North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Hotel attracts with views of park ‘n’ ride
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 the Shore 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.
‘‘There was definitely a need,’’ she said.
The Ramada was the first purpose-built hotel on the Shore for about 10 years and is 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 had kitchen and laundry facilities, plus doubleglazing 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
‘‘Before we were open, we were getting phone calls asking when we were opening.’’
Jacqui Cheal, general manager
and some people were already booking for the Ed Sheeran concert next March.
‘‘It’s been almost overwhelming, the response.’’
Other guests included a family waiting for a new house to be finished, Cheal said.
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 completed in a new block next to the hotel.
Ramada was part of the Wyndham group, the biggest hotel chain in the world.