Hotel chain Accor to manage Wairakei Resort Taupō, plans renovations and rebrand

• Accor will take over management of Wairakei Resort Taupō from Bayview International Hotels & Resorts, planning renovations and a relaunch under a new brand.
• The deal also includes two Australian hotels, with upgrades to design, facilities, and amenities planned.
• Accor, now the largest hotel operator in Australia and New Zealand, is set to open more properties this year.

Global hospitality company Accor is taking over management of Wairakei Resort Taupō from its Malaysian owners, with plans to renovate and relaunch it under a new brand.

The deal is part of an agreement with Bayview International Hotels & Resorts, which will result in its three properties in Australia and New Zealand being incorporated into Accor’s portfolio of 406 hotels across the Pacific this month.

The other two properties included in the partnership are The Sydney Boulevard Hotel in central Sydney and Bayview Geographe Resort, located south of Perth in Busselton.

Accor’s global chief development officer for its premium, midscale and economy division Camil Yazbeck told the Herald it plans to “elevate the guest experiences” at the three hotels by “upgrading their design, facilities, and amenities” and changing their brand identities.

“We are working with the owner on investment and branding strategies to deliver the strongest returns and best long-term prospects.

“The hotels will then undergo extensive renovations to align with their new brand promises.”

Wairakei Resort Taupō runs on renewable energy generated by its geothermal landscape.

Accor owns and operates 19 hotel brands in the Pacific region and more than 45 worldwide.

Each property’s brand identity will be confirmed in the next two years when their repositioning strategies are completed.

“Selecting the right brand and developing an investment strategy for each hotel requires an intensive effort and we continue to closely evaluate each market and opportunity,” Yazbeck said.

“We will communicate more once we have finalised the strategy for each hotel, but suffice to say, our commitment is to create multi-faceted experiences that inspire travellers and locals, while unleashing new and untapped opportunities that will shape these hotels for a strong future.”

Bayview is a hospitality company run by the Loh family, who founded its parent company, Oriental Holdings Berhad, in 1963.

Oriental Holdings Berhad has owned Wairakei Resort since 1991, under a separate subsidiary called Kah New Zealand, and also owns the now-shuttered Chateau Tongariro.

Accor Pacific chief operating officer Adrian Williams (left) and Bayview International Hotels & Resorts vice-president of operations Peter Pysk.

Wairakei Resort, set 10 minutes’ drive north of Taupō, is a 187-room hotel within the Wairakei natural thermal valley. It’s home to a day spa, nine-hole golf course, geothermal pools, dining venues and conference spaces.

The Chateau Tongariro is not included in the Accor deal. Its fate remains unknown, although Whakapapa Holdings expressed interest in breathing new life into the heritage building in January.

Handing over management of Wairakei Resort and the Australian properties to Accor will leave Bayview focusing solely on its eight remaining hotels in Malaysia and Singapore.

Accor’s expanding portfolio has made it the largest hotel operator in Australia and New Zealand and the sixth-largest hospitality company in the world.

Confidence in the New Zealand market, where it has 46 hotels, is underscored by two new developments that are set to open in Auckland this year.

TRIBE on Fort St is scheduled to open in September, while JO&JOE – a hotel brand established in 2016 to target younger travellers – is also making headway in the CBD as the first of its kind in the Pacific.

Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.