The domestic market is proving resilient for Ramada by Wyndham in central Hamilton, which is aiming for a four star Qualmark rating, while also continuing a refurbishment of its rooms.
Domestic bookings are similar to a year ago, manager Perry De Jager says, leaving just a 20 to 30 percent shortfall because of the loss of
international tourism.
That’s a markedly stronger position than regions more affected by the loss of international tourists.
The domestic market is strong apart from dips when Auckland has goneinto lockdowns.
“But when Auckland is back, regional travel is still looking good, still as strong as it was this time last year, which was pre-Covid.”
He is noticing that often bookings are being made closer to the time of a planned event because of wariness over Covid, but the hotel booked out within 48 hours of the announcement of the Six60 Claudelands concert.
De Jager says the Ramada group now expects travel from Australia and the Pacific islands won’t get going till the end of the year, with further international tourism 12 to 16 months away.
However, the group is continuing to open hotels around the country, and is anticipating further future pickup.
Ramada by Wyndham in Hamilton, meanwhile, has now refurbished 49 of its 69 rooms, and will look at doing the remaining 20 rooms in the current months.
It is getting a new elevator put in, and the downstairs area is complete, with De Jager saying they are getting positive feedback for the changes on the corner of Victoria and Collingwood Streets, where Sisterfields cafe, bar and restaurant has opened.
“A lot of people have commented on how we’ve opened up this whole corner. We’ve had some really great comments about how the old hotel’s been brought back to life, how it’s looking great from the front, and we’ve opened up this whole corner, made it more vibrant.
“We think it’s a plus one to the restaurant area that is here in Victoria Street.”
The hotel had a Qualmark inspection last month and is expecting the results shortly. De Jager anticipates a four star rating – bronze because they haven’t yet been trading for a year. He expects to invite Qualmark back once they reach that milestone, with a view to bumping up the rating to silver.
In the conference market, De Jager is seeing a trend towards smaller events than pre-Covid. Claudelands is still attracting some of the bigger ones, he says, but at the smaller end, regional organisations are more likely to get attendees from further afield, such as the South Island, to join by video linkup rather than flying in.
De Jager pays tribute to Hamilton & Waikato Tourism, along with H3 and Hamilton Central Business Association, for their ongoing efforts to foster domestic tourism.
“They are very proactive, they are passionate about it. They are doing what they can to bring business events. We work closely with them to do that. We still believe that Hamilton has a lot to offer and the businesses around here have a lot to offer.”
