New Zealand hotel meets global trend

A New Zealand hotel is at the forefront of an international trend towards low-priced, designer hotels. Globally, new independent hotels are presenting an accommodation concept that is shaking up the cookie-cutter nature of the chain-dominated sector; the 205-room ‘urban lodge’ Hoxton Hotel opened in London late last year, quickly followed by the first Yotel, located at the UK’s busy Gatwick Airport.

Both hotel models – whose backers intend rapid expansion into other major airports and cities – put travellers in smaller spaces than they usually encounter, and surround guests with smart, stylish features and amenities. Rooms, which are at least 20 percent smaller than a standard hotel room, include pod-style bathrooms, wireless internet, humidified air conditioning, and a comprehensive entertainment system behind each room’s flat-screen TV.

Economising on size means lower room rates can be passed on to the consumer, says Dave Henderson, the developer of New Zealand’s answer to the new breed of hotel, Hotel SO.

The 284-room hotel, set to open in late 2007, is meeting the demands of modern hotel guests by focusing on leading-edge design and technology, while cutting down on features that research shows travellers find unhelpful, inconvenient or annoying.

“Our research showed a demand for a smarter, 21st-century hotel model,” Mr McCaw said. “Hotel SO, like the Hoxton and Yotel overseas, will give people what they want from a hotel – a better accommodation experience that values great style and design, and provides a rejuvenating and restful experience.”

Hotel SO does away with the notoriously over-priced minibar, instead providing guests with a 24-hour bar and café, and a silent in-room fridge. Rooms are fully sound-proof, and can be modified according to individual colour, light, sound and temperature preferences. Like the Hoxton and Yotel, each Hotel SO room meets the needs of tech-savvy travellers with amenities such as a flat-screen entertainment system with more than 50 channels, and content guests can tailor to their preferences.

CEO Nick McCaw said the hotel’s many innovative features, such as a touch-screen virtual concierge and express electronic check-in, amount to an accommodation creation that is first-to-market in New Zealand and which competes with the latest developments in the northern hemisphere.

As they build the flagship of what will become the first New Zealand-owned international hotel chain, Hotel SO’s creators are conscious of the environmental spotlight being shone on the global tourism sector.

Mr McCaw said the hotel was pushing the boundaries for sustainable business practice. “People are much more conscious of not leaving a footprint, so to speak, so Hotel SO has a highly efficient water and energy management system. Consumables are all recycled, and each room has an energy-saving system that reduces consumption when it’s not being used.”

Travellers continue to treat certain amenities as a given, and Hotel SO features a gymnasium, two saunas and massage and therapy room. Business visitors are serviced with two theatre-style conference rooms and a boardroom.

Hotel SO’s creators appreciate that for many travellers, their accommodation choice comes down to price, so despite the leading-edge design, technology and facilities, rooms are priced significantly below average for a standard hotel room.

Mr McCaw said the price point meets the objective of providing an exceptional experience at a price accessible to all travellers, and further demonstrates Hotel SO’s leadership of the new-model trend. The Hoxton and Yotel are likewise charging significantly less – about 18 percent – than the standard rate.

With unique concepts by international design collective Rinzen and construction by leading regional firm Montecristo Construction Ltd, Hotel SO represents a NZ$40 million investment in Christchurch’s tourism and accommodation sector.

Hotel SO is a New Zealand company owned by Property Ventures, the diversified property development and investment company whose Managing Director, Dave Henderson, is a noted developer of high-quality managed accommodation projects in several New Zealand cities.

To find out more about Hotel SO visit Hotelso.co.nz.