Online guest reviews weed out Fawlty hotels

While most viewers regard "Fawlty Towers" as a classic comedy, many moteliers regard the television series as a documentry.

National Business ReviewBy Niko Kloeten
21 January 2009

Basil Fawlty would have had nowhere to hide in the modern hotel business – disgruntled guests could have gone online and warned the world about his unique brand of service.

But more friendly hoteliers can now spread their good reputation worldwide with the help of a few friendly customer reviews.

A new survey by online research company Pureprofile, shows that 61% of respondents base their booking decision on online research, compared to just 5% who choose according to their travel agent’s recommendations.

And a big part of the decision process for many holiday seekers is user reviews by people who have visited hotels and taken the time to share their experiences on the web.

While a hotel may look great and have a five-star rating, it may also have grumpy staff and rowdy fellow guests, issues travel agents may be unaware of but recent visitors won’t hesitate to point out.

While review formats differ between sites, they tend to use an Amazon.com-style one-to-five-star rating system, which is averaged out across all reviewers and doesn’t always correlate with the ‘official’ star rating.

One site that offers this service is Hotels.com, which has just opened its New Zealand website as part of what Asia Pacific managing director Johan Svanstrom calls an “increased focus on the Asia Pacific region, which offers some of the best value for money hotels in the world”.

Another major player in the online hotel booking market is Tripadvisor.com, which claims more than 15 million site visitors from 190 countries every week.

As well as an overall rating, hotels are also given ratings for each aspect of their service, as well as for their suitability for different types of travellers.

Particularly positive or scathing one-line comments can even make it on to the site’s home page.

One reviewer pans a hotel in Buenos Aires, saying, “My first clue should have been the sea of luggage in the lobby and the angry mob surrounding the front desk”.

Another says of a beach resort in Costa Rica: “It wants to be a luxury resort and it is no more than a tent with hard walls between jungle and beach”.

So what do hotel owners have to do to avoid getting the thumbs down in reviews?

The Pureprofile survey offers some clues: 45% chose a comfortable mattress and soft linen as the biggest factor in ‘waking up happy’ in a hotel, followed by a nice view from their room (27%), then a good breakfast and free in-room facilities (14 per cent each).

The biggest gripes most likely to put hotel guests in a bad mood include noise (31%), an uncomfortable bed (26%) and early check-out times (19%), all of which Mr Fawlty excelled in.

Source: Click HERE

Otago tourist operators weathering storm

Motel Association of NZ (MANZ) Board member, Neville Butcher hangs-tough about Dunedin's visitor prospects as Queenstown operators feel the pain of recent over-speculation and decline in overseas visitor numbers.

20 Jan 2009
Otago Daily Times

Amid gloomy reports of falling international tourist numbers, industry redundancies and low occupancy rates, many of Otago's accommodation providers and tourist operators say they have fared well so far this summer.

While the slowdown in international visitors had started to bite in Queenstown, tourism operators in other parts of Otago said they could weather the storm if the domestic market remained strong and the Australian market picked up.

Tourism industry representatives around the region understood it had more or less been business as usual for accommodation providers in Dunedin and Central Otago so far this summer, while Wanaka's strategy of developing popular events had been successful in drawing large crowds to the area.

As Queenstown accommodation providers reported a drop of 10% to 15% in occupancy rates, Otago Motel Association chairman Neville Butcher said Dunedin motels were about as busy as normal over the Christmas-New Year period with the traditional domestic crowd in town for the holiday.

Things had been quieter on Otago Peninsula and in Mosgiel, but the period from February to April was traditionally Dunedin's busy period and so far bookings were looking "not too bad".

Reports this week indicated national coach tour company Johnstones Coachlines had made 11 employees redundant - including three in Queenstown - because falling tourist numbers were forcing the cancellation of tours.

Johnston's Coachlines managing director Philip Manning told The Press newspaper economic issues in Britain, the United States and Australia were affecting older travellers, the company's main market.

The number of tours run in the first half of this season were down about 20% and expected to fall about 40%, he said.

