A drawing of planned expansion of the Cordis, Auckland. Photo / Supplied
A drawing of planned expansion of the Cordis, Auckland. Photo / Supplied
Langham Hospitality Group plans to expand its Auckland Cordis hotel to be the biggest in New Zealand by room count.
A new 16-floor tower is scheduled to be opened late in 2020, in time for the America's Cup and Asia Pacific Economic Forum (Apec), two major events scheduled to beheld in Auckland the following year.
The hotel is 10 levels at the moment and the expanded building would include a private VIP entrance for a lift to the upper floors.
The new tower will be connected to the existing hotel will house an additional 250 premium rooms and suites, taking the total to 650. The size of the new rooms will start from 32 square metres and the brand new Club Lounge will have panoramic views of the harbour and the central city.
Auckland is suffering a shortage of hotel accommodation, especially at the luxury end, and the Cordis expansion will be welcomed by the tourism sector.
Event space at Cordis, Auckland will also be expanded.
An artist's impression of the expanded Cordis Hotel in Symonds St. Photo / Supplied
The hotel currently has more than 2000sq m of event space and there are plans to add about 400sq m that will offer natural light and multiple configurations, allowing for more flexibility in hosting events.
Franz Mascarenhas, managing director of Cordis, Auckland said the expansion would meet the increasing demand for business and leisure travellers visiting Auckland as a result of the successful tourism campaigns.
''We also see more families and couples doing staycations over long weekends and special occasions.''
Work could begin as early as late this year. He would not disclose the cost of the new development.
Parts of the hotel may have to close at times of peak construction.
The hotel on Symonds St has already undergone a multi-million dollar refurbishment including a new-look lobby, an overhaul of all 411 rooms and suites, a refreshed Club Lounge on the 10th floor, and a new bar and restaurant called The Lobby Lounge, due to open tomorrow.
The bar will serve a specially brewed Cordis Beer, made by Kingsland's Urbanaut Brewery.
The refurbished lobby at the Cordis, Auckland. Photo / Supplied.
Guests will also be offered a smartphone during their stay with free internet access, local calls and international calls to seven countries.
Chief sales and marketing officer of Langham Hospitality Group, Simon Manning said the successful repositioning of the Auckland hotel combined with the economic growth and positive tourism outlook in this country gave the company confidence that this was the right time for expansion of the hotel.
"On a broader outlook, with New Zealand's International Convention Centre scheduled to open in 2020, Cordis, Auckland's enhanced facilities and increased inventory will be in a strong position to support the country's development of the robust conventions and events sector," said Manning.
"In addition, Langham Hospitality Group is very much committed to New Zealand and is in active discussions to manage other hotels in Auckland."
A refurbished superior double room at the Cordis, Auckland. Photo / Supplied
The wider group has more than 30 projects currently either confirmed or in a developed stage of negotiation from Asia, Europe and North America to the Middle East.
A report by international real estate services company CBRE late last year says demand for hotels will exceed supply at the time of the America's Cup if tourism growth continues at forecast rates, in spite of a surge in hotel building under way.
The report said an additional 3195 hotel rooms were planned to be built in the city during the next three years.
The biggest hotel in the country by rooms is the Grand Millennium in Auckland which has about 450 rooms.
