Argent Motor Lodge in Hamilton is thrilled to announce the introduction of their brand new loyalty card.

The Loyalty Card will reward those who frequently stay at Argent Motor Lodge in Hamilton.

For every five nights you stay at Argent Motor Lodge in Hamilton you earn a reward.  Loyalty card rewards include $50 cash, a $50 voucher to Keystone or The Abbey restaurants or a $50 donation to Ronald McDonald House.

“Customer satisfaction is important to us and this is just another way for us to thank our loyal customers,” says Clare Gallagher, co-owner of Argent Motor Lodge in Hamilton.

“We realise that customers have a choice about where they stay, so for choosing to stay with us we want to give them something tangible. We want to do more than just say thank you, we want to go that extra step further,” says Clare.

It is easy to see why customers always return to Argent Motor Lodge in Hamilton. Argent Motor Lodge was voted number 11 in all of New Zealand for their quality of service by tripadvisor.com users.  With such comments as “The best in Hamilton” and “I couldn't fault it if you paid me” why not come and stay and experience the very best service in Hamilton, Clare and Richard would love to see you.

For the best service in Hamilton you can’t beat Argent Motor Lodge in Hamilton. So whatever the need, be it business or pleasure, Argent Motor Lodge is the perfect place to base yourself during your Waikato stay.

Queenstowners will have their first chance to see award-winning celebrity chef Simon Gault in action at a charity evening to be held at Jervois Steak House in the Sofitel Queenstown on (Saturday 1 June 2013).

The award-winning Mr Gault, who is also a judge on TV1’s Masterchef show, has prepared a special seven-course degustation menu for the event with all proceeds from the night going to Cure Kids.

The evening promises to be one of exquisite fine dining and high glamour with the sumptuous menu matched with spectacular award-winning wines from Cloudy Bay, Valli Wines and Mount Edward.

The menu, created by Mr Gault especially for the occasion, uses locally-inspired ingredients. Diners will sample delights such as 9+ Grade Wagyu beef carpaccio, king crab salad, and venison loin with black garlic paté, and an Indian pumpkin, brandy and worcestershire sauce.

The event, held at Mr Gault’s new Queenstown restaurant, is scheduled to coincide with this year’s Michael Hill International Violin Competition (MHIVC) and there will be some very special performances from this year’s competitors.

The star-studded charity event will be attended by competition patrons Sir Michael and Christine Lady Hill and offers locals the chance to sample Mr Gault’s sublime culinary delights for the first time.

It also offers a rare opportunity to experience some of the world’s finest young musicians here to compete in the competition held every other year in Queenstown and Auckland.

Jervois Steak House Manager Jason Medina said guests would be treated to a fabulous night of great food, wine and entertainment.

“This will be many people’s first chance to sample Simon’s amazing masterpieces and see one of New Zealand’s best chefs in action,” said Mr Medina.

“Simon will also talk guests through the menu and the wine matches imparting his extensive food knowledge and expertise.”

“It’s going to be a great night and people will be ‘wowed’ by the fabulous food, wine and entertainment. Glitz and glamour will be the theme of the evening.”

“It’s a ‘must-attend’ event on Queenstown’s social calendar,” said Mr Medina.

Mr Gault said he was “incredibly excited” to be able to lend his hand to the cause and relished the chance to create some “mouth-watering” dishes for the guests.

“Cure Kids is a very worthwhile cause and one I support whole heartedly,” said Mr Gault.

“The chance to finally showcase myself and the team’s delights to what will hopefully be a great Queenstown crowd is a privilege. We’re all stoked to be a part of what is shaping up to be a fantastic evening.”

“Most importantly it’s for a great cause.”

Tickets for the event are limited and priced at $175. Bookings are essential and can be made by emailing roxi@queenstownjsh.co.nz or calling 03 442 6263.

For those that wish to make a weekend of it and enjoy the MHIVC they can stay at the Sofitel Queenstown in conjunction with Touch of Spice. Based on two people sharing the package includes two night’s accommodation in a superior room, welcome glass of champagne on arrival, breakfast daily at Left Bank Café, VIP passes to the competition rounds at the Memorial Centre and the Cure Kids degustation dinner for two at the Jervois Steak House.

