Discount push to fill hotels midweek opens from Friday

More tourism discount vouchers go up for grabs this week – with a push to fill hotels in the sluggish winter midweek.

A new round of discount tourism discount vouchers opens on Friday after the first two created more than 62,000 room night bookings across the state and an economic impact of more than $32m.

But it comes with a catch and a coax — the 50,000 vouchers will be limited to accommodation, rather than experiences and tours as in the last round, and many will have special midweek deals not available on Friday nights.

This will be the fourth round, after the third closed on Sunday night with thousands of vouchers still to be redeemed as the deadline approached.

The push to fill hotels during the sluggish mid week — with no overseas and fewer interstate and corporate visitors — comes as the economic recovery sees hotels enjoying more occupancy on busy weekends.

The latest Great State Voucher scheme will include special rates for midweek stays in the CBD at hotels such as Eos by SkyCity hotel in the riverbank precinct which saw guests flood in during earlier rounds.

Eos by SkyCity General Manager Jodi Brown on the outdoor pool deck of Eos, overlooking the Torrens River and Adelaide Oval. Picture: Emma Brasier

Hotels in the CBD and North Adelaide offering $100 discounts include the Oval Hotel and the InterContinental while $50 discounts are available for suburban and regional hotels such as the Stamford Grand at Glenelg.

Eos by SkyCity is offering a $529 room for $309 midweek with breakfast. General manager, Jodi Brown said: “We’ve been thrilled with the results the Great State Voucher program has delivered to Eos by SkyCity, as well as the flow on impact to our broader property offerings such as restaurants, bars and Eos Spa + Wellness.

“We have seen incredible occupancy rates at Eos, which has resulted in further staff recruitment and a demand for more local hospitality supplies.”

Premier Steven Marshall said round four of the voucher scheme would be a much-needed “shot-in-the-arm” for hotels with a flow on effect to other businesses.

“We’ve seen the data – during the travel period of the last round of accommodation vouchers, regional South Australia had its best occupancy rates for a three-month period ever recorded and CBD hotels hit the highest occupancy of any mainland Australian city,” Mr Marshall said.

“These vouchers stimulate travel, they get South Australians and interstate visitors booking overnight stays in our great state, and they sustain and create jobs in our visitor economy.

South Australian Tourism Commission chief executive Rodney Harrex said the feedback from industry about the value of this targeted stimulus program “speaks for itself”.

“The Great State Vouchers inject visitors and dollars directly into South Australian businesses. They get people off the couch, booking an overnight stay – or as we’ve seen recently, a tour or experience – and they get people spending at cafes, restaurants, bars, wineries and going to events,” he said.

The InterContinental Adelaide. Picture: B CAPTURED by KY LUU

The Stamford Grand at Glenelg. Picture: Brad Crouch

“The SATC worked with participating operators following the last two rounds for accommodation, seeking to continuously evolve and improve the program, and we’re thrilled to be delivering a range of efficiencies for this round which will streamline the process for both operators and consumers.

“New ‘midweek stays’ will attract visitors into the city from Sunday to Thursday, helping inject spending where it’s needed most, and the new booking portal will mean consumers will be able to view availability and manage their booking all in the one place.

Enter the ballot at southaustralia.com/voucher anytime from 9am Friday May 28 until 5pm Tuesday June 1, entrants will be notified on June 2 whether they have been successful or not, and can book from June 2 to June 30, for travel from June 2 to August 31, 2021.