With work on Queenstown’s arterial road project creating a major dust problem for their adjoining Henry Street hotel, Mi-Pad’s bosses are disappointed the powers-that-be are washing their hands of the problem.
Hotel manager Matt Davidson says they were told there was no budget for dust-cleaning.
As a result, he and his staff regularly have to remove construction dust from their windows and floor — ‘‘but we’ll do them and they’ll be dirty the next day’’.
Davidson notes owner Lew Gdanitz is ‘‘very proud of his building and he wants it to look the best at all times’’.
‘‘And his frustration, you can tell, it’s palpable, because he thinks, ‘why do I have do this?’
‘‘We’ve just gone through a pretty difficult time in Queenstown.
‘‘This hotel was literally open for one year and then it was straight into Covid and then it was literally locked for two years.’’
Though they’d latterly enjoyed ‘‘pretty high occupancy’’, the likes of inflation and interest rates were concerns.
Davidson says the dust even permeates their rooftop balconies.
He notes the roading project still has a long way to go — ‘‘we’re right in the eye of the storm, basically’’.
In reply, council PR Sam White says: ‘‘We do acknowledge the disruption to residents and business owners and appreciate everyone’s patience as work progresses on the Queenstown arterial road project.
‘‘The operators at Mi-Pad approached the [Whakatipu Transport Programme] Alliance requesting weekly window cleaning for the duration of nearby construction.
‘‘Whilst we were unable to commit to this regular arrangement, we will of course consider cleaning affected properties on a case-by-case basis, for example when the works have made glass dirty.’’