Real Journeys chief executive Dave Hawkey said there was a 5% to 10% decline in passengers this season, which mirrored the decline in overall visitors to New Zealand.

The company had not laid off staff, but had not hired as many seasonal workers this year.

Tourism New Zealand believes up to 45,000 fewer visitors will arrive this year from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

In Dunedin, Taieri Gorge Railway chief executive Murray Bond said a significant drop in both the coach-tour market and cruise passengers booking shore excursions had been offset by a "very good" independent tourist, domestic tourist and rail trail market over the summer.

So far, the company had seen only a slight drop in passenger numbers compared with the corresponding time last year, but the next three months could be tough, he said.

In contrast to most providers, Malcolm Budd said his tour bus company Otago Explorer was having its best summer in 10 years.

He believed the company was doing well because it catered to the lower-end tourist market.
Bookings for the rest of the season were looking "OK", but he, too, was expecting a decline over the next few months.

Tourism Central Otago marketing manager Alison Mason said operators in Cromwell, Alexandra and Roxburgh had indicated that so far the season was on a par with previous summer seasons.

Some businesses were slightly less busy than usual, butnot unduly concerned.

Accommodation providers had a "comfortable" number of bookings for the next few months and were really just waiting to see how the season would turn out, she said.

Wanaka Chamber of Commerce president Leigh Stock said recent events the town organised drew people to Wanaka as a destination.

Often the visitors were domestic, which helped insulate tourism operators and businesses from any downturn from international tourists.

"We are under no illusions that we'll have a tough year."

Source: Click HERE

wotif to go to 3 months

Wotif.com emailed suppliers yesterday to announce that on 27 January, they will be expanding their Supplier Extranet to allow suppliers to enter rates, allotment and inclusions for up to 3 months, instead of the current 28 days.

This change will affect the distribution of deals to all our their sites:

www.wotif.com
www.lastminute.com.au
www.travel.com.au

Wotif have set up a link to see samples of how the Edit Deals, All Deals and Stop Sell pages will change - Click HERE.

The Brisbane-based company has grown to dominate about 40 per cent of the internet-based business in Australia by providing customers with discounted room rates secured at the last minute. The three months expansion will lead to a 365-day reservation window by the end of this year.

Wotif.com chief executive Robbie Cooke concedes that there has been "a lot of internal debate about the pros and cons" of previous changes to the forward booking period. The company started out with just a seven-day window but then quickly expanded that to 10 and then 14 days within in the first year. The jump to 28 days was not made until 2005.

Mr Cooke has said that there are two key reasons driving the change to 365 days.

Customers say they want certainty for forward bookings beyond 28 days in order to solidify travel plans, especially over busy periods such as school holidays and Christmas.

For hoteliers, the attraction is that they can deal directly with a customer - albeit via Wotif. That cuts out a layer of wholesalers, travel agents and other middlemen in the distribution chain that can tack on up to 30 per cent in extra room costs.

Hotels will still offer discounted accommodation for bookings made just a few days in advance but they too can have added certainty for the months ahead.

Source: Click HERE

Survey: what makes NZers 'wake up happy' in hotels

Just what we all need...Yet another survey of 500 Kiwis to promote an on-line accommodation business.

Unfortunately, what makes me 'wake up happy' doesn't appear to be mentioned!

Tuesday, 20 January 2009, 2:19 pm
Press Release: Hotels.com

Hotels.com survey reveals what makes New Zealanders ‘wake up happy’ in hotels. Kiwis love a comfy mattress, free breakfast and not having to make the bed. Researching online revealed as the most popular way to choose a hotel

Hotels.com, the global hotels specialist, has revealed intriguing insights into New Zealanders’ preferences towards staying in hotels, as well as some of their pet gripes and hotel booking habits. The survey, conducted nationally earlier this month by independent online research company

Pureprofile, coincides with the launch of the new innovative Hotels.com website in New Zealand.

The results, based on the responses of over 500 New Zealanders on booking and staying in hotels, reveal that Kiwis are happiest when hotels do the basics really well: 45 per cent of respondents nominated a comfortable mattress and soft linen as the biggest factor contributing to ‘waking up happy’ in a hotel, followed by a nice view from their room (27 per cent). Others were equally swayed by a good breakfast and the free in-room facilities (14 per cent each).

