Hospitality plus at a secluded retreat

The Hotel and Spa du Vin has expansion approval, and the property includes 15ha of vineyards. Photo / Supplied

The luxury Hotel and Spa du Vin is to be sold following the announcement that the four-star boutique operation went into receivership last month.

The large and well-known property at 500 Lyons Rd, Mangatawhiri Valley, Pokeno, is just 45 minutes south of Auckland's CBD and 35 minutes' drive from Auckland International Airport. Tenders for the property close on September 24 with Bayleys.

Michael Pleciak and Mike Bayley of Bayleys Auckland, along with Richard Valintine of Bayleys Counties, are marketing the property on behalf of the receivers for Leeward Investments Limited. Until recently, Hotel and Spa du Vin was managed by the Heritage Hotel chain.

"Heritage has since relinquished the management of the hotel and the day-to-day running of the complex is being overseen by the receivers with a management agreement in place with the Select Group. It is business as usual in every way with all facets of the hotel open and operational," says Pleciak, stressing it is not in receivership.

Up for tender is the freehold tenure of the property which is in two titles. It comprises 15ha of vineyards and gardens along with 48 boutique rooms, restaurant and bar, reception areas and a sizeable spa complex with nine treatment rooms, and extensive conference facilities and recreational amenities. These include an indoor heated swimming pool, spa pool and three Astro Turf tennis courts. There is also a stand-alone residential dwelling currently used as staff accommodation.

"In terms of the guest accommodation, the original 32 rooms were established in 1988 and the hotel was extensively upgraded and expanded in 1990 with the addition of 16 more rooms. A new restaurant was added in 1997 and Spa du Vin was established in 2005 after a conversion of the former winery building," Pleciak says.

"Hotel and Spa du Vin is recognised as one of New Zealand's leading corporate retreats and conference venues and has also long been a popular wedding location given that the entire event can be held at the venue with guests accommodated on site. We have already had inquiries from both local and offshore people in the hospitality/accommodation industry who can see considerable potential in the opportunity afforded by this sale."

The property has benefited from extensive capital expenditure during the last year, including upgrades to the swimming and spa pools and equipment plus re-roofing work to the restaurant, wedding gazebo, the main building and over half of the accommodation blocks.

Further development could be undertaken with resource consent approval that was obtained in late 2006 to establish and operate a further 37 two-bedroom villas and suites (with dual keys providing 74 units) as part of the existing hotel operation. Approval was sought and obtained to build these units alongside the existing vineyards on the property on the banks of the Mangatawhiri River.

Pleciak says that despite its popularity as a domestic and overseas tourist destination, the property is not limited to its existing niche in the hospitality and accommodation sector. The layout, infrastructure and improvements to the property could also make the facilities ideal for educational or training purposes, subject to the usual council approvals.

The property is bounded in part by the Mangatawhiri Stream and is nestled in a valley with bush-clad hills on several sides making it suitably safe for the archery and clay bird shooting activities offered by the hotel.

"Lyons Rd is sealed and has direct access off State Highway 2 but the hotel and its environs are peaceful and seem incredibly remote which only adds to the charm of the property," says Pleciak.

"There are limited opportunities in the market for property assets of this quality, especially so close to Auckland. The right investor will recognise the potential yet to be developed and understand the inherent value that a landholding and operation of this scope offers now and in the future."