“ISOLATED CASE.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20234, 19 February 1934, Page 5

“ISOLATED CASE.”

Complaints About New Zealand Hotels. REPLY TO TOURIST. It is the general opinion of those who are connected with the_ hotels of New Zealand that Mr G. G. Armitage, a stockbroker, of Vancouver, was rather harsh in his criticism of Dominion hotels, when he stated that some of them were “ absolutely rotten.” Against Mr Armitage’s statement there were the opinions of hundreds of satisfied tourists. Generally, visitors to New Zealand spoke favourably of the accommodation provided at the hotels and expected to have to pay much more than was asked. “ This complaint is an isolated case,” said an official of the Government Tourist Bureau. “We have a few complaints, but on the whole tourists are well satisfied with the treatment they receive at all hotels, including those at the tourist resorts.” The proprietor of a prominent Christchurch hotel said he did not know much about hotels other than those in the main cities. Wherever he had been he had always considered the hotel accommodation quite satisfactory. Of course, there would be hotels in the country towns and some of the less frequented tourist resorts which could not hope to keep up with the latest improvements in hotel accommodation. All improvements absorbed money, and New Zealand did not get nearly enough tourists to provide money for such improvements. “ Evidently this tourist has been used to the superb hotels of Europe and America,” said the Christchurch manager of Thomas Cook and Son. “ Some wonderful hotels have been built over there and visitors should not expect too much from the New Zealand ones.