Accommodation News and Specials

Thought for the day, thanks to Colin P Sisson "What we vividly imagine,ardently desire, enthusiastically act upon, must inevitably come to pass"

Wednesday 18h August 2010
Hi Everyone,

We are so pleased to be recommended in both the Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide. Travellers trust both these publications because the information in them is provided by fellow travellers based on their experiences, not by paid advertising.

I have been wondering how I can thank you, the travellers for recommending Queenstown Motel Apartments and our Alpha Wing to these wonderful publications and for using them to choose where to stay while you enjoy Queenstown AS WELL AS utilising the fantastic new online, instant confirmation reservations system we have recently purchased...

I decided that I would offer you a 10% discount if you book 2 or more nights consecutively direct through this,our webpage. All I ask is that you show us your lonely planet and/or rough guide on check in and that you mention on the booking reservation at the time you make your booking which guide you found us in.
I dont know how long I will offer this great discount promotion so make the most of it and push that "Book Now" button while stocks last!!

We have been fortunate to attend 2 awesome conferences recently, the Motel Association of New Zealand in Hamilton and the Host Accommodation in Christchurch.
Both had fantastic speakers and I learned lots, partied hard and met lots of wonderful Moteliers from all around New Zealand.

One topic we discussed at our host accommodation conference was what we should do about feedback on sites such as trip advisor. Some people think we should respond to every comment,some think we should only respond to the negative comments and some think that we should not respond to any. I would like to know what you, my guests (either past or potential) think? We have had some good reviews on tripadvisor but unfortunately we have one that arrived recently saying "So So" that is referring to our original block, the "alpha wing" which consists of 4 old rooms we promote as being an alternative to a backpackers and suit a lot of travellers that I mention further on...(At least they thought we were nice people!) I would appreciate your thoughts, please email me stay@qma.co.nz with your comments...

I would appreciate your thoughts on another matter too (please email me, stay@qma.co.nz)regarding pre payment of your accommodation. We have never asked for payment in advance when our guests book direct with us but it seems more people expect the payment has been made on confirmation of their booking, especially when they have booked online (a bit like buying an airline ticket) and almost expect it to happen. What do you prefer??

Well, winter is here! Coronet Peak and the Remarkables skifields are both open, the snow is fantastic so there is no better reason to stay at Queenstown Motel Apartments! There was another dump of snow yesterday and it is a beautiful day again today so everyone is very happy.

Have a look at Coronet Peak and The Remarkables Snowfields on the web, we have the nzski.com webpage bookmarked on our computer, the webcam is a great way to see what is happening up the mountain, it certainly looks inviting doesnt it?
...Go on, book your holiday now, you wont regret it! :)

If you are interested in a skiing or boarding holiday package, we have a great combination available through the www.nzski.com website, it is a fantastic deal and exclusive to nzski.com. You will enjoy staying in one of our gorgeous,environmentally and quality rated 4 star plus studio units with great beds (a queen and single)a microwave, toaster, jug and fridge all of excellent quality in the kitchenette and a lovely bath to relax in.

This is our third season offering this great value package, we have had lots of excellent feedback from our past guests and are thrilled to see that many are returning again this season (thanks guys!)...

If you would like to take a private ski lesson at the Remarkables, our son Hartley is available. He has been skiing both the Remarkables and Coronet Peak since he was a three year old and has instructed since he was 17. He is an awesome instructor, has a great personality and makes learning easy and fun! His years spent in the Queenstown Alpine Ski Team while keeping us poor was a good investment, he can offer advice to advanced skiers too!.. A born and bred local, Hartley has also spent time in Japan and Aspen. (Ask for him by name at the Office when you get to the Remarkables if you are interested. He would be mortified if he knew I have put this promotional blurb on the web but never mind,I think if it gets him work its worth it and he never reads what I write here anyway!)

We have fantastic deals so come and have some fun during the Winter Snow Season...Use your VIP host accommodation $100 12th night discount voucher to maximise the savings.

