Holiday Inn Express opens first NZ hotel in Queenstown

Pro-invest Group is set to launch its first hotel in New Zealand with its doors opening to guests in Queenstown for school holidays and the start of the ski season.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Queenstown is a 227-room hotel, on the corner of Stanley and Sydney Streets in Queenstown’s centre. It officially opens to guests on Friday 10 July.

The hotel opening is being seen as a massive ‘shot in the arm’ for the beleaguered Queenstown tourism industry and a mark of faith in the resurgence of domestic and future international visitors.

The hotel’s room offering includes spacious suites – a Holiday Inn Express ‘first’ in New Zealand and Australia – in addition to superior rooms, which provide breathtaking views of Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain range.

Ronald Barrott, Pro-invest Group Chief Executive Officer, said the Group was excited to launch a new product at its first New Zealand property and expected strong demand.

“We are committed to expanding the Holiday Inn Express brand in New Zealand and we’re confident that Queenstown’s reputation as premier destination makes it the ideal place to start,” he said.

“Holiday Inn Express & Suites Queenstown has a stylish vibe, complete with an outdoor lounge with firepit. It’s also equipped with the smart, simple rooms, and features business and leisure travellers know and love.

“With school holidays approaching, the ski season underway and New Zealand’s COVID-19 travel restrictions lifted, we are anticipating that Queenstown and our latest hotel will be a popular destination for many holidaymakers.

“It provides easy access to popular ski destinations of Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona and Treble Cone, while popular tourist attractions such as the Skyline gondola and the town’s dining precinct are on your doorstep. Queenstown is the home of adventure and also the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Milford Sound.

“The hotel’s location will also appeal to corporate and business travellers and makes for an ideal events and convention venue, as it’s only a short distance from the CBD.

“We are pleased to contribute to Queenstown’s vibrancy with another high-quality hotel offering.”

The hotel is equipped with all the features the Holiday Inn Express brand has become renowned for including an Express Start breakfast, power showers, black-out blinds, high-quality bedding with a choice of pillows and uncapped Wi-Fi.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Queenstown also features a fitness room, sauna, two flexible meeting rooms, self-serve laundry, dry room, onsite parking and a free business centre.

The hotel’s architecture – designed by local architectural practice McAuliffe Stevens (MSRA) – combines abstract elements representing ice and erratic rock forms to pay homage to the hotel’s landscape history and achieve a design that fits with the surrounding urban environment.

The hotel’s General Manager, Jason Sabin, said his team was looking forward to showcasing what smart, simple travel is all about.

“Our rooms provide all the quality conveniences that make you feel at home, even when you’re away,” he said.

“We are proud of our sustainability-focused facilities and initiatives, such as the carpets throughout the building which are made from recycled fishing nets.”

Mr Barrott also highlighted other initiatives.

“From a design perspective for instance, all air leaving the hotel passes through a heat recovery plant. This extracts the energy from air coming from the hotel’s bathrooms and other areas and transfers that energy, whether it’s heat in winter or cooling in summer, to the incoming fresh air. The results are a substantial reduction in energy used to pre-treat the incoming air for the hotel ventilation,” he said.

“We are also excited to continue rolling out IHG’s flagship sustainability initiative, A Greener Stay, which Pro-invest in collaboration with IHG introduced to the APAC region back in 2017.  A Greener Stay allows guests to take part in conserving the environment through opt out of housekeeping services should they stay two or more nights, resulting in energy and water savings. As an added reward, guests who choose the opt-out receive up to 500 IHG Rewards Club points per night.

“As a group, Pro-invest is committed to developing, operating and managing its hotel portfolio in a sustainable manner and continuously improve on its ESG strategies wherever feasible.

“We look forward to welcoming locals looking for a staycation, travelers exploring the region from all over New Zealand and – circumstances permitting – from overseas very shortly.”

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Queenstown is the first and only hotel under the Holiday Inn Express brand in New Zealand to date. It is the sixth Holiday Inn Express property since 2016 to be opened by Pro-invest Group, following the launch of Sydney Macquarie Park, Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle and Melbourne Southbank hotels in Australia.

