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With 53-57 Shotover St being touted as a possible council admin building, work is expected to start next month on converting neighbouring 46-49 Shotover St into ‘lifestyle’ accommodation.
Early this year, it was confirmed Hong Kong-based Gaw Capital Partners had bought the former Base Backpackers — which closed in 2021 during the Covid pandemic — for $31m to turn it into a 430-bed mega-hostel.
Design studio CTRL Space, which is handling the interior design, last week announced its vision for a lifestyle-led hospitality destination.
"Hospitality is changing rapidly, particularly with millennial and Gen Z travellers who are placing far greater value on experience, atmosphere and connection than traditional ideas of luxury," CTRL Space founder Chris Stevens says.
The design is said to reinterpret Queenstown’s alpine heritage through a contemporary lens, referencing local chalets, schist barns, ski culture and rugged natural textures.
Completion is anticipated early next year.