The biggest gripes most likely to put hotel guests in a bad mood include noise (31 per cent), an uncomfortable bed (26 per cent) and early check-out times (19 per cent). Conversely, the biggest factors which would inspire them to return to a particular hotel include the friendliness and efficiency of the staff (26 per cent) followed closely by the price (23 per cent) and then the hotel’s amenities and facilities (21 per cent).

The poll also reveals the strong migration of New Zealanders toward researching and booking travel online, with 61 per cent of respondents saying that they mostly book their hotels online. Prior to booking, Kiwis turn to the internet for research, with 61 per cent of respondents also saying that online research, including user reviews, photos and virtual tours, influences their hotel booking choice most of all. This is far above receiving recommendations from traditional travel agents, with only five per cent of respondents relying on such advice.

The new Hotels.com New Zealand website provides New Zealand travellers with easy access to over 80,000 hotels around the world, has a local interface including pricing in New Zealand Dollars (or any other currency of choice), and is supported by a local customer service centre available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Travellers are able to search by facilities and hotel star ratings, as well as by specific geographic locations and neighbourhoods, with search results also visually represented on a map of the area considered. Proven to be increasingly important to modern travellers when researching online, customers will also be able to read and post extensive user reviews of hotels.

The new site functionality makes it even easier for both business and leisure travellers to select and book the hotel of their choice through their local Hotels.com site.

Johan Svanstrom, Managing Director Hotels.com Asia Pacific, says, “The newly launched website is part of a worldwide rollout of locally tailored Hotels.com websites and introduces the new Hotels.com ‘Wake up Happy™’ brand positioning.

"'Wake Up Happy' says everything about the service Hotels.com can offer customers and reflects our commitment to understanding what customers want.

“The launch of the Hotels.com New Zealand site marks another significant step for Hotels.com and supports the company’s increased focus on the Asia Pacific region, which offers some of the best value for money hotels in the world.

“Now is a great time for Kiwis to travel closer to home, but lower oil prices should start having a positive impact on airfares to the US and Europe, where excellent deals are also available – yet another reason for

Kiwi travellers to ‘Wake Up Happy’,” Mr Svanstrom concluded.

For great hotel deals and promotions, visit www.hotels.com.

Source: Click HERE

Qualmark's "mindless and costly environmental doctrine"

Dr Muriel Newman is the founder and Director of the New Zealand Centre for Political Research (NZCPR).

The NZCPR is a web-based think tank that takes a research-based approach to public policy matters and encourages the free and open debate of political issues.

Each week the NZCPR publishes a newsletter, which is sent out to a mailing list of over 16,000 readers.

This week's publication includes commentary on the government's previous involvement in a plethora of regulatory matters – often under the guise of health and safety or environmental concerns – that, to put it bluntly, are extraordinarily bureaucratic, largely pointless, and extremely costly:

"Over the last nine years, the state sector has become bloated with wasteful programmes that need to be subjected to a proper audit, asking whether there are cheaper options, whether responsibility for the task could be better carried out by the private sector, or in fact, whether the task needs to be carried out at all!"

One example given by Dr Muriel Newman will be of interest to moteliers. This was the unerlateral introduction by Qualmark NZ Ltd of the new environmental criteria embedded into its quality benchmarking criteria for motels:

"The first example provides a snapshot of the mindless but costly environmental doctrine that the previous government imposed on small business. In 2008, without any consultation with industry operators, Qualmark, the government agency that works in partnership with the private sector to assess and rank services provided by tourism operators, expanded their assessment criteria to include new environmental concerns. This means that in order to receive their quality star gradings, accommodation providers are now being assessed on environmental considerations that have no bearing on their core business - such as whether they run a worm farm or compost organic waste – alongside key criteria such as cleanliness, comfort, safety, security, and other guest services! Some $300,000 of taxpayers’ money was used to fund the first two years of this initiative with a further $840,000 pledged over the next three years."

