Novotel opens at Auckland airport
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Novotel Auckland Airport was officially opened today by Maori King Tuheitia and New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key. The NZ$65 million (US$52 million) hotel, located 50 metres from the airport’s international terminal, has been developed by one of New Zealand’s largest Maori entities, Tainui Group Holdings, in partnership with Auckland Airport and Accor, which will operate the hotel.
The 263-room hotel is the first hotel in the Pacific region to have Novotel’s new NEXT concept room, which maximises space, separating the bedroom and bathroom with a transparent glass partition that can be covered by an internal privacy screen. Windows are larger than standard and are double-glazed, while the bed is raised and framed by an upholstered headboard that follows the contours of the back.
Hotel facilities include the in-Balance Fitness gym with special facilities for airline crews, as well as a conference centre with 12 meeting rooms, capable of hosting events for up to 315 delegates. The Square restaurant offers dining pods for solo diners, with private TV screens so guests can watch a full range of programmes while they eat.
There is a green theme in the hotel’s lobby where guests are greeted by a ‘living wall’ of indigenous plants. All the timbers used in the Novotel are 100% FSC-accredited Southland maple beech, which are harvested on a sustainably-managed basis. A major effort has also been made to reduce energy and water usage in the hotel’s daily operations.
“For the majority of visitors to New Zealand, the Novotel is the first and last impression they have of the country, so the design of the Novotel has been infused with subtle references to New Zealand’s natural environment, culture, art and heritage,” said General Manager, Paul Columbus.
“Part of the New Zealand experience is the close encounter with nature, so the hotel has been surrounded with distinctive indigenous plants, including Pohutakawa (NZ Christmas) trees, while the triangular architectural features of the building are designed to reflect the bows of traditional Maori ‘waka’ canoes, which first arrived here at Manukau Harbour many hundreds of years ago,” he added.
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