We have gorgeous rooms available still for gay ski week, book your cheap air flights now and give us a call, we would love to have you stay.

You can forward book online now for the summer season, our computer system has been upgraded for instant confirmation...I dont understand how it works yet but I am assured that it is foolproof!

To those of you who have emailed us and sent us some fabulous photos,I am glad you loved being here and I hope to see you again soon.
As I ask you all when you leave, please tell all your friends about us!

We have recently made our original Alpha Wing available to book on line too. These rooms are self rated as a 3 star and enjoyed by those travellers looking for a cheap and cheerful alternative to backpackers.

PACK YOUR BATHING SUIT...

We have a fantastic new Community Swimming Pool and Gymnasium at the Queenstown Events Centre. It is the best facility our town has in my opinion! It doesnt matter what your age or stage is, you will enjoy it. Much as I love the Lake, it has never been warm enough to swim in for me.

When you want great quality, good value, awesome hospitality and convenient motels in Queenstown, we are the perfect place to stay!

We look forward to meeting you and helping you enjoy your time in Queenstown. We can book your activities and help you select a fabulous restaurant too so all your experiences are wonderful ones...

Safe Travels,
Dianne.

P.S. Are you thinking of visiting Queenstown while the Rugby World Cup 2011 is happening? If so, you will be pleased to know that we will NOT be increasing our prices over that time...

Added 31st January, 2010.

Please find below our "Responsible Tourism Statement"

(This is the same as we have printed in our Guest Compendium which is in every room for our guests to read)...

"We have applied to be environmentally rated and part of the requirements are that we tell our guests what we have done to deserve it and ask them for feedback so, here is our story! It is not compulsory to read it but we welcome your comments....

We have been moteling here in Queenstown for thirty years and bought this property in 1993. There has been travellers accommodation on this site for over 100 years and it was our goal to build a new and environmentally friendly complex that was also sympathetic to our history and our surroundings.

We thought long and hard about what we wanted and needed to do, borrowed lots of money, found an excellent architect, employed great tradesmen (as many of them local as possible) and spent a year building what you are now enjoying!

We recycled the 5 old units that were here, they were bought and trucked off to their new homes. We cleaned and reused all the concrete blocks that remained from the fire walls. We had very little rubbish go in to the land fill.

Concrete tilt slab was our choice of building material. we wanted something that was strong and long lasting, with little maintenance, safe, provided great insulation of heat and noise and is readily available.

To get maximum utilization of the site and to optimise the efficiency to operate our complex, we designed and built in blocks of six. We can close off a block for energy conservation if need be.

Our roof line has been designed to provide maximum use of solar energy in the future if it becomes viable.

We used recycled hardwood power poles in our construction which were supplied by our friend, a local saw miller.

Our room heating and hot water is provided by a state of the art diesel burner.We already had an underground fuel tank and had used it successfully for many years. The burner is capable of using alternative fuels if and when they become available.

Double glazed hush glass and heavy blackout curtains stop noise and light pollution as well as keeping the room temperature at a comfortable level.

We have used lots of insulation between rooms to keep heat in and to stop the transfer of noise between rooms.

We use passive heating from the sun where ever we can, use outside line drying and encourage our guests to use the outside clothes line too.

To reduce our use of water we have installed dual flush toilets and one spout taps. We have insulated around the baths to sound proof as well as to keep the water hotter for longer. Our guests love soaking in our baths because of this.

By only using refillable liquid pump packs of soap in the bathrooms we have cut down on wastage and the need of harsh cleaning products.

We are cautious in our use of cleaning products and use ‘green’ products whenever we can. We use special cloths for windows etc requiring water only.

We chose shower curtains rather than the more fashionable glass to make for easy cleaning and to provide privacy to our guests.

The linen is hired from a local company. We asked all the different firms for a sample of their bedding and towelling and used them ourselves before we decided on which supplier to use. This company won our business because their quality and presentation was the best, they have the most modern and energy efficient equipment, they are locally owned and operated by people we know and respect and they take pride in their work and service.

