The squeeze on accommodation in tourist hotspots is getting tighter, causing critical constraints in some centres.
An analysis of the hotel sector finds unprecedented demand for rooms in Auckland and warns that chances of finding one will get even tougher next year when major events come to the city.
One sector leader says New Zealand risks losing visitors if hotels are not built urgently.
In Queenstown fewer than a third of the required rooms will be built over the next 10 years.
Throughout the country an extra 26 hotels are needed over the next decade to cope with the visitor boom driven by New Zealand's growing international appeal and the proliferation of air services.