New Zealand may fall short of World Cup beds
AUCKLAND – More than $600 million of new hotel rooms and serviced apartments are expected to be built in time for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2011 but it still won’t be enough to cater for all the visitors, according to tourism consultants Horwarth.
Three new hotels have already been announced for Auckland and a further three hotel or serviced apartment developments are being planned.
The largest of those already in the pipeline is a new five-star 296-room Pullman hotel in Customs St which is due to be completed by August 2011.
Five-star hotels are also planned for Waiheke Island by the Langham hotel group and at Britomart, although completion dates have yet to be set.
A fourth hotel at Auckland Airport is expected to be developed by the Tainui Group through an $80 million investment, and a further two developments have yet to be publicly announced.
Horwarth director Terry Ngan said 1203 new hotel rooms and serviced