What's in a name?
An Australian company has announced it is setting up The Bathhouse Queenstown — touted as "New Zealand’s most luxurious wellness experience" — in Brecon St in December.
In what is bound to be a recipe for confusion, at least for visitors, a restaurant called The Bathhouse also operates on the fringe of the CBD, on Queenstown Bay.
Its owners, who include New Zealand celebrity chef Ben Bayly, opened The Bathhouse in 2022, after restoring the heritage building to its former glory — it originally opened as a bathhouse in 1911 to commemorate King George V’s coronation and later served as a rowing club shed.
Since its original restoration in 1997, however, it has served as a dining destination called The Bathhouse.
Contacted this week, one of Bayly’s partners, Vicki Onions, was asked if the current owners were considering legal action against a company planning to use their name when it rolled into town.
She replied "no comment". But it is understood they have engaged a lawyer to look into the issue.
A media spokesperson for The Bathhouse (the wellness company) was also asked if they were aware The Bathhouse (the restaurant) already operated in Queenstown, whether they conceded there would be room for confusion and whether the company would consider renaming its Queenstown operation.
As of deadline yesterday, the spokesperson had not replied.
