New Zealand’s largest hotel chain Quest Apartment Hotels is now providing Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) for all staff in a bid to promote business traveller confidence.

From March 2, the group began distributing tests to its 36 hotel locations to help drive bookings from local travellers, which the business has relied heavily on while international borders have been closed.

Quest is hopeful that this latest move will give Kiwi business travellers confidence to get out and do business in the community.

“We see giving New Zealanders business owners the confidence to travel as vitally important to getting the economy moving, figuratively and literally,” said Quest New Zealand and Fiji Group General Manager, Adrian Turner.

“As soon as the Government moved the traffic light settings from Orange to Red, we saw a reduction in travel related bookings almost overnight.”

Quest Apartment Hotels targets business travellers, offering convenient locations and spacious working areas. The brand refused to use its properties for mandatory quarantine or isolation facilities over the last two years to ensure it could maintain its standards.

“As a trusted brand within the business community, when COVID hit, we chose to say ‘no’ to being an MIQ provider and instead doubled down on ensuring that our guests would be as safe as they could be,” Turner said.

“Moving quickly to source and secure the RATS was an important step for us so we can look after our staff and our guests.”

Quest properties are locally owned and operated and support local businesses, and Turner believes the return of business travel is good news for everyone.

“It all benefits local businesses and drives the local economy,” he said. “We know what a huge impact Kiwis getting travelling and having face-to-face meetings can have on the local economy.”