We can't agree more with Dr Muriel Newman's sentiments.

The motel industry is on a collision course with Qualmark and we will be following closely how this will play out later this year.

The "Motella" is watching.

Source: Click HERE

Accommodation Industry Trends in 2009

The following article is written from an American / hotel prospective.

It's over to you to decide what industry realities are hidden amongst the cynical humor and provocative tongue in cheek comments.

13 January 2009
By Daniel Edward Craig
www.hospitalitynet.org

Deep discounting and do-it-yourself are in, green programs and healthful food are out

The new year has begun and so far it’s not pretty. With the hotel industry facing the lowest occupancy rates since 1971, a number of alarming trends are emerging. In the midst of all the doom and gloom I thought I’d take a more lighthearted approach to my predictions for the hotel industry in 2009.

1. Everything learned in revenue management training will go out the window. Hysteria will rule the day as hotels drop rates, get indignant when competitors lower rates in response, and then panic and drop rates even further. All inventory will be treated as distressed inventory, erasing years of brand-equity-building and training travelers to look for the best deals on third-party websites. It will take years to recover from these rate wars, and the only victor will be the traveler.
   
   
2. Travelers will become more demanding and less forgiving. Smelling the hotel industry’s desperation to fill rooms, travelers will demand even deeper discounts and more value add-ons, while at the same time refusing to tolerate the cuts to services hotels will be forced to implement to stay afloat, posting nasty comments on TripAdvisor like “Save your money! This hotel has gone to hell!!”
   
   
3. Service levels will nosedive. The labor shortage crisis of 2008, when hoteliers blamed poor service levels on the lack of employee resources, will give way to the job shortage crisis of 2009, when hoteliers will blame poor service levels on tight labor budgets. Managers will be forced to cover frontline shifts to save labor costs, thereby revealing they have no clue how their department operates, resulting in a deluge of missed wakeup calls, accounting errors and guests checked into occupied rooms.
   
   
4. Eco-friendly initiatives will be tossed into the recycling bin. Faced with the realization that going green costs money, hotels will opt for programs that guilt the guest into making the sacrifices, such as the now-ubiquitous optional towel and sheet replacement program. Having discovered that guests will tolerate plastic recycling bins and off-white tissue paper, hotels will begin to phase out those adorable little bottles of shampoo, blackberry jam and Dijon mustard in favor of “eco-friendly” (cheap) bulk offerings.
   
   
5. Automation and do-it-yourself options will replace costly employees. Hotel managers, faced with the horror of having to deal with guests themselves, will consider previously unthinkable initiatives like automated check-in kiosks. New labor-saving programs will include make-your-own-bed-and-breakfast packages, do-it-yourself luggage carts, and computers standing in for concierges. Meanwhile, all gratuitous positions created during the halcyon days, like “tanning concierge”, “dream butler” and “pillow consultant”, will be summarily retired.
   
   
6. The trend toward offering more healthful food choices in restaurants, room service and mini-bars will be reversed as hotels realize that cheeseburgers, Coke and Kit Kats sell better and are more profitable.
   
   
7. Lifestyle hotels will spring up as quickly as Starbucks outlets are closing. Customization will be taken a step further, with such options as the daily repainting of rooms to match the guest’s wardrobe, smart lighting that adjusts according to the guest’s mood, and hotels designed exclusively for germophobes, anarchists and narcissists. Meanwhile, lifestyle hotels will continue to confuse guests with cutesy names for traditional positions like “comfort consultant” for housekeeper, “personal nutritionist” for waitress and “ambassador to happiness” for front desk agent.
   
   
8. Complimentary amenities will mysteriously vanish. “Amenity Creep”, the one-upmanship game hotels played during prosperous times by adding superfluous items like lip balm, wrinkle cream and nose-hair trimmers, will give way to “Amenity Retreat”, in which all but essential items will be removed and guests will be charged for non-essential items like blankets, soap and hot water. Meanwhile, dog-friendly hotels will be phased out as hotels realize that dogs are not hotel-friendly.
   
