adventurous of teenagers.

Mats are not a requirement on our body rides. The smooth joining of the slide sections and accuracy of mouldings ensure a safe, smooth and comfortable ride.

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gf guest facilities


Waterparks:

Maximum revenue

Your concept should be designed to meet your guests’ needs and desires but at the same time generate a maximum revenue for you. More than just installing a slippery slide or fabulously flashy new ride, you also need to think about safety, cost and sustainability.

With a warming worldwide climate and dire drought conditions affecting communities across New Zealand and Australia, the creation of a sustainable waterpark must be a priority. In a 2011 column in Environmental Leader Online, Matthew Courtland, senior consultant with The Natural Strategy, suggested that all the main waterparks in the USA do not lead the way with regards to sustainability. “Of the many ways waterparks can incorporate sustainability into their operations, reducing their resource consumption is often the simplest place to begin,” he said.

Some ways to ensure you have a sustainable waterpark are to consider using a variety of environmentally friendly tools to clean the water, such as a non-invasive micron filtration system, along with ozone and carbon technologies. There are also filtration systems available to enable you to recycle your water – and of course, sustainable solar heating solutions.

Keeping water in

Construction is also important – the park should be designed to keep the water in the park and reduce evaporation. New high tech gaskets and sealants ensure the water stays on the inside of the flume and contributes to the longevity of the support structure.

Make sure you seek a waterpark company that can design and manufacture an innovative waterslide that meets your individual requirements within your budget. Do your research, get advice from other waterpark clients and visit other waterparks. Choose a company that will advise you about concept, design and park operations, one that will complete a feasibility study.

If your waterpark is designed with safety and constructed accurately for a comfortable ride, it gives you peace of mind.

Whether you decide to go for a gentle body ride that toddlers can enjoy or a ‘white knuckle’ ride for the most adventurous guest, always make it fun and create a unique addition for your accommodation to make the most out of your Pooltention.


Products, experience and expertise

AUSTRALIAN WATERSLIDES & LEISURE IS PROUD TO BE ABLE TO OFFER A HUGE VARIETY OF HYDROSLIDES AND WATERPLAY PRODUCTS TO THE NEW ZEALAND MARKET.

Our extensive experience in designing hydroslides and waterplay

for aquatic centres and waterparks ensures we provide quality,

exciting and safe hydroslides and water play equipment that is

compliant to all relevant Australian and New Zealand Standards,

designed, supplied and installed on time and within budget.

Our design registered reverse-banked open flume, aquajet and our 1200mm diameter enclosed tube slide is manufactured locally in New Zealand by experienced New Zealand fibreglass contractors TCG.

AWL offers free design and consultation and is happy to assist in the creation of your waterpark. We also offer a range of smaller slides for the domestic market and are happy to custom design a slide for your own entertainment.

mmarketing

63SUMMER 2016

Maximising Repeat Bookings:

Invest in your guests: A fresh approach to guest loyalty in 2016

IT’S WELL KNOWN THAT IT CAN COST SIX TO SEVEN TIMES LESS TO HAVE A HAPPY GUEST RETURN TO YOUR PROPERTY THEN TO GAIN A NEW ONE^, YET TOO OFTEN, SMALL ACCOMMODATION PROVIDERS DON’T MAKE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO IMPROVE GUEST LOYALTY.

Whether it’s because we perceive most guests to be one-off visitors to the area, or one simply doesn’t have the time, guest loyalty gets pushed to the bottom of many a small accommodation providers’ to-do list.

However, guest loyalty is a worthwhile endeavour, and it’s important that building long-term guest relationships is part of 2016’s strategy.

Why? It’s a domino effect. Repeat customers are extremely valuable because they turn into advocates who refer their friends and family to you.

While inspiring loyalty isn’t an easy task, there are definitely ways that you can step up your game in the arena of guest loyalty this year.

1) Keep in touch

Part of the guest experience is how you engage with them before and after their stay. Typically this is done via email, but it can also be done over the phone.

In the worst cases, your guest doesn’t hear from you at all before their stay, and you don’t follow up with them after they leave.

The old way:

You have email templates in word documents, relying on your own memory to send individual emails at the right times. This is not professional because each guest gets a different, inconsistent experience.

The fresh way:

Send each guest the following emails automatically: booking confirmation, a reminder before their stay, some tips for what they can do during their stay and a feedback request following their stay.

