Distinction Hotels owner Geoff Thomson bought the Menzies building from Pascoe Properties in 2021 to build a 150-room hotel, with a prediction it would be open by September 2023.
Work on the building has been ongoing, though at a pace slower than expected, he said.
Mr Thomson said some structural strengthening has started taking place recently, and the stripping of the interior is an estimated three weeks from completion.
"The asbestos is just about all gone, and the biggest thing we're just waiting on are the planning consents for the car park."
Progress had been taking a bit longer than he originally thought, largely due to the shortage of contractors, he said.
"So we're not sure, but it looks like [the hotel opening will] be possibly be later on than September — but we still don't have defined timeframe yet."
"With the Covid era of nowadays, things take a lot longer to get done."
The completed building will feature a new facade that will have a few subtle differences to its current look, he said.
"With facades you've got a structural engineer, facade engineer, facade contractor and an architect and engineer all liable.
"So the amount of critiquing that goes into it is quite high, and then you've got to get someone that's got the time in their programme to not only construct it, but to install it — and a lot of the commercial workers in New Zealand, the facade people, are flat-out."
Mr Thomson has been a vocal champion for Invercargill’s potential as a tourist destination, and remains optimistic about its future.
"We've got some good products in Invercargill to showcase nowadays, which we've never had before, and it'll work really well from a tourism perspective."
Invercargill’s latest hotel, The Langlands, was opened by the Invercargill Licensing Trust in September last year, and boasts seven storeys, 78 rooms, and five eateries and bars.
- By Ben Tomsett
