Construction has begun on a new boutique hotel in the trendy Britomart precinct of Auckland, with the 104 room and suite property to be managed under the TFE Hotels flag. Spread across ten floors on the corner of Gore and Galway Street, the hotel will comprise 99 hotel rooms and five “Landing Suites”, three of which will feature outdoor sky gardens. Hotel Britomart is slated for an opening date some time in 2020.
In a similar vein to Melbourne’s Docklands area, Britomart is a vibrant lifestyle enclave of New Zealand’s largest city made up of renovated warehouses, modern architecture and brick laneways laden with trendy restaurants, bars and boutiques. Designed by Cooper & Company, who are working closely with Auckland Council and Auckland Transport, Galway Street is in the midst of being transformed into a harmonious shared social space aimed at pedestrians.
Adjoining Masonic and Buckland heritage buildings will be refurbished and restored as part of the new hotel project, with a new laneway connecting the hotel with Customs Street through the Masonic building. TFE Collections has been named as the managing brand, adding to a storied portfolio of classic properties housed in some of Australia and New Zealand’s most historically significant edifices.
The brick exterior of the 10-storey location will be dotted with an irregular window constellation. Its five suites have been designed with input from Seattle-based firm Lucas Design Associates and are a reference to The Landing, Cooper & Company’s Bay of Islands vineyard and luxury residence.
Hotel design firm Cheshire Architects’ Nat Cheshire said: “The Hotel Britomart is a contemporary building, but the handmade qualities of its brick exterior are in intimate conversation with its heritage neighbours. The project also allows us to reach into the heart of the city block and open up intimate new laneways and a tiny cobbled square, which will enrich the streetscape and the future of Britomart. For us, this is as exciting as the hotel itself.”
On opening, guests will find a hotel entrance linked to a cobblestone laneway and feature a brightly lit café-style lobby. The ground floor will also offer retail boutiques and a variety of food and beverage outlets. The new building is aiming for a 5-star Green rating as part of the region’s wider agenda of sustainability.
Bookings for the new TFE Collections property will be open from late next year ahead of its 2020 opening.