Modern hotel booking engines let you schedule and personalise these emails, applying your brand’s colours to each template and making sure each recipient gets a personal greeting. Each guest receives a consistent experience – whether it’s online or in person – from start to finish.

2) Store your guests’ data

Guests expect to be personally remembered, especially after booking a stay at a bed and breakfast. This is why retaining their personal details is so important. All you need is self-discipline to ask for their email address upon check-in or check-out.

The old way:

You store your guests’ data in multiple spreadsheets - which is not a good long term strategy if you want to foster loyalty. You need to be able to search your database and access their information instantly, when you need it.

The fresh way:

Your hotel booking engine should be cloud-based and have a customer database built into it, giving you immediate access to all the guest information you need. That way, when a repeat guest gives you a call to

make a booking, you can easily search for them on your database and reserve their favourite room. You could be at the golf course on your mobile, or sitting on your couch with your iPad – all you need is internet access to log in!

Also, once you have these details, it’s easy to send past guests your special offers and promotions. Offer your best customers the most luxurious perks, such as free room upgrades or free spa treatments.

3) Seek feedback

The old way:

You ask guests to fill out a quick survey upon check-out, and drop it into a generic ‘feedback’ box. You do little or nothing to follow up with your guest on how their feedback has been processed, or how their suggestions have been taken into consideration.

The fresh way:

It’s 2016, meaning online reviews rule. You should be asking for feedback with an automated email after each stay, inviting your guests to leave you reviews on key review sites, such as TripAdvisor.

To reduce the chances of having negative online reviews, make sure that you keep asking for feedback during their stay and if there is anything you can do to improve their experience.

Ask key questions like ‘did you sleep well last night?’ to see if there is anything you can do to enhance this aspect of their experience.

4) Get online

Travellers are now not only booking accommodation via the Internet but they are also using various devices to do so. It is therefore important that your property can be easily booked online and the customer can use anything from a smartphone, tablet or desktop to check your availability and make their booking.

The old way:

You use a manual booking method – for example, a contact form or email address on your website where you ask potential guests to request booking dates. There’s a lot of lag time due to playing phone and email tag and it’s not convenient for you or your guest.

The fresh way:

With an all-in-one front desk and booking solution this can be done easily and inexpensively. Your guests will be able to check your availability and reserve a room all without any involvement from you. You can take bookings straight from third party booking channels, Facebook and your own website – all without the worry of double bookings as the all-in-one system automatically delivers reservations to the front desk calendar.

Invest in your guests

With each year that passes by, guests become more sophisticated and have higher expectations of your small hotel. If you don’t invest in guest loyalty, you may find your guests going elsewhere the next time they’re in town. ^ Source: http://www.spoken.com/blog/2010/10/cost-of-acquiring-a-new-customer-

6-to-7-times-more-than-keeping-exisiting.html

By Christabelle Tani, LittleHotelier

m marketing



How brands maximise repeat bookings

IN AN OTA-RIDDEN MARKETPLACE, ACCOMMODATION PROVIDERS OF ALL TYPES AND SIZES HAVE BEEN SCRAMBLING TO DISCOVER INVENTIVE WAYS OF ATTRACTING GUESTS OUTSIDE OF THE INTERNET.

One often overlooked way that providers can (and do) do this, is by encouraging repeat visits from loyal guests. Particularly in this economy, travellers like to return to destinations they enjoy, so making a good impression is as important as ever. Larger scale accommodation chains try to implement this in the form of loyalty programs but it is also crucial for smaller properties and providers to consider.

Personalisation, honesty and genuine relationship building with guests are the three commons themes that arise when discussing this topic, and seem to be the essential elements that combine to affect loyalty in travelling guests.

AMG spoke with two key people in the Australasian accommodation industry who are experts in loyalty, about the best ways accommodation providers can maximise repeat bookings.

Asked about what day-to-day operational methods hotels can employ to encourage repeat bookings, Renae Trimble, the vice president of loyalty and digital commerce at AccorHotels, said that the company holds the view that it has “the right to communicate directly with its customers to retain their business”.

“Our weapon of choice on a day-to-day level are our powerful loyalty programs – Le Club AccorHotels and Accor Plus, which offer our guests a range of benefi ts including exclusive rates, room upgrades, online and fast check-out, free nights and more.”

