Distinction Hotels New Zealand has appointed Ken Edwards as Distinction Nugget Point Boutique Hotel general manager, joining the hotel with 26 years' hotel management experience, and bringing with him a well-established management team from Peppers Bluewater Resort in Lake Tekapo, where he was previously the general manager.
Distinction Nugget Point was a short drive from Queenstown and Arrowtown, suspended above the Shotover River and was of an "opulent yet uniquely intimate" design.
The hotel featured 36 open-plan suites with private balconies towards the Shotover River, the Remarkables, Sugar Loaf Hill, Cecil Peak or garden views.
Presidential Suites featured outdoor jacuzzis and expansive balconies.
Mr Edwards said he was "thrilled" with the new challenged and looked forward to welcoming guests into the "hidden gem".
The new management company, Distinction Hotel Group, had a long-term commitment to the property and wanted to re-establish it as somewhere "small, rather luxurious and very engaging with a real sense of warmth in the welcome and the very highest levels of service and standards".
"Not only will that apply to our guests, but also our local community with whom we look forward to re-engaging.
"The property is proudly New Zealand-owned and we strongly believe in supporting the New Zealand economy.
"We offer the very best food, wine and produce for our guests and locals."
Mr Edwards said Distinction Nugget Point's executive chef Rob Hunt sourced New Zealand's best produce, while wine connoisseur Alan Hamilton, of Arrowtown, had built a wine list with "no Australian or European wines on offer".
While it was an "aspirational" place to visit, stay or dine, it was very achievable for most, he said.
"The perception is that we are expensive, that people can't step through the door, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
"We are priced in line with many properties or restaurants in the Queenstown market with very reasonable prices on our food and wines.
"We look forward to re-establishing our community relationships and providing both the local community and our guests with our quintessential Queenstown flavour," he said.
•Along with its new general manager, Distinction Nugget Point has gained a "chef extraordinaire" who has worked in some of the world's best restaurants and holds a CV glittering with coveted Michelin stars.
Distinction Nugget Point executive chef Rob Hunt said he was eager to show his French-inspired style to the community and visitors.
Mr Hunt, with 10 years' experience, started his career at the five-star deluxe Savoy Grill at the Savoy Hotel in London before moving to the Michelin two-star restaurant Le Clos Longchamps, in Paris.
He worked on board Queen Elizabeth 2 on a world cruise before moving to the Hotel Deidesheimer Hof, a Michelin one-star restaurant in Germany.
After positions at four- and five-star restaurants in Egypt and Ethiopia, Mr Hunt returned to France and the Michelin three-star restaurant La Cote St Jacques.
He said his philosophy was to create the best food using the highest quality ingredients, brought together with his inimitable classical style.
"We're going to cook food with Kiwi ingredients, but not Kiwi food.
"My menus are French orientated; they have a lot of French flavour but with New Zealand ingredients.
"I want to take my classical background and use the New Zealand food culture to move in a really positive direction."
Mr Hunt said the hotel would be embracing New Zealand and creating relationships with local suppliers, with menus dictated by fresh, seasonal produce.
"We're a New Zealand-owned business and we want that reflected in the food.
"Ultimately, we are selling New Zealand."