Prices start from NZ$570.00 per person based on a minimum two people twin share. To make your booking please contact Touch of Spice at info@touchofspice.co.nz or telephone 03 450 0855. The accommodation package offer is valid from the 31st of May to the 4th June 2013, and terms and conditions apply.

Queenstown-based real estate company New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty has launched a luxury rental homes division in an expansion of the services it offers in the resort town.

The initiative, which officially launches this month (May), was initially created to offer the company’s clients properties to rent while they were in Queenstown viewing potential properties to buy.

Since the division’s ‘soft launch’ earlier this year the portfolio of properties has risen significantly and the company has secured a number of exclusive properties in some of the town’s most desirable neighbourhoods.

They also list a select number of properties, including luxury yachts, in Marlborough and Auckland.

General Manager Peter Newbold said the expansion into property rentals was a “natural progression” which perfectly complemented the company’s core business of luxury real estate sales.

“Many of our Auckland and offshore clients approach us asking us for recommendations on where to stay in Queenstown when they visit,” he said.

“Through our contacts and agents we have access to the area’s best properties including centrally-located private villas and homes, boutique lodges, rural retreats and luxury hotels, so it made sense for us to provide them with that level of service.”

“We’ve now expanded and offer luxury property rentals to anyone looking for a property to rent during their stay here.”

The division is being spearheaded by Queenstown local Sarena Harper who grew up in the region and recently returned to the resort after a period overseas.

Twenty-eight-year-old Sarena is a licensed real estate agent with extensive experience in residential and commercial sectors and property management.

Ms Harper brings to the company a wealth of knowledge in the luxury tourism sector having worked on luxury super yachts and in the hospitality industry for many years and is no stranger to the global stage.
She travelled the world from a young age as part of the New Zealand youth and the woman’s ski teams, touring Europe for five seasons and competing at an international level for ski racing.

“Over the years I’ve travelled extensively and truly appreciate the exceptional level of service our clients expect. We’re focused on matching our clients with the best luxury rental properties in Queenstown, and our standards and attention to detail are second to none,” said Ms Harper.

“I’m overwhelmed with the positive feedback we’ve already received from our clients who’ve been requesting this level of service for some time.

“The Sotheby’s International Realty brand is recognised the world over and is the epitome of luxury. This instils real confidence in our clients, from owners to guests.”

Luxury Rental Homes offers additional services for guests should they require more than just accommodation for their time in Queenstown. They work closely with selected local providers who are available to cater to any request a guest may have. 

“From private chefs and transport to making dinner reservations and activity suggestions, we ensure everything our guests desire is taken care of so they can relax and enjoy their Queenstown experience,” said Ms Harper.

The company will initially focus on the Queenstown market and aim to expand in to other centres over time.

Queenstown hotels enjoyed a year of steady trading in 2012 with domestic leisure, event and conference business returning to normal patterns following Rugby World Cup 2011 and the Christchurch earthquake which caused significant disruption to visitor flows around the South Island in 2011.

New figures presented at the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) Roadshow in Queenstown today show that 2012 was a year of gradual stabilisation in occupancy and rates for many TIA Hotel regions.

“After a very eventful 2011 with Rugby World Cup and the Christchurch earthquake changing visitor flows significantly, 2012 was relatively uneventful. This offered hotels an opportunity to adjust to the new post-GFC business environment of shifts in visitor markets, the increasingly short lead nature of bookings and people remaining very price conscious,” TIA Hotels Sector Manager Rachael Shadbolt says.

TIA Hotels 2012 Annual Operating Survey shows that Queenstown’s 21 TIA Hotel members:

• had a 63.2% occupancy rate, up 3.4 points compared to 2011 (59.8%). This was below the national TIA Hotels’ occupancy of 69.9%.
• achieved an average room rate (ARR) of $141.80 which was down compared to 2011 ($144.25) but up $7 compared to 2010[1]
• generated over $139 million in revenue from a total of 3023 rooms
• employed over 2000 people and contributed around $90 million to the region through wages and salaries, food and beverage purchases, rates and other expenditure.

