Statistics New Zealand has released its Accommodation Survey for December 2009, which shows that while guest nights were slightly down for the whole year, things were looking more positive with the onset of summer.
According to the survey, total guest nights were 1 per cent lower last year than 2008.
Last year international guest nights fell 3 per cent, though domestic guest nights were down by less than 1 per cent.
Three out of four accommodation types - hotels, holiday parks, backpackers and motels - reported fewer guest nights than in 2008, led by motels.
"Certainly 2009 wasn't a good year for us," said Michael Baines, chief executive of the Motel Association of New Zealand.
"2008 wasn't that crash hot either."
He said motels in those parts of the country which traditionally had a high number of summer visitors had seen a rise in guest numbers over the last two months.
"They are doing equally as well as last year, or even slightly better," he said.
Motels in regions with less summer visitors might not be doing so well, such as Waikato and the Manawatu.
He said motel operators had told him that they did not have many forward bookings - but their motels were not empty, as many guests were just "showing up".
Jennie Langley, independent chair of the New Zealand Hotel Council, said business was better than most hotels had expected it to be over December and January
"[Guest nights] are certainly up on 2008," she said.
"There seems to be a general return in confidence in some of the markets that have been a bit slow before."
She said the numbers of New Zealanders staying in hotels was also up.
"So domestic travelling is back."
Langley said the next two months were looking positive, but because of a "last minute booking pattern", hotels found it hard to predict guest numbers from March onwards.
"But to be honest, hotel operators are used to these changes and they are pretty flexible. This [last minute booking] trend has been in practice for the last 12 to 18 months, so this is the new way of operating," she said.
Langley said the swing towards last minute bookings was caused by guests doing more research before they travel, and making online bookings.
Auckland and the Bay of Plenty recorded the biggest fall in guest nights last year, while Waikato and Otago registered a rise in guest night numbers.
However, by December things were looking up.
3.2 million total guest nights were recorded in December last year, 4 per cent higher than those in the same month the year before.
International guest nights were 7 per cent higher, and domestic guest nights up by 3 per cent.
All four accommodation types registered a rise in guest numbers last December compared to the year before, led by hotels.
Eleven out of 12 regions had a rise in guest nights in December, with Otago and Canterbury at the head of the pack.
