Full signs at busy Blenheim motels
BY CHERIE HOWIE
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Big conferences and sports events are providing a ray of sunshine for Blenheim motels after a dark winter.
Five motel owners said yesterday they were full until the end of the week with the influx of 800 players and supporters for the South Island secondary schools netball championships.
This followed in the last week an under-15 South Island rugby tournament in Blenheim, the Cuddon Cycling Marlborough South Island secondary schools' tour and the wine industry's Romeo Bragato Conference.
Bella Vista owner-host manager John Gray he had put his vacancy sign up for only two nights out of the past nine.
As duty motel he had called all over town to find rooms for unbooked travellers, but everything had been full. A string of conventions at the Marlborough Convention Centre had kept rooms occupied for much of the month, Mr Gray said.
"It's been amazing. We've had an extremely good August ... the Convention Centre stuff is just brilliant. It's really bringing a lot of people to the economy of Marlborough over winter."
The whole region benefited, from restaurants to suppliers, petrol stations and tourism operators, he said. It had been a long, hard winter until this month, which had put light at the end of the tunnel. "Long may it continue."
Pheonix Motor Inn owner and manager Ross Menzies said his motel was "full, full, full". All 17 of his units were filled with teams competing in the netball championships this week.
The motel was fully booked until Saturday, but would still be busy for the next few weeks, he said. Ashleigh Court Motel owner Eileen Nicol said she had called about 15 motels to find beds for four Bank of New Zealand regulars from Nelson who "thought they would be fine" getting a room on a Monday. She had eventually managed to book them into the Criterion Hotel.
Knightsbridge Court Motor Lodge owner and Marlborough Motel Association treasurer Jodi Stevens said the influx was "fantastic" for the end of what had been a challenging winter. Knightsbridge was booked out until Thursday, when the netball tournament ends.
"The last couple of years have been harder, but I think this year was a little bit harder than last year," Mrs Stevens said.
"But, as John said, the conferences have been great. If not for them, then it would have been disastrous."
- The Marlborough Express
