Hotels

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.

A new cathedral will be built in Christchurch after an agreement was met for the sale of the land formerly occupied by Copthorne Hotel Christchurch Central.

New Zealand’s major hotel markets all took a hit following Auckland’s move to Covid-19 alert level 3 and the rest of the country to level 2 on 12 August, according to figures from STR.

The Government is rolling out additional security systems in its managed isolation and quarantine facilities at a cost of $6m.

The increase in defence personnel would reduce the reliance on private security firms, especially at high-risk areas such as entry and exit areas.

The hotel maintenance worker did not have routine contact with guests, says the Govt.

The Hotel Britomart will be the first 5 Green Star hotel in New Zealand, certified by the New Zealand Green Building Council.

The building was transformed into a hotel after the Christchurch Council called for new uses of the building after falling into disrepair.

Hoteliers are losing thousands of leisure and corporate bookings, says the Hotel Owners Association.

Auckland’s hotel market will again be hit hard by new Covid-19 alert level 3 restrictions after staging a recovery since the end of July, according to figures from STR.

Wellington’s hotel occupancy has plateaued following the July school holiday peak but at a higher level than any of the other major markets, according to figures from STR.

The NZ-owned hotel management firm has secured its 11th property – Delamore Lodge on Waiheke Island.

NZX-listed Kiwi Property’s proposed Sylvia Park Tower 2 including a hotel is under review.

Christchurch’s hotel market has seen occupancy hover around 50% for the fourth week in a row, defying falls in other markets over the past two weeks, according to figures from STR.

The hotel group says in its interim results that it does not believe it has seen the full impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

Six existing CPG properties in Auckland, Picton, and Dunedin would be refurbished and re-emerge under the Fable masthead within two years

Occupancy and RevPAR dipped across all of the country’s major hotel markets in the second week of the July school holidays, according to figures from STR.

The New Zealand hotel market is one of the best performing worldwide, according to Colliers hotel specialist Dean Humphries.

The Govt says there would be safety and logistical challenges standing up Dunedin’s hotels.

Cornell University School of Hotel Administration’s Emeritus Professor of Operations Management, Sherri Kimes, on why revenue management management matters more than ever in a capacity-constrained post-Covid world.

DoubleTree by Hilton Auckland Albert Street will open in Q1 2023.

A decision would be made soon on whether the city’s hotels would take part in the programme.

The resort saw a sharp uptick in occupancy for the first week of the school holidays, almost doubling from the previous week’s results, according to figures from STR.

Falling hotel and motel prices due to the Covid-19 crisis contributed to the consumer price index declining 0.5% in the June 2020 quarter, says Stats NZ.

The new $200m hotel is taking bookings for rooms from 15 September, when there are expectations of a renewed appetite for business travel.

Heritage Queenstown has partnered with local professional event company HQ New Zealand to attract conferences to the resort.

A permanent police presence will be at every managed isolation and quarantine facility.

The Government’s growing managed isolation business appears to be driving Auckland’s hotel sector as the market closes in last winter’s pre-Covid results, according to figures from STR.

The hotel group says it will fill the five-star segment with a distinctly Kiwi brand to help drive demand.

The airline was also looking at aligning daily arrivals with the capacity available at managed isolation facilities.

The value of consents for hotels, motels, and other short-term accommodation fell 76.5% to $11m in May 2020, down from $46m for the same month in 2019.

Lifting restrictions on domestic travel gave Pro Invest Group the confidence to open a new hotel at Queenstown.

Mayor Jim Boult says limited health care capacity in the region would be a “significant” worry if an outbreak occurred.

A steady, five-week rise in occupancy has seen New Zealand’s overall hotel market close in on 50% occupancy, according to figures from STR.

Heritage Auckland and CityLife Auckland have officially reopened, after closing throughout the Covid-19 lockdown.

Queenstown’s newest hotel is preparing to open its doors to guests.

Augusta Capital’s annual net loss of $27m was mainly driven by write downs in the value of two tourism properties.

Auckland’s luxury hotel offering will be expanded with six new CDB properties nearing completion, bringing an extra 900 rooms to the city.

The From our Family to Yours campaign will give away 1200 hotel nights across QT, Rydges and Atura hotels in NZ and Australia to locals who have supported their communities throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Christchurch’s hotel market has been given a boost – most probably because of the Government’s managed isolation contracts – with occupancy and RevPAR jumping significantly last week, according to figures from STR.

Some operators are benefiting from Govt contracts, which could be worth almost $300m by the end of the year.