Hotel Network Accommodates A Change Of Focus

The Scenic Circle group is well placed to meet the changing needs of tourists - thanks in part to the assistance it has received from the Christchurch office of Polson Higgs. Lani Hagaman, Executive Director predicts the industry is about to change with visitors keener to travel in small groups rather than be crammed into a bus with 60 other people. "Tourists are becoming more worldly and more expectant of what they will get for their dollar," Lani says. "They don't want to follow the same routines with the same big groups as they did in the past, although there will still continue to be a market for the large tours." She says the recent rebranding of the group that has seen the establishment of three-star Heartland hotels in places as diverse as Fox Glacier and Gore has successfully re-positioned the company to offer a different feel to the corporate branding of the four-star Scenic Hotels. As a service provider to the tourism industry, the business has had to endure difficult trading conditions in the last two years. However, it has weathered the storm by "looking at the non-essentials, and trying to maintain revenues rather than expecting growth," Lani says.

"Tourism tends to be cyclical; we had a good run for some years prior to the recession and we have also been through bad years such as '87 and '91." Polson Higgs staff have played a pivotal role at all stages of the cycle. Partner Frank Burgess has assisted with tax advice, accounting support and marketing strategies at a governance and operational level. "A number of Frank's tax team have worked inside our operation and seen how we produce information and how our systems operate. This has helped to bring them up to speed," Lani says. "When we had a management reshuffle, some younger members of the team stepped up to different roles and the support we had from Polson Higgs was tremendous." She believes Frank's team's role in assisting with the collation of information means it can be dealt with more efficiently and in a timely manner. The Scenic Circle Group dates back to the early 1980s and was set up by Lani's husband, Earl, and his late business partner Ralph Brown. It has now grown to a network of 18 hotels throughout New Zealand.

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Last updated: 11th June 2010 | 12:43 pm