Hotels now in tune with the times

Press, 24 August 1976, Page 24

Hotels now in tune with the times

By

JOHN HARTSTONGE,

general manager of the Government Tourist and Publicity Department

I recall, when addressing Auckland Rotary in 1967, referring to the then imminent opening of the Inter-Continental and South Pacific hotels, and to the prospect of jumbo jets being in service in less than three years. That comment was only nine years ago.

How soon we forget the transition from conventional-engined aircraft to jets, and the fact that until quite recent years we were pleased to obtain in room-starved Auckland a room with bath at the Grand Hotel — even though the elegant nudes which adorned the walls of the diningroom could be viewed by diners only until about 7 p.m. The days of extended meal hours, of eating in a selection of good quality restaurants rather than compulsorily in a hotel dining-room, had not then arrived. The ability to dance between dinner courses or to calm our nerves with a pre-flight drink at an airport bar were then regarded by some as slightly improper activities for moral kiwis who had been taught to believe that drinking in a hotel bar, or at home was proper; but anywhere else was not.

The almost mandatory early morning cup of tea — whether largely in the cup or partly in the saucer — as an aid to early rising and to ensure we cleared breakfast before the diningroom closed, is now just a memory. So, too, is the scramble for food at railway refreshment rooms or the hiring of pillows at Wellington station by those leaving on the Limited. I mention these in no sense of negative criticism of those facilities and practices, but rather to call to mind what was the norm until quite recently and to demonstrate the rapid

groytfh and great rise in standards of travel facilities here in such a short time-span.

The major problem facing tourism at the moment is that of encouraging continued investment in needed accommodation facilities to cater for the appropriate class of demand. We must realise that for the foreseeable future, at least, most guests will be New Zealanders. This, in itself, imposes limitations on tariff. Hence, the development of projects, which will satisfy both the domestic and overseas demand, cannot be based realistically on tariffs of $4O- - a room. I mention ‘‘domestic" demand. In past years, our preoccupation with overseas tourism has tended to overlook the size and importance of travel

by our fellow New Zealanders. What growth can we expect in domestic travel? In the last year or so, all employees have been given an extra week’s holiday — in some cases a 50 per cent increase; in others, 33 and 1-3 per cent. To the extent that this can be exploited by tourist interests we should see more travel by our people. Increased incomes and the now-establish'ed urge to travel are further stimuli.

The department’s survey of the domestic travel habits of New Zealanders revealed some interesting indicators: more than 80 per cent of holiday travel is by private car; more than 50 per cent of accommodation is in private homes; motels are used more than hotels, with only 1.8 per cent of ail accommodation in higher grade licensed hotels. Yet, with notable exceptions such as the Hermitage and a few larger Auckland hotels, New Zealanders provide more than half the hotel patronage, sometimes considerably more. So we get some measure of the size of our

domestic market — and what a change there has been. Many of you will remember the days when only a few businessmen and well-heeled guests could afford to stay in a good hotel. Perhaps we should also be considering the future holiday patterns of our own people. The concept of one annual holiday a year is already fading: we may well see the day when most people, apart from taking more frequent shorter breaks away from home on week-ends, will be taking at least two main holidays at different times of the year. There may also be a shift in emphasis of the holiday content. The younger members of the community will presumably continue to want a holiday full of sporting and social activity, but the majority of us may realise (more than we have) the benefits of a change of scene with limited activity and an opportunity for rest and relaxation (rather than feeling frustrated or thwarted if we are not playing golf, or otherwise filling in everj' waking hour).