Hotel pulls with car park views

It is not at a tourist destination and it has views of a car park, but one of the country’s newest hotels is already doing a roaring trade.

Ramada Suites Albany opened its doors in April and will have its official opening on June 29.

General manager Jacqui Cheal said North Harbour was crying out for accommodation, particularly for businesspeople, due to the growth of businesses in the area.

‘‘Before we were open, we were getting phone calls asking about when we were opening,’’ she said. ‘‘There was definitely a need.’’ The Ramada was the first purpose-built hotel on the North Shore for about 10 years and was one of very few in the area.

Its location - overlooking Albany Bus Station’s park ‘n’ ride and the Northern motorway - made it very convenient, especially for business travellers, Cheal said.

The hotel had 66 serviced suites which all have kitchen and laundry facilities, plus double-glazing to keep out any traffic noise, she said.

The high demand meant the Ramada had good occupancy rates since it opened, including being 98 per cent full on some weekdays.

The hotel was also fully booked during the World Masters Games, which was on throughout Auckland when the hotel had just opened, Cheal said.

It was also booked well in advance for special events, she said.

An international sports team was set to stay later in the year and some people were already booking for the Ed Sheeran concert next March, Cheal said.

‘‘It’s been almost overwhelming, the response,’’ she said.

Cheal said other guests included a family waiting for a new house to be finished.

Due to customer requests, the hotel was changing one of its suites into a meeting room, suitable for 12 to 14 people with a small break-out room.

‘‘We get at least one to two calls every week asking for a meeting room,’’ Cheal said.

Complimentary services were starting to open up around the new hotel, including a cafe, gym and retail services.

Eighteen privately owned apartments were also being built in a new block next to the hotel.

Ramada was part of the Wyndham group, the biggest hotel chain in the world.