In terms of the most important factor to consider when trying to boost repeat bookings, Ms Trimble noted: “Repeat guests are certainly

looking for more than just points’ rewards. They also want the recognition of being loyal to a hotel company at every interaction. So it is very important that they receive a personal welcome back, an emotional connection, and acknowledgement of their status as a repeat customer or loyalty club member.”

Steve Richards, head of commercial at Best Western Australasia, added that there are a few ways hotels can tailor day-to-day operations to go above and beyond for their guests. He listed the following:

1. First, your staff must offer great personalised service at every contact. From the moment a guest walks through the front door to the moment they leave, guests need to feel that personal touch. We are their home away from home, so they need to feel completely looked after during their stay with us. Leaving a lasting impression is one way to secure a repeat guest and then leverage that positive reputation for any future stays they have.

2. Find your niche and be that. If you’re a four-star hotel under or overselling your product, how will that affect your TripAdvisor reviews? If your hotel is located in the city with high occupancy rates and keen competition, then think about what sets you apart. It could be your location, the architecture of your hotel, the enthusiasm of your staff, or your view of the CBD. Find what makes you unique and use it to show how your hotel is different from the next.

3. Listen to what your guests are saying. On social media and review sites such as TripAdvisor, guests are sharing their experiences. Best Western uses a review curation system called Medallia to pull in all online reviews made and display them in one place. Notice what the guest says they want more, or less of, and then fi nd ways your property or your staff can give them this. Encourage repeat bookings by focusing on your customer. Every guest has a favourite hotel or travel memory. You want to be it.

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m marketing



How to think about encouraging loyalty also depends, in part, on property location. City-based providers are more likely to see a benefit in targeting business guests with loyalty schemes, while more rural properties are probably more likely to target tourists.

Ms Trimble, on behalf of AccorHotels, said: “When people think of hotels they think of tourists; however, generally we have more business travellers in our hotels than tourists. What ultimately drives the success of hotels in any city is business travel, meetings and airline cabin crew.

“Business events are also important to high-end hotels at a time when rooms are being added all around Australia.”

Mr Richards added: “Your first type of repeat bookings will come from corporate accounts, as business travellers frequently visit the same locations as part of their work requirements. Equally important is securing repeat bookings from leisure travellers, who may be staying due to your great location and proven service.

“Many return leisure travellers, in particular those visiting friends and relatives, have a relationship with the hotel or the staff from previous stays and want to continue receiving this consistent level of care.”

AccorHotels recently rebranded itself, foregoing its previous name Accor among other changes. So AMG asked Ms Trimble whether any changes to daily operations had occurred that might contribute to repeat booking numbers.

She said: “Operations have largely remained the same since the rebrand to AccorHotels; however, we are continuously looking for new ways to improve systems and communications with our guests.

“Our customers are more-and-more connected via social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Before booking a room, 95 percent of customers check other guests’ insights online.

“As such, we have recently employed the global leader in online reputation management, to power our new Voice of the Guest platform. The TrustYou platform provides our hotel teams with a crystal-clear snapshot of their hotel’s online reputation from the web, as well as from guest satisfaction surveys.

“The new all-encompassing platform allows them to improve their guests’ experiences, occupancy rates and revenues through a quicker and more personal response. The VOG platform is one of the key features in the customer centric program we are rolling out under our digital plan at AccorHotels.”

Best Western has also undergone a global rebrand, and Mr Richards spoke to AMG about how that has altered (if at all) the company’s daily operations.

He said: “The process to design and introduce new logos for the brand included significant consumer input. Extensive market research was undertaken to understand our guests’ point of view. We surveyed

travellers in the US, Australia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and China. We talked to loyal Best Western customers and travellers who stay at Best Western’s competitors. We included business and leisure travellers as well as all demographics and conducted focus groups.

“This new platform capitalises on the learnings from online giants like Amazon and Netflix. It will integrate our internet and mobile efforts, improve our content management capabilities, and also enable us to be much more effective in our marketing efforts.

“We will be able to test and evaluate the effectiveness of new offers and page designs with small subsets of our website and mobile traffic, so the results of our marketing efforts should greatly improve.

