Melbourne St property play

A hotel chain owner’s snapped up adjacent houses on central Queenstown’s Melbourne St — part of the town centre arterial road project — for a combined $6,855,000.

According to property records, 17 and 21 Melbourne St sold last year for $3,505,000 and $3,350,000, respectively, to Queenstown Residential Group Ltd.

Its sole director is Christchurch-based Lani Hagaman, who’s executive chairwoman of New Zealand’s largest independently-owned and operated hotel chain, Scenic Hotel Group (SHG).

The two properties, both 936 square metres with long-established homes on them, are directly opposite Holiday Inn Express, but only a block away from SHG’s Scenic Suites and Heartland Hotel.

Both property transactions were handled by local Bayleys commercial broker Luke Baird.

It’s thought SHG’s using both homes for staff accommodation.