9 great NZ hotels with free wi-fi

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The interweb. It’s here, it’s now and it’s hot. But is it free or reliable at many New Zealand accommodation businesses?

I’ve stayed plenty of places around NZ when travelling for work, and one of my constant frustrations is dealing with, or trying to find, a good quality internet connection at decent prices. Most of the time, the wi-fi will be very expensive. Rates like $30 for 24 hours are just painful, and rates for half an hour are generally pointless.

Why can’t more properties offer free wi-fi to offer their guests a truly useful service and boost loyalty? I’d certainly go back to a hotel that offered a reliable connection as for me, internet is a vital part of a hotel stay. Read more…

What Google says about Google maps iconography and Travelbug’s accommodation map.

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I recently attended a Google conference over in the Wairarapa near Featherston at an awesome hide away location. It was a homestead of which there are many in the Wairarapa, and it felt like we had been transported back in time about 150 years. It was awesome. LongWood Country Estate - Wairarapa

One of the attendees at the Google conference was Patrick Hoffman – one of 5 designers for Google maps. I had a really good chat with him on the bus over the Rimutaka Hills and he described with great passion about the iconography around Google maps  – something that I have always taken for granted and never really thought about. I was sceptical and somewhat cynical. How could someone make a career from icons on maps? Read more…

Golf courses aplenty in Taupo

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Whilst in Taupo recently our group decided on a round of golf so visited the  Taupo i-SITE for some local information. I was pleasantly surprised to find four 18 hole golf courses all an easy drive from the Taupo township.

Taupo Golf Club is situated on Centennial Drive, a 5 minute drive north east of the town. There are two 18 hole golf courses on offer. We decided on the Tauhara Course which is a 68.1 par eighteen hole course with short smaller greens. Play continued amongst the thermal activity on the course and by the 18th I was happy with the 1 under par I had averaged.

Taupo Golf ClubTaupo Golf Club Read more…

Verified vs unverified reviews: the battle continues

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Thumbs-up reviewOn Travelbug, we like to foster an environment where travellers help keep each other informed. We want our users to have great accommodation experiences, and we ask them to place reviews on places they’ve stayed. We prompt them with an email after their stay and we show an accommodation provider’s rating in search results and on their listing page. I outlined this stuff in my blog post of September last year, and none of this is terribly different to any other site. What is different is that we currently allow reviews by people who have not booked on Travelbug to place a review with us, but should this change? Read more…

Down the Rangitikei in a dodgy raft

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Down the Rangitikei in a dodgy raft

I used to think that the best sort of raft was one that didn’t sink. But I don’t think that anymore, not after a trip down the mighty Rangitikei with some work mates on a recent offsite: it turns out a sinking raft can be just the sort of vessel that makes a river trip really enjoyable. Read more…