New manager upbeat about two Hiltons

The two Hilton-managed hotels at the Kawarau Falls Station site will be run by former Park Hyatt Sydney general manager Marlene Poynder, who says she is "upbeat" about the future of the high-end retail and accommodation village as the global recession lifts.

"From Hilton's perspective, we want to achieve the first integrated village - not just for visitors to our hotels but also something Queenstown locals can use. We're hoping to expand the international attraction of what is already an international town to have the locals mixing with the people in the town," Mrs Poynder said.

Mrs Poynder, an Australian, who was in Queenstown yesterday, will be general manager at the five-star, 178-room Hilton Queenstown and four-star 98 single bedroom apartment-style the Kawarau Hotel, Managed by Hilton.

She will be introduced publicly at a media conference at the Kelvin Heights lakeside site in mid-January.

While New Zealand's "traditional" tourist markets in Britain, North America and Europe were "soft", she did not see Hilton's short-term future in the resort as a challenge.

"Korea and Japan are doing OK and China is doing well - these markets are familiar with the Hilton brand and of course there's the Australian market, which will be particularly good for long weekends and conferences," she said.

Hilton Australasia corporate communications manager, Charlotte Seymour, said staffing numbers at the two hotels would be firmed up in the new year and said there would definitely be more than 100 full- and part-time staff.

"It's too early to say how many staff there will be. We'll have a better idea of staffing numbers once we've assessed what we need across the two properties given the uniqueness of these two hotels and the size of the site," she said.

The opening date - slated for March - had not been finalised yet because questions of staffing, staff training and building completion still had to be factored in.

However, when the opening is confirmed "Paris will not be there", Ms Seymour said, referring to Hilton heiress Paris Hilton.

- matt.stewart@odt.co.nz