New hotels for Auckland in time for Rugby World Cup 2011
Posted on 24. Jul, 2009 by Campbell in Industry News
Auckland Airport Novotel Announced
The long-awaited details of an international-branded hotel for Auckland Airport have been announced. Auckland International Airport Ltd has entered into a joint venture with Accor Hospitality and Tainui
Group Holdings to build and operate a new four-star Novotel. The 263-room, 12-storey hotel, which is expected to be ready in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, is forecast to cost around $65 million. The hotel’s
construction is estimated to cost around NZ$45 million, and the deal reportedly relies on financing the project and securing a construction tender. The airport will grant a long-term lease for land and
maintain a minority holding, while Tainui, the commercial arm of Waikato-Tainui, will act as lead developer and investor in the venture. Accor will manage the operation. The 14,000sq m Novotel Auckland Airport will be designed by Warren & Mahoney Architects, and will be located adjacent to the airport’s international terminal.
First Metro Hotel for Auckland
Metro Hotels, the accommodation trading arm of Metro Hospitality Group, which operates 15 hotels in Australia, has signed an agreement to operate a new 170-room four-star hotel in Auckland. The property, to be built on the corner of Pitt and Vincent Streets, will be completed in mid-2011 in time for the World Cup, and will include a restaurant, bar, conference and function facilities, and a swimming pool. The developer of the hotel is Auckland-based Gaowoo Holdings. Hawkins has been contracted for the design and construction, and Peddle Thorpe Architects have been commissioned to do the design. For Metro Hotels, it is the Group’s first property in New Zealand. The company says it has been contemplating a move across the Tasman for some time and has considered a number of opportunities in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, with Auckland the main
target.