IHG Hotels & Resorts announced this week the 227-room, four-star hotel, which fronts Stanley, Sydney and Melbourne Sts, will be converted to its premium ‘voco’ brand by the end of the year — the rebrand was first reported in Mountain Scene in 2024.
The conversion will follow a refurbishment that’ll include an upgrade of its meeting spaces, a new restaurant and bar and new indoor and outdoor dining areas.
The statement says the rebrand’s designed to ‘‘strengthen the property’s commercial mix, broaden its appeal across leisure and corporate segments, and support sustained long-term performance’’.
After a two-year, $60million build, the hotel opened in July 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic and closed borders.
The building itself, designed by McAuliffe Stevens, has received both national and international acclaim — in 2020 it was a finalist in The Urban Developer Awards, Australasia, for ‘development of the year — hotels and accommodation’; in 2021 it was a finalist in the World Architecture Festival hotel and leisure category, and the following year it won the Southern Architecture Awards for planning and design.
Developed and owned by Australian company Pro-invest Group, it was the company’s first Holiday Inn Express in New Zealand, a brand it operates under a franchise agreement with IHG.
Pro-invest Group chairman Ron Barrott says the decision shows its confidence in the hotel and IHG’s ‘‘premium platform’’.
The hotel has an established track record and an exceptional location in Queenstown, Barrott says.
“Transitioning to ‘voco’ allows us to reposition the asset for its next phase, leveraging IHG’s scale, systems and premium brand strength to support long-term performance.”
The statement says Queenstown remains a ‘‘stand-out’’ tourist destination underpinned by strong year-round visitation, a long-standing international reputation and ‘‘sustained demand for well-located, high-quality accommodation’’.