“The stabilisation of Queenstown’s occupancy levels over the last 12 months was good to see, particularly with additional hotel capacity added to the region in 2011. As 2011 brought unusual trading patterns, it is more realistic to compare rates with 2010, with ARR increasing in 2012 by $7 to $142 compared to the 2010 ARR of $135. This indicates good gains in room rate over the two year period which included an international event that had a tendency to inflate room rates in 2011, albeit in a small way for Queenstown compared to other regions,” Ms Shadbolt says.

Today’s Roadshow participants are also hearing about the development of a National Tourism Plan.

TIA Chief Executive Martin Snedden says tourism is one of New Zealand’s biggest export industries but there is no clear national plan in place to lead the industry forward.

“Tourism has faced rapidly changing trading conditions over the last few years as a result of the global financial crisis, the growing number of visitors from Asian markets and the impact of the Christchurch earthquakes,” Mr Snedden says.

“At the same time, domestic tourism continues to be the mainstay for many tourism businesses and we need to look at how to encourage more New Zealanders to travel around their own country. Never has there been a more important time to focus on where the industry is going and how we are going to get there.”

TIA’s Regional Roadshow is visiting 10 centres around New Zealand between March and June. It is sponsored by TIA commercial partners Telecom, Westpac, Mercury Energy and JLT/Lumley.  Go to www.tianz.org.nz/main/2013TIARegionalRoadshow for dates and venues.

Other highlights from the TIA Hotels Annual Operating Survey 2012:

• TIA Hotel sector members directly employed almost 11,000 permanent and casual staff
• Christchurch achieved the highest annual occupancy of 81.6%, down 3.4 points compared to 2011 (85%). Christchurch continues to be constrained by reduced hotel inventory but hotels are starting to reopen with Ibis Christchurch reopening in late 2012 and the Rendezvous earlier this month
• Auckland achieved the second highest annual occupancy rate of 75.6%, followed by Wellington (72.6%) and Rotorua (64.1%)
• The Central Park region (Taupo, Tongariro, Napier and Gisborne) had the highest average room rate of $157, followed by Christchurch ($152) and Wellington ($141)
• The largest individual source of business was independent leisure travellers (45% of all rooms sold, up 5 points compared with 2011), followed by corporate (21%) and tours & groups (17%)
• The largest consumer groups of hotel accommodation in 2012 were New Zealanders (55% of all rooms sold), followed by Australians (16%)
• On average, 39% of bookings were short-term (made up to seven days prior to arrival), 34% were medium-term (8-30 days prior to arrival) and 27% were long-term (more than 30 days prior to arrival).

TIA Hotel Sector

TIA’s hotel sector represents the interests of over 130 members throughout New Zealand, including international chain, large independent and privately owned hotels. TIA hotel sector members employ 11,000 staff nationally, with annual revenues of more than $866 million.

____________________

[1] The downward shift in ARR year on year can be attributed to the exceptional changes in business patterns created by Rugby World Cup 2011.  Strong demand led to strong event driven room rates in 2011.

The Sails Motor Inn in Hamilton is targeting the sporting and horse racing visitors to Hamilton.

Owner Ian Morgan said the accommodation facility is perfectly situation for visitors coming to Hamilton for sports and horse racing events.

“We are in Ulster St and its five minutes drive from Te Rapa Racecourse and the Waikato Stadium,” Morgan said.

The Hamilton motel accommodation includes, Standard studios, Spacious Deluxe Spa Studios, One Bedroom Spa Suites, Two Bedroom Spa Suites and the Three Bedroom Family Suites all designed to provide you with superior accommodation while you go sightseeing or do business in Hamilton.

Features of Sails Motor Inn include its heated swimming pool, full cooking facilities, spacious rooms (most with spa baths) and nine Sky channels (3 sport and full TAB race channel).

For overseas visitors, Hamilton's Sails Motor Inn motel accommodation provides a high standard of accommodation options at very affordable prices. Safe, secure, private and with parking right at your door, Sails Motor Inn can provide you with everything you need for your stay in Hamilton City.

This Hamilton motel accommodation has a nautical theme throughout the complex.

Sails opened in 1996 and Ian Morgan has been at the helm for the past six years, it’s a role he really enjoys.

