Heritage-based Rural Bed And Breakfast Placed On The Market For Sale

A totally restored historic pioneering farm homestead and self-contained one-bedroom cottage both converted into a commercially-run boutique accommodation bed and breakfast have been placed on the market for sale.

The upmarket heritage Villa Walton bed and breakfast in the Waikato region of Matamata was built at the turn of the last century. During its history, there have been many families live in the villa with each generation adding their love and attention to the property.

Now operating as a commercial bed and breakfast accommodation provider, Villa Walton has guest accommodation consisting of three spacious rooms, plus owner suite and a stand-alone self-contained one-bedroom cottage.

The main property’s three guest bedrooms - each with their own en-suite bathroom - have seasonal night rack rates of between $295-$375, with the separate cottage running a nightly rack rate of $395.

Sweeping verandahs around the residence offer guests an outlook over meticulously maintained gardens featuring mature kauri, copper beech and magnolia plantings, with horizon vistas towards the Kaimai Mamaku mountain range.

Since establishing Villa Walton bed and breakfast business two years ago, the current owners have launched the venue’s website and booking system linked in to several online accommodation search engine programmes which, in conjunction with direct bookings, have generated an on-going pipeline of forward reservations and built strong industry agreements with in-bound wholesale agents. As a result, the bed and breakfast’s turnover has grown substantially.

The land and building sustaining Villa Walton at 303A Walton Road, along with the going concern bed and breakfast business are all now on the market for sale at auction on December 10 through Bayleys Matamata. Salespeople Neville Jacques and Glenda O’Sullivan said the property and business chattels could be bought either to continue on as a commercial accommodation provider business, or to revert the residence back to a private dwelling.

The 248-square metre main bed and breakfast lodge and cottage sit on some 5,258 square metres of freehold land. Additional building infrastructure on the property includes a large barn, garage for vehicle parking, and glasshouse. One bedroom and living area within the main homestead is used for the owner’s private accommodation.

“The business’s current owners have done all the hard work at Villa Walton over the past two years to create a first-class hospitality experience – now being offered for sale as a ‘turn-key’ opportunity,” said Jacques.

“Both the homestead and cottage have been completely renovated – ranging from new carpet and underfloor heating being added, along with rewiring of much of the electrical wiring, through to the fitting of individual heating and air conditioning units, and the installation of gas lines for cooking and water heating.

“The high standard of guest amenities, heritage décor, and fittings offered at Villa Walton would qualify for a four-star or higher rating under most hospitality assessment programmes.”

Victorian period features within the rurally-located villa include the homestead’s original tiled fireplaces, polished native timber floors, leadlight windows and doors, and high-stud ceilings.

“For a new business owner/operator, there is the potential to either continue the status quo of Villa Walton’s current accommodation configuration, or to move into the cottage and have the main building and its four bedrooms completely dedicated to commercial operations,” said Jacques.

“Equally, if the home was to be purchased as a beautifully refurbished private dwelling, a new owner could look to run the cottage as commercial accommodation.”

Externally, features added to Villa Walton over the past two years include the installation of two 30,000 litre water tanks, creating an outdoor bath attached to the cottage guest room, complete repainting of the main homestead, laying down concrete pathways to connect the buildings, and creating a parking pad for up to five guest vehicles. Six fenced paddocks surrounding the dwellings have also been fenced.

O’Sullivan said that while Covid-19 had impacted the business – as it had with all New Zealand tourism and hospitality operations - the lodge’s financial trading operations had already recovered quickly.

“Many domestic-focused tourism activities within New Zealand have rebounded strongly from the initial effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in the second quarter of the year, and Villa Walton is among those which have benefitted from this as higher volumes of Kiwis have sought to travel internally,” she said.

“Tourism activities in the Matamata region are of course strongly anchored around Hobbiton Lord of the Rings tours, and many guests staying at Villa Walton indicate that this is high on their list of ‘must-dos’. The Waikato region benefits from being able to draw high visitor numbers from the neighbouring Auckland population base.

“With a strong focus on digital and social media marketing, Villa Walton is being sold with more than $20,000 of future bookings (subject to change) - which a new owner may or may not wish to take on depending on their intentions for using the property.”

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