A B&B on the up and up

ADUNEDIN bed-and-breakfast business in a historic homestead is for sale by negotiation.

Hulmes Court Bed and Breakfast, at 52 Tennyson St, operates from a grand mansion that was built in the 1860s for provincial surgeon Edward Hulme, who helped found Otago Medical School.

Nick Lucas, of Bayleys Dunedin, says it is one of Dunedin’s most highly regarded residential heritage buildings. Built from native New Zealand timbers, including rimu and kauri, and Baltic pine, Hulmes Court has a Category 2 listing with Heritage New Zealand.

The eight-room lodge has averaged a 20-year occupancy rate of 88 per cent, with rack rates of $85 for a single room and $135–$185 for a double room.

Four of the guest rooms have their own ensuites, with the other four sharing bathroom facilities; rooms are themed with Victorian and Edwardian period furnishings and decor.

About 300 square metres of the four-storey building containing Hulmes Court are on 814sqm of freehold land on the edge of the central business district.

It being sold as a going concern, with the potential to add untapped revenue streams, Lucas says.

‘‘While the name Hulmes Court Bed and Breakfast implies a small, hobby-style accommodation business as is commonly associated with this genre of hosting, the venue could be more aptly be branded Hulmes Court Lodge as it is fully consented under council bylaws to operate as a commercial accommodation provider.

‘‘With an inventory of eight rooms, and an established network of links through to online booking services such as Trivago and Expedia, Hulmes Court is a standalone business in its own right.

‘‘As part of guest bookings, a continental breakfast is offered. Utilising the existing kitchen preparation and dining room service amenities, a dinner menu option could also be added for guests preferring to dine in rather than eat out in town.’’

Beneath the B&B’s communal lounge, dining, and kitchen areas is a 40sqm self-contained staff apartment with bathroom and living space.

The property has off-street parking for guests and the sale includes all furnishings and fitting, linen and manchester, crockery and cutlery, and foodservice hardware.

Lucas says Hulmes Court’s revenues reflected the positivity of the city’s tourism sector, with the business’s 2016/17 accounts showing a 12 per cent increase in income from the 2015/16 financial year.

Mr Lucas says Hulmes Court Bed and Breakfast is run as a leisure guest destination, with aboveaverage rankings on on-line accommodation rating websites.

‘‘Its proximity to the city centre, though, under a moniker of say ‘boutique hotel’ or ‘lodge’, would allow for developing supplier relationships with the corporate sector.

‘‘This would bolster up bookings during the quieter weekdays in the calendar and consequently improve room revenues further.’’

For more information, contact Nick Lucas on (03) 467 7200, 020 477 6778 or at: nick.lucas@bayleys.co.nz