Hilton tight-lipped on Kawarau Falls site

The Hilton hotel chain is remaining tight-lipped about whether it is moving into Queenstown's Kawarau Falls Station development, but confirms it is "in negotiations" to open a hotel in the resort.

The Otago Daily Times also understands the Hilton was one of the companies which responded to a tender for international hotel operators, undertaken by receivers Korda Mentha.

Hilton Australasia corporate communications manager Charlotte Seymour yesterday said the company was in negotiations for a site in Queenstown but a deal had not been finalised.

She said she believed the company was not the only chain vying for the same site.

However, she refused to confirm that site was the $1 billion Kawarau Falls Station development.

The ODT reported yesterday Hilton Hotels Corp was advertising for a business development director and an operations director for "Hilton Queenstown".

Ms Seymour said yesterday the company had been looking at entering the Queenstown market for a long time.

"We are definitely interested in getting a property in the South Island and certainly interested in Queenstown as New Zealand's premier destination," she said.

She said the company usually advertised for management positions when it was looking at potential sites.

"It's something we do to gauge what talent is available should the deal come about," she said.

Queenstown Lakes District Council Mayor Clive Geddes told the ODT at the last meeting he had with the Korda Mentha receivers, appointed to stage 1 of the Kawarau Falls Station development, they had "undertaken an international tender for hotel operators".

"They were really pleased with the response that they had. It included such international names as Wyndham and Hilton [among others]."

The Wyndham Hotel Group encompasses more than 7000 hotels and 590,000 rooms in 65 countries under several hotel brands.