An elegant new lifestyle hotel is coming to Auckland’s most vibrant urban neighbourhood, Britomart. The vision of Cooper and Company, who originally developed the precinct, The Hotel Britomart will be managed by international hoteliers TFE Hotels.
Construction began this week on the building, whose design and interiors were created by Cheshire Architects. Guests will step off a cobbled laneway into a café-style lobby space full of light and life. The hotel will have 99 rooms and five suites offering some of the city’s most refined accommodation. Three of these will boast generous outdoor sky gardens.
Britomart is a sought-after lifestyle precinct known for charming renovated dockside warehouses, sleek new architectural buildings, brick laneways filled with lively bars and a sunny square lined with leading restaurants and boutiques. It is above the city’s busiest public transport hub.
Located on the corner of Gore and Galway streets, the project will include the refurbishment and restoration of the adjoining Masonic and Buckland heritage buildings.
TFE Hotels, headquartered in Sydney, has been appointed as operator and manager of the hotel under the TFE Collections brand. This is a portfolio of unique and beautiful discovery hotels in Australia and New Zealand that have a sense of story, place and purpose.
TFE Hotels Chairman Allan Vidor said the hotel was perfectly placed in New Zealand’s biggest city and marked an expansion plan for TFE Hotels across the country.
“Britomart is New Zealand’s most sought-after premium lifestyle precinct – all that has been missing is a sophisticated top-tier hotel,” Mr Vidor said. “This development, created by the team that created Britomart itself, completes the picture. Its welcoming interiors and warm service offering will allow guests to feel a deep sense of connection, both within the hotel spaces, and also to this special precinct.”
Cooper and Company CEO Matthew Cockram said The Hotel Britomart was an exciting new venture for the group and the start of a new phase of evolution for the precinct.
“It allows us to take the appeal and vibrancy of Britomart as the heart of the CBD neighbourhood to a more intense and concentrated level by having people to stay,” he said. “Guests will delight in the exquisitely designed rooms and spaces. The Hotel Britomart’s discreet central location will provide easy access to the amenities and wide range of food, beverage and retail offerings of the Britomart precinct.”
Cheshire Architects’ Nat Chesire and Dajaiang Tai have created a 10-floor design with a distinctive brick exterior that will be punctuated by an irregular constellation of windows.
Mr Cheshire said: “Britomart has always been a place that confidently collides and enmeshes past and future. The Hotel Britomart is a contemporary building, but the handmade qualities of its brick exterior are in intimate conversation with its heritage neighbours. The project also allows us to reach into the heart of the city block and open up intimate new laneways and a tiny cobbled square, which will enrich the streetscape and the future of Britomart. For us, this is as exciting as the hotel itself.”
The hotel’s five “Landing Suites” were designed in collaboration with Seattle’s Lucas Design Associates. The name is a reference to Cooper and Company’s vineyard and luxury residence, The Landing, in the Bay of Islands.
“Our experience in providing luxury accommodation and hospitality at The Landing in the Bay of Islands made us want to create a city hotel that expresses all the values of the Britomart precinct,” said Cooper and Company executive chairman Peter Cooper. “Britomart is a crossroads at the heart of downtown waterfront Auckland, and the hotel is another important step in enabling us to welcome people from everywhere and make them feel at home here.”
In addition to the lobby, The Hotel Britomart’s ground floor will be occupied by retail outlets and food and beverage offerings. The new hotel will be separated from the adjacent heritage buildings by a laneway that will lead to the hotel’s main entrance and also form a new connection with Customs Street through the Masonic Building. Cooper and Company is working with Auckland Council and Auckland Transport to transform Galway Street into a shared space during the hotel construction process, making the Britomart precinct an even more welcoming environment for pedestrians.
Bookings will open in late 2019 for opening in early 2020. The building is targeting a 5-star Green rating that is part of a wider commitment to sustainabilty throughout the Britomart precinct.
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