New hybrid hotel and hostel for former Sol Square building

Thursday, 7 March 2024

A computer image of how Drifter Christchurch will look.

A new type of guest accommodation will launch in Christchurch this year, inside a heritage building unused since the earthquakes.

Called Drifter Christchurch, the hotel-hostel hybrid concept will offer accommodation ranging from a $70-a-night bed in a bunkroom, to a $330-a-night loft suite.

The Drifter Group’s first two locations will be Byron Bay in Australia as well as Christchurch.

A suite in the new Drifter Christchurch, due to open in mid-2024. (Computerised image)

Others across Australia and New Zealand are to follow next year.

Drifter Christchurch will have 95 rooms, a bar, dining area, meeting rooms and working spaces, and food and drink outlets.

It is due to open in May.

The former Wellington Woollen Mills building in Lichfield St will house Drifter Christchurch.

The location will be the marble-fronted heritage building at 96 Lichfield St in the central city.

Built as the Wellington Woollen Mills building in 1919, it was part of property developer Dave Henderson’s Sol Square complex before the earthquakes, housing Minx restaurant and a budget accommodation lodge.

The heritage-listed building was designed by William Gummer, who was also one of the architects behind Christchurch’s Bridge of Remembrance.

Accommodation will range from bunkrooms to suites. (Computer image)

Henderson’s company Lichfield Ventures went into liquidation in 2010, before the building suffered earthquake damage.

The building was bought in 2018 by Wool House Investments Ltd, headed by investor Liz Harris and her daughter Jenna Dwan.

They repaired and restored the building with the help of a $600,000 city council heritage grant. The work involved sourcing matching Takaka marble to fix the façade.

The business has applied for a liquor licence for the Lichfield St business. (Computer image)

Wool House Investments sold the building in 2023 to Drifter Christchurch Pty Ltd, along with a parking area alongside.

Drifter, part of the Melbourne-based Leisure Accommodation Collective, was founded by Hugh Stephenson, Joshua Hunt and Ryan Sanders.

Christchurch-born Sanders also founded Haka Tourism Group, while Stephenson and Hunt are Sydney-based businessmen.

Hunt described their accommodation model as bringing together “the best of hotel and hostel features”.

Aimed at “the young and young at heart”, it will have a “design-centric aesthetic” and offer guests experiences including music, art and culture, he said.

“Drifter Christchurch and Drifter Byron Bay are the first version of this concept and we‘re really looking forward to opening our doors for travellers to share in the experience of them soon.”

The business has applied for an 8am to 2am liquor licence for the premises.