Raves outnumber the rants
The number of positive comments far outnumbers the negative. Great service, for example, has nearly nine times the number of comments than unprofessional or incompetent service. Across all reviews, we find this to be true. About 81% of the reviews we analyze are positive.
Win guests with service
Want to win over your guests? Improve your service. The biggest turnoff for guests was unsatisfactory service, appearing on the top rant list three times, in a variety of forms: unprofessional/incompetent service (number one spot), unfriendly service (seventh place), and bad service (ninth place).
A good meal makes a difference
Appearing on both the rants and the raves list twice, guests love a good meal. Breakfast, specifically, and food, in general, are memorable and talked about. Deliver on the culinary front and you are sure to impress guests.
Internet no longer an issue?
While there seems to be lots of talk surrounding hotel Internet (free vs. charging for it), that did not make the top 10 rant or rave. Is this no longer a big deal for guests? We wouldn’t go this far. Internet is still important, but paying for it might not be the “deal breaker” that it has often been singled out as.
"MOTEL and hotel owners will have more power to refuse rooms to sex workers under changes to Queensland's Anti-Discrimination Act.
Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie says the changes, which took effect on Thursday, give accommodation owners stronger powers to evict sex workers and refuse to rent them rooms.
"A recent Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal decision ruled the owners of a motel in Moranbah had breached the Anti-Discrimination Act by denying a legal sex worker a room," Mr Bleijie said on Thursday.
Moranbah is a mining town in Queensland's Isaac region.
"This decision is being appealed by the Moranbah motel but it is necessary in the interim to change the law to give businesses certainty in controlling the use of their premises," he said.
The changes will mean owners can refuse a sex worker accommodation, or evict them if they believe they are operating a business from the room.
"The Newman government supports business owners' ability to make decisions about what does or does not occur on their premises," Mr Bleijie said.
"At the end of the day if someone is running a business out of a hotel or motel room and the operator or manager receives complaints from other patrons they should be able to do something.
"It is about levelling the playing field so the laws suit the majority not the minority."
Are you in the happiness waiting room? Are you waiting for that big break before you can be happy?I hate to admit that I’ve found myself in the waiting room many times over the past few years. I say to myself “I’ll be happy when I lose 10kg….I’ll be happy when I have a baby….I’ll be happy when I have more money”. I’m pleased to say that I’ve finally figured out that if I’m not happy “today” I’ll never be happy. I’m now happy with every part of my body – tree trunk legs and all! I’m happy with my bank balance and I’m sure you can all guess what’s in there – I’m a shareholder of The Motel Guru. I actually think I would’ve made my fortunes by now if I’d asked every person for $1that advised me “moteliers won’t pay for training”.Abraham Lincoln said it best “You’ll be as happy as you make up your mind to be”If you want to make changes in your life, at some point you have to decide that, rather than suffer anymore, you are going to live in happiness. You are the only person who can do that and guess what? The fantastic thing life gives us is a “choice”. You can choose to have a happier life today or put it off until tomorrow. You can choose to look for the things in life to appreciate, no matter what. It’s your choice.When you’re deciding whether to be happy today or not, remember happiness doesn’t come from big pieces of great success, it comes from small daily achievements. Find the small things in the day that make you happy. I’m happy if I get through the day with only making one visit to the coffee cart! We must be happy with what we’ve got while we’re in pursuit of what we really want.Whether you’re on your way or you’re already there, you’ll be as happy as you make up your mind to be – right now.
Internet shock jock goes mainstream
“Wellington, you’re on notice – be afraid.”
New Zealand’s number 1 news and opinion blogger Cameron Slater has today been appointed Editor of the Truth.
Truth is New Zealand’s last remaining Kiwi-owned national newspaper which this year turns 125 years old.
Slater has been brought on board to fundamentally change the way newspapers deliver to their audiences. Newspapers worldwide are in decline, due, Slater says, to a tired old business model that no longer works.
“We’re not going to spend $4 million on a paint job and then deliver the same tired old paid-for shit.
“Most of the media in this country is weak, and it’s paid for. The integrity in news went ages ago.”
Slater is adamant that the backbone of New Zealand – the people who work – are not getting a fair shake from government or the system. He aims to change that.
“Each and every one of us has got an investment in NZ Inc, and the majority of the people in charge of the place are taking the piss out of our investment.
“We’re going to keep the buggers honest. There’s no better disinfectant than sunlight.
“To use a tired phrase – if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear, so Wellington, you’re on notice – if you’re having a lend, we’re coming for you!”
Changes will be rolled out over a period of months and will include both print and a 24 hour news website to support the paper. Slater aims to alter the approach to news presentation significantly.
“We took the pulse of the nation, and it had nearly bloody died.
“No bastard wants to read old news – they can get that online. We’ll be more of a views-paper that promises to deliver REAL news, REAL opinion.
“The people are numb from the eyes down with the diet of PR’d crap they get now. I will not do it to them anymore – it’s not right.
“I assure you – the little paper that could still can!”
There will be further announcements regarding contributors and editorial direction.
Slater’s first issue will hit newsstands on Thursday 8 November 2012.
NZIER said major international events tended to "suck in" visitors from before and after the time they are held, creating a displacement effect. It said most event analysis doesn't stack up because it missed the displacement effects.NZIER_RWC
It means the benefits are often far smaller than people think....
The displacement effect meant the net number of visitors an event generates is much lower than the visitors to the event, and NZIER said the Rugby World Cup 2011 was a good example of this.
"We estimate there was little overall boost to visitor arrivals because there were fewer visitors before and after the 133,000 international visitors that came to New Zealand for the tournament," it said.
"Crucially, domestic tourism is displaced expenditure that would occur elsewhere in the economy. This significantly reduces the overall benefit from the events. "Simply put, major domestic events do not make New Zealanders any wealthier," it said.
Increased spending at the major event is mostly offset by reduced spending elsewhere. This might take the form of reductions in other holidays, spending on takeaways and eating out, or spending on household items such as TVs.
NZIER said most event analyses used multipliers to capture second rounds of spending from the profits and wages captured by local events.
But the multipliers used to capture second round spending also needed to be applied to the reduction in spending that cannot now occur elsewhere in the economy.
"Regional events are more likely to only reallocate spending across regions. They are likely to benefit the region, but at a national level let's be clear - little additional income is generated by these events," it said."