Morgan was a successful publican for 16 years and opened a TAB sports bar in Thames and gained a Platinum rating, one of only three in New Zealand. He was president of the Hotel Association in Coromandel for seven years and owned a public squash court at Ellerslie for seven years.

Sails is a sponsor of the Waikato Racing Club and Hamilton Old Boys Rugby Club.

Contact Sails Motor Inn;

Address: 272 Ulster Street, Whitiora, Waikato, 3200

New Zealand

E-mail: bookings@sails-motorinn.co.nz

Telephone: +64 7 838 2733

Fax: +64 7 838 2747

Phone: 0800 25 23 25 (Reservations from NZ)

Contact the Media PA to see how they can help you:

Phone: 0274 587 724

Email: phillip@mediapa.co.nz

Website: www.mediapa.co.nz

March was a good month for many accommodation providers, with the number of guest nights (after adjusting for seasonal variation) rising 6.7 percent, Statistics New Zealand said today. The rise in March 2013 comes after a 2.4 percent increase in February.

“The increase for March is the largest monthly increase since July 2009,” industry and labour statistics manager Blair Cardno said.

“Great weather, early Easter, and an increase in visitor arrivals all contributed to the high number of guest nights.”

Monthly movements for March 2013 (after removing seasonal variation) were: 

• Domestic guest nights rose 8.7 percent, and international guest nights rose 3.2 percent.
• North Island guest nights rose 6.5 percent, and South Island guest nights rose 6.8 percent.
• Guest nights rose for all accommodation types, particularly holiday parks.

The national trend for guest nights has been rising since May 2012. The trend for North Island guest nights has also been rising since May 2012, while the trend for South Island guest nights has been slowly rising since February 2012. Trend movements can change when future months are added to the time series.

The Accommodation Survey records the number of guests staying in hotels, motels, backpacker accommodation, and holiday parks in New Zealand each month.

For more information on monthly accommodation statistics, see the Accommodation Survey: March 2013; for visitor numbers, see International Travel and Migration: March 2013.

All of a sudden the air has an autumn tingle to it, after one of the longest, hottest summers ever experienced in New Zealand. All of a sudden it’s April and we are staring winter in the face. Time to be thinking about a winter holiday in warmer climes, and the very first place that comes to mind is Fiji. Fiji comes to mind because it is easy to get to, relatively inexpensive and with consistently warm, sunny weather, provides the perfect winter getaway. Most people, when thinking about and arranging a holiday, don’t want a lot of hassle of climbing in and out of planes. They are looking at the convenience of flying in to Nadi International Airport and being transferred by airconditioned vehicle to their destination within one hour of clearing customs. This is why so many people choose to stay at the Natadola Beach Resort, situated on arguably Fiji’s best beach, the beautiful all-tide swimming Natadola Beach, recently voted as one of the world’s top ten beaches.

“Bula” and welcome to Natadola Beach Resort, where relaxation and privacy are the order of the day and, due to their ‘no children under 16 rule’, this intimate and tranquil environment is perfect for romantic couples, groups of friends and honeymooners. The staff at the Natadola Beach Resort pride themselves on their friendly, personalised service and no request is considered too big or too small for them to take care of. As one of their recent guests remarked, “Ultimately, the staff is what makes it: Bob the manager, Abdul the driver and most of all in our hearts Louisa and Seterri, the best restaurant staff I have ever encountered”.

The accommodation at the Natadola Beach Resort is spacious and comfortable with eleven beautifully appointed suites with queen size beds and separate roomy en-suites surrounded by colourful tropical gardens. There is a 66 foot swimming pool at the back door and of course, the stunning white sands of Natadola Beach are just metres from the front door.

At Natadola, Fiji's best beach resort, they appreciate how important it is for their guests to enjoy great food whilst on their vacation and to this end they offer simple, stylish, sumptuous food and wines to be enjoyed by the pool, on the beach or in the open plan outdoor dining area, surrounded by lush tropical gardens and overlooking the magnificent Natadola Beach. It just doesn’t get any better than this, so to book a winter break in this beautiful paradise on mainland Fiji, visit their website at http://www.natadola.com. 

