Improving our boutique B&B in Ohakune

We've owned Two Rivers for nearly 8 months now. Our original aim was to operate for a whole year without major changes. But we've had to respond to comments and suggestions from guests, and this weekend has been busy but satisfying. We've listened and we've responded, and we've pushed a little harder as well.

This is an update on improving our boutique B&B in Ohakune.

Thankfully the winter season was quiet which allowed us to learn to operate and get our own systems and processes in place. In terms of review scores, we continued to get a lot of 9's and 10's. We've driven up the booking.com rating from 9.3 to 9.5. But as soon as summer hit, and the international tourists started to arrive we started to get occasional feedback like this:

The room is a little small...

Yes, we could have ignored it, but the lessons here were valuable and we had to respond. So, why the difference? Well, the snow lovers were coming for 2-3 days and bringing small bags. The rooms were warm, and they had everything they needed. This differs to the guests coming from Europe and the America's. Their much longer trips necessitated much larger bags. There was nowhere to put the bigger suitcases and still feel comfortable. Rather than waiting a year, we stepped in immediately and did something about it.

Two of the three bedrooms had solid bed bases, the third having some clearance to store suitcases and this was the key. We looked at the dimensions of the biggest suitcases you'd find on long-haul flights. There were no off-the-shelf beds that could help us. We reached out to several retailers and most told use that the beds were imported and couldn't be modified. Then we found https://coastwoodfurniture.co.nz/ who are NZ based, make a lot of their furniture lines here, use sustainably sourced timber and, importantly, could custom make/alter furniture. They worked with us to understand our requirements and produced a great product as an adaptation of their Portland Panelled Bed and bedside table. The height under the rail of the bed is higher, to allow a 35CM suitcase under it. The tables are much smaller to provide a practical work surface, but not take up too much volume, making the room feel bigger.

Although we were told that our mattresses were comfortable, we felt it important to put a replacement programme into place. We've reviewed mattresses from several suppliers, but ultimately, we liked the mattresses that you we found in the Rydges hotel in Wellington. As a 4+ star hotel, it really sets a standard, and a standard we wanted to meet. We did some research and found that they used the A.H. Beard King Coil system, and so we've followed suit, purchasing the platinum range.

The combination of two NZ manufactured products is simply exquisite!

In the Mangateitei and Mangawhero rooms we have gone for a straight replacement:

Mangateitei. With the bedding tucked under the mattress you get a sense of the storage space under the bed. The existing suitcase racks will be put under the bed, so they're there if needed, but will further enlarge the room. The rooms feel bigger and more usable, and the mattress is divine.

Mangawhero - raised bed frame, raised comfort, more space due to smaller side-tables. We are really proud of this upgraded room with its recent repaint.

Rua Awa was not left out, and in fact we pushed out the first phase of the refurbishment plans this weekend. The heater was moved, and a small amount of painting completed, which allowed us to turn the bed 90° .... Why? So that now you can lay in bed and look out over the amazing views of the Tongariro National Park. It's a small change but with massive impact. Once again, a suggestion from a guest who was an architect. The difference is phenomenal...

Rua Awa has the same bedframe for practicality and storage and the same mattress, but boy-oh-boy does it have a better view now????

We're so grateful for some amazing feedback over the last (nearly) eight months. We've listened, we've learned, and we've responded. It's our pleasure to roll out such a massive improvement and we really hope that our guests enjoy the changes that we've introduced.

We're not resting on our laurels either. There are multiple strands of work that are going on behind the scenes so that our guest can enjoy the Two Rivers even more....