Hi, I am Carol Murphy and I purchased Tuscany on Thames in December 2017. In 2012 I was looking for a change of career option after being a travel agent for over 25 years. I purchased the lease to a motel in Pukekohe and loved it so much that I decided I needed to buy my own. I asked my agent to see if she could find me one in Thames as my first option. I wanted to live in a smaller town and had always loved the Thames area. Lucky me she found Tuscany on Thames and there was no need for a second option (it was Whangarei). I love it here and so the good vibes I had always felt were for a reason. I plan on staying here and running my business until the day comes when I can't greet a guest or answer the phone with a smile on my face. This year I have decided it is time to sell as I recognise that getting older and being on my own is making it a bit harder. I love the people side, it is all the rest and compliance that I am more frustrated with.

Of course a good motel is only as good as the people that work with me to make it so. Lynne came with the motel when I purchased it and is the main reason for the units excellent standard. COVID made life very interesting and apart from the financial stress I had a nice holiday. I choose to not take emergency housing. Like most businesses in NZ for the next two years getting enough team members was difficult. We now have a full contingent.  Debbie came on board as a  supervisor in February 2024 and she will help you with reservation and motel mind if I go away. I am always looking for ways to be kind to our environment and the team that work in the motel and in the latter part of 2022 I was very interested in ENJO which was a system for cleaning the motel using special fibre cloths and mainly water.  Pam is our local agent and I managed to convince her that she needs a few extra hours work each week so she comes in at least once a week and helps clean also.  Kathleen knocked on my door in the latter half of 2023 when her employment at a previous motel ended when it was sold.  We are lucky to have her. We also have Fleur and Crighton who come in as contractors and take care of all the outside boy stuff that I don't want to do. I do, do some and are the backup everywhere.