A good night’s sleep will ensure your clients get the most out of their day. Fortunately, New Zealand offers a wide variety of accommodation for every budget and travelling style.
Choosing the right accommodation is a major part of ensuring your clients’ satisfaction with their New Zealand visit. Research accommodation options beyond the familiar: there is a wide variety of different options that may be better suited to your clients’ particular needs. If your clients are seeking an authentic glimpse of life in New Zealand, consider guest and hosted accommodation. From luxury B&Bs to farm stays with New Zealand families there are options for a range of budgets and needs. A speciality in this part of the world is exclusive lodge accommodation that offers luxury and top service in exquisite landscapes. Use the Qualmark, the official quality mark of New Zealand tourism, to help in making your selection. Book ahead in summer, on holiday weekends and winter in ski resorts.
Qualmark, New Zealand tourism’s official mark of quality, makes selecting the right standard of accommodation for your clients’ easy with a unified star grading system applied to all types of accommodation. Properties are inspected annually to ensure they uphold the required standard of guest facilities, cleanliness and professionalism. Qualmark Enviro identifies environmentally responsible operators. www.qualmark.co.nz
Types of Accommodation
Hotels
International-style hotels are a convenient accommodation option that offer a sense of familiarity for travellers.
Easy to find and numerous in cities and on travelling routes, hotels range from familiar international chains to unique boutique hotels. Expect to find top international hotel chains in major cities, such as Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, as well as in key resorts like Rotorua and Queenstown. On main travelling routes are a number of mid-priced chains. Secure and hassle-free, they offer a consistent standard; bathrooms are usually en suite and daily servicing or room service is usually available. Most hotel rooms have tea/coffee making facilities. Dotted around New Zealand, sometimes in surprising locations, there are also small hotels memorable for their individuality and local charm.
Scenic Hotel Group is New Zealand’s largest independently owned and operated hotel group, while Millennium Hotels & Resorts encompasses Millennium, Copthorne and Kingsgate Hotels in 19 New Zealand cities. Heritage & Citylife Hotels offer superior suite-style accommodation. Kids under 14 stay and eat breakfast for free. Mainstay Hotel Group is a group of independently owned hotels and apartments. Other international chains in New Zealand include Accor, Hilton, InterContinental, Rydges, Grand Chancellor and Holiday Inn. Also look for Sudima Hotels.
Self-contained & Serviced
Motels are a popular New Zealand style of accommodation, offering on-site parking for vehicles and amenities that may include a kitchen.
If your clients like independence and privacy, self-contained motel units, motor lodges and motor inns may fit their accommodation needs perfectly – and they are easy to find in cities and near main driving routes. Usually they offer a choice of studio and one- or two-bedroom units. All have tea and coffee facilities and many have kitchenettes with a microwave oven. Parking is usually free and most are regularly serviced. Serviced apartments are a good option for groups. A full kitchen and laundry allows visitors to cook their own meals and do their own laundry. Apartments may offer regular servicing. Motel Association of New Zealand is a network of over 900 self-contained accommodation providers around the country. Committed to Qualmark’s quality assurance rating, Golden Chain Motels offer Blue and Gold Accommodation Passes depending on which particular Qualmark rating you need. Quest Apartments are serviced apartments in twelve locations. They have regular specials and packages.
Guest & Hosted
Bed and breakfast accommodation offers travellers a chance to experience life with a New Zealand family.
There are many establishments throughout the country, from restored historic houses to former churches, which provide unpackaged accommodation. Staying at a private home gives your clients a great insight into Kiwi culture. Bed & breakfast, home stay or country inn accommodation usually includes breakfast, as well as a private bedroom, often with tea and coffee facilities and TV. Bathrooms may be private or shared, while lounge and dining areas are usually communal. Many hosts are excellent guides keen to share their local knowledge. Rural Holidays NZ is a selection of more than 300 farm stays, country and city home stays offering an authentic New Zealand welcome.
Luxury Lodges
Lodge accommodation offers rooms and amenities of a premium standard. Ideal for a luxury getaway, they are set in stunning locations and often come complete with an in-house chef. Your clients will receive individual attention from staff, with personal activities planned on their behalf, and the experience will be one they never forget. The New Zealand Lodge Association is a network of top lodges.
Holiday Parks
Camping is practically a national institution in New Zealand and there are camping grounds and holiday parks all around the country.