“We have a sharp focus on training and ensuring that the message is delivered clearly to every property. At the core of our

training is our annual member convention, tailored webinars and the online portal Best Western University. We conduct member updates and training across Australia and New Zealand’s major cities and regional towns each year. Training addresses revenue management, digital marketing, account management, hotel operations, social media marketing, corporate sales and customer service excellence. Social media and web conferencing technology is also paramount in today’s communication landscape.

“Our customer care and training manager Simon Marchant also noted that ‘a hotel brand lives or dies by the consistency of service it delivers to its guests’. This is why our vision is to lead the industry in superior customer care.”

In terms of competing with OTAs, both companies feel that their loyalty approaches succeed. AccorHotels has two main loyalty schemes, free-to-join Le Club AccorHotels and paid-for Accor Plus. On the former, Ms Trimble explained: “There are four levels of recognition starting with classic and progressing through to silver, gold and platinum. Each level has its own unique privileges and benefits from welcome drinks to room upgrades and free wifi.

“Accor Plus is a paid loyalty program from $335, members have access to a number of exclusive benefits, including complimentary nights, exclusive deals and member exclusive rates and early access to Accor’s global sales. Plus, members can half their bill in over 800 hotel restaurants with up to 50 percent off dining across Asia Pacific and 15 percent off drinks in Asia.

She added that the company has also just acquired digital services provider Fastbooking and Wipolo to help accelerate its digital strategy and strengthen its digital expertise to better its online position.

“Loyalty programs are key for hotel groups in ensuring repeat guests and building vocal brand advocates and this is a space hotel groups are capitalising on,” she concluded.

Steve Richards

mmarketing

67SUMMER 2016

Best Western has its own loyalty program, Best Western Rewards, which Mr Richards said “has become a major focus for us in the last few years with a new strategy giving greater recognition and benefits to our members”.

The company recently introduced a new tier and more rewards to give extra recognition to its most loyal guests. Best Western Rewards’ new highest tier, diamond select status, entitles members to a 50 percent point bonus; points that never expire; more rates bookable through bestwestern.com.au with points and more ways to redeem points for free stays during off-peak seasons.

“Guests must book direct, not through OTAs, to earn points with Best Western Rewards. So, there is an advantage to this and usually booking direct means lower prices and less blackout dates, plus bonus points for our most loyal guests.

“Meanwhile, we work closely with our OTA partners to encourage guests to book a Best Western hotel on their sites. Working together, we can help guests experience the difference between our brands around the world.

“Our research shows that loyal guests’ book direct as they benefit from the lowest available rate with the added bonus of rewards points. We’ve found truth in this, with our Best Western Rewards redemptions increasing 34 percent year-on-year which is encouraging to see as guests ‘earn and

burn’ in the loyalty cycle. “I believe the strength of a hotel’s loyalty program will be determined by its ability to provide guests with simpler booking ease and greater value. Hotel loyalty programs are playing a key role in the customer’s booking journey.”

Undoubtedly, it is easier for large brands to build loyalty as they can leverage larger pools of concentrated guests against new locations, etc. This is something that much smaller brands and independent accommodation providers simply cannot do. However, the principles involved are still the same.

Personalising the guest experience by using pre-stay questionnaires or post-stay surveys to make unique preparations for each guest is a sure-fire way to impress every new guest. Focussing on business guests and more local leisure travellers, or those travellers coming to visit family and friends is also a good idea as they are far more likely to repeat a booking. Small-scale loyalty benefits are also easy to put in place for independent hotels. Giveaways and unique experiences, like dining or local business/attraction tie-ins, in return for direct bookings are a terrific way to encourage loyalty and lessen any reliance on OTAs.

What measures have you put in place to maximise repeat bookings? Feel free to write in and let AMG know at [email protected].

By Rosie Clarke, Industry Reporter

m marketing



Hot tips to increase repeat business

THERE IS MUCH FOCUS THESE DAYS ON THE VALUE OF REPEAT BUSINESS WITHIN THE ACCOMMODATION INDUSTRY, BUT WHAT IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED IS THE VALUE IN THE BUSINESS THAT FLOWS TO A PROPERTY BASED ON REFERRALS FROM GUESTS THAT HAVE ALREADY STAYED.

This too should be classified as repeat business even though the visitor may never have stayed at the hotel before. A referral network can be even more valuable than a guest who returns on a regular basis.

