Hailed as “much more than just a hotel”, the concept design has been revealed for the Invercargill Licensing Trust’s new inner-city development.

Trust chief executive Chris Ramsay said it was exciting to share the concept with the community.

“Ultimately, it’s a contemporary design with a ground-floor presence that will generate the desired wow factor,” he said.

“It’s much more than just a hotel. We’re building an asset for the city that travelling and international guests will find as appealing as the locals. Along with the accommodation aspect, this will further enhance the food and beverage precinct which is beginning to grow in Don Street. It will be a hub in its own right.

“It’s exciting to be able to share these details as we enter the final stages of formally submitting our consent to council.” 

Design features include eateries and bars at ground level connected by a covered laneway, meeting and private dining spaces on the first floor and 4.5-star quality accommodation above. Construction of the hotel would be completed in two stages with the first featuring 80 guest rooms.

Ramsay said a focus of the design, created with Queenstown-based architects Warren and Mahoney, was the ability to future-proof, with an additional 40 rooms planned when demand warranted it.

A new landmark on the cityscape, the development would be 8-stories at its highest point – a trendy rooftop function space with terracing for indoor/outdoor appeal.

“It will be unique for Invercargill,” Ramsay said.

The inclusion of a café was new territory for the Trust and aligned with community expectations.

“This is our first foray into the café scene and it’s a natural progression. We’ve always been committed to continually evolving our commercial business to ensure it meets the everchanging needs of our community,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the Board, chairman Alan Dennis said the hotel would “absolutely” be an asset the city could be proud of.

“It’s an iconic development and there’s a tremendous amount of work which has gone into reaching this point,” he said.

“Our board is fully aware of the reasons why embarking on this project is so important and that includes the wish of the community we represent for the Trust to take a leading role in not only setting the standard for hospitality but sparking a long-overdue rejuvenation.

“We’re brave enough to put a stake in the ground and get the ball rolling because we believe this will help Invercargill continue to grow as a destination.”

Dennis said it was vital key organisations worked together to strategically encourage tourism growth in the south.

“It’s going to take partnership and a united approach. We’re providing a catalyst for that because we have confidence in this city and province,” he said.

“We hope there will be a gradual increase in tourism. We need to generate more traffic coming south.”

The last hotel added to the Trust’s accommodation repertoire was Ascot Park in the late 1970s, while the Kelvin Hotel opened in the CBD in the 1960s. 

See also:

New Zealand tourism growth forecast to continue

Sudima Hotels to oust plastic by 2020

NZ outperforms Australia in hotel revenue growth