By Rosemary Quay
MediaPA

When looking for a motel to stay everyone desires convenience, comfort and great features. Situated in the beautiful town of Taupo, Gables Lakefront Motel ticks all three boxes!

Gables Lakefront Motel is the definition of convenience - it not only offers stunning views of the lake but is within walking distance of Taupo’s shops and eateries. It is also close to numerous attractions including the Taupo Thermal Hot Springs, Lake Taupo Museum and Art Gallery, Taupo Bungy and A.C. Baths. Talk about location location location!

Comfort is another key ingredient in making a motel stay a pleasant stay. When Gray Thompson and Jo Bransgrove assumed management of Gables Lakefront Motel they made sure to add this ingredient to the mix. They have beautifully refurbished every apartment with new furniture, including: beds, sofa beds, plasma televisions, curtains and blinds as well as tables and chairs. Exquisite artwork by Peter Latham is also displayed in all of the one-bedroom units.

The features that a motel offers can make or break it. With free high speed WiFi internet, on-site car parking, self-contained and, self-service laundry facilities and hot pools, Gables Lakefront Motel is certainly made by its features. 

Gables Lakefront Motel offers exceptional service from the moment you arrive to the time you leave. Its impressive hosts certainly go the extra mile to satisfy your needs.

“We will do whatever we can to make Gables Lakefront Motel your home away from home,” says Gray.

With many recurring guests they have definitely succeeded in doing this. One of their long-term stayers, Linda Stewart  is more than pleased with the hospitality of the new owners:

“I cannot say enough about Jo and Gray. They have been very accommodating and their approach to people is infectious.”

Without a doubt, Gables Lakefront Motel goes above and beyond the desired components of the average motel.

South Island guest nights (after removing seasonal variation) rose 3.7 percent in February 2013, Statistics New Zealand said today. This follows a fall of 5.6 percent in January.

“The South Island led the increase in guest nights in February, although the trend for guest nights in that area remained flat,” industry and labour statistics manager Blair Cardno said. “Guest nights for the North Island, as well as international and domestic guest nights, also increased this month.”

Monthly movements for February 2013 (after removing seasonal variation) were: 

• New Zealand guest nights rose 2.3 percent, following a fall of 4.1 percent.
• North Island guest nights rose 1.5 percent, following a fall of 3.1 percent.
• International guest nights rose 3.0 percent, and domestic guest nights rose 2.0 percent.  
• Guest nights rose for all accommodation types.

The national trend for guest nights has been rising since April 2012. The trend for South Island guest nights has been flat for more than a year, while the North Island guest nights trend has been rising since May 2012.

Trend movements can change when future months are added to the time series.

The Accommodation Survey records the number of guests staying in hotels, motels, backpacker accommodation, and holiday parks in New Zealand each month.

For more information on monthly accommodation statistics, see the Accommodation Survey: February 2013; for visitor numbers, see International Travel and Migration: February 2013.

Auckland hotels enjoyed a year of steady trading in 2012 with leisure, corporate and conference business returning to normal patterns following Rugby World Cup 2011.

New figures presented at the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) Roadshow in Auckland today show that 2012 was a year of gradual stabilisation in occupancy and rates for many TIA Hotel regions.

“After a very eventful 2011 with the Rugby World Cup and the Christchurch earthquake changing visitor flows significantly, 2012 was relatively uneventful. This offered hotels an opportunity to adjust to the new post-GFC business environment of shifts in visitor markets, the increasingly short lead nature of bookings and people remaining very price conscious,” TIA Hotels Sector Manager Rachael Shadbolt says.

TIA Hotels 2012 Annual Operating Survey shows that Auckland’s 37 TIA Hotel members:

• had a 75.6% occupancy rate, down 1.6 points compared to 2011 (77.2%) and the second highest occupancy of all TIA Hotel members after Christchurch[1]. This was above the national TIA Hotels’ occupancy of 69.9%
• achieved the sixth highest average room rate (ARR) of the eight TIA Hotel regions at $136, down $21.60[2] on 2011, but up $2.93 on 2010 which is a better (non-event year) comparison. This was on a par with the TIA Hotels’ national ARR of $136.30.
• generated over $390m in revenue from a total of 6885 rooms
• employed almost 4200 people and contributed $293 million to the region through wages and salaries, food and beverage purchases, rates and other expenditure.

