Bella Vista Motel Mosgiel

Introducing your hosts, Julie and Patsy    

We are both New Zealand born and bred and have been locals and lived in the Mosgiel community for many years.  We met at work in 1985 where we became great friends.  We have worked together for 3 different organisations over the years and work exceptionally well as a team.  We both have grown up children and were looking for the next challenge and phase of our working lives and when the opportunity to purchase a Mosgiel motel in the Bella Vista Group came up we jumped at it.

Between us, we have managed a Kindergarten, a Golf Club and an In Home Childcare business.  We have strong skills in sales and marketing and pride ourselves on customer service as we love to interact and engage with our guests to ensure they have the very best possible experience while staying with us.

Our Town

We are very proud of our town and the community we live and work in.  Mosgiel is separated from the city of Dunedin by hills. It takes its name from Mossgiel in Ayrshire, the farm of poet Robbie Burns, who was the uncle of one of Dunedin’s founders.  In February 1770 Captain Cook described the saddle-shaped hill which became known as Saddle Hill, the Land mark east of Mosgiel.

The history of Mosgiel is intertwined with the wool products industry. It is the home to one of New Zealand’s largest agricultural research institutes but it no longer has a woollen mill. As an important service town for the Taieri Plains farming community, Mosgiel also has a wide selection of retail and service businesses.

Maori Lengend says that a Taniwha who lost its master swam down the Silverstream and lay down on the site of Mosgiel. When Matamata the Taniwha died he became the seaboard hills which include Saddle Hill.

Our Community Involvement

• We donate $1 each day you choose not to have your room serviced to ‘Project Kereru’.  Project Kereru is a voluntary community based Conservation Project that is changing the fate of sick and injured Kereru in Dunedin and surrounding areas. As far as we are aware, Project Kereru is the only one of its kind in the country. Many other facilities care for sick and injured birds in New Zealand also, but Project Kereru are the only ones dedicated to the kereru alone. For more information go to www.projectkereru.org.nz
• Work welcome work experience students from Taieri High School
•  We donate old bedding, towels, curtains, carpet, appliances (in working order) e.g. hair dryers & fridges  to the local support services and businesses – Salvation Army, Curtain Bank, Woman’s Refuge and our local vet.
• We are members of the Mosgiel Business Association, Otago Motel Association and Hospitality New Zealand.
• Any public laundry money generated is donated to Otago Community Hospice.

Our Sustainability Practices

We want to ensure that we operate in a manner that reduces environmental risk.  We wish to do our bit to help protect Mosgiel and safeguard its natural beauty so that it is preserved for many generations to come. 

We also want to ensure that your stay with us is memorable and to this end, we have developed an environmental plan and welcome your support with the following initiatives.

• We ask you to consider the following options to help reduce discharge of detergents and waste water:
• Hang your towels on the towel rail if you wish to reuse them or place your towels in the shower tray or bathtub if you wish them to be laundered.
• We use low energy light bulbs in our units and premises.  We would appreciate your help by turning off lights and electrical appliances while not in use or when you are out of the room. 
• We give you the opportunity to recycle your waste by asking you to leave any paper, plastics or glass bottles beside your rubbish bin and food scraps in the container provided.  Please help us to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible.
• We are reducing the amount of waste going to the land fill by separating it for recycling, using decomposable bin liners, a Worm Farm for food scraps and a compost bin for garden waste.
• We have installed ‘water saver’ devices in taps and shower heads to reduce water volume without compromising on quality. We purchase goods locally wherever possible, which helps to reduce the carbon emissions from transportation of goods.  We aim to carefully select suppliers that have a ‘recognised green accreditation’ and provide biodegradable/decomposbale products and packaging wherever possible.
• We use ‘white vinegar’ which is a chemical free and natural cleaner.
• We proudly support local community groups by donating goods and promoting their products.
• We support and train our staff to commit to our environmental practices.

Our overall aim is as a business we are determined to ensure New Zealand’s clean green image remains intact for the future generations.

We look forward to hosting you.