QT Wellington and Rydges Hotel Wellington have both welcomed new General Managers, Colin McClean and Luke Smith, to their teams.
EVT Hotels & Resorts announced that two of their key properties in the capital, Rydges Wellington and QT Wellington, have welcomed new General Managers, elevating their people and celebrating internal talent.
Colin McClean has been appointed as the GM of Rydges Wellington and Area General Manager, Rotorua. It’s a short walk from his previous role; McClean has been the GM of QT Wellington since February 2024. He takes over the helm from Shannon Craig, who has moved to Australia as part of the Area General Manager team for Western Sydney and ACT, remaining within the EVT family.
McClean brings two decades of experience in the hotel industry, having built a reputation for commercial acumen and collaborative leadership. Under McClean’s guidance, QT Wellington has executed a number of activations promoting the hotel as a hub for all things culture, art and food, like the graffiti room takeover tied to The Art of Banksy exhibition. The hotel recently launched Hippo, the hotel’s signature restaurant, to much fanfare.
Luke Smith will step into the role of General Manager for QT Wellington and Museum Apartment Hotel. No stranger to the QT brand, Smith has been the Hotel Manager at sister hotel QT Queenstown since January 2023. Beginning his career as a Concierge at the then QT Port Douglas, Smith has worked in hotels across Australia, the UK and New Zealand, spanning 16 years.
Simon White, EVT General Manager for New Zealand Operations, said the new appointments are a testament to EVT’s investment and growth in talent.
“The group is thrilled to see Colin and Luke step into these roles; both are incredibly hard workers and have proven their leadership, talent and skillset in this industry. Colin brings a wealth of operational expertise to his new role at Rydges Wellington, and Luke is a fantastic steward of the QT brand. We’re excited for him to take on his first GM role with EVT,” he said.
“It’s important for us as a business to create endless opportunities for growth and development for our people; not just within the hotel industry but leveraging cross-industry skill sets to constantly upskill and support our team.”
Both McClean and Smith commenced their new roles in October.
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