Business travel can be complicated business. Take hotels: rebranding, name changing, new international chains moving (aggressively) into the country, new technology, new apartment style properties and enticements to lure the business and conference traveller from competitors have set the industry under siege in recent years. Then there’s the airlines, flying in with new aircraft with state-of-the-art cabin enhancements, low-cost options and price wars versus the focus of other airlines to provide the ultimate in service and standards. Management’s first Best of Business Travel Guide is designed to clarify the confusions, and to provide an easy-to-access guide to the specialist help and advice that can make the busy business traveller’s life just little easier.
HOTELS
Accor Hotels and Resorts
Current Accor brands in New Zealand are Novotel (business class), Mercure (boutique hotels, apartments and resorts) and Ibis (value for money).
The French company has aggressive expansion plans in this country including the imminent management of more than 12 new properties. Due to come on stream within 12 months are Ibis Rotorua (140 rooms adjacent to the Novotel), Novotel Palmerston North (incorporating the former Carlton), Mercure Dunedin (relaunching Wains Hotel) and New Zealand’s first five star Softitel, in Queenstown.
Current properties: Novotel Ellerslie (hotel and conference venue); Hotel Ibis Ellerslie; Mercure Hotel Auckland (dedicated conference, incentive and special events floor); Mercure Hotel Windsor Auckland; Mercure Grand Puka Park Resort (Health spa and conference and incentive destination in Pauanui); Novotel Tainui Hamilton (six dedicated conference rooms catering for 5-350 delegates); Royal Lakeside Novotel Rotorua (six meeting rooms catering for up to 450 delegates); Novotel Capital Wellington; Mercure Hotel Wellington (seven conference rooms and facilities for up to 150 delegates); Hotel Ibis Wellington; Novotel Gardens Queenstown; Mercure Grand Hotel St Moritz Queenstown: Mercure Resort Queenstown (five meeting and conference rooms).
Loyalty programme: Advantage Plus (priority service and discounts)
www.accorhotels.co.nz
Millennium, Copthorne and Kingsgate Hotels and Resorts (MCK)
Twenty-three properties throughout New Zealand:
* Millennium Hotels and Resorts – four star deluxe
Locations: Rotorua, Christchurch and Queenstown. All have extensive conferencing facilities and modern equipment including Telecom Wi-Fi for wireless internet connection in the lounges and bar. Millennium Christchurch now offers broadband internet access in all guest rooms.
* Copthorne Hotels and Resorts – four star
Locations: Bay of Islands, Auckland, Taupo, Masterton, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. All offer conferencing facilities, modern equipment and optional theming available. Telecom Wi-Fi is available in all but three of the Copthorne Hotels.
* Kingsgate Hotels and Resorts – three star plus
Locations: Paihia, Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Palmerston North, Wellington, Greymouth, Christchurch, Queenstown, Oamaru, Te Anau and Dunedin. All have conferencing facilities, Telecom Wi-Fi is available in all but five of the Kingsgate Hotels.
Loyalty programme: Club en Route – available for all three brands and 27 of the 28 hotels within the group.
Reservations: 0800-808 228.
www.mckhotels.co.nz (online booking available soon).
Heritage Hotel Management
Current properties: Heritage Auckland, City-Life Auckland, Park Heritage Rotorua, CityLife Wellington, Rutherford Hotel Nelson, Heritage Hanmer Springs, Heritage Christchurch and Heritage Queenstown.
All Heritage Hotels offer four star plus, character accommodation, for example Heritage Auckland, New Zealand’s largest hotel, is set in the former Farmers art deco building, and the boutique Hanmer Springs is 1930s’ spa town hotel.
CityLife Hotels offer apartment style suites, some with fully equipped kitchens and rooms ideal for business meetings or extra comfort on long stay.
A range of dedicated business, conference and function facilities is available at Heritage and CityLife properties.
