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Haka Tourism Group Founder; Ryan Sanders discusses Auckland's growing tourism

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Haka Tourism Group Founder – Ryan Sanders

It’s no secret that Auckland is struggling to cater to our ever-growing visitor numbers, with over two million more international guest nights recorded in 2017 than in 20121 and upwards of 90% average occupancy during the busy summer season.

And the problem is exacerbated in Central Auckland, with a predominance of 5-star hotels at one end of the spectrum and cheap backpacker hostels at the other, with little in between.

Large scale hotel developments cater to only a certain segment of the market and the cost of building in the city centre is out of balance with the value of these properties, making it difficult to get big projects off the ground. It’s smaller properties, located on the city fringes, that will help cater to the additional 1.32 million hotel room nights forecasted annually by 20252.

The urgency for new hotel inventory is greatest in Auckland and Queenstown where record occupancy rates are already starting to disrupt traditional tourism patterns. The expected shortfall is very evident in Auckland where up to 4,300 new hotel rooms will be required by 2025, but only 2,518 are expected to be built2. If people have nowhere affordable to lay their heads at night, then they may choose to spend their money elsewhere.

Following the success of our award-winning Haka Tours and Haka Lodge brands, it was anaturalprogressiontobringourinnovative approach to the hotel sector. And being 100% New Zealand owned, we’re proud to be championing the next generation of 3 to 4-star accommodation options to hit Auckland.

But it wasn’t just that visitors were struggling to find a well-positioned hotel that drove the launch of Haka Hotels, but rather the growing demand from independent travellers for greater levels of comfort, style and convenience; and all at an affordable price.

To achieve this, we looked to the hybrid hotel model for inspiration. It’s a model that’s already tried and tested across Europe, offering a mix of dorm and private hotel quality rooms, providing cool, yet inexpensive centrally located lodging in high demand cities. Ours is a minimal service model, meaning you can’t order room service at 2am, but it’s our style-led interiors, modern shared spaces and additional services such as free Wi-Fi and an in-house coffee hub, that meet the needs of today’s traveller.

Building on the fringes of downtown Auckland also has its benefits in terms of stimulating the local economy, and Haka Hotel Newmarket makes a concerted effort to direct our customers to all the hip and trendy shops, boutiques and eateries in our Newmarket neighbourhood – our head office even looks over the new shopping centre development.

Whether we’re welcoming guests onto our tour buses, guiding them on mountain bike, adventure or ski tours, checking them into their rooms, or sharing our ideas for the best localthingstosee,do,eatanddrink,ourfocus is to ensure our guests associate their stay in New Zealand with nothing short of excellence.

  1. Statistics New Zealand, Quarterly Accommodation Survey 2. NZTE Hotel Market Analysis and Forecasting

hakahotels.co.nz/newmarket/

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