Empty Napier motel's fun bid for visitors after Art Deco cancellation

Asure Colonial Lodge Motel in Taradale is offering a coin-toss challenge for a free stay after the cancellation of the Art Deco Festival. Photo / Warren Buckland

A Napier motel that had its entire booking for the weekend cancelled when the Art Deco Festival was called off has come up with an innovative way of enticing people to stay this weekend.

Asure Colonial Lodge Motel in Taradale lost the toss of the Covid coin when it booked and then lost the New Zealand Navy band after the Art Deco Trust announced the five-day festival was canned.

But the Gloucester St motel's owner isn't going to die wondering this weekend - he has launched the "Toss the Boss" challenge – a heads-or-tails coin flip for customers.

If the customer wins the coin toss, they stay for free at the four-star resort, if they lose, they pay.

Motel owner Mark Johnson said the concept is simple.

"You book a stay and when you arrive I'll toss a coin in reception - you call and if you win, the entire bill is covered by us," he said. "It all is on that one toss.

"If you win you stay for free, but if you lose you just pay the normal rate."

Motel owner Mark Johnson says the cancellation meant losses "in the thousands of dollars" for Asure Colonial Lodge Motel and others. Photo / Warren Buckland

Johnson said the cancellation has meant losses "in the thousands of dollars" for his business and others in the area.

"The Navy band has stayed with us during Art Deco for years and normally have around 35 guests," he said. "We went from 100 per cent full to zero per cent with one phone call.

"It's normally great because one booking fills the motel, but it means that one cancellation leaves us empty. It's left us with nothing."

The recently furbished motel offers guests self-contained rooms with contemporary kitchens and bathrooms, as well as site facilities including a heated swimming pool, spa, games room and playground.

The motel owner did however confess that the "Toss the Boss" challenge is not an original concept.

"The idea is borrowed from my university days – a local pub used to have a 'Toss the Boss for a Jug' offer they'd put on," he said. "As you can tell, I've used my university degree for good effect."

Johnson said while nobody has taken up the challenge as yet, he hopes the offer will create enough of a buzz to refill the rooms.

"We'll be going back to business as usual after Art Deco, so we hope people support us local businesses while this is on offer," he added.

Liz Fogarty, who runs a single-room bed and breakfast from her home in Frimley, Hastings, also suffered a last minute cancellation following the cancellation of the festival.

"I tried to entice the guest to still come and enjoy what events are on, but he chose not to," she said. "In today's environment, you're taking a risk when you book anything.

"I've already lost bookings in March too since the new community cases."

Fogarty said her B&B saw a 20 per cent drop in income from the B&B in 2020, but kept faith in-country visitors making up for last year's losses.

"I rely on the income from the B&B to survive the house costs and so on," she said.

"But Kiwis are still travelling within the country which is good. You've got to take that dips and the dives of this pandemic."