voco Queenstown general manager Jason Sabin outside the hotel, formerly known as Holiday Inn Express & Suites. PHOTO: JAMES ALLAN PHOTOGRAPHY

One of Queenstown’s newest hotels has just had a major refurb, and rebrand.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites officially opened on July 10, 2020 — yesterday it reopened as voco Queenstown, IHG Hotels & Resorts’ premium upscale brand.

First announced in February, the transition involved a refurb of 227 guest rooms and suites and a full redesign of the lobby and food and beverage spaces.

Anchoring the lobby is Mīharo, an artwork woven from whītau harakeke by Māori artist Cheree Te Orangaroa Downes (Murihiku, Southland), while the new restaurant and bar, Mozzarella & Co, centres on a show kitchen with a wood-fired pizza oven, in-house bakery and chef’s table experience.

There are also new outdoor terrace and lounge spaces, each centred around a firepit, and a private dining room for up to 14 guests.

voco Queenstown also boasts the ‘Resident Host’, a new front-of-house role combining concierge, porterage and guest services into a single connection, reflecting the brand’s "reliably different" positioning.

Pro-invest Group founder and chairman Ronald Stephen Barrott says the opening of voco Queenstown marks the next chapter for an asset and destination they’ve long believed in.

"Having developed, owned and actively managed the hotel since inception, the repositioning to voco represents a clear value enhancement, aligning the asset with premium demand and capitalising on Queenstown’s sustained year-round performance."

IHG Hotels & Resorts Australasia & Pacific managing director Matt Tripolone says the hotel’s opening demonstrates the value that can be created "when the right asset, the right market and the right brand come together".