InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®) and Australian boutique hotel developer Pro-invest Group are championing smarter travel for everyone by unveiling plans to establish a $60 million Holiday Inn Express in the centre of Queenstown.

The innovative 227-room select service hotel will be value rich and cater to self-sufficient travellers by providing a ‘little bit of nice’ when and where it’s needed most. That means frictionless service, faster check-in, better breakfast, restful night’s sleep, and everything guests need for a great stay, all within arm’s reach.  

Karin Sheppard, Chief Operating Officer, Australasia & Japan at IHG said “Life is about simple pleasures. That’s why we love Holiday Inn Express, our ‘rest and go’ brand that delivers a smarter travel experience through considered design and experiences, streamlined by technology, all at a simple price. We are confident that this will be the hotel of choice in Queenstown for the leisure, corporate and meetings market.”

Pro-invest Group Chief Executive Officer Ron Barrott commented: “Queenstown is the ideal location for the introduction of the Holiday Inn Express brand to the New Zealand market. We are committed to developing a high-quality hotel that will be a landmark building at the gateway to Queenstown.”

Designed by acclaimed Queenstown architect Preston Stevens of McAuliffe Stevens, the hotel will combine various abstract elements that are representative of the resort’s landscape history.

Preston Stevens of McAuliffe Stevens, Queenstown architect said:  “The architecture is a kinetic interplay of ice and rock.

“The underlying concept of referencing the landscape will be instrumental in achieving a design that’s a positive fit with the immediate urban environment and wider natural landscape,” Stevens added.

The hotel will feature a fitness centre, meeting and laundry facilities, and the ‘Great Room’ with a complimentary guest breakfast buffet and a grab-and-go-style market pantry.

Construction is expected to begin later in 2017, generating more than 750 jobs. With an anticipated opening date as early as 2018, Holiday Inn Express® Queenstown will inject millions of dollars into the local economy via visitor nights, tourist spend, and sourcing of food and beverage from the local market. 

Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) Chief Executive, Chris Roberts, welcomes the announcement, commenting: “It’s well recognised that there is a need for new hotels to meet the tourism growth forecasts for Queenstown, so It’s great to see that investment in a project of this scale. This will to be an invaluable addition to the accommodation landscape in our premier mountain resort, and will contribute significantly to the industry’s Tourism 2025 goal of reaching total annual revenue of $41 billion.”

This is the second Holiday Inn Express branded hotel slated for New Zealand, with IHG announcing the signing of Holiday Inn Express Christchurch in 2016, due to open in 2018.

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See also:

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Colliers release New Zealand Hotel Sales Report March 2017