Customer Spotlight: Elements of Castor Bay

Rochelle & Stuart have created a true sanctuary on Auckland's North Shore to escape and "exhale" from the hustle and bustle of the city. Elements of Castor Bay is a luxurious retreat overlooking the bay catering to discerning travellers.

We value our partnership with Rochelle & Stuart, which includes ResBook and the Booking Engine, and we've had the pleasure of creating their branding and website.

What do you see as the biggest challenge for this season?

Rochelle: Airline capacity has been improving which has helped bring more tourists to NZ, but the world is entering quite a synchronised downturn/recession, which means people from many areas of the world will potentially reduce expenditure on overseas travel, reducing the number of tourist that we see in NZ.

What is one piece of advice you would give someone who is looking to start an accommodation business?

Rochelle: As is true in all career paths, you will be most successful if you love what you do, so make sure it is something you are passionate about. There is a big step in going from the wonderful places you have stayed, to creating your own project with a goal to providing a seamless experience from the dream to the reality. It can be hugely fulfilling, however you do need to value service to others, as each person you invite into your accommodation has their own set of unique expectations so you constantly need to adapt, and you really need to get pleasure out of going above and beyond to make other people happy.

ResBook: How has ResBook helped your business?

Rochelle: ResBook has provided a seamless platform to hold our booking data, which can be leveraged to other third party sites, allowing us to keep real time booking updates on just one site. It has also provided a good platform for communication with guests. ResBook keeps everything super simple and on one integrated platform, with excellent tutorials, self help articles and support.

ResBook: What is one of your favourite guest stories?

Rochelle: It's hard to narrow them down as meeting new and interesting people is always a highlight. One of our favourites was a gentleman who needed accommodation for himself for one night, then booked a second night so his wife could join him, after which they ended up staying on for a number of weeks becoming part of the Elements family and routine. The best part is they have booked to return again. Return bookings are our very favourite part of the experience, there is no better feedback!

Posted by Website Admin on August 08, 2023