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August/SEPTEMBER 2019 • Vol. 5 No. 5
0800 77 333 7 | speedqueen.co.nz August/SEPTEMBER 2019
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ARE YOU MEETING GUEST EXPECTATIONS?
Caitlan Mitchell, Editor, caitlan@reviewmags.com
Maintaining guest experience is a vital element of any hotel. From the hotel shuttle service to check-in, from room amenities to the hotel facilities; there are many touchpoints that build on the guest experience and in turn influence return visits. We have often talked about the personalisation of the guest experience and technology continues to aid hoteliers in providing the very best for guests. Technology is today's game-changer with most guests being tech-savvy and wanting to stay in a tech-friendly atmosphere. What is on your agenda for an upgrade? Equipping rooms with gadgets such as voice assistants, handy mobile phones, tablets, motorised curtains, automatic lighting and much more. These are readily available in the market and at varying quality and cost levels.
Sustainability is the latest trend to keep in mind with any changes to the hotel or motel amenities and facilities. In all aspects, customers are taking various initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint. There is a rise in travellers seeking accommodation options that follow the same path. Hotels, to gear up, should be thinking of ways to be as carbon neutral as possible. Check out some of the newer hotels, motels and apart-hotels that have entered the market, from rooftop bars with the latest in craft gin, local and seasonal menu changes, personalised minibars, reduction in plastics and electric vehicle charge stations. As hoteliers, it is imperative to adapt to emerging trends to evaluate guest experience and satisfaction.
14-15 AUGUST Tourism Export Council of New Zealand Conference, Christchurch
15-19 AUGUST Hong Kong Food Expo, Hong Kong
22-23 AUGUST NZ Cruise Association Conference, Auckland
28-30 AUGUST EQUIP&DINE Asia, Singapore
3-4 SEPTEMBER Tourism Summit Aotearoa, Wellington
24-27 SEPTEMBER Food & Hotel Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
5-9 OCTOBER Anuga 2019, Cologne
15 OCTOBER Hotel Revenue Distribution Summit, Singapore
23-25 OCTOBER 2019 Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific, Hong Kong
24 OCTOBER DOWNTON ABBEY
September 12 When the King and Queen announce a visit to Downton Abbey, the Crawleys and their staff are sent into a frenzy to prepare for the royal visit. Old alliances and rivalries are brought to the surface against the shifting culture of 1920s Britain. This highly anticipated big-screen adaptation of the world-renowned TV series sees the return of the original star-studded cast, including Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, and Dame Maggie Smith.
IT: CHAPTER TWO
September 5 Part two of Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel It sees the grown-up losers club return to Derry, Maine to face their childhood fears. It: Chapter Two stars James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader, alongside a returning Bill Skarsgård as the nightmarish Pennywise the dancing clown.
POP-UP GLOBE
Until mid-September Now in its fourth year of operations, the astonishingly successful Pop-up Globe returns to Auckland for its winter season, presenting some of Shakespeare’s best-loved works. Hamlet, Twelfth Night, and Measure for Measure all feature, as well as a children’s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For non-Aucklanders, the theatre company is embarking on a multicity national tour. For information, visit www.popupglobe.co.nz.
New Zealand Tourism Awards, Christchurch
28 OCTOBER LABOUR DAY
5-6 NOVEMBER 31st European Hotel Industry Conference, London
7 NOVEMBER International Hotel Investment & Design Conference, Vienna
7-8 NOVEMBER Maximum Occupancy, Sydney
19-20 NOVEMBER Sleep & Eat, London www.hotelmagazine.co.nz CHAIRMAN: Peter Mitchell, peter@reviewmags.com PUBLISHER: Tania Walters, tania@reviewmags.com ADMINISTRATION MANAGER: Kieran Mitchell, kieran@reviewmags.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Sarah Mitchell, sarah@reviewmags.com EDITOR: Caitlan Mitchell, caitlan@reviewmags.com CONTENT MANAGER: Kyra Johnstone, kyra@reviewmags.com
EDITORIAL TEAM: Ed Scott, Chris Glavovic SENIOR DESIGNER: Raymund Sarmiento, raymund@reviewmags.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Ciaran Carroll, kez@reviewmags.com
100% OWNED ISSN 2423-1193 HOTEL is published bi-monthly under license. Please direct all enquiries and correspondence to HOTEL. The opinions and material published in this edition of HOTEL are not necessarily those of the publishers unless specifically stated. All material appearing in HOTEL is copyright and may only be reproduced with the consent of the publisher. Copyright 2019.
