The latest Colliers International Hotels report shows 132 rooms have been completed in Queenstown in the last 12 months, while a further 374 are under construction.

In Rotorua, there have been no new rooms completed but 171 are under construction.

Dean Humphries, National Director of Hotels at Colliers International, says these new rooms are very much needed as New Zealand’s tourism boom continues.

“There were 3.8 million international visitors in the year ended August 2018, up 3.6 per cent.

“Demand remains very strong in the key tourist centres, with occupancy rates of 83 per cent and 80 per cent recorded in Queenstown and Rotorua respectively.”

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Source: Colliers International New Zealand

The largest amount of new hotel room supply is in Auckland, where 460 new rooms have been completed this year and 1,016 are under construction.

However, Auckland’s historically strong revenue growth has taken a breather after an exceptional performance in 2017; albeit occupancy remains the highest in the country at 83.7 per cent.

Revenue growth per available room (RevPAR) in Auckland dipped by 1.9 per cent in the year ending September 2018. Over the same period, the average daily rate (ADR) increased modestly by 1.8 per cent.

Humphries says the plateau in performance in New Zealand’s gateway city by no means suggests the hotel sector has reached its peak.

“Last year was exceptionally strong for Auckland hotel operators, with exceptional revenue growth underpinned by demand from the Lions Tour and the World Master Games.

“We expect another surge in visitors over the coming years, with the America’s Cup, APEC and the completion of the New Zealand International Convention Centre set to add to existing demand.”

In Queenstown, ADR grew by 12.3 per cent in the last year to $242.62, resulting in a 13.4 per cent increase in RevPAR.

Rotorua recorded an ADR of $134.79, up 5.1 per cent, resulting in a 7.8 per cent increase in RevPAR.

Growth in the other key centres has generally plateaued.

On the investment front, demand continues to outstrip supply.

“We continue to see strong interest for hotel assets in all key centres, but opportunities remain scarce,” says Humphries.

“The only major hotel to have changed hands in 2018 so far was the 178-unit Waldorf Stadium Apartment Hotel in Auckland – the first major CBD hotel to sell in Auckland since the Hilton in 2012.

“Heightened investment activity has also spread into provincial New Zealand where investors are seeing attractive returns and improving fundamentals.

“To this end, Colliers has recently concluded sales of hotels in Tongariro National Park and Palmerston North in the last quarter.”

Click here to view and download the full report.

See also:

The emerging trend of lifestyle hotels in New Zealand

Auckland Waldorf Stadium Hotel sold, the largest Auckland hotel transaction in 12 years

QT Hotel coming to Auckland in 2020