We encourage our guests to reuse towels by providing heated towel rails which not only dry the towels but provide enough warmth to keep the bathroom a comfortable temperature. It is a wonderful example of why it is worth putting the extra insulation in place during construction.

We have energy efficient light bulbs through out our complex and the outside lights are all either on daylight switches or movement sensors.

The recycling bins in the kitchen joinery were our idea, it was the first time the joiner had been instructed to build recycling bins. They work well and make it easier for us to recycle efficiently.

We now buy milk in 2 litre containers and offer our guests a complimentary jug on arrival. We have noticed a big cut back in both rubbish and costs and we no longer have outdated milk being wasted either.

We have changed our policy on newspapers. We used to deliver them to all guests and noticed few were opened and read. We found our guests were getting their news from Sky or reading it on line. We now have a daily paper available at reception and have saved lots of unnecessary waste.

To save ink and paper we don’t automatically print off invoices for our guests. Most of our visitors are happy with the credit card or cash register receipt. When we set up our computerised reservation system, I was surprised that we were the first to request a ‘print only when required.’

We have all our faxes go directly into our computer. This allows us to delete the spam and print only what we need. I have encouraged other moteliers to do this and they love it too.

To cut down on paperwork, now when we book sightseeing trips on behalf of our guests I give the credit card details to the operator when I make the reservation. This saves a lot of time and money processing accounts. I encourage other moteliers to do this and they think it’s great.

We have used a lot of native plants in our gardens, we did this because we wanted our gardens to have strong, healthy plants that are happy with the local conditions so able to sustain our hard winters and not requiring a lot of water or special treatment in the summer. We also love our native birds so we planted trees for them too.

We use mulch and pea straw to retain moisture and to discourage weeds. We try not to use nasty poisons and sprays, preferring to companion plant to keep bugs at bay.

We are lucky to have some very old fruit trees. We have never used sprays on them and don’t mind sharing them with the birds. We enjoy cherries, plums, peaches greengages and gooseberries.

Our Community Contribution (this is part of the requirements for assessment too)

We have a great passion for our environment and have spent many years speaking out on its behalf. We have argued to protect our parks and reserves for future generations by opposing commercial development, petitioned Government regarding the foreshore and the Queens Chain, attended many council meetings and stopped the dumping of septic tanks into the Shotover River and we have encouraged others to make submissions on environmental matters too. We lobbied our local council to get them into recycling… We feel it is our responsibility to be vigilant and outspoken if need be.

We like to support charities, we have a BNZ “Save the Kiwi” donation box in our office. We give our time to help collect money, in the past we have sold “red noses” for the Cot Death Society, “gold hearts” for the Variety Club and Ronald McDonald House. We are now members of the local RSA and help with selling poppies or anything else we are asked to do. We like to give our donations to organisations that don’t have huge expenses so that more of the money goes to the charity. We offer free accommodation to raffle as fundraisers to schools, to volunteer fire brigades and community events. We are available to Victim Support in the form of free accommodation if ever needed and take our recyclables to either the Salvation Army or Happiness House.

Pete is a supporter of the Lakes District Museum and volunteers to help with different sporting events through out the years. He has been involved with the promotion of Queenstown from the beginning of what is now called Destination Queenstown and was on the Board for many years. We have been active members of the Motel Association of New Zealand for thirty years both on a local and national level.
Pete is currently the President of the Association. We are always available as mentors for others in our industry.

I could go on, but I have filled three pages already… I have probably bored you to sleep and to be honest, singing our own praises feels weird! I was asked by another environmentally aware motelier how long I have been “green.” I had to think for a moment and then answered, “All my life. I have been brought up that way by my parents and my grandparents, it’s in the blood, cut me and I bleed green.” Our children are greenies too so I am proud to say, the tradition will continue…

I want the Qualmark Enviro-Gold for Responsible Tourism and I know we deserve it."

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Best wishes,
Dianne Smith.