Nothing peppery about this resort
Peppers Clearwater Resort, Christchurch, New Zealand
LOCATION
Christchurch, New Zealand
VENUE
Resort Hotel
TREND
Strata Management
MAPPING
Food & Beverage, Accommodation
It's no wonder Christchurch is the garden city
This was my first visit to a resort of this nature, with 'nature' being the key word. Peppers Clearwater Resort was designed around a golf course, and there was an abundance of green, expansive fairways, trees, greens and calming waterways that supported an abundance of bird life. I like to get away, visit hotels and research the world of hospitality, and this turned out to be a perfect place to do just that. It was a sporty place; albeit laid back because you don't normally see too much running on the golf course!
What I experienced was a resort with a mix of sport, dining and gaming, but also a place of tranquility that was a wonderful spot to write and reflect. This resort was operated under a strata management model where many appartments are owner occupiers and some are leased into the Peppers letting pool. This model created an opportunity to open up interesting properties for travellers to visit, but also brings challenges for management teams.
PEPPERS CLEARWATER RESORT
Clearwater Avenue, Northwood
Christchurch, New Zealand, 3053
Ph: (64) 3 360 1000
A peaceful green on the outskirts of town
Arriving at Peppers Clearwater, we eagerly unpacked the car and with luggage in tow. We were efficiently checked in by the Peppers reception staff who explained the resort's facilities and we were provided with a map of the resort. It was at this time we realised that we weren't going to be walking to the room rather; we had to drive to the room! That's awkward, I thought. Moving on ..... I took the time to look around the lobby, located the bar and the restaurant "LUME" where I made a booking for dinner. Then it was back to car to repack and take a short drive to the room that was located in zone E on the map. The pleasant drive took us along a nicely groomed road towards the lakeside apartments.
All apartments enjoy a lake view
I found the room to be larger than the average hotel room. I have a simple test to confirm this. I sit on the end of your bed a see if I can touch the bench where the TV sits. In this case the TV was a good 2 metres away from the bed, clearly this room was roomy. As to be expected the room had a small desk, wardrobe with ample hanging space along with an iron and board. I normally don't need one of those, I find that when I put on a new clean shirt it iron's itself when I wear it. Although the room was clean, bright and carpeted, the room lacked warmth, the black and grey colour scheme gave off a cool feeling throughout.
The bathroom was huge and spacious and offered twin hand basins. There were plenty of towels, hand towels and face washers and the obligatory hair dryer. My partner can't travel anywhere without a hair dryer. It was easily located, crisis averted! The grey tiling also created a cool ambience and could be described as a little sterile. What it lacked in ambience was made up for in space, the shower was over a metre wide and the large bath was a luxurious addition.
A novel feature of the room were the large glass bifold doors that opened onto a small balcony. Table and chairs that sat two were on the deck. This offered a pleasant spot to sit with some cheese and a glass of wine. This room had so much space that two arm chairs sat facing out overlooking the lake. While this may seem trivial many hotel rooms offer one chair and generally there is never the space to line up your chair with a vista. The room also provided tea and coffee making facilities and a small fridge, although here was no mini bar. This seemed like an oversight considering the distance from the room to the main resort and greater Christchurch.
Abundance of nature brings abundance of flys
While beautiful waterways created a tranquil ambience for guests they also brought with them a local native fly that created a havoc for the housekeepers. The shear volume of dying insects could give the impression that areas were not being cleaned regularly. On the contrary, in room flyers . . . not the insects . . . explained the life cycle of the insects to help guests understand the nature of the flys.
A golf enthusiast's heaven
Blended golf and accommodation
The buggy, the favoured mode of transport
GOLF ANYONE?
Rather than all roads leading to Rome, in Clearwater all roads led to golf. The main resort complex was centrally located and fulfilled the role of "Club House", managed by Peppers the facilities offered gaming, banquets, restaurant and a bar. It is at this point golfers began their games and could be seen driving off in their buggy to begin their game. For those with aspirations to play in Wimbledon two full size tennis courts were available. One thing absent from this resort was a swimming pool. Arguably this resort was designed with the golfer in mind.
Club house food and beverage precinct
LUME
The food and beverage precinct was a multi functional space that included a bar, restaurant, banquets and gaming. The precinct could cater for all occasions and was serviced by one kitchen. A small boutique bar was the perfect post golf game watering hole the opened onto a deck with a bunker view! During the early part of the day this space was more like a coffee shop supplying coffee and muffins. Nearby was the main restaurant that served a la carte breakfast, lunch and dinner, there was no buffet offered. Peppers Clearwater Resort is part of the Accor group of hotels and was a member of Accor Plus. Accor Plus members enjoy of 30% off their food bill and 15% off the beverage tab while visiting the property. This makes for an extra rewarding stay for members.
Relax and gaze to the green
Waterhole view from the watering hole
A generous sized waiter station was prepared with tools of the trade for the organised F&B attendant. It was stocked with cutlery, share plates, napkins, menus, iced water along with the service plate and cleaning gear.
The tables were set for a la carte with paper napkins. A large highball glass was ready for water service, the menus were preset and a beverage list containing beer, spirit, wine and soft options stood in the middle of the table.
Adjacent to Lume was a rather comfy space which I loved . . . . mainly because it had carpet. Carpet creates ambience, brings calm and reduces cafeteria noise. Large welcoming lounges sat in front of an open fireplace and were a treat to relax in. But this space was more than a lounge; along one wall large beige curtains concealed another space.
Drawing back the curtains revealed a beautiful banquet room. This inviting light and airy room had floor to ceiling windows with views to the golf course. The room was flexible and could double in space by expanding the footprint back into the lounge area. On my visit the room was set in meeting style.
Stephen's Take
Peppers Clearwater Resort had a relaxed and laid back feel. It was peaceful with loads of open space and nature. Golf was the predominant offering and obviously the target market. The hotel offered acceptable food and beverage choices that had even greater value for those members with an Accor Plus card. The hotel did not offer room service due to the distance of rooms to the kitchen. The service at this property was friendly and local. By that I mean staff were genuine and being themselves.
Stephen
Unit of Competency Mapping
Serve food and beverage
Prepare rooms for guests
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Please note; the purpose of this article is to introduce current hospitality trends. The content broadly applies to the units of competency listed. It is not intended that all content in this article maps directly to all performance evidence and knowledge evidence in the unit of competency.
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Peppers Clearwater Resort Website
Article and photos original by Stephen Duncan