Blog

New Zealanders are invited to keep calm and carry on.

With Queen’s Birthday weekend coming up, many New Zealanders will be wondering what to do. Go out or stay in? Travel or not to travel? Events or no events?

Let’s sit down, have a cup of tea and think about it.

Once NZ moves to a lower alert level, 62% of New Zealanders are ‘extremely likely’ to travel nationally.

Cleanliness is now the number one factor that will influence guests buying decisions, nudging ahead of price. Location, comfort and wi-fi were also considerations.

Last year, Look After Me hosted a celebration for Administrative Professionals at the University of Otago.

The winner of our goodie gift basket was Leanne Kirk. 

Leanne won a pamper pack which included a voucher worth $250 to book accommodation anywhere in New Zealand. 

Leanne and her husband John used their voucher when they visited Christchurch enroute, to walk the Queen Charlotte Sound Track.

Leanne stayed at Chic in Merivale, hosted by Cathy Macpherson.

Travelling can be a stressful time; having to book accommodation, worry about transport, trying not to get lost in a new place and then having to find somewhere to eat. Homestay accommodation can alleviate a lot of these worries.

Frock IT! is a dance party with a twist.

Featuring different themes - with entertainers, music, food and beverages inspired by the theme.  

Frock IT! celebrates fashion, fun and dance. 

All welcome!

Story by Jenny Holt

Relocating is hard enough without the hassles of finding a temporary home when you arrive in a new place. It is just easier when you have somewhere to go immediately upon arrival of what would be your next place of home. So why not opt for a homestay?

Founded in 2011, ahead of the Rugby World Cup, Look After Me has won or been a finalist in highly sought after industry awards, often beating out much bigger competitors. These awards reflect our commitment to you, our guests and our hosts. Through these Awards we celebrate the passion our team has for upholding the very best of hospitality in New Zealand. 

Dunedin, City of Literature is proving just how apt that name is! November 8th -10th, writers and illustrators will be converging on the city to learn more about their craft.

A wonderful weekend of discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities for children's writers and illustrators is fast approaching. 2019's Wild Imaginings Hui in Dunedin, is set to be a fantastic event for all attendees.

We hosted a debate on the possible Bed Tax that may be applied across the industry. It was open to home-owners, hoteliers, local businesses, government officials, and anyone interested in bettering New Zealand.

Tourism Ticker talked to Look After Me’s founder and tech entrepreneur, Julia Anne (formerly Charity), on establishing New Zealand’s largest homestay network.

They also discussed expanding to include Creative Events and Educational Festivals and navigating some of the difficulties involved with pioneering the shared access economy in New Zealand.

In 2013, New Zealand was voted number one in the world, for how we treat our visitors. 

In 2019, if the world was to vote again, I suspect we would also be voted No 1 for how we look after each other. Hasn't it been heart-warming to see how New Zealanders have united?

In 2011 when we launched Look After Me, ahead of the Rugby World Cup, I was told that no one would ever want to stay in anyone else's home, in exchange for money. 

I'm glad I didn't listen to that advice because we've proven it wrong. Our hosts have now looked after over 16,300 guests - mostly spare rooms that guests have booked for short-term accommodation. 

By Jenny Holt

“Comfortable”, “warm”, and “idyllic” are just a few phrases you’ll hear about travel in New Zealand. Your homestay experience has the potential to be an extremely positive one. Don’t let financial worries get in the way. Manage your money with these helpful tips.

This is going to be a huge year for Dunedin with many talented sportsmen and artists performing at Forsyth Barr Stadium. With a whole range of different events, there will be something for everyone!

If you are planning on coming to any of these events check out the details below and book your accommodation early on our new mobile-friendly website www.staydunedin.com

The tourism New Zealand website reports that some $34.7 billion is spent by tourists.  Tourism is clearly big business for this small island, which welcomes visitors both abled and disabled. The North and South Islands of New Zealand offer a wealth of scenic walks or drives, with exciting activities such as wine tasting at any of the many vineyards, whale watching or checking out the volcanic activity at Rotorua.

 Dr Julia Charity was interviewed on the Podcast series, Not A Real Job, and explained how her Digital Hotel Business has become a full time job for her. 

A few weeks ago we launched the World's First Digital Hotel, called 'Stay Dunedin'.

It's basically a website, where guests can browse, book and pay for accommodation, just like they would on Agoda, Bookings.com and AirBnB. It's mobile friendly and takes all major credit cards.

At this stage, this is just a trial run for Dunedin. But if this new way of finding and sharing accommodation works, we'll migrate the rest of our Look After Me properties into this new Digital Hotel format. 

Despite an estimated 60,000 people expected to visit Dunedin during Easter, plenty of accommodation is still available in the city, providers say.

Otago Motel Association executive member Michael Young, who owns 858 on George Street, said accommodation was still available at the city’s motels over the weekend, as many people had booked before they secured concert tickets and ended up changing their bookings.

The evening of Thursday 8 February saw Dunedin’s heritage listed Penthouse on Stafford street, staging the launch of the world’s first completely digital hotel.

Entrepreneur, Dr Julia Charity, launched her new digital hotel, with the help of the Mayor of Dunedin, His Worship Dave Cull, and actress Rebecca Gibney. Homeowners can now take advantage of a new web-based platform, to offer their spare rooms and the comfort of their homes for hire.