Reservations: 0800-368 888
www.heritagehotels.co.nz
Scenic Circle Hotels
New Zealand-owned company offering mid-range accommodation in major cities and resort locations. Properties include growing range of all suite style rooms with full kitchen facilities. Most have conference facilities.
Current properties: Blenheim Country Hotel, Franz Josef Glacier Hotels (three wings), Glacier Country Hotel (Fox Glacier), Aurum Hotel and Suites and A-Line Hotel (Queenstown), Southern Cross and Dunedin City Hotel (Dunedin), Croydon Hotel (Gore), Fino Casementi All-Suite Hotel, Scotswold Hotel and Russley Hotel (Christchurch), Bay of Islands Hotel (Paihia), Airedale Hotel (Auckland), Marama Resort Hotel (Rotorua), Te Pania Hotel (Napier).
Scenic Circle Te Kaikoura Hotel (70 rooms) is due to open in 2005, and the company has plans for further expansion.
Reservations: 0800-696 963
[email protected]
www.scenic-circle.co.nz
Grand Hotels International
Nine properties in New Zealand. Flagship hotel is the James Cook Grand Chancellor, Wellington. (Health spa, 260 rooms including executive suites and meeting/function rooms for between 10 and 350 people). Hospitality Association of New Zealand Supreme Award Winner 2003.
Other properties: Hotel Grand Chancellor Auckland Airport, Grand Central Hotel New Plymouth, Atrium Towers (103 new serviced apartments on The Terrace), The Chancellor Wellington, Hotel Grand Chancellor Christchurch, Sudima Hotel Grand Chancellor Christchurch Airport, Chancellor Resort Mt Hutt Village Methven and The Chancellor Queenstown.
Loyalty programme: The Chancellor Club.
Reservations: 0800-275 337
www.ghi.com
InterContinental Hotels Group
Seven New Zealand hotels, possibly the most “rebranded” of all hotels in recent years. InterContinental Wellington is the city’s only five-star property; features two floors of Club InterContinental (business rooms, private club lounge), 24-hour business centre, health club, spa and heated pool. Functions rooms and conference facilities for groups between four and 400 people. Hotel has been voted Business Asia magazine’s Best Business Hotel in New Zealand and its Chameleon Restaurant Best New Zealand Restaurant for the past three years.
Other properties: Holiday Inn Christchurch, Centra Christchurch (has one of the city’s largest hotel conference facilities), Crowne Plaza Christchurch (linked to the Convention Centre and Town Hall), Parkroyal Queenstown, Crowne Plaza Auckland, Centra Auckland. (All offer substantial conference and function facilities.)
Loyalty programme: Priority Club Rewards.
Reservations: 0800-801 111
www.ichotelsgroup.com or www.southpacific.ichotelsgroup.com for Centra and Parkroyal.
Rydges Hotels and Resorts
An Australian company operating 31 hotels worldwide. As part of the Global Hotel Alliance, partners with Kempinski, Pan Pacific, and Wyndham brands, totalling 235 properties in 55 countries.
Current properties: Rydges Auckland, Rydges Le Grand Hamilton, Rydges Palmerston North, Rydges Christchurch, Rydges Lakeland Resort Queenstown and Rydges Rotorua.
All properties have extensive conference and function facilities – from one to 300 persons plus. Rydges Lakeland Resort Queenstown and Rydges Christchurch are currently undergoing extensive refurbishments.
Bookings through Rydges Central Reservation link with all hotels on the Global Hotel Alliance network.
Reservations: 0800-446 187
[email protected]
www.rydges.com
www.globalhotelalliance.com
Duxton Hotels
Locations: Wellington, Auckland and Okawa Bay.
Wellington has 192 rooms, 14 Club Rooms, 14 suites and two presidential suites, private club lounge, 12 conference rooms including the Grand Ballroom, business centre, gym and restaurant.
Auckland has 152 rooms, 32 spa rooms, 22 suites
