
Looking forward to celebrating 60 years of Invercargill’s Kelvin Hotel this weekend are (from left) executive manager Jo-anne Harris, longest-standing team member Kevin Galbraith, ILT chief executive Chris Ramsay and staff member Mackenzie Alisson, wearing the uniform of Kelvin Hotel staff in the 1960s, and the original Kelvin Hotel bike which staff such as Mr Galbraith used to make deliveries. PHOTO: LUISA GIRAO
The Kelvin Hotel is one of the first businesses the ILT opened when it was established in 1944.
ILT chief executive Chris Ramsay said it was now the oldest property in the trust's portfolio and it was a huge part of Invercargill's history.
"It is such an exciting milestone. There's so many different ways to look at it, whether it be the people that have passed through the doors, from the staff to the loyal patrons that we've had in the day.
"But also, I think of something like this and how much it's contributed to the community. The profit that this has generated every year goes directly back into the hands and pockets of the community and so that's something the whole community should be really proud of."
The Kelvin Hotel opened on January 26, 1965, the work of local architect Arthur Milne and built by Invercargill-based builder McLennan's.
While it never won any design awards, the ILT believed it had fulfilled its purpose through the decades _ offering accommodation and service for thousands of patrons.
Before the sixth floor was a conference and event space, it was considered to be the "place to be", especially in the mid to late '80s when the top of the Kelvin was fine dining at its best.
Another popular feature was the Molly O'Gradys pub where many residents gathered to socialise.
It was also a place where celebrities spent time _ from Kris Kristofferson to the future King Charles III.

Invercargill’s Kelvin Hotel
The menu included Southland lamb, tomato orange salad and sauteed kidneys and bacon.
It was also believed by many to be the place where the Rolling Stones stayed after their famous concert at the Civic Theatre in the 1960s _ but Mr Ramsay said he could not confirm or deny if this was true.
"I'd love to say that Mick Jagger stayed here, but we have no official records."
One of the longest-standing team members, who has been part of the Kelvin Hotel almost since its inception, is Kevin Galbraith. At 72, he could not recall how long he had been working there but said it was like his "whole life".
"I started when Mr Bartley had it and I was just portering. Now I've done a bit of everything.
"They are quite friendly here and I feel they look after me."
On the other hand, Mackenzie Alisson, 17, has been working in the hotel for the past two and a-half years.
"It is my first job and my parents just thought working in hospitality would bring me out of my shell and bring my personality out a bit."
Kelvin Hotel executive manager Jo-anne Harris had been with the trust since she was 19, but has been in her current role since 2020.
She said she was proud to be celebrating such an important anniversary and was organising an event on Saturday for current and former staff members and patrons to celebrate with them.
"It's really cool to be part of a special milestone and be the manager of the property ... just to be involved and get staff involved ... it has been great to hear the feedback from the community and how much they love [the] Kelvin.
"They'll come back with different stories _ like they remember seeing Kevin around the place for so long and how the Kelvin used to be a bottlestore and the way it's shaped differently to how it is now, it is all very interesting and great to be part of."
For the hotel's future, Mr Ramsay said the word would be flexibility.
While the trust has been refurbishing and updating the property, there is talk of transforming it into a combination of inner-city apartments and a training hotel.
The ILT and SIT announced in 2019 they would join forces to turn it into a training facility, but the plans stalled when the former Labour government established Te Pūkenga.
Mr Ramsay hoped the conversations could return if the number of international students returned to SIT as well as if the tourism industry bounced back to pre-Covid levels.
"I think mixed use is always going to be the best use of any asset from a hospitality sense.
"I think the theme basically of the next two to three years for this property is flexibility and responding to the changes when they need to be made. But we are committed to keep the hotel and its history in Invercargill," Mr Ramsay said.