The Sudima re opens to the public after a long stint as an MIQ hotel.
Rotorua's last MIQ facility has closed its doors.
The fences came down around the Sudima Hotel on Eruera St yesterday, two years and 11 days after it closed to the public and became a Managed Isolation Facility (MIQ).
Sudima Hotel Rotorua will reopen on July 1 as a commercial hotel.
At an informal ceremony on Wednesday, Sudima Hotel general manager Rajas Patil said he still remembered having lunch on June 20, 2020, when he was told the hotel's first isolation guests would be arriving.
"At 3am the next morning the first bus came in full of unhappy people."
Patil said running MIQ had been "a good challenge" but it was exciting to be back in action.
The Sudima Hotel Rotorua closed to the public from June 20, 2020. Photo / Andrew Warner
"MIQ helped the community, which was good but now it is time to reopen as a commercial hotel, welcome back guests and show them the hospitality and customer service New Zealand is famous for," Patil said.
But there was still a lot of work to be done before opening day next week, he said.
"We are getting the pool back and repainted. So we have some designers working on that," Patil said.
"We are changing the carpets. We have ordered new mattresses... and new linen.
"A lot of things are happening in a very short time."
But according to Patel, bookings were already "flowing".
"People are looking for conference venues and we are getting enquiries for next year."
Sudima Hotel general manager Rajas Patil (centre). Photo / Andrew Warner
The Sudima is the third and last hotel in Rotorua to end its MIQ facility, after the Ibis and Arawa Park (formerly Rydges) hotels.
The three facilities were among 32 hotels used for MIQ in New Zealand.
Across all three were 535 spots for returnees; 227 in Sudima, 134 in Ibis and 124 in Rydges hotels. Combined, they have hosted more than 17,000 returnees in the last two years.
The Ibis Hotel will reopen to the public from Sunday. Rydges Hotel Rotorua will reopen as the Arawa Park Hotel on July 1.
Ibis Rotorua general manager Edward Judd said Sunday would be "like opening a new hotel".
"We are looking forward to welcoming people back. It is what we went into the industry for," Judd said.
"We did not go in to do isolation."
The MIQ facility at Sudima Hotel was supported by a team of hotel staff, defence force personnel, police and DHB employees. Photo / Andrew Warner
Judd said while he was proud of the work the hotel staff had done, everyone wanted "to get back to normal".
"The good thing is that some people who have stayed with us in isolation are coming back. That's been really special for us and I think that will continue."
Judd said bookings at the hotel were "stronger than we were expecting".
"For me, there have been a lot of positives in MIQ and we need to focus on that but we also need to move on," Judd said.
"The hotels have done what they needed to do. Now we need to get back into normal business."
New Zealand Defence Force Major Gwyn Macpherson was officer-in-charge of MIQ in Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner
New Zealand Defence Force Major Gwyn Macpherson was officer-in-charge of MIQ in Rotorua and worked closely with the hotels and other agencies such as the District Health Board.
"The people I have worked with are amazing. I have made so many friends here."
Macpherson said he and his soldiers had spent an average of six to eight months in Rotorua over the two-year period.
"We ran the trails. We cycled. We did white water rafting. We became Rotorua in many ways and we really enjoyed it," Macpherson said.
"Rotorua really looked after us. I know a lot of my guys have come back."
Sudima Hotel's MIQ numbers:
• Number of guests isolated: 7,000
• Last guest left Sudima: March 29, 2020
• Number of staff on each MIQ shift:
1 Police Officer – 1
8 New Zealand Defence Force personnel
12 MBIE or First Security Officers
6 Health Staff including nurses, health care assistants and wellbeing navigators
20 Hotel Staff
6 Others including management, contractors, tradespeople, administration staff