Apart from sites for tents and campervans, holiday parks often have backpacker and motel accommodation. Many have communal lounges and all have shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. Campsites are more basic but they’re often found in stunning natural settings and they are very cheap – sometimes even free of charge. Top 10 Holiday Parks offer budget accommodation in 49 locations around New Zealand. Some parks have cabins and motel rooms as well as powered and non-powered camping sites. Join the Top 10 Club for discounts. For back-to-basics camping, the Department of Conservation operates more than 250 camping grounds. They can be very basic but they are also inexpensive.
Backpacker Hostels
Not just for young people, backpacker hostels are popular with any traveller seeking to save money on accommodation and have more to spend on activities.
With more than 500 hostels throughout New Zealand, backpackers are spoilt for choice. Some offer only dormitories, others also have private rooms. Bed linen and laundry facilities are often available for an extra charge. Bathroom, kitchen and living areas are usually shared. Hostel chains offer discounts for members and many have activity package deals. Youth Hostels Association of New Zealand provides budget backpacker accommodation that upholds international standards, including a number of five-star hostels. A big network in 55 locations means a YHA pass takes backpackers a long way. Over 320 members around New Zealand makes Budget Backpacker Hostels of New Zealand the biggest network and the hostels are all independently owned. The BBH Club Card offers special ‘Frequent Sleeper’ rates and preferential online bookings. Part of an international network, VIP Backpackers have a discount card that offers savings on transport and activities. Backpackers can earn VIP Rewards that are redeemable for accommodation. Nomads Hostel network offers high-quality accommodation and discounts on transport and activities with the Nomads Mad Card. BASE Backpackers have high-quality budget accommodation in main centres, including deluxe BASE Sanctuary girls-only dorms.
Baches & Holiday Homes
Named for the huts often occupied by bachelors in the early days, these holiday houses were unpretentious, built magpie-style with recycled materials. Nowadays, the bach is more likely to resemble a suburban house and they are an excellent option for groups or for longer stays. Look for baches and holiday homes in beach, lake or mountain areas. www.holidayhomes.co.nz
Farm Stays
Staying on a working farm is a great experience for families. Your clients will enjoy remote rural settings and home-cooked meals, and many operators also offer farm animal activities and tours that will delight children. Some farm stays, such as Farm Helpers in NZ, offer full board in exchange for helping out on the farm.
Freedom Camping
In New Zealand freedom camping is only permitted in fully self-contained campervans with toilet, shower and grey water storage. It is vital that your clients adhere to freedom camping etiquette: only camp where it is permitted, never leave rubbish behind, don’t pollute waterways with soap, and never use the great outdoors as a toilet. For more, visit the Camping Our Way website.
A – Z Reference
Accor Hotels & Resorts
www.accorhotels.co.nz
ASURE Accommodation Group
www.asurestay.com
BASE Backpackers
www.stayatbase.com
BBH NZ Ltd
www.bbh.co.nz
Best Western
www.bestwestern.co.nz
Boutique Hotels and Lodges New Zealand
www.boutiquehotels.co.nz
Choice Hotels Australasia
www.choicehotels.co.nz
Constellation Hotel Group
www.constellationhotels.com
Distinction Hotel Group
www.distinctionhotels.co.nz
Essence of New Zealand’s Luxury Holiday Homes
www.essencenz.com
Golden Chain Motels
www.goldenchain.co.nz
Grand Hotels International
www.ghihotels.com
Heritage Hotel Management Ltd
www.heritagehotels.co.nz
Hilton Hotels New Zealand
www.hilton.com
Holiday Parks Association
www.holidayparks.co.nz
InterContinental Hotels Group
www.ichotelsgroup.com
Lodges of New Zealand
www.lodgesofnz.co.nz
Mantra Group
www.mantragroup.com.au
Millennium Hotels & Resorts
www.millenniumhotels.co.nz
Mitchell Corp New Zealand
www.mainstay.co.nz
www.goldenchain.co.nz
Motel Association of New Zealand (MANZ)
www.nzmotels.co.nz
New Zealand Apartments & Luxury Motels
www.nzapartments.co.nz
www.nzluxurymotels.co.nz
Oaks Hotels & Resorts
www.theoaksgroup.com.au
Quest Apartments Group
www.questapartments.co.nz
Rural Tourism
www.ruraltourism.co.nz
Rydges Hotels & Resorts
www.rydges.com
Scenic Hotel Group
www.scenichotelgroup.co.nz
Sudima Hotels New Zealand
www.sudimahotels.com
TOP 10 Holiday Parks Group
www.top10.co.nz
YHA New Zealand
www.yha.co.nz
