NZ’s first Hotel Indigo opens its doors for summer

Friday, 20 December 2024

Hotel Indigo Auckland has breathtaking views over the city’s skyline and harbour.

A new $250 million Auckland hotel and apartment building that has been in the works for seven years is opening for business next week.

Hotel Indigo Auckland, which is located at 51 Albert Street on the historic Macdonald Halligan Motors site, is a 41-storey, mixed-use block that will feature three hospitality venues, as well as accommodation.

The 225 room hotel takes up the lower 27 levels, while there are 30 luxury apartments, including a $16m penthouse, across the top 13 floors.

First announced in 2018, the build has weathered the disruptions of the Covid pandemic to be the first of international hotel giant, IHG Hotels & Resort’s, Indigo brand to open in New Zealand.

But it is a “soft” opening for the hotel, so just 54 of its rooms will be available to guests from next week. The hotel’s gym, fitness centre and valet parking will also be open.

There are 225 hotel rooms and 30 luxury apartments in the building at 51 Albert Street.

Hotel Indigo Auckland general manager Mathew Simister said the holiday period was a good opportunity to showcase the unique property and its rooms, and give guests a taste of what was to come next year.

“Indigo is very much a story-telling brand with no two Indigo hotels the same, and the Auckland hotel will be the poster child for the boutique brand in New Zealand.”

The brand celebrated an area’s character and culture, and the Auckland hotel embraced the site’s roots as a car importer known as 'The Motor House”, and retained the original 1912 heritage-listed facade, he said.

“The history of the site is reflected in the hotel’s design, artwork, and amenities, which create a distinct connection to the city’s past while offering a modern, boutique experience.

“We have a beautifully curated lobby with artworks and stories of Auckland, and each floor focuses on a different aspect of the city. For example, floor 27 is all about the Waitemata.”

The rooms available from Monday would be on floors 18 to 27, and would show off the hotel’s fantastic views of the skyline and harbour, and room rates would be from $300 a night, he said.

“While our dining and drinking venues are not open yet, we will be offering a programme of surprise and delight through our neighbourhood partners, and we’ll be guiding guests to visit the local on-trend spots.”

Hotel Indigo Auckland’s Mathew Simister says the hotel is part of the regeneration of Auckland’s CBD.

The hotel was finessing the final elements of the building in preparation for a full opening early next year, he said.

A French-inspired bistro and a café-cum-wine bar will be open from March onwards, while a cocktail bar and lounge will open later in 2025. They will be open to the public, and accessible from the street rather than the hotel lobby.

Simister said one of the goals was to help guests see Auckland’s mid-town through a local lens, so they discovered places and experiences that might get missed.

The hotel was a big part of the regeneration of the Auckland CBD, and came on the back of IHG’s Intercontinental Hotel in Commercial Bay which opened at the start of this year, he said.

“It’s been a challenging couple of years for the CBD, and its retail and hospitality businesses, but it is starting to feel much more vibrant, especially the lower part of town.

“Lots of road works have gone, and it is looking good. The Convention Centre is coming next year. The City Rail Link is getting closer, and companies are encouraging people to return to the CBD.”

He was optimistic about the future, but ensuring the city continued to attract big events was critical, he said.

Events, such as the Coldplay concerts in November, are a huge boost to the industry and the CBD, Simister says.

“In November with Coldplay, Pearl Jam, and the Hockey Masters, the city was vibrant and alive. Events are a huge boost to the industry, and they do wonders for retail and hospitality sectors. We want to see that continue.”

Hotel Indigo is close to the New Zealand International Convention Centre, due to open in mid-2025, the Sky Tower and Casino, and the Britomart, Commercial Bay, Viaduct and Wynyard Quarter precincts.

IHG developed the hotel and apartment block in partnership with Ninety Four Feet, a Melbourne-based property development company, at a total cost of $250m.

Simister said most of the apartments in the building had already sold, but there were still a few available to buy.

IHG Australasia’s managing director, Matt Tripolone, said he was excited to have the Indigo brand make its debut in Auckland, and proud that IHG had tripled its presence in the city since 2020.

It was fantastic to see the investment in new hotels into Auckland, especially international, luxury and lifestyle hotels which had been missing, he said.

“I know it was a tough winter for some of the industry in Auckland, but I’m feeling upbeat about the outlook for the hotel sector, and we’re seeing reassuring signs in the tourism space with international visitor levels reasonably strong.”

IHG had a long history in New Zealand and was actively looking at opportunities to expand its footprint and introduce new brands, he said.