Christchurch’s shattered central business district (CBD), which has been subject to an ongoing £21 billion regeneration project following the 2011 earthquake, is emerging as one of the main winners from an accommodation boom set to add 8,000 rooms across New Zealand by 2020.
A new 204-room Crowne Plaza is set to open its doors in the CBD later this month, with an 88-room Ramada Encore coming in November and 179-room Distinction Hotel and 120-room Holiday Inn Express in 2018. Other major 2019 openings in the area include the Sudima Christchurch and Hotel 818, both scheduled for the first half of 2019, along with the nearby 200-room Peterborough Hotel.
Novotel’s parent company Accor will also open its 200-room, four-star Novotel Christchurch Airport late this year, with the 130-room So Sofitel Auckland set for the first quarter of 2018 and the 250-room Pullman Auckland Airport opening late 2019. Other developments in the city include Millennium Hotels’ new M Social, opening in September.
New properties set to ease bed supply issues in the capital include the 102-room Sudima Wellington and 108-room Doubletree by Hilton, both opening late 2017, with Rydges Wellington Airport opening in 2018. Accor’s fire-damaged Sofitel Wellington will reopen in October 2017.