In addition, this flow-on business is often more likely to occur within Australia due to its proliferation of independent accommodation options and the distance between many of our locations. A guest who wishes to holiday within New Zealand and visit Auckland this year is not likely to return next year. Not because they didn’t have a good time, but because there are so many similar but equally wonderful spots to visit, with convenient travel links from Melbourne.

Referral network

Of course there will always be the occasional creature of habit. In the early days of tourism within New Zealand, when accommodation was sparse and travel difficult and costly, habit was the way of the world. However the real value of this initial guest is the referral network within their immediate circle of family and friends that they can engage with about their recent holiday. This is the target audience accommodation providers should be reaching out to, using their recent guests as the medium by which to affordably find them.

It starts with engaging with your guest once they arrive and it ends with you ensuring you leave them with memories they will want to share with others.

Follow up with a “thank you” of some sort after they have checked out and include an easy means for their friends to book direct with you. A link back to a hidden “preferred guest” booking form on your website offering instant offers, such as a valued guest discount or bottle of wine on arrival, is a great option to include. Also ask them for a review and again provide an easy way for them to do so. At the moment in time when they are still smiling about their recent stay, provided you have made their stay memorable and engaged with them fully, they will be only too willing to help promote your accommodation and service.

Calculated restraint

Sending automated newsletters or marketing campaigns at some stage after their stay is also a good idea, providing you don’t overwhelm your guests with too many. You want to ensure you stay prominent in their mind to capture those moments where they may be able to refer you to a friend, but at the same time you don’t want them to remember you as the business which was too persistent. It’s a fine line but totally manageable providing the right business tool is implemented. Capturing all the information you possibly can during check-in is vital to your continued marketing efforts. Often OTAs do not provide email addresses etc. Ensure your front desk software captures this as a mandatory field at check-in.

A solution that automates the entire guest lifecycle from initially finding your property, tracking their personal requests – such as pillows, bedding configuration etc, right through to communicating with them long after they have gone, is the minimum requirement to allow your business to operate efficiently. The more seamless your business software is, the less effort required by you to achieve the best outcome for both you and your guests. This is the only way you can cost effectively free up your time to look after your guests well during their stay, whilst leaving a lasting impression on them well into the future.

By Sylvia Johnston, Hirum Software Solutions

mmarketing

69SUMMER 2016

Websites:

Your website is Gold!

HOW GUESTS BOOK ONLINE HAS CERTAINLY CHANGED OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS. WITH SITES SUCH AS BOOKING.COM, EXPEDIA, AGODA, BOOKIT AND MANY MORE IT IS ONLY TOO TEMPTING TO LET YOUR INDIVIDUAL WEBSITE FALL BY THE WAYSIDE AND ACCEPT THAT OVER 60 PERCENT OF BOOKINGS WILL COME FROM OTHER DIGITAL CHANNELS.

The simple fact is: ‘It is now more important than ever to ensure that your website ticks all of the boxes and is the leading information portal for your business.’

Third party sites have their place in the market and can generate significant revenue. We see a major place for them in the marketplace. Approximately one third of all traffic going to a third party site channel will then proceed to your individual website.

Often, third party sites are used as a directory listing and guests use these sites to find a specific requirement. Once guests have narrowed down their search they will do advance research and go to the individual property’s website for additional information and to gain more of an appreciation of the property’s brand. Understanding how your guests book online and use all websites, assists you with your digital marketing ensuring that once you have a guest looking at your website there are plenty of incentives for them to book or call you.

Social media buzz

Social media is a great tool for talking about the here and now. It can create the buzz about the daily activity of your business. It is an ideal forum for posting those images of your new bathroom, the flower garden or your office cat. Facebook can reach a large number of people in any given day with any given post.

Be sure to direct posts back to your website for additional information and lead them to your online booking systems. Your business website is the more formal language of your business, offering credibility and authority.

Now that we have established that your website is gold, it is essential to find the right provider. The question is how to do it. These days it seems that everyone from your 14-year-old nephew to the 70-year-old grandma next door is able to design a web site. Your accommodation business deserves a professional looking website. A poorly made website would be similar to you selling a room to a guest and not putting any sheets on the bed.

The following points should be considered when looking for the ideal provider.

Cost: There is a very large range of website design options. When assessing how much to spend on your website it is important to note what percentage of your business comes via your website. As with everything else you purchase, the phrase “you get what you pay for” rings true in the world of web design and development. If you begin to cut costs, solely to save a dollar now, you may not reap as much value in the long-term when it comes to delivering the results.

