Watch: Luxury hotel, Wairarapa operators, latest to go ‘Gold’

26th June 2018 By Staff Reporter | news@tourismticker.com | @tourismticker

Three Wairarapa operators and the Hotel Grand Windsor in Auckland have all been awarded the Gold Sustainable Tourism Business Certification from Qualmark New Zealand.

Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre and Tui Brewery, both located on SH2 in the Wairarapa, and Tranzit Group, which is based in the region, have all achieved the award. Pukaha Mount Bruce and Tui Brewery are showcased in Destination Wairarapa’s latest promotional video (above).

The businesses were evaluated on operational practises, environment and culture, social and people, and health and safety.

“Wairarapa continues to attract more visitors and Qualmark’s latest ratings show several of our operators are demonstrating exceptional sustainable tourism practices that deliver outstanding customer experiences and we are very proud of that,” said Destination Wairarapa general manager David Hancock.

Nick and Rosie Rogers from the Experience Collective, which manages Tui Brewery, have planted more than 1000 native trees in the last 12 months. Image: Supplied

Rosie Rogers, from The Experience Collective which manages Tui Brewery, said: “We’ve reduced our waste to landfill by 75% through reviewing our recycling programme, worked hard to combat seasonality through conferencing, Tui Express and our Mangatainoka motors events and given back to the community through our Plants and Pints project.”

“We’re also developing our culture, people and performance through a range of forward-thinking initiatives. We’ve listened to feedback from our guests and we’re always measuring and improving,” said Rogers.

Hotel Grand Windsor at Auckland. Image: CPG Hotels

In Auckland, Hotel Grand Windsor was relaunched as a boutique five-star hotel in October last year after extensive renovations that “afforded a unique level of luxury”, said CPG Hotels Group operations manager, Ronnie Ronalde.

Ronalde added the hotel had its “eyes firmly on the future, ensuring we adhere to the environmentally friendly, sustainable business practices that customers demand these days”.