The Clements Hotel recently opened in Cambridge.
More accommodation for Waikato’s tourism industry is on the way after the opening of a new high-end hotel and two further developments making progress.
The Clements Hotel in Cambridge recently opened its doors after a multimillion-dollar refurbishment of the 1866 beaux-arts Masonic hotel, while the Pullman Hotel development at Mistry Centre, Centre Place shopping mall, is on track to open to guests late next year.
The Templeton Group development, earmarked for Hamilton’s Victoria St, is expected to lodge resource consent applications soon.
Also, the Waikato Chamber of Commerce said in April that a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel had been proposed just off the expressway at Cambridge.
The news comes after a recent feasibility study, backed by Hamilton City Council, showed Hamilton alone needed 497 additional hotel rooms by 2030.
Hamilton and Waikato Tourism chief executive Nicola Greenwell said she was excited about the developments currently under way.
“We have been talking about the need for hotel and high-end accommodation for a long time. So it’s great to see momentum building.
“There is so much to be proud of within our region, much to share with our manuhiri, and soon, we’ll have the beds to support our visitor strategies.”
Greenwell said The Clements was stunning and had been refurbished with love and attention to detail.
“There is no doubt in anyone’s mind – The Clements is set to become an icon of Cambridge.”
The boutique hotel features 29 rooms, including two accessible rooms, a restaurant, cafe and wine bar and meeting and event spaces.
The former horse stables have been transformed into three interlinked private suites, while the original 150-year-old basement has been reimagined as “1866”, an underground speakeasy bar inspired by Chicago’s Prohibition-era haunts.
Many original architectural features, such as stained-glass windows and the wooden staircase, have been restored.
Named after Archibald Clements, who built the original hotel in the 1800s, The Clements is managed by New Zealand company Capstone Hotel Management and owned by Gerry Westenberg and Jo Pannell.
Capstone Hotel Management is taking care of several New Zealand hotels, including Te Karaka Lodge in north Waikato and SOHO Hotel Auckland.
The Clements general manager Cameron Kellow said he was thrilled about the opening.
“We’re positioned to elevate Cambridge’s accommodation offering ... while becoming a destination for exceptional dining [and] memorable events.
“[It] honours the past while embracing the future. We’re excited to see The Clements reclaim its rightful place as the social heart of Cambridge.”
Waipā Mayor Susan O’Regan said the opening of the hotel was “a wonderful moment” for Cambridge and the district.
“It’s fantastic to see such a significant investment in our town, one that will strengthen our local economy, create jobs and provide an exceptional new space for both residents and visitors to enjoy.”
The Clements is located at 68 Duke St, Cambridge. Room rates start from $415.
For more information and to book, visit clements.co.nz.
Since the announcement in June last year that Hamilton’s tallest building will be transformed into a $100 million, 191-room premium Pullman Hotel, developer Sanjil Mistry and his team have been busy.
Eleven levels of old windows have been removed, with only levels 12 and 15 left to be removed by the end of September.
At the same time, 1280 new window panels have been installed with 550 left to go.
Once all the windows are installed, the internal room fit-out and construction will get under way.
Mistry said the hotel had made “substantial progress” in the past few months.
“We are still on track to complete the project in late 2026.
“We are proud to say we ... estimate that the project employs close to 500 people – on and off site – in the region at any one time.”
A spokesperson for Accor Group, owners of Pullman Hotels, said in a statement, they would look forward to the opening.
“[The] Pullman Hamilton will expand our premium footprint in the Waikato region and follows the recent debut of Te Arikinui Pullman Auckland Airport.”
Work on the 25-storey Templeton Group hotel, earmarked for the Hamilton CBD, is also progressing.
In April, Hamilton City Council entered into an unconditional agreement with Templeton Group, to sell the land at 242-254 Victoria St for $6m, plus a share in the development profits.
Templeton is currently in the process of finalising preliminary designs, with plans to lodge resource consent applications by the end of 2025.
According to the proposal, which is not yet finalised, the hotel could have 10 floors with 218 rooms of hotel accommodation, apartments and a riverfront dining and entertainment precinct.
Danielle Zollickhofer is the Waikato news director and a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. She joined NZME in 2021 and is based in Hamilton.