Review Publishing Co Ltd. Suite 9, Level 3, 20 Augustus Tce, Parnell, Auckland. PO Box 37140, Parnell, Auckland. Tel (09) 304 0142 or Fax (09) 377 2794
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SWEEPING UP THE COMPETITION Tourism Industry Aotearoa’s hosted its Discussing Tourism series around the country. The one-day events visited Tauranga, Auckland, Queenstown, and Christchurch. London’s first Hard Rock Hotel opened its doors, marking a return to the city which birthed the brand almost 50 years ago. The Oamaru Licensing Trust has submitted a 100-page expression of interest to the government’s Provincial Growth Fund. The OLT is hoping to secure a grant to help restore the façade of the historic Brydone Hotel. A JW Marriott hotel in Chandigarh, India has been fined the equivalent of $550 after overcharging actor Rahul Bose nearly $10 for two bananas. Construction has commenced on Auckland Airport’s newest hotel. The 311room Te Arikinui Pullman Auckland Airport Hotel is part of a multi-billion dollar transformation of the airport. The $25m Whakapapa Sky Waka Gondola has opened in Ruapehu. It is the highest and longest gondola in the North Island. The owner of the Junction Hotel near Blenheim was ordered by the Employment Relations Authority to pay a former employee nearly $29,000. The ERA found that Dawn Langdon should not have been expected to put up with her employer Mike Pink’s breaches of good faith. Marriott has formed an alliance with Dubai-based Emirates to create the Your World Rewards partnership. The partnership offers Elite members of both business’s loyalty schemes transferrable bonus points. Hyatt Hotels Corporation will be launching a new 295room Hyatt Regency Hotel in Adelaide. Numerous accommodation providers in Otago have partnered with Winter Pride Queenstown, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest winter pride event, to provide guests with discounted deals on selected packages. Winter Pride runs August 30 - September 8. Over $500,000 of funding has been granted by the Provincial Growth Fund to Ruapehu. The money will help fund the District Council’s efforts to implement long-term sustainable growth tourism.
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Two New Zealand properties owned and operated by Robertson Lodges were included in a recent poll on the world’s top 100 hotels. The Farm at Cape Kidnappers in Hawke’s Bay took fourth place, while the Matakauri Lodge in Queenstown took 46th place. In the Australia New Zealand rankings, the two hotels took first and third place respectively, with Robertson Lodges’ other
property, The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs in Matauri Bay, securing fifth place. The properties were the only New Zealand hotels to be included in either the top five Australia New Zealand Hotels or the Top 100 Global Hotels. “To be named the number one resort, particularly in a country like New Zealand where the ‘luxury lodge’ phenomenon was born and the accommodation bar
is set high, says a lot about the experience at Cape Kidnappers,” said Jay Robertson, chief executive officer. “We offer a very personal, warm and tailored style of hospitality where guests really do come first, and it is a heartfelt honour to the entire team to be recognised as number one across Australia and New Zealand. To have all three lodges feature in the top five makes this honour even more special.” The hotels are owned by New York-based financier and philanthropist Julian H Robertson. The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs first opened in 2007, followed by The Farm at Cape Kidnappers. The group later purchased an existing South Island lodge on the banks of Lake Wakitipu in Queenstown, and after an extensive rebuild and renovation, Matakauri Lodge opened its doors in 2010. l
HAVE AN ICE STAY
The world of hotels and the world of ice cream might seem like chalk and cheese, but QT Queenstown’s recent collaborative promotional effort with Halo Top saw the two collide in a colourful campaign that attracted the attention of a notably hard-to-reach consumer: millennials. Hotel Magazine spoke to Simon White, general manager of New Zealand operations for Event Hotels & Resorts, to find out more about the campaign. White revealed that Halo Top first approached QT to set the campaign in motion, but the hotel didn’t take much convincing. “Halo Top is a disruptor in the ice cream industry, the equivalent positioning of QT in the hotel industry,” White said. “The partnership was a no-brainer.” The brands’ shared core values of play, innovation, and quirkiness allowed for cross-collaboration without disrupting either party’s approach. “The QT Queenstown team enthusiastically channelled their inner child to plan the perfect Halo Top-themed service menu.” The campaign’s extensive social media presence was no accident, but part of a concerted
Simon White
attempt to reach audiences largely inaccessible through traditional media. Drawn increasingly towards novel experiences over old-school corporate glossiness, younger consumers are far more willing to engage when presented with something quirky, left-field, and – crucially – shareable. “By incorporating Halo Top’s design elements into the room and strategically positioning each detail, we were able to achieve the remarkable result visible in the photography,” White said. From there, it was just a case of getting the room seen – easy enough in the modern connected world. “Both QT and Halo Top crosspromoted the campaign on their websites, allowing both parties to utilise their combined social media serving as a driving force.”
QT has a history of taking on left-field promotional campaigns. In 2018, QT Wellington invited artists to submit designs for the bedhead walls of new guest rooms. “Entries flooded in, with more than 260 artists showcasing their masterpieces, many of which were MoMa-worthy submissions,” said White. The campaign involved all 25 rooms on level four of the hotel, now known as Gallery Four, and saw the work of 19 artists permanently on display as part of each room. “Hotels are multifaceted businesses with a plethora of promotional opportunities across accommodation, food and beverage, meetings and events, all of which lend themselves to experiential campaigns,” White pointed out. “Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.” The Halo Top campaign, whilst brief, successfully secured QT a stake in the millennial market. Of course, ice cream being a cultural universal, the response was not limited to just the more social media-savvy. “Given the nature of the activation, including unlimited ice cream, nurturing childhood memories flooded guests of all ages and walks of life. After all, who doesn’t want to indulge in unlimited ice cream?” l
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