Industry knowledge: It is very difficult to engage a website designer to create a website for the accommodation sector if they are unsure where to place online booking engine systems. When selecting a new website company, pay attention to how much they ask you about your business. They

should want to get to know you, your business, your brand, and your website expectations.

Web Strategy: A website should not be set up and left to its own devices. There should be an associated web strategy for your site to keep it up to date and current. This includes reporting via the site and assessing if you can improve site visits and conversion rates.

Ability to upskill: Web trends are moving at a fast pace. It is important that your provider will move as the trends move. Three years ago mobile websites were coming into the marketplace. Now they are the norm.

Over promise – under deliver: Don’t choose a designer/company whose key focus is to put your website on page one of Google. Placing your website on the front page of Google is not your website designer’s job. Their job is to design and provide you with the necessary tools so that your website has the potential to get onto the front page of Google. Any designer who makes the ‘front page of Google’ promise should be avoided.

Know the future charges: A good website should have an easy to use content management system. Understand what you can do with the website and what you may have to pay your developer for. Knowing this in advance will help with budgeting and website strategy planning.

Seeing the value

In summary, it is important to be able to see the value of your website. Understand how many bookings are generated as a result of your site. Understand how other sites feed through to your website. Be able to access whether your website is performing to its full potential. Your website is Gold.

By Lynne Lawson, Director, Orange Marketing

...A website should not be set up and left to its own devices. There should be an associated web strategy for your site to

keep it up to date and current...

er energy & resources


LED Lighting:

Retro fitting LED lighting

SO, YOU’RE INVESTIGATING UPGRADING YOUR HALOGEN LIGHTING TO LED. THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR THIS IS TO REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION THROUGHOUT YOUR BUILDING, BUT IT IS NOT THE ONLY FACTOR TO CONSIDER.

If you have already begun looking into this transition you have more than likely been overwhelmed with the variety of LED products available. There are many form factors, power ratings, manufacturers and importers of LED products.

There are six important factors to consider when selecting the right LED product for your application.

Efficacy – measure of efficiency of a light source, measured in Lumens per watt. We can no longer look at a lighting product and ask for a 100W or 60W bulb. LED come in many wattages and no two wattages produce the same amount of light. This is determined by efficacy. Currently efficacy on LED products (complete light source not LED on a bench) ranges from as 20lm/w up as to 100lm/w. The average halogen replacement LED is around 60-80lm/W. The higher the efficacy the better quality the product.

Beam angles – wide angle or focused. This is an area where many people go wrong. Retrofit globes generally have a tight beam angle, great for very focused tasks like reading. Many total luminaires on the market have a frosted front lens that creates very wide beam angles (100° and greater), great for service areas and other areas where ambience and comfort is not a factor. Sixty degree is a good general purpose beam for rooms and areas where customer comfort is a priority.

Lumen output – the flow of light from the light source. The lumen is the new watts, i.e. this is the question to ask rather than how many watts it is. Total delivered lumen, not chip lumen is required. Lumen must be partnered with beam angle to calculate lux and then the correct product for the application can be selected.

Lux – the amount of light hitting a surface, measured in lumens per square metre. This unit is arguably one of the more important factors to consider. Lux is the amount of actual light on a surface, i.e. the lux required in a kitchen is far greater than the lux required in a hallway. At 2m from the light source a 1000 lumen light source with 110° beam angle will provide approximately 50 percent less lux on a surface than a 700 lumen light source with a 60° beam angle. Selecting the right product for the right application will make a huge difference to the function of a room.

Correlated colour temperature (CCT) – Commonly referred to as warm white, natural white and day light or 2700k, 3000K, 4000K and so on, 2700K is the CCT of a traditional incandescent light bulb. So the lower the number the warmer the colour of the light. My opinion here is to use 3000K throughout other than the commercial kitchen areas where you may like a whiter light at 4000K. For total ambiance there are products available now that when dimmed will transition from 3000k down to 2000k.

Colour rendering index (CRI) – CRI is a measure of how well a light source reflects colours in comparison to natural light, i.e. sunlight. This measure is out of 100. The majority of LED on the market have a CRI index in the low 80s. Anything below 80 is unacceptable. For hotel rooms, dining and communal areas a CRI higher than 90 is required to provide a true warm and comfortable environment for guests. Traditional halogen light sources have an index of 100.