Pro-invest Group has plans for additional New Zealand properties.

“We have acquired a prime site in Auckland on the North Island to help continue the Group’s international growth in the coming years,” Mr Barrott said.

“This site will become New Zealand’s second Holiday Inn Express hotel and Pro-invest and New Zealand’s first voco hotel in 2021.”

The voco Hotels brand is a lifestyle-orientated brand by the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

Pro-invest Group develops and operates Holiday Inn Express and voco hotels in Australia and New Zealand under a franchise agreement with IHG.

For further information, high res images and media interviews:

Ben Smeaton – +61 488 940 010 or ben@communikate.net.au

Silvia Knoppien – +61 467 043 173 or silvia@communikate.net.au

Bec Tape – +61 438 806 983 or rtape@communikate.net.au

InterCity Expands Northland services in time for school holidays

National bus network InterCity will resume additional services to Northland from Wednesday 1 July 2020.
The services will travel between Kaitaia and Whangarei, with connections through to Auckland on existing routes. Services to the Far North were suspended following the nationwide lockdown under Alert Level 4, and services to Kerikeri and Whangarei resumed on 28 May.

CEO John Thorburn says the company is excited to resume services to the Far North and reconnect communities.
“It’s great to be able to resume these services, as we know they provide a vital link for local communities,” he says.
The services will operate on a reduced schedule, four days per week.

InterCity expects to announce the restart of more suspended services in the coming weeks.

Bookings can be made at intercity.co.nz

Contact:
Daniel Rode General Manager Digital & Brand 027 4913530 danielr@entradatravelgroup.com

For images/video see https://entradatravelgroup.brandkit.io/assets?tags=InterCity

About InterCity
InterCity provides New Zealanders with access to affordable, safe and reliable travel to over 600 towns, cities and communities. By comparison, Air New Zealand flights connect just 20 destinations (12 in the North Island and 8 in the South Island).

How to Measure your Carbon Footprint

One of the first steps towards having a sustainable tourism business is to understand, measure and reduce your carbon footprint. There are a variety of tools and resources available to help – you’ll find much of the information you need on your energy bills and other records. You can choose to use a free carbon calculator, or if you’d like some support or are interested in getting certified as a carbon neutral business you can go with organisations like ekos or Toitū Envirocare. Toitū has a special deal for TIA members of 50% off the joining fee.

More information on how to start measuring your carbon footprint.

InterCity Expands South Island Services

National bus network InterCity today announced that it will re-start additional services across the South Island from this weekend.

The services will provide connections between Nelson – Queenstown and Christchurch – Queenstown, on routes that had remained suspended following the nationwide lock down under Alert Level 4.

CEO John Thorburn said the company was excited to resume services and reconnect communities.
“It’s great to have more of our South Island services up running again as we know they provide vital link for local communities. These new services had relied heavily on international visitors to make them viable and thanks to positive and ongoing discussions with the Ministry of Transport about providing financial support, we have decided to restart services”.

Grey District Mayor Tania Gibson was pleased to see the services back on West Coast roads.
“It’s great to have InterCity back in the region, these services provide an important economic role in connecting our communities along the West Coast”.

The new services would operate on a reduced 4 day per week schedule.
InterCity expects to announce the restart of more suspended services in the coming weeks.
Bookings can be made at intercity.co.nz

027 4913530 danielr@entradatravelgroup.com
For images/video see https://entradatravelgroup.brandkit.io/assets?tags=InterCity
About InterCity
InterCity provides New Zealanders with access to affordable, safe and reliable travel to over 600 towns, cities and communities. By comparison, Air New Zealand flights connect just 20 destinations (12 in the North Island and 8 in the South Island).

Beyond Belief – Fiordland targets domestic visitors with call to experience their own backyard

While tourism businesses scramble to adapt to the domestic market in the wake of Covid-19, Fiordland’s regional tourism organisation could argue its one step ahead of them all.

Destination Fiordland has always been justifiably proud of its operators and attractions in the lakeside townships of Te Anau and Manapouri, and the raw majesty of Fiordland National Park’s glacier-carved fiords and rugged mountains.

