Auckland's former Westin Hotel on the edge of the Wynyard Quarter is to be rebranded Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour. Accor, the world's largest hotel chain, yesterday announced it was changing the 173-room waterfront hotel to become a Sofitel, following last year's announcement that it would manage the property which was initially under its MGallery range, although it traded as Hotel Lighter Quay The building at the intersection of Halsey St, Gaunt St and Viaduct Harbour Ave is Accor's 10th in Auckland and 33rd in New Zealand and for some years traded as the Westin, which launched with a high-profile anti-tobacco campaign. The hotel has hosted stars such as Pamela Anderson, David Beckham and Kanye West and has served as the headquarters for New Zealand Fashion Week. Paul Richardson, Accor New Zealand vice-president, said yesterday the Sofitel was a luxury offering which Auckland needed. "The property is outstanding and with Accor management and Sofitel branding we believe we can develop it to its full potential. "This is an area of Auckland that truly reflects the most attractive attributes of the city and we will complement that with distinctive accommodation, backed by quality 5-star service. "We expect the hotel to become as much a destination for New Zealand travellers as overseas visitors and over the next month we will launch a new restaurant and relaunch the spa centre, which will be one Auckland's most desirable urban spas," Richardson said. Wouter de Graaf, general manager of the Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa, will move to Auckland to manage the property. Rooms will start at $299 a night. Accor previously had only the Queenstown hotel under the Sofitel brand. The Auckland property was originally developed by Nigel McKenna's Melview Developments but was marred with disputes over payments from the former management to investors who own rooms. The hotel had three names during a short period, changing from Westin Lighter Quay last autumn to Viaduct Harbour Hotel in July then Hotel Lighter Quay in September. Behind the name change was a fierce fight as room owners demanded payments and became so disenchanted that they split away from Westin and carved out a separate lodging business, undercutting the Westin by charging cheap rates.
GMT 10:25 2017 Friday ,06 October
Las Vegas shooter booked Chicago hotel during LollapaloozaGMT 07:51 2017 Thursday ,10 August
The most important new resorts in the UAEGMT 19:30 2017 Tuesday ,01 August
Go hotel hopping in the UAE with this guide to the hottest new resortsGMT 17:19 2017 Monday ,26 June
Doha’s hotels suffer in Eid holiday due to Arab sanctionsGMT 00:44 2017 Monday ,01 May
Sheraton Oman declared 'Best Business Hotel in Muscat'GMT 05:32 2017 Saturday ,29 April
Al Faisaliah voted ‘Best Business Hotel in Riyadh’GMT 11:16 2017 Wednesday ,26 April
4 Seasons Riyadh and Kingdom Center collaborate for autism campaignGMT 03:58 2017 Friday ,21 April
Millennium Resort Mussanah hosts Oman’s aspiring football starsMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor