Hotel Accommodation

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28490, 21 January 1958, Page 3

Hotel Accommodation

Sir,—Why is it always difficult to obtain , hotel accommodation in I Christchurch? Last Wednesday I was stranded in Christchurch because I had been unable to obtain a passage for Wellington. I could obtain accommodation at none of , the eight 1 hotels I tried. The , answer was “there was a bowling tournament on ” The only sug- , gestion was that I “try the Police Station.” In much smaller towns hotel keepers have arrangements to send the overflow of boarders to private houses to ensure that no-one is left without accommodation. Christchurch is I think, unique in having hotelkeepers who think it is not their duty but the duty of the police to accommodate travellers. Last year I attended the Law Conference. Bookings had been made months ahead but many of us had to be satisfied with accommodation six miles out. Who does occupy the accommodation in the many hotels visible in Christchurch? How do they arrange it? Christchurch is a place to be avoided by the traveling public until its hotel keepers are made aware of their duties. — Yours, etc.. * G. A. FREDRIC. Whakatane, January 11, 1958. [The secretary of the Canterbury Licensed Victuallers’ Association <Mr K. N. McGillivray) said: “Contrary to G. A. Fredric’s i statement, it is not always difficult to obtain hotel accommodation in Christchurch, but it is not at all surprising that he experienced trouble at a time when, in addition to the normal holiday traffic, approximately 900 beds were occupied by visiting bowlers While some hotels do have arrangements with private hotels to provide for the overflow of boarders, this is obviously limited to the accommodation available. Mr Fredric would be well advised to make his travel arrangements in advance in future, particularly at holiday times, instead of leaving them to chance, as he obviously did on this occasion. Regarding the law conference, accommodation was arranged and allocated by the Law Society. With over 400 attending it must be obvious that not all could be accommodated in hotels in the centre of the city, in addition to normal regular bookings.’’]