   
9. The boutique-hotel-as-nightclub trend will spread to traditional hotels like Ritz Carlton, Fairmont and Four Seasons. Lobbies will morph into late-night clubs, with Bach concertos replaced by techno grooves from in-house DJs. Traditional doormen in Beefeater-style uniforms will be supplanted by lobby hostesses in booty shorts, and the mantra “It’s my pleasure, sir” will surrender to “Hey, no problem, man.”
   
   
10. Standalone hotels will be a thing of the past. Mixed-use developments, in which hotels are housed in the same complex as condos, retail outlets and office space and condo owners shoulder the burden of costly hotel construction by paying for access to services they will never use, will expand to include hospitals, churches and crematoriums to ensure guests never check out.
    

Source: Click HERE

Proper Customer Service for Dead People

The most promising moment of Prime Minister John Key's Speech from the Throne came four sentences in:

"In pursuing this goal of economic growth my Government will be guided by the principle of individual freedom and a belief in the capacity and right of individuals to shape and improve their own lives."

Along with the principle of individual freedom comes the right to choose and personal responsibility.

We haven't heard these inspiring words from a Prime Minister in a very long time - That is why I was disappointed in John Key's response to business owner Edwin Chan's decision to charge rental car charges to the family that tragically lost two brothers on the Fox Glacier.

The following article was kindly sent to me by motel industry icon, John Gilbertson .

This gives a very good overview of this most unfortunate incident and requires no further commentary from us:

15 January 2009

By David Sims

I can't tell you how many times people come up to me and say "Dave, just because somebody's dead, is that a good reason to give them heartless customer service? Huh?"

Here in New Zealand there was a tragedy on the Fox Glacier last week. Ashish and Akshay Miranda, brothers in their early 20s from Melbourne, were on the glacier when they were buried under 100 tons of falling ice, chunks as big as cars, according to eyewitness accounts.

Their parents, Ronnie and Winnie Miranda, were in Christchurch preparing to return to Australia after the tragedy when car rental firm NZCRS informed them that they owed the company at least a thousand dollars, since the keys to the eight-seat van were in Akshay's pocket, and hence buried under 100 tons of ice as well. Authorities said it would be weeks before his body was recovered.

Rental car company director Edwin Chan told the New Zealand Herald the firm had to recoup about $800 for the van to be transported 418 kilometers from Fox Glacier to Christchurch, and hundreds of dollars more for a new transponder key to electronically unlock the van. Chan estimated the total cost at $1,600.

"Nobody will do it for free," Chan said, adding that it's an "unfortunate" situation: "We feel for them. If there are things that are going to cost the company, we have no choice but to recover the costs. They should ... travel with insurance. It's not up to us as a company to pay for the costs."

The firm declined to charge per day overdue fees on the van, even though it was due back Sunday the 11th and as of Thursday still had not been returned, at a loss of about $390 and counting to the company.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, who also serves as Minister of Tourism, called the rental company "crass at best" for trying to recover the money from the dead boys' parents. He acknowledged that while the company may be legally right, it should show some compassion: Charging the family, he told the Herald, was "crass at best and at the very least, bad business practice."

Is it now. Interesting question.

Reader comments seem to support the idea that the rental company shouldn't have to eat the costs just because the customer is, uh, dead. "JT" from Auckland posted that yes it's a tragedy – "however tragedies occur to tourists all around the world. Thus travel insurance was invented. It's called personal responsibility."

And reader Cameron Wilkes asked "should funeral homes not charge for their services because a family member has died and the family is upset?"

Aussies professed themselves shocked, shocked not only over the rental company expecting the family to make good on its debt, but also that a motel owner refused to waive a $100 charge for the room the parents didn't use when they departed early.

The Melbourne Herald Sun weighed in unsubtly, blaring the headline "Heartless Kiwis demand parents pay for dead Melbourne brother's bills." One notices the supposedly heart-filled Herald Sun nowhere offers to help defray the family's expenses. Of course it's always easy to strike a posture when it's somebody else's wallet getting dented.

"Everyone is making us out to be the bad guys. We're running a business," the motel owner pointed out, adding that the family agreed to pay the bill.