But with many visitors starting and finishing their Fiordland adventures in Queenstown, making a quick pit-stop in Te Anau, the tourism organisation embarked on a brand refresh in October last year.

The goal? To shout loud and clear from those mountaintops that Fiordland exemplifies all that’s good about New Zealand and is a destination in its own right, where locals value their visitors and ‘walk the talk’ about maintaining the world-class natural environment for generations to come.

The new brand ‘Fiordland – Beyond Belief’ was revealed to operators this week, setting out to target domestic travelers from day one and positioning Te Anau as ‘base camp’, while opening the eyes of international visitors to the fact there’s so much more to Fiordland than Milford Sound.

“The launch of our new brand comes at a challenging time, where fortune favours the bold,” says Destination Fiordland manager Madeleine Peacock. “Our challenge was to find a positioning that reflects all this majesty and helps drive visitation by making Fiordland a unique, inspiring, authentic and unmissable part of Aotearoa New Zealand, a place worth visiting.

“Fiordland is a must-see for international visitors but even last year we could see the untapped potential of domestic visitors. We clearly have a job to do at home, and this is a great start.”

Ms Peacock says ‘Fiordland – Beyond Belief’ conveys the scale, grandeur and mind-blowing nature of the area, and applies to everything on offer from the people who call Fiordland ‘home’ to the quality of experiences, accommodation and food, and a deep sense of connection with the environment .

“Our research has identified Kiwis desire to connect with nature, looking for real world experiences in their backyard, connecting with natural environments and ensuring those environments will be protected for generations to come – it’s about who we are as Kiwis.

“Doubtful and Dusky Sounds, the Great Walks and Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri
have to an extent been hiding in the shadow of Milford Sound, however these areas
are equally as impressive.”

Kerri James, owner operator of award-winning five-star accommodation provider
Radfords On The Lake, says she’s “absolutely delighted” with the new brand.

“People down this way epitomise Southern hospitality, and ‘beyond belief’ is the
perfect fit to describe Fiordland and everything we have to offer,” she says.
Fiordland Outdoors owner operator Christine Wallace says the brand is in “perfect
synergy” with the high-value experience that Fiordland offers.

“The brand communicates a premium location and offering that’s very much in sync
with what we do here. It’s very timely when all regions around New Zealand are
being considered by domestic travelers,” she says.

Jodi Williams, Air New Zealand’s General Manager Global Brand and Content
Marketing, says Air New Zealand has a special connection with Fiordland through its
work with DOC to bring back birdsong on the Great Walks, three of which are
located in Fiordland.

“Fiordland Beyond Belief helps position Fiordland as a world-class destination,
famous for its majestic scenery, and has inspired me to visit this unique and special
part of New Zealand,” she says.

Operators are currently being encouraged to incorporate the ‘Beyond Belief’ brand
and associated imagery into their marketing and a new website is expected to launch
within the next two months.

For further media information or high res images please contact:
Madeleine Peacock
Destination Fiordland Manager
E: madeleine@fiordland.org.nz
M: 027 367 1334
Fiona Woodham
Southern PR
E: Fiona@southernpr.co.nz
M: 0274 313 270

Crowne Plaza Queenstown rolls out red carpet to welcome first conference business post COVID-19

Queenstown’s premium place to meet, Crowne Plaza Queenstown, has opened its doors earlier than anticipated and is rolling out the red carpet to welcome its first conference post COVID-19.

The iconic lakefront hotel was originally scheduled to re-open in July to welcome domestic travellers for the school holidays and ski season. Instead it opened yesterday (Wednesday June 17) to welcome a conference group from The Icehouse business growth and development company in Auckland.

Business leaders attending the conference from June 18 to 20 all operate businesses turning over $3million-plus, and after completing management programmes with The Icehouse are visiting Queenstown as part of an Owner Manager Exchange (OMX) program.

The Icehouse Customer Relationship Manager Raewyn Goodwin says there was “no better place than Queenstown” for business owners to take a helicopter view of their business and assess growth opportunities in the wake of COVID-19.

