New Zealand has welcomed its first voco branded property with the opening of voco Auckland City Centre, situated in the heart of the City of Sails.
With an ideal position in the centre of Auckland on the corner of Albert and Wyndham Street, the new hotel is part of a dual tower development that also includes the 294 room Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre which is due to open later this month.
The vibrantly playful hotel features 201 spacious guest rooms and suites that showcase voco’s warm signature style. Each of the stylishly appointed guest rooms and suites feature plush, sustainable bedding with cocoon-like comfort, hand-picked artworks, smart in-room technology and stylish marble bathrooms that feature eco-conscious rain showers and amenities from Antipodes. Designed by interior architecture practice, Richards Stanisich, the new guest rooms and suites offer a tranquil place to unwind, featuring a moody palette of deep blues and charcoal greys complemented by splashes of the signature voco yellow, warm timber tones with brass accents and unique artworks.
Mozzarella & Co, the hotel’s cosy ground floor all-day Italian trattoria, serves a-la-carte and buffet breakfast as well as artisan pizzas and pasta for lunch and dinner, complemented by a boutique wine list, beers and cocktails.
Related: Dubai gets its second voco Hotel with the opening of voco Bonnington Dubai.
Set for a mid-June opening, good times will await sky-high at Bar Albert, voco’s rooftop destination which also doubles as New Zealand’s highest rooftop bar. The glamorous Art Deco inspired bar will feature an open deck and moody, sumptuous interiors enticing guests to enjoy a tipple either inside or out.
The world-famous Kiwi charm will be on full display thanks to the hotel’s voco hosts, whose job it is to welcome and attend to guests’ needs, while each guest will receive a thoughtfully crafted voco welcome treat, designed to give them a taste of the Auckland locale. Guests can step into a voco life at voco Auckland City Centre with community spaces, bars and lounges designed to meet, eat, drink and play at any time throughout the day.
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The hotel features 5 flexible meeting rooms ideal for conferences, meetings and events. These meeting rooms are in addition to Bar Albert and Mozzarella & Co. which offer additional space for hosting more relaxed, social functions.
Specifically designed to reduce its impact on the environment, voco Auckland City Centre is targeting a Level 3/Level 4 Green Engage certificate by implementing a number of sustainable initiatives such as plush bedding filled with 100% recycled materials, filtered drinking water in guestrooms, aerated shower heads that reduce water and usage and large and refillable Antipodes amenities in the bathrooms that reduces plastic waste by up to 80%.
Fraser McKenzie, Area General Manager – New Zealand of Pro-invest Hotels, a partner of IHG in this hotel, said:
As one of the most highly anticipated hotel openings of the year, the launch of voco Auckland City Centre marks an exciting period of growth for the voco brand as we see an influx of travellers returning to New Zealand. A stay at voco Auckland City Centre is all about indulgent accommodation with a refreshing twist and we’re thrilled to finally be able to share the fun, unique hallmarks of this property with our guests.
Shantha de Silva, Chief Operating Officer, Pro-invest Hotels, said:
We’re thrilled to be opening the first voco property in New Zealand and believe it’s a positive sign of the travel industry regaining momentum. It also highlights Pro-invest Hotel’s significant growth with several new hotels opening in the next two months
To celebrate the official opening of voco Auckland City Centre, guests can experience the ‘voco Life’ package which includes overnight accommodation, complimentary breakfast for two, an upgrade on arrival with guaranteed views, complimentary voco cocktail and bespoke welcome treat on arrival. This package is available for bookings and stays until 12th August 2022.
Featured image by IHG
All the other images by IHG
On the cover photo, the logo of IHG’s EVEN Hotels. This is because when the project was first announced in 2017, the building was slated to feature an Even Hotel on its upper floors. However, following the 2018 launch of voco by IHG, it gradually became clear that this bright and sustainable brand would be a better fit for developer Pro-invest’s environmental ethos, as well as the laidback Kiwi spirit.
Meanwhile, IHG recently announced the opening of Hotel Indigo NYC Downtown-Wall Street.
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