Chan said he was upset the keys were buried under the ice with Akshay because he was not permitted to drive the car, according to the Herald Sun. "They have both been told not to drive the car," he said of the brothers. "The father and cousin were supposed to drive."

Chan also observed that the search and recovery efforts on behalf of the government for the boys cost thousands of dollars, and pointed out that they had entered an out-of-bounds area. "At the end of the day they have cost the New Zealand government a lot of money," he noted correctly.

"I do have compassion for them. But they obviously can't expect me to pick up the pieces," he said, again correctly.

He has at least one Aussie supporter – one Herald Sun reader wrote to ask "should Mr. Chan have to go home and say sorry kids, you can't have dinner tonight because someone died because they weren't smart enough to follow instructions?"

So what are the CRM issues here?

Quality of customer service. Did Chan's rental agency provide top quality service? Evidently so – there aren't any complaints about the van or the service provided.

The quality of the customer relationship. Leaving aside the issue of repeat business at this point, let's look at how the relationship was perceived by the customer, who broke the rental company's rules by allowing unauthorized drivers. Sure we all do it, but the agreement is the agreement – if we're discovered by the agency allowing an unauthorized driver to drive the car, well, we'd have pretty thin ice to stand on to complain as well.

Putting it on a relational level, if I find that my friend's been letting his no-good worthless brother-in-law drive my snowmobile when I told him not to let anybody else drive it, and the clumsy yahoo wrecked it and broke his leg, and the bill would be $1,600 to have it fixed - the snowmobile, not the leg - I would not be disposed to say "Oh don't worry about the costs" just because the clod has a broken leg.

Call me heartless, crass, whatever, but if it happens to you then you can be Mother Teresa and take the hit. Me, I'm going to collect.

The Mirandas showed how much they valued the relationship with Chan when they let Akshay drive the van. I for one do not criticize Chan for thinking okay, I can't rent my van out because the key's in the pocket of the kid I specifically told not to drive, who was in a restricted area where he shouldn't have been on the glacier, and the family didn't pay for the insurance that would have taken care of all this, call me crass if you want, Mr. Prime Minister, but I don't see why that skins my cat to the tune of $1,600 plus lost future rental fees.

So the bottom CRM line is that Chan's in the right. Some readers of the New Zealand Herald's story wrote to say it's a pennywise and pound-foolish approach for Chan to recover his costs, since it might deter others from visiting New Zealand if that's the sort of heartless, stingy bastards we are here.

There is a CRM principle, not invoked in print frequently, but everybody's aware of it, stating that some customers just aren't worth the trouble. And if this incident keeps people who break rental agreements and ignore restricted area signs in dangerous areas away from New Zealand, then maybe that's all to the good, and maybe they should go elsewhere instead.

Say, Melbourne.

Source: Click HERE

Accommodation Voucher Scams

Scam artists that prey upon the traveling public make me mad.

As an industry, we need the public to easily access our fine services without their confidence being eroded by shysters.

This blog receives many hits from Google web searches of scams. In particular, we have noticed a recent increase of web based searches for Australian based company "Holiday Fever" that land on our Holiday voucher scheme post that was published back in November 2008.

The media and consumer groups have previously warned the public to check out carefully any discount-voucher schemes for accommodation. Often these vouchers are sold by cold calling telemarketers using persuasive and pressure selling techniques. Websites are used to support these schemes and add legitimacy such as:

www.holidayfever.com.au
www.holidayfever.info
www.weekendretreats.com.au
www.flexibreaks.com.au
www.greatgetaways.com.au
http://yournextholiday.com.au

We suspect that there have been many of worthless accommodation vouchers sold last year that are only now coming to light as the traveling public try to use them over the peak holiday season.

We have recently talked to several "motellas" that have had guests arrive or have phoned trying to make a reservation with these vouchers.

The weekly eMANZ NewZ from the Motel Association of NZ (MANZ) featured a warning about unsuspecting members of the public that are being sold accommodation vouchers from internet travel sites based in Australia. Unfortunately MANZ did not suggest a clear call to action.

