Hoteliers come to aid of stranded Australian businessman

The Westin Hotel, Auckland. File photo

An Australian businessman's quest to get answers from a top Auckland hotel about their continued refusal to guarantee him his $6000 booking for accommodation during the Rugby World Cup, has stepped up a gear.

Kelvin Boyd booked two rooms at the plush Westin Hotel, on Auckland's waterfront on June 24 last year - just days short of the hotel's management company, Lighter Quay Management, being placed in receivership.

Despite repeated phone calls, he says the hotel won't confirm his booking - prompting him to organise a face to face meeting with Westin management this weekend, as part of a business trip he had planned to New Zealand.

The Westin hotel is locked in a dispute with a group of mostly overseas owners that own two thirds of the rooms and withdrew them from Westin's use more than 9 months ago.

Unit owners representative Graham Wilkinson said the dispute centred around the receivers demanding a disproportionate share of the hotel's income.

Boyd said he had been overwhelmed with several offers from hoteliers and individuals for accommodation, since his story went public - including from a new hotel unveiled this month, by unit holders.

Hotel Viaduct Harbour will operate from the same building as the five-star Westin Auckland Lighter Quay hotel, but will control two thirds of the rooms there.

Wilkinson said last minute negotiations with the receivers in recent weeks have proved fruitless, investors' patience had been exhausted and they were committed to putting their rooms into the new cut-price hotel venture.

Wilkinson said Boyd's situation was a terrible look for the hotel industry ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

"We want to assist in avoiding this," he said.

"We are happy to help out a stranded Aussie, even if we hope the All Black's walk all over his team."

- NZ HERALD ONLINE