“The stability of Auckland’s occupancy levels was good to see. The dip in ARR compared to 2011 can be attributed to hotel room rates evening out over the year and not being influenced by major sporting events,” Ms Shadbolt says.

“Auckland had the lion’s share of the big Rugby World Cup games including the opening match and the final. This meant strong event driven rates were enjoyed by many hotels in the region throughout September and October 2011 and this comes through in the data.

“Prior to Rugby World Cup, Auckland also added 700 additional rooms to the city with the opening of three new hotels in time for the event. This could have resulted in an occupancy and ARR dip as hotels reapportioned market share, so it is heartening to see that occupancy has been maintained and ARR has grown when compared to a more normal 2010.”

Auckland continued to enjoy good event business in 2012, with the Vector Arena regularly filled by visiting rock bands or shows. The Mary Poppins stage show would have also contributed to good domestic visitation to the region, she says.

Today’s Roadshow attendees are also being updated on the development of a National Tourism Plan.

TIA Chief Executive Martin Snedden says tourism is one of New Zealand’s biggest export industries but there is no clear national plan in place to lead the industry forward.

“Tourism has faced rapidly changing trading conditions over the last few years as a result of the global financial crisis, the growing number of visitors from Asian markets and the impact of the Christchurch earthquakes,” Mr Snedden says.

“At the same time, domestic tourism continues to be the mainstay for many tourism businesses and we need to look at how to encourage more New Zealanders to travel around their own country. Never has there been a more important time to focus on where the industry is going and how we are going to get there.”

TIA’s Regional Roadshow is visiting 10 centres around New Zealand between March and June. It is sponsored by TIA commercial partners Telecom, Westpac and Mercury Energy.  Go to www.tianz.org.nz/main/2013TIARegionalRoadshow for dates and venues.

Other highlights from the TIA Hotels Annual Operating Survey 2012:

• TIA Hotel sector members directly employed almost 11,000 permanent and casual staff
• Christchurch achieved the highest annual occupancy of 81.6%, down 3.4 points compared to 2011 (85%). Christchurch continues to be constrained by reduced hotel inventory but hotels are starting to reopen with Ibis Christchurch reopening in late 2012 and the Heritage OGB Building and the Rendezvous set to reopen soon.
• Auckland achieved the second highest annual occupancy rate of 75.6%, followed by Wellington (72.6%) and Rotorua (64.1%)
• The Central Park region (Taupo, Tongariro, Napier and Gisborne) had the highest average room rate of $157, followed by Christchurch ($152) and Wellington ($141)
• The largest individual source of business was independent leisure travellers (45% of all rooms sold, up 5 points compared with 2011), followed by corporate (21%) and tours & groups (17%)
• The largest consumer groups of hotel accommodation in 2012 were New Zealanders (55% of all rooms sold), followed by Australians (16%)
• On average, 39% of bookings were short-term (made up to seven days prior to arrival), 34% were medium-term (8-30 days prior to arrival) and 27% were long-term (more than 30 days prior to arrival).

TIA Hotel Sector

TIA’s hotel sector represents the interests of over 130 members throughout New Zealand, including international chain, large independent and privately owned hotels. TIA hotel sector members employ 11,000 staff nationally, with annual revenues of more than $866 million.

________

[1] Two years on from the Christchurch earthquakes, Christchurch hotel stock continues to be constrained. However, year on year data comparisons can now be accurately made as the current trading environment has been through two data cycles. Therefore Christchurch data is included in the 2012 Annual Operating Survey results and is comparable to other TIA Hotel regions.

[2] The downward shift of $21.60 in ARR year on year can be attributed to the exceptional changes in business patterns created by Rugby World Cup 2011.  Strong demand led to strong event driven room rates in 2011.

The Otago businesswoman behind the proposed five-star hotel and apartment building on the Dunedin waterfront has spoken of her passion for the city and her vision for its future.

Jing Song is the promoter behind Betterways Advisory Ltd, the company proposing the multi-million-dollar development.

Ms Song said the development was all about advancing the city.