Another major consideration is whether you will replace your entire luminaire

(housing) or just the globe. Lighting experts will always advise you to change the entire luminaire.

LED devices are electronic and the majority of LED products require constant current to operate and are low voltage. Consequently most LED devices require some form of electronic control to regulate the incoming 240V. Total luminaires do this with an external electronic power supply, commonly called an LED driver. LED retrofit globe do this by incorporating an LED driver into their housing.

Inside the alloy heatsink of a retrofit globe is a compact electronic circuit board. These products rely on the traditional 12V AC halogen transformer to provide low voltage power to run their circuits. So in this scenario you have two lots of electronics in circuit. Many people complain of flicker, poor dimming, slow start-ups etc etc. In this scenario that is caused by the incompatibility of these two electronic devices. The other major issue with this style of LED is that due to the limited thermal dissipation available due to form factor they can only run at low power, thus less light output than a purpose built luminaire.

There is a misconception that LED do not generate heat – this is very wrong, LED are an electronic device and any electronic device generates heat. This heat is unused energy, i.e. waste. LED are considerably more efficient than a traditional light source but they are no way near 100 percent efficient.

Management of this heat is extremely important in LED products as heat is the No one enemy for the longevity and performance to LED. Poor thermal management will lead to the failure of solder joints and, more importantly, the phosphor coating that creates the CCT will break down and you will be left with strange tints of colour such as pink and green. This is known as Chromaticity shift. Chromaticity shift is a very undesirable effect in any areas where you are trying to create warmth and comfort.

If you are considering changing your existing lighting to LED it is highly advisable to enlist the help of a lighting expert and, furthermore, ensure that lighting expert is also an expert in LED technology.

If LED are purchased solely on initial purchase price, chances are that the return on investment will not be realised. The payback on LED lighting comes from durability, colour consistency and excellent efficacy.

By Gerard Woods, Managing Director, Switch Lighting New Zealand

...If you are considering changing your existing lighting to LED it is highly advisable to enlist the help of a lighting expert and, furthermore, ensure that lighting expert is also an expert in

LED technology...

Preferred Supplier Spotlight

pspreferred suppliers

The Preferred Supplier Programme

AMENITY SUPPLIERS

COMPUTER SOFTWARE

61 7 5574 4990

HOTEL, MOTEL& RESORT SUPPLIES

NZ Distributors for Actil Commercial & DryLife®• Bedspreads • Boxed End Quilts • Duvets • Top Sheets

• Sheets • Pillowcases & all your linen needs• Towels • Pillows • Beds • Mattresses

• Sunbeam Small Appliances • ElnaPresses

Ph: (09) 573 6144 Fax: (09) 573 [email protected]

PAY TELEVISION SERVICES

SECURITY SYSTEMS&/OR CONSULTANTS

Create a new guest experience

[email protected] www.brantasinternational.com

CARD LOCKS - SAFES - GUEST ROOM AUTOMATION - ENERGY CONSERVATION

Unit B, 156 Bush Road, Albany 0632, Auckland ■ 09 966 7662

CARPET & FURNITURE CLEANING / PROTECTION

Access to your recommended ‘local’ suppliers.

The sign of an Industry Specialist.

So�ware to strengthen any hospitality business

www.clarityhospitality.co.nz09 448 2507

BENEFIT FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHERS ALWAYS USE A...

71SUMMER 2016

MOTELS AND COUNTING...

How Guest Select could benefit your business

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

We continue to receive great feedback from our growing Guest Select operators who have made the move, with comments like:

“They simply love the variety of channels”“It makes for happy guests”“Great to be able to give guests what they have at home”

Call us today on 0800 759 333 or visit guestselect.co.nz and let your guests enjoy the fantastic mix of Sports, Movies, News and Entertainment channels.

NOW IN OVER

GUEST SELECT

That’s right, over 545 motels and hotels in New Zealand have embraced Guest Select. What is Guest Select? It’s a SKY decoder in every room with access to over 50 channels, it brings Kiwis the most amazing TV experience and we know your guests will love it too.

Accom Management Guide - Summer 2016

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Transcript of Accom Management Guide - Summer 2016