A proposed $20 million-plus luxury Queenstown hotel’s got the nod to move to the second stage of fast-track consenting.
Planned by Trojan Holdings Ltd (THL), the 185-room hotel, to be between four and six levels, is planned on top of THL’s Man St carpark, in central Queenstown.
It will be developed primarily by THL, with another Australian-based partner.
Expected to take three to four years to build, it’ll provide 180 new jobs during its construction, and employ 100 people on completion.
THL director Neil Johnston says the company can already house 150 staff and has consent to build further staff accommodation.
‘‘As a local business, we are acutely aware of the housing issues facing staff in Queenstown and we are actively working on solutions to support our current and future staff.
‘‘We are continually looking at opportunities to relieve the current pressure.’’
The hotel’s been designed by renowned global architecture studio Woods Bagot to minimise the visual impacts, while still providing panoramic views of Lake Whakatipu and the Remarkables mountain range.
Guest parking will be provided by the Man St carpark.
Johnston’s pleased the proposed hotel is moving to the second stage of the fast-track process, provided by the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020.
‘‘THL’s vision is for the Man St hotel to provide a new luxury offering for tourists that will be a flagship for the Southern Lakes region, creating local jobs and catering to visitors interested in high-end experiences.’’
He notes tourism’s a critical part of the regional and national economy, and providing additional luxury accommodation capacity will be important in continuing to attract and host visitors.
Planning’s been ongoing since 2017 for the hotel — Johnston says economic modelling’s shown spending by future guests will generate annual economic impacts equal to regional GDP of an estimated $27m.
If approved, it’ll complement THL’s existing Queenstown tourism businesses — NZSki and Ultimate Hikes — along with the Hermitage Hotel and Glencoe Lodge at Aoraki Mount Cook.
