Hotels

New Zealand’s $42bn sovereign wealth fund has increased its exposure to the country’s tourism sector with the circa $60m acquisition of Queenstown’s five-star Sofitel Queenstown Hotel and Spa.

Auckland enjoyed the best October in the Asia Pacific in terms of RevPAR, according to CBRE, and its results appeared to be holding up but there was still no sign of a summer bump for the city, according to figures from STR.

The value of building consents issued for hotels, motels and other short term accommodation for October 2020 was $66m, down 4.5% on the same month last year, according to Stats NZ.

Singaporean-based Naumi Hotels has officially opened its Wellington city hotel, its fourth property in New Zealand.

Auckland revenue per available hotel room in October outperformed other main Asia Pacific markets, according to agent CBRE.

Capstone Hotel Management has added three new properties to its management portfolio.

While most of the major hotel markets remained static or slid last week, Wellington appeared to steal a march on summer with average weekly occupancy jumping, according to figures from STR.

Safari Hotels’ LQ Queenstown will open on 11 December 2020.

Four Points by Sheraton Auckland has won a brace of national property awards.

Retail banks are reassessing their appetite to lend to tourism-related sectors, says the central bank.

The hotel owner is bringing its newly-launched, high-end Fable brand to Queenstown.

Hotel occupancy across all of New Zealand remains stubbornly consistent, hovering around 56% for the past two months, according to figures from STR.

Scenic Hotel Group managing director Brendan Taylor said the situation was “seriously disappointing and comes on top of an already challenging year.”

The hotel featured 150 rooms and suites, a restaurant, and a sixth-floor bar with views of the harbour.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is bringing its TRYP by Wyndham lifestyle brand to New Zealand with new hotels in Queenstown and Wellington.

An all too brief boost over the September/October school holidays has given way to a general slide for the hard-hit resort, according to figures from STR.

After a climb back to almost pre-Covid levels of occupancy by the end of September, Christchurch’s hotel market has been remarkably consistent over the past month, according to figures from STR.

But room rates are the problem this year and Queenstown is a “disaster”, says Raman Sarin.

The value of building consents issued for hotels, motels and other short term accommodation for September 2020 was $44m, a decline of 45.7% for the same month last year, says Stats NZ.

Wellington’s hotels have climbed off their August low to be the country’s best performing market in terms of occupancy during October, according to figures from STR.

But while the borders remain closed the recovery is patchy, say industry experts.

Accor’s opening of a new hotel in Wellington next year will take to 35 the number of The Sebel properties across Australasia.

Auckland was the only major hotel market to buck falls in average weekly occupancy, albeit only just, according to figures from STR.

New Zealand Hotel Holdings Asset LP is up for a major award at the The Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific awards.

Cosa Hotel in central Christchurch has officially opened after a marathon build for its owners.

Accor has launched Take Two, an initiative offering New Zealanders the chance to rebook holiday plans and celebrations.

The Rees Hotel at Queenstown has won the 2020 Skål International Sustainable Tourism Award in the Urban Accommodation category.

Queenstown occupancy led the country’s major hotel markets down last week, despite it still being the second half of the school holidays, according to figures from STR.

The Australasian hotel, cinema and ski field operator has selected Auckland for its first foray into golf.

Scenic Hotel Group’s Te Waonui Forest Retreat at Franz Josef will re-open on 1 November 2020.

Hospitality New Zealand has appointed Sally Attfield to lead its accommodation division.

All of the country’s major hotel markets enjoyed a weekly increase in occupancy for the first week of the September school holidays, albeit only just for Auckland, according to figures from STR.

Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour will officially reopen on 19 October 2020 after an extensive makeover.

Most of the country’s major hotel markets saw a significant increase in domestic guest nights between July and September this year, compared to Q3 2019, according to Colliers International.

Wellington has seen a steady but consistent climb in occupancy since late August to report the highest average weekly rate last week, according to figures from STR.

July sales at Quest Apartment Hotels New Zealand finished 7% below revenue for the same time last year.

Countries in the Asia Pacific region including New Zealand have all focused on domestic tourism campaigns to shore up the sector.

QT Hotels and Resorts have introduced dog-friendly stays at its properties across New Zealand and Australia.

While most of the country’s major hotel markets have seen a steady rise since Auckland came out of Covid-19 alert level 3 at the end of August, Christchurch has seen a significant increase in occupancy, according to figures from STR.

While guest nights will recover sooner, occupancy rates will remain suppressed.

While most of the major hotel markets have gotten a decent lift out of Auckland’s move to Covid-19 alert level 2 with added restrictions on Sunday 30 August, the city itself has struggled by comparison, according to figures from STR.

CPG Hotel Group’s new Hotel Fitzroy, Curated by Fable has opened in Auckland.

The $200m Park Hyatt Auckland has officially opened, marking the debut of the Park Hyatt brand in New Zealand.

Auckland’s move to Covid-19 alert level 2 on Sunday 30 August, with some added restrictions, saw an immediate effect on the country’s major hotel markets, according to figures from STR.

Tūpare Gardens and the Dawson Hotel in Taranaki visitor sites have been named 2020 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award winners.

Christchurch bucked the national trend with a sharp jump in occupancy.

The value of building consents issued for hotels, motels and other short term accommodation for the month of July 2020 was $13m, a decline of 52.4% for the same month last year.

The temporary closure of dozens of hotel rooms has become indefinite.

The Hilton Auckland will host a full-day pop-up hotel industry conference as part of this year’s hybrid AHICE and Design Inn 2020 event.

Queenstown appears to be suffering most from Auckland’s Covid-19 alert level 3 lockdown, according to figures from STR.