Is Kerikeri missing out on the potential convention or event market, and the dollars that generates because of a lack of a reasonable-sized hotel?
If just two bus loads of visitors (around 100 people) contemplated Kerikeri for a conference, they'd have to be accommodated at various sites. According to travelcompany Jasons, there are 22 accommodation providers in the town - or 300 beds. Paihia has 45 accommodation providers.
Currently the biggest conference venue in Kerikeri can host 30 people in the motel and around 18 in tourist cabins that have shared shower facilities. To be grouped together in Kerikeri means going to the Far North's largest hotel - The Copthorne in Waitangi. With 176 rooms and four suites it is geared to the conference market.
Kerikeri's major one-day event, the Half Marathon and Street Party, attract around 2,000 visitors. Many of those are within driving distance (from Whangarei or other Far North towns) so not all require hotel accommodation and of those who choose to stay most will have booked a year in advance.
Could Kerikeri attract a franchise hotel group to the town? Bill Fenton, one of the trustees that run the Homestead Hotel in the heart of the township, says big-brand hotel franchises won't come knocking on any existing Kerikeri establishment until the hotel or motel is of a 'reasonable' size to entice them. His hotel has just added six new rooms making a total of 18 rooms providing 43 beds and there are plans to make better use of the outdoor areas.
The Kerikeri Business Association is currently working on enticing more visitors to the town through a new website. The attractions of Kerikeri and surrounds are numerous but if accommodation isn't available and if most cafes are shut on Sundays, will visitors continue to stay in Paihia or elsewhere?