“They own and operate businesses that are the backbone of the New Zealand economy so we’re delighted to bring them to Queenstown and support the town,” she says.

Crowne Plaza Queenstown General Manager Stewart Manson says the hotel also made the best a tough situation, using its temporary closure as an opportunity to refresh its conference rooms and carry out a ‘soft touch’ update to its premium Lakeview Rooms. It has also introduced enhanced cleaning and operating protocols under its new IHG Clean Promise in guest rooms.

“Conference and events are key segments for the business mix of the hotel, and we’re delighted to have had the opportunity to open a little earlier than expected to welcome this group,” he says.

“Although recovery from COVID will certainly take a while, this is a positive indicator that there’s demand for meetings.

“A number of new and repeat customers have already confirmed events for later in the year. This is great not just for Crowne Plaza, but other hospitality and accommodation providers in the region.”

Queenstown Chamber of Commerce chair Craig Douglas welcomed the news.

“Queenstown’s home to a vibrant mix of innovative and resilient businesses, and while we recognise we’re on a long road to recovery, we’re happy to celebrate milestones like this.”

Tourism body Destination Queenstown, which last year generated approximately $47million-worth of leads for Queenstown through its own conference and incentive bureau activity, is also delighted with the news.

“Queenstown is a world-class destination for business events, and it’s fantastic to see the recovery begin in this sector,” says interim chief executive Ann Lockhart.

“Conferences, incentive programmes and other business events will play an important role in our district’s recovery.”

ENDS

For more media information please contact:

Fiona Woodham
Southern PR
M: 0274 313 270
E: fiona@southernpr.co.nz

Southern Crossings is a leading bespoke travel specialist for New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific. We are a Conde Nest Traveler New Zealand and Australian Specialist, Virtuoso On-Site Partner, Virtuoso UltraLuxe member, Signature Travel Network Destination Specialist, Travel Leaders in-Country partner and Traveller Made Destination Management Company.

Since 1986 we have been dazzling the most discerning travelers with our collaboratively designed, one-of-a-kind experiences and our outstanding network allows access to truly unique and exclusive experiences. While in country each client receives a 24/7 dedicated concierge service guaranteeing a seamless travel journey.

Tourwriter appoints Glenn Campbell and Pierre Malou as co-CEO’s to lead the company towards further growth

Tour operator software company, Tourwriter, have announced a new leadership structure, with Glenn Campbell and Pierre Malou taking on a co-CEO partnership. Malou, with a strong background in sales, marketing and business acceleration, will be focussing on the growth and operational excellence of the company. Campbell will apply his wealth of tourism, technology and financial knowledge to the product, research and development and continued financial excellence of Tourwriter.

Adopting a co-CEO structure is a decision that Tourwriter believes will benefit their customers. “This dual leadership enables us to continue innovating and providing travel designers with the quality products and services that they have come to expect from Tourwriter, while positioning us to continue to grow when travel resumes” said Tourwriter Director, Serge Van Dam.

Malou believes in the need for the global tourism industry to be willing to be agile and make changes to their business where possible, commenting “with the impact of COVID-19 in mind, we want to emphasise that all of us in the industry need to sharpen our focus and work collaboratively. It’s undeniable that travel is going to change, and it’s important that the industry changes with it – rather than get left behind. Our dual leadership structure will allow Tourwriter to be innovative and adaptive, we are changing with the times and readying ourselves for continued growth. We are excited to continue providing innovative and powerful software products that allow our customers to succeed in creating exceptional travel experiences” finished Malou.

It’s clear that COVID-19 is significantly impacting the global tourism industry. Campbell and Malou are steadfast in their belief that the tourism industry and businesses within it will be able to thrive once again. “In the past we’ve seen how the industry has been impacted by other pandemics, recessions and political instability, but it’s evident that the tourism industry is resilient and is excellent at bouncing back from these events,” said Campbell. “People around the world will want to travel again as soon as they can and tour operators need to be ready for when demand inevitably returns,” finished Campbell. Both feel the time is right to take advantage of the significant disruption in the industry to re-imagine the way that tour operators work, and currently have a special project underway to enable this to happen. They are hoping to announce more on this initiative in the coming months.

