New Zealand’s First Smart Hotel in Queenstown & Other Travel News This Month

In this fast-paced world, your life if often made easier knowing you can get tasks done with just a smartphone. While this is all heavily ingrained in the business and corporate world, the travel and tourism industry is starting to cotton on to this growing trend. mi-pad in Queenstown is the smart hotel that has everything available, literally, at the touch of a smartphone app.

Less than a two-minute walk to Queenstown’s vibrant town centre, the hotel is surrounded by hundreds of world-class bars and restaurants.

At mi-pad, you control everything about your stay through the ‘Mia’ app on your phone. You can adjust your room temperature and lighting, make sure you are not disturbed, or ask for your room to be serviced, all the while enjoying full access to the hotel 24/7. You can even check in and check out with it and use your phone as your room key.

Need a hot drink after a day on the slopes? Warm up with a complimentary coffee, hot chocolate, or chai latte — all made to your liking — in an eco-friendly recyclable cup from one of mi-pad’s smart bars. Keeping cosy in chilly Queenstown has never been easier.

Overnight All Right

The ideal weekend bag can be hard to come by. Duffle bags are messy and jumble up your belongings, while a suitcase can be unnecessarily bulky for short trips away. Dutch brand Property Of have nailed that tricky in-between style with their durable, yet stylish Property Of Alex 24h backpack. Made from recycled pet bottles, with water resistant fabric and leather and brass detailing, the bag is ideal for the short excursion away. With three net pockets to separate all your essentials and a padded compartment at the back of the pack to keep your laptop safe, no longer will you need to rummage through your bag to find just what you need. Property Of bags are now available at WE-AR store in Ponsonby or online.

Travel Saviour

Keeping your hair perfectly styled can be difficult while travelling. While all good accomodation should come with a hair dryer, the quality of the appliance can be questionable, and bringing your own hair dryer takes up valuable space in your suitcase. Luckily for those jet-setting hair queens, ghd have come to your rescue with their Flight hair dryer. With its foldable design and universal voltage, the hair dryer is the ideal travel companion. 50% the weight of the ghd Air Professional (only 422g!), yet with 70% of the power, the Flight hair dryer means you can travel knowing your hair will stay looking good, without having to cross your fingers that your hotel’s appliance will be up to scratch.