Reopening of the Sofitel Wellington hotel will go some way towards easing the shortage of visitor accommodation in the capital - a major issue for the city's growing tourism sector.
"The Wellington region's visitor numbers have grown strongly for several years, across leisure tourism, business events and commercial travel," says David Perks, GM venues, marketing and destination development for the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency.
The city is one of five major centres suffering an acute shortage of visitor accommodation - along with Auckland, Queenstown-Wanaka, Canterbury and Dunedin.
"Spending $2.5b a year in the region, visitors make a tremendous contribution right across the regional economy," says Perks. "Along with accommodation and tourism businesses, visitors provide important revenue to our retail and hospitality sectors, and to premium food and beverage and other suppliers.
"New hotel investment by major international operators like AccorHotels[Sofitel's parent] is an important factor in sustaining growth in Wellington's visitor economy," he says.
"We're delighted to have Sofitel up and running in the capital, providing a five-star hotel experience to visitors, and another top-quality business event hosting option through its conference facilities."
A Deloitte report for Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) released in April, found development of new accommodation would generate more tourism for New Zealand than any other category of infrastructure.
TIA chief executive Chris Roberts said Deloitte's assessment showed the need for "smart and active interventions" from the government and private sector to ensure tourism reaches its goal of $41b annual revenue by 2025.
Tourism NZ forecast around 3.1m arrivals this year; by 2022, 4.5m overseas visitors are expected, a demand the government estimates will require 4500 new hotel beds to cope with.
Sofitel Wellington opened on Bolton St, near the Beehive and Botanic Gardens, in July 2016 but closed in December following a fire in its restaurant. It reopened earlier this month.
The 14-floor hotel, which occupies a character building formerly the Apple and Pear Board headquarters, has 127 guest rooms and two suites.
While the rooms start at $269 a night, one 14th-floor suite will set guests back $2500 a night. For that, they can enjoy a large suite with marble hand basin, gold detailing on the bathroom wall, and a 180-degree view of the city.
Many of the rooms have views to the botanic gardens, hills, trees and villas of Karori. The detailing, furniture and artefacts acknowledge Wellington's colonial heritage, and include natural timbers, brass, copper, velvet, leather and botanic patterns.
Given its proximity to the nation's movers and shakers, conference and events facilities are a priority at the hotel. It has three options for meeting spaces; two of them can be configured in classroom, theatre, U-shape, boardroom, banquet, cocktail and cabaret settings.
They range from the 78m2 Lady Norwood Room (26-80 capacity, depending on the configuration) to the Rosa Room (20-50 capacity) and the more intimate Marsden Boardroom (12 capacity). All are located on the same level of the hotel and boast intelligent technology.
These are complemented by a spectacular restaurant. The upmarket Jardin Grill is designed for elegant dining, though there's an option to bask around a fire pit and unwind with friends, clients or colleagues in an alfresco courtyard.
High above the inner city, with views through floor-to-ceiling windows, the Green Room is a chic lounge offering light meals or a casual beverage and conversation. It will be home to a gin and tonic collection, which was inspired by the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris and Wellington's Botanical Gardens - reflecting the hotel's French ownership and local surroundings.
To book your stay at Sofitel Wellington, click here