Justine Brown thinks running hostel in Rotorua a pleasure

Manager Justine Brown at the Four Canoes Hostel and Bar. Photo/Stephen Parker

In 2012 the former Four Canoes Hotel on Fenton St (then sitting empty) was bought by CP Rotorua Ltd. Slightly more than a year ago it was revamped and reopened as the Four Canoes Hostel & Bar . Now it employs eight staff and is getting rave reviews on TripAdvisor. We talk to manager Justine Brown.

Tell us about yourself.

I have been working in the backpacking/tourism industry for 18 years in both the New Zealand and Australian markets. My husband and I moved down to Rotorua from Auckland to assist the new owners in refurbishing and reopening the property.

In a nutshell, what does your business do?

Offers great value accommodation, which includes a state-of-the art new guest kitchen, three pools, of which two are thermal, a TV lounge room and we offer free Wi-fi for all our guests.

What kind of guest is your hostel aimed at and why?

School and sports groups, backpackers, families and all travellers.

What was the best business decision you have made in the last year and why?

Joining the Rotorua Education Network (Tourism Rotorua). There are a number of educational groups that come to Rotorua for field trips and sporting events and the Rotorua Education Network markets our region for this purpose, which has seen a considerable increase in bookings into our property.

What was your worst business mistake (if any) and what did you learn from it?

Luckily we have not made many bad business decisions over the past 12 months.

What do you see as the biggest opportunity for the business in the year ahead?

To open our bar and restaurant. We have the plans submitted to council and we are in the process of working through the fit-outs and the final plans for the bar. This will include a garden courtyard for guests to enjoy and we will not only be catering for our in-house guests but we will also be offering some good value meals for the general public.

If you could do any other job for a day, what would that be?

Professional wine taster.

What's the best thing about being in business in Rotorua?

We are very fortunate to run a business in a place which offers great natural resources, offering people the opportunity to experience our Maori culture as well as the best activities and attractions for our guests, which makes it so easy to market and sell our region.

If you were mayor of Rotorua for one day, what one change would you make?

To eradicate the paper council bags and introduce wheelie bins.