Iconic Hole in the Rock cruises resume in time for the long weekend

Paihia-based cruise operator Fullers GreatSights will resume their famous Hole in the Rock cruises this long weekend, in a welcome boost for local tourism.

Fullers GreatSights operations manager Barry Nielson says the crew are excited to be returning to the water and sharing their stories with visitors.

“The Hole in the Rock cruise is an iconic Northland experience and the team are looking forward to showcasing the Bay of Islands to Kiwis,” he says.

Cruises were suspended in late March as the country entered lockdown and the return of the weekend cruises signals a significant step in encouraging visitors to the region according to Northland Inc’s General Manager for Destination, Tania Burt.

“A visit to Northland isn’t complete without exploring the beautiful Bay of Islands and the return of this iconic cruise is a great way for us to get the message out that we’re open for business,” she says.

Albert Ernest Fuller first pioneered cruises through the islands in the 1930s, taking paying passengers along with him as he collected cream and delivered supplies to island residents.

Although modern vessels now navigate through the sheltered waters, the delivery of mail is still done to this day.
“We’ve got a big sack of mail that needs to get through on the first cruise!” says Nielson.

The four-hour cruise will operate on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 30 May at a reduced rate of just $99 per adult and $49.50 per child.

Sailings depart Paihia at 9:00am and Russell at 9:10am and are licensed by the Department of Conservation for dolphin watching, with a dolphin sighting guarantee.

Bookings can be made online at dolphincruises.co.nz or through local accommodation and information centres throughout Northland.

ENDS

Contact:
Daniel Rode
danielr@entradatravelgroup.com
027 491 3530

A pretty good plan D – Dunedin launches high impact domestic marketing campaign

Enterprise Dunedin, the Dunedin City Council’s destination marketing arm, has launched an intriguing, high impact new domestic marketing campaign, entitled ‘Dunedin, a pretty good Plan D’, which aims to attract a healthy share of the New Zealand travel market in the months ahead.

With the usual self-deprecating, wryly humorous branding Dunedin is renowned for, the campaign highlights the city’s many attractions in an unfolding story of references to famous international visitor hotspots, with stunning creative imagery backing up the connection.

Enterprise Dunedin Director, John Christie, says, “We are conscious that Kiwis had to cancel their international travel plans this year and many would have been heading to ‘bucket list’ locations and activities overseas. Dunedin may not have been their first choice, but it is ‘a pretty good Plan D’ and can offer alternatives that comparable to those found in Europe, Asia, Australia and the US.”

The initial focus of the campaign will be on the four-five hour ‘drive market’, i.e. people in Canterbury and the southern South Island regions. It will then expand to the Wellington and Auckland ‘fly market’.
Mr Christie is confident the campaign will have impact, saying, “Prior to COVID-19 the domestic market was our largest in terms of spend, accounting for $527M in the year to March 2020. For the many Dunedin businesses that rely on tourism, the current economic downturn makes attracting New Zealand visitors to the city over the next six to eight months crucial to their survival.

“We hope the beautiful visuals and surprising comparisons of this campaign, will help to change Kiwis existing perceptions of Dunedin and entice them to come and explore the special places that are so abundant here. Our compact city has so many destinations that overseas visitors rave about; ‘Dunedin, a pretty good Plan D’ will turn the spotlight on them for the domestic market to see,” Mr Christie concludes.

Another key part of the campaign is targeting Dunedinites themselves. To ensure locals are also encouraged to patronise nearby attractions, a new Explore Dunedin programme has been launched on the My Little Local app, featuring special offers and promotional deals.

The campaign kicked off with the first in series of videos showcasing well-known Dunedin landmarks. It reveals the beauty and ancient story of the Pyramids at Okia Reserve on Otago Peninsula.

ENDS

For more information please contact:
John Christie
Director Enterprise Dunedin
Dunedin City Council
Telephone: 03 471 8836 Cell 027 4915 916
Email: john.christie@dcc.govt.nz