What can be done?

If an accommodation operator comes across a potential guest with these vouchers, then they need to become part of the solution and assist in shutting these shonky Ozzie operators down. We suggest getting as much information from the guest as possible in order to make a written complaint to the Commerce Commission. We suggest that the guest is advised to do the the same.

If enough complaints are received, the Commerce Commission will issue further warnings to the New Zealand public and pass information over to their counterpart in Australia that will be able to take action.

The Commerce Commission can be contacted by:
PO Box 2351
Wellington 6140
Email contact@comcom.govt.nz
Phone 0800 943 600

Tourists stay away in droves

"One in five Australians were looking to New Zealand for a holiday in 2009"

Following on from John Key's headline making soundbite last year about tourism taking "a billion dollar hit", our top three international markets of Australia, Britain and the USA have been forecast to fall by 45,000 arrivals.

Our top three international markets are regular users of motel accommodation.

We have found that this subset of international motel dwellers often discover the value and convenience of motels from their 2nd and 3rd visit to New Zealand. Often they will have a connection with friends and family living in New Zealand. They are usualy in the "older" age bracket, have resonable finacial means and are happy to passively enjoy a self drive New Zealand experiance.

All is not doom and gloom.

We hope that the motel industry will not bear brunt of the forecast downturn in overseas visitor numbers. We believe that existing international regular visitors that have already experienced NZ motel hospitality will continue to travel.

Tourism is not all about overseas arrivals. Domestic travelers make up 72% of guest nights at motels. There is the potential for an increased in domestic trade to counter any decrease in overseas visitor nights as Kiwis defer their overseas holiday in favour of taking a break at home.

There is also the opportunity for motels to attract a greater share of corporate guest nights away from perceived higher priced hotels.

By NICK CHURCHOUSE
The Dominion Post
16 January 2009

A worst-case scenario for the tourism sector could see 45,000 fewer visitors from the top three markets this year.

Ambitious projections of a jump in tourists from Australia have also been dumped.

The predictions of dropping numbers from New Zealand's key tourism markets Australia, Britain and the United States are "on the money", Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said.

The numbers come from an industry report by Goldman Sachs JBWere analyst Shamubeel Eaqub that picks a drop of 45,000 tourists from those top markets.

With Australians making up 37 per cent of inbound tourists and American and British visitors typically big spenders, Mr Eaqub's "worst-case" predictions equate to $113 million less tourism income in 2009. The figure includes only what the tourists would spend in New Zealand and does not count international airfares.

Tourism Ministry figures picking an almost 4 per cent increase in visitor numbers from across the Tasman this year have been scrapped.

Prime Minister John Key, also the tourism minister, got back to business yesterday after a family holiday in Hawaii by convening a meeting with ministers to discuss the economic crisis.

Ministry spokesman Martin Svehla said the economic crisis since the forecasts were calculated made them redundant. However, Mr Hickton hoped Australian visitor numbers could be maintained and some growth generated in the British market.

He said the US, New Zealand's third largest tourism market, was "drifting away on us".

Opportunities in Asian markets were extremely dependent on what happened to their economies. The only certainties seemed to be a reduction in airfares, and fewer tourists in the short term before a bounce-back.

Previous tourism scares such as the World Trade Centre terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 had created hugely negative forecasts that never came to pass. "Let's not back ourselves into a corner just yet, it's too early to tell," Mr Hickton said.

But he admitted time was running out as bookings for next summer would be critical for many operators. "That is when they make most of their money. It is more important than winter."

Operators had survived the Christmas and New Year period on bookings made before the economic crisis, but there were no guarantees for the end of this year.

The report picked trans-Tasman travel would be popular as long journeys fell out of favour, a theory backed by House of Travel retail director Brent Thomas.

He expected cuts to fares between New Zealand and Australia would help, as the number of available seats increased dramatically. "Airlines have been fairly aggressive at pricing to stimulate demand. A plane only earns money when it is in the air with people in it."

One-way trans-Tasman airfares were sinking to as much as $169 and could keep dropping throughout 2009. "That is very good value."

