Full-service venue opens in Northland

The Bay of Islands Motel at Paihia now has a modern conference room for up to 200 people.

Flexibility is the key at this family-owned and operated complex, says the motel's full-time conference manager Petrece Lyall.

The 30 self-contained accommodation units all have seating areas which can be used as break-out rooms for conferences. The large conference room can be divided in two by a movable wall, and upstairs is a 15-seat boardroom with catering and its own shower/bathroom facilities.

The motel's Colonial Restaurant consistently wins awards and provides on-site catering and dining for delegates, Petrece Lyall says.

She says the owners saw a niche for a comprehensive venue with modern, flexible facilities for computer-controlled presentations.

"The thought that has been put into making the conference centre user-friendly even applies to interior colours that have been coordinated to assist brain function," she says.

"The edge that we give to a conference is the provision of all the facilities needed in one complex. The special care that an integrated, family-run business can provide, makes this a unique and productive environment in which to work.

"The meetings and presentations, accommodation and dining, and even leisure time, can all be maximised through being in one, well-laid-out, easily-accessed centre."

More than 0.8ha of grounds gives ample space to spread out, she says, and there are facilities for children. The family of a conference goer can also take advantage of the Northland climate and nearby beach.

"Closer than Taupo to Auckland, the Bay of Islands is a convenient, attractive location for meetings and conferences," Petrece Lyall says.