Farewell MIQ, gidday travellers: Novotel transforming; Pullman fit-out on

Out goes stuff used by MIQ guests, back come workers to fit out a new neighbouring hotel.

That's the scene at two Auckland Airport hotels where travellers are expected to return and workers are back at a new $150 million tourism development.

Mark Thomson, Auckland Airport's property and commercial general manager, said many items used at Novotel Tainui Auckland Airport Hotel when people were quarantined were being replaced as part of a long-planned upgrade.

Fully-sanitized beds, duvets, pillows, bins, hairdryers, irons and boards were going to charity, including Tonga's disaster relief, he said.

Walls are being repainted at the distinctive dark-coloured glass-clad hotel opposite the international terminal on Ray Emery Drive, overlooking the runway.

Thompson specified 325 beds, 350 duvet inners, 1700 pillows, 1000 waste bins, 275 irons and boards and 275 hairdryers.

MIQ guests used these pillows, so they're all leaving the hotel. Photo / Greg Bowker

The Ministry of Health says Covid is "mostly transmitted via direct or close contact with an infected person when they cough or sneeze. It is possible but considered a lower risk that infection can occur if someone touches a contaminated object or surface, then touches their mouth, nose, or eyes without washing their hands first."

Professor Rod Jackson, University of Auckland epidemiologist, said he thought the hotel's equipment donations were "largely symbolic. It's totally safe to give this away to Tonga. I'm quite surprised they're doing this because the virus doesn't last long. It would be gone from surfaces within 24 hours. There's no way it would be there 24 hours later."

Thomson said everything was being donated to charities either here or overseas. More than half was going to Tonga's disaster relief.

The Novotel had played an essential role during the pandemic as an MIQ hotel, protecting communities, he said. Hospitality staff were retained, which meant the hotel was now well-placed for a smooth reopening to travellers.

Mark Thomson, airport property and commercial general manager at the new Pullman Hotel. Photo / Greg Bowker

By July, work is due to be finished in 263 bedrooms, 11 meeting rooms, nine corridors and conference rooms at the 12-level building.

The Novotel, run for two years as MIQ, is owned by the airport and Tainui Group Holdings.

Thomson said the building was around mid-way through its return to full-service four-star tourist accommodation.

"Our rooms are being refreshed as part of our ongoing maintenance improvement programme, which involves the refurbishment of facilities from time to time. These works had been planned for 2021 but were deferred due to Covid. We decided to restart the programme and update our rooms as part of transitioning from an MIQ back to a hotel," he said.

Flat out to do good - irons going to charities. Photo / Auckland Airport

Next door, work has resumed at the new Te Arikinui Pullman Auckland Airport Hotel development.

That is a $150m 311-room project being developed by the same airport/Tainui partnership as at the Novotel.

Pullman's exterior facade is done but Dominion Constructors has now been contracted to do the internal fit-out.

"The global pandemic introduced considerable uncertainty and the partnership felt that a phased approach to the build was a prudent decision," Thomson conceded.

"We're now in a position where we're starting to see a clearer recovery path for air travel and can get underway on the interior with a greater degree of confidence. Before the pandemic the occupancy profile at the Novotel had Australian and New Zealand travellers comprising around 75 per cent of guests and this will likely be the region where we will see recovery coming first," he said.

Construction started in late 2019 - just before the pandemic broke out around March, 2020. The timing was not ideal.

Plans show how the airport's new outlet centre could look inside once finished. Photo / Supplied

The Government's Managed Isolation and Quarantine announced last month that 28 of New Zealand's 32 MIQ properties would return to being hotels by the end of June.

Auckland's Crowne Plaza, Grand Mercure, Grand Millennium, Novotel/Ibis Ellerslie, Sebel, Stamford, Sudima Airport, Rydges and SO/ began the decommissioning process last month, MIQ said.

Beyond June 30, hotels no longer required and not remaining in the MIQ network included Auckland's Novotel Airport and Ramada, MIQ said.

"While MIQ is winding down, it will still play a role in the community and at the border. For this reason, eight facilities will remain as part of our network to provide managed isolation and quarantine for unvaccinated travellers, refugees, community cases and special groups," said head of MIQ Chris Bunny on March 11.

Beyond June 30, Auckland's Jet Park, Holiday Inn, Waipuna Auckland and Christchurch's Commodore would be retained as MIQ, Bunny said.

In the June 30, 2021 year, the airport's underlying profit fell by $230 million to a loss of $41.8m. Revenue was down 50.4 per cent to $281m.

That was the first full year operating in the pandemic and the company fell to its first loss since listing in 1998.

The airport is also developing a $200m 120-store discount fashion outlet centre.

Last month, the Herald reported Thomson saying work was underway for foundations to be laid for the new hub which, at 25,000sq m, will be more than the size of two rugby fields and have 100-plus shops.

Last September, the airport announced the discount centre, saying then it would have 120 shops.