“The hotel is an exciting and invigorating project for Dunedin, a city I love,” she said. “We’ve got the opportunity to have the best hotel in the country.”

Ms Song was educated at St Andrew’s College in Christchurch before winning a scholarship to Otago University to study for degrees in accountancy and theatre.

“I can’t talk highly enough about the education and motivation I received at Otago,” she said. “Otago University is the best tertiary education provider in New Zealand. They opened my eyes to business opportunities and that’s why I live and work here.

“At Uni, like many students I had two jobs, one of which was working at the Otago Museum. I wondered even then if there could be more visitors encouraged to come to Dunedin and how that could help the city prosper.”

By 22 Ms Song was a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and practiced accountancy with WHK in Dunedin, previously known as Taylor McLachlan Limited, an independent firm associated with KPMG. She is an Associate member of CPA Australia and a former member of the Dunedin Operatic Inc.

Ms Song spent about eight years living in Dunedin and now runs her own consulting business as well as a wine exporting company promoting world-class trophy award-winning wines such as Central Otago’s Valli wines into China.

A few years ago Ms Song married Chinese-born entrepreneur Ping Cao. From humble beginnings laying bricks on building sites, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to become one of China’s top construction company owners, licensed to build major public infrastructure.

In 25 years’ in business he has completed some of the country’s most prestigious developments, and is renowned as an outstanding young entrepreneur and highly respected businessman.

“Ping and I have spent a lot of time in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, as well as cities around the world, and have come to realise that a five-star hotel in an outstanding location is exactly what is needed in the city I love,” said Jing.

“Dunedin is beautiful, it has a rich history, and I’ve seen many instances around the world where the mixture of old and new creates a truly magical contrast.

“New buildings serve to emphasise and enhance the history of the city, it shows how progressive we are.

Ms Song believes this marriage of old and new presents the opportunity for a world class social and business hub.

“Dunedin has so many attributes. In the 10 years I’ve been involved with the city the challenge has been the lack of a high end hotel, so sadly Dunedin has been missing out on tourism growth. We really want to help make that happen.”

Betterways is in discussion with a number of international five-star hotel chains about the hotel project.

“They’re very keen on Dunedin, especially now we have the only covered stadium in New Zealand. What is required are premises to meet the international standards demanded by major hotel chains and tourists.”

Rather than impeding other businesses, Ms Song believes the development will deliver quite the reverse.

“We aim to have sufficient common driver to deliver benefits for the city as a whole. We want to bring in the top end tourists who will spend a lot of money in the city.

“With the additional exposure of a top hotel chain we will increase tourist numbers across the board. From taxi drivers at the airport to retailers, hospitality business owners, and all service providers, there are benefits for the whole region.

“It will also create a massive boost to the commercial building sector during design and construction phases, and directly employ more than100 people.”

Ms Song said the proposed hotel was about securing an exciting future for Dunedin.

“We can deliver an amazing building which will undoubtedly be the best hotel in the country, offering the highest standard of entertainment and service, something local people can be really proud of.

“Dunedin is ready for a world class hotel and here’s the opportunity.”

New Zealand guest nights (after removing seasonal variation) fell 4.1 percent in January 2013 compared with December 2012, Statistics New Zealand said today. This follows a rise of 3.0 percent in December.

“This month, we saw falls in domestic and international guest nights, as well as in guest nights for both main islands,” industry and labour statistics manager Blair Cardno said. "However, the long-term trend for national guest nights continues to rise."

Monthly movements for January 2013 (after removing seasonal variation) were: 

• International guest nights fell 4.9 percent, and domestic guest nights fell 4.0 percent.
• South Island guest nights fell 5.6 percent, and North Island guest nights fell 3.1 percent. 
• Guest nights fell for all accommodation types except backpacker accommodation.

The national trend for guest nights has been rising since April 2012. The trend for South Island guest nights has been flat for more than a year, while the North Island guest nights trend has been rising since May 2012. Trend movements can change when future months are added to the time series.

The Accommodation Survey records the number of guests staying in hotels, motels, backpacker accommodation, and holiday parks in New Zealand each month.

For more information on monthly accommodation statistics, see the Accommodation Survey: January 2013; for visitor numbers, see International Travel and Migration: January 2013.