Wellingtons zebra building faces new life as long-term accommodation

Thursday, 23 January 2020

Wild Zebra Backpackers on Tory St in central Wellington will soon be converted into a hotel for people wanting to medium to long-term accommodation.

People visiting Wellington for business or pleasure are looking for places to stay that can cater to them for longer.

And developers are seeing a gap in some of Wellington's central suburbs for this - with The Wellington Company purchasing Wild Zebra Backpackers on Te Aro's Tory St for $7.5 million and choosing to convert it into a hotel for medium to long-term stays.

Since the end of 2019, construction workers have been preparing the zebra-printed building for change. They have been ripping up carpet and getting rid of doors, bathrooms and walls - markers of its hostel history.

The four-star hotel, which will be called the Citizen, plans to have more than 80 self-contained rooms with their own kitchenettes and laundry services.

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The Wellington Company purchased Wild Zebra Backpackers for $7.5 million.

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The building was first an office and later became the Wellington branch of the Department of Conservation. It was converted to a backpackers in 2008.

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Property developer Alex Cassels said the hotel would ideally be for people who were stationed in Wellington for long periods of time.

Since the end of 2019, construction workers have been getting the zebra-printed building ready for its hotel transformation.

'We see a gap in the market for medium-term stays in Te Aro at a reasonable price point,' Cassels said.

The building's location and natural light was what drew him to convert it into a hotel.

Developer Alex Cassels says the company saw a gap in the market for accommodation in Te Aro that focused on medium-term stays.

Through design and decorating, the rooms would have a 'homely' feel for long-term stayers, he said.

And while Airbnb, an online broker that helps people rent out part or all of their property as accommodation for a commission, Cassels did not see it as a competitor.

The hotel, was being designed to meet quite specific needs for people wanting to stay in Te Aro, he said.

And as for its zebra-print exterior? That could also be up for a change.

Associate professor Ian Yeoman from Victoria University of Wellington's school of management said hotels focused on medium to long-term stays were not traditional hotels.

Rather, they were a 'home away from home', Yeoman said.

Wellington, as a business centre, meant there was higher demand for medium to long-term accommodation.

'The long-stay guest requires more space and they require more facilities … the traditional hotel is fundamentally a bedroom and bathroom whereas the long-stay hotel usually has some sort of lounge area and kitchenette.'

He had noticed more people were travelling in groups as families and friends, which meant they needed more rooms - they were also spending more time in a destination rather than trying to see everything in a certain amount of days, he said.

Hotels were changing what they offered to cater to this, he said.

Wellington was no Barcelona or Sydney but its rental market was skewered due to people taking up properties in the city for medium to long-term stays.

He considered the city would still have all types of accommodation but with projects like the Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, there would be different people coming to the city and mixing up the accommodation sector.

The hotel is set to be ready by 2021.

The building, known for its zebra print exterior, was constructed in the 1940s.

It was first an office building and later became the Wellington branch of the Department of Conservation. It was converted to a backpackers in 2008.

Levels one to five used to operate as a backpackers and the building's top floors are penthouse apartments.