New Zealanders were reluctant to cut back on travel in tough times, he said. "They work hard and they feel they deserve a break. They might not replace that TV or replace their car, but they will travel."

Positively Wellington Tourism chief executive David Perks said in such an uncertain climate, PWT's planned $500,000 boost for Australian marketing was even more important. "Australia remains our key visitor market regardless of anything," he said.

A recent survey showed one in five Australians were looking to New Zealand for a holiday in 2009.
Mr Perks said the goal was to beat the market trends and keep visitor numbers to Wellington growing regardless of economic cycles. "If we want to have that impact in Australia, now is possibly the best time."

Source: Click HERE

Kiwis ease post-holiday blues by booking next one

Expedia's investment in surveying 500 Kiwi's holiday planning is of interest to the accommodation industry - It's also a great way for Expedia.co.nz to gain profile!
 
Thursday, 15 January 2009
Press Release: Expedia

Expedia survey reveals Kiwis ease post-holiday blues by booking their next holiday as soon as they’re back to work

• 83 percent of New Zealanders feel more motivated at work when they have a booked holiday to look forward to
• Kiwi workers set to cost businesses over $70 million in work hours when researching and booking their next holiday

As New Zealanders return to work after the summer break, 83 percent have revealed that they feel more motivated at work if they have a holiday to look forward to - according to a recent survey conducted by Expedia.co.nz, operated by Expedia, Inc., the world’s leading online travel company. So, while offices around New Zealand will be busy with work-related planning for the year ahead this month, many workers will be sure to be planning their 2009 getaways.

In fact, the survey revealed that over 46 percent of New Zealand workers admit to spending company time researching and booking their last holiday, with the average spending about three hours in total and almost six percent spending more than ten work hours. This means that New Zealand workers will spend an estimated total of just over three million hours* of company time planning their next holiday, costing New Zealand businesses over $70 million. The same study conducted concurrently in Australia, however, makes Kiwi workers look better by comparison as it revealed that 60 percent of Aussie workers have spent company time planning their holidays.

Also, 57 percent of workers surveyed at the beginning of January have already started planning their next getaway and 49 percent of people intend to take a holiday in the next six months. Interestingly, almost half of respondents also plan to take their next holiday within New Zealand rather than overseas. The next most popular holiday spot is Australia, with 22 percent of respondents nominating that destination, followed by nine percent nominating Asia.

The survey results, which monitored the responses of over 500 New Zealanders, reveal how many workers seek to lift their spirits by looking ahead to their next break as soon as they return to work after an enjoyable break.

Dr Ben Searle, Organisational Psychologist, said, “These survey results are not that surprising. A good summer holiday should help us recover from work-related stress, but evidence suggests that after returning to work many people quickly find themselves stressed again. Unfortunately, this reflects the modern reality that many people feel pressured or dissatisfied in their workplaces. Even for those who enjoy their jobs, the challenges of work can seem particularly demanding – or simply less motivating – after a long period of relaxation.

“This year, uncertainty in the economy is likely to increase the stress felt by businesses, employees and families. This means that we may need to pay closer attention to our health and wellbeing in 2009,” he said.
A previous poll, conducted late last year by Expedia.co.nz, revealed that holidays are longed for in the year ahead above a new romance, a pay rise or promotion.

Louise Hurbert-Burns at Expedia New Zealand said, “New Zealanders work hard and spend a lot of time in the office, so any planned holiday is a great motivation to get through the daily grind.

“With the internet, it is now easier and quicker than ever to search for the best travel deals. On Expedia.co.nz you can plan a holiday or short break, including flights, accommodation, car hire and activities, within the convenience of one easy site so there’s no need to take up costly work time organising holidays,” she said.

For excellent travel deals and a great travel experience, visit www.expedia.co.nz.

* Estimated calculation of three million hours based on 2008 Statistics New Zealand figures for average weekly earnings and average hours worked and the Expedia survey responses which revealed an average of three hours of work time is spent by New Zealanders researching holidays (of those who said they used work time, 46.32 percent).

Source: Click HERE