Kiwi-owned hotel group Swiss-Belhotel International will be opening two new properties in Queenstown in the last quarter of 2020.
The company will launch two new hotel products to the local market - Swiss-Belhotel & Residences Queenstown and the younger, more value-conscious brand Zest Queenstown by Swiss-Belhotel.
Zest was launched by Swiss-Belhotel International in Asia in 2016, and offers 'value-focused accommodation' with advanced technology, comfort, and security at affordable prices. This will be the first Zest hotel in New Zealand.
Swiss-Belhotel International is owned and operated by New Zealander Gavin Faull. The company launched its first New Zealand hotel, the Swiss-Belresort Coronet Peak in Queenstown, in 2013. In 2016 the Swiss-Belsuites Victoria Park opened in Auckland, followed by the Swiss-Belsuites Pounamu Queenstown in 2017. The new properties will increase the company's local offerings to five hotels.
"We've had a presence in Queenstown for the past six years and over this time we have developed a good sense of what visitors demand from their hotel stays," said Faull. "The time felt right to expand our offering in the region and launch two new hotel brands that haven't previously been available in New Zealand."
Both new hotels will be located on Gorge Road, just 100m apart. Swiss-Belhotel & Residences will be a 4.5-star property featuring a full-service, 194-room hotel, along with 32 furnished residences.
The 223-room Zest hotel is aimed at social travellers and features 160 'pods' and communal bathrooms. In total, the two new properties will deliver 437 rooms to Queenstown, which sees three million visitors annually.
"These new hotels will offer something completely different to each other, giving visitors more options to choose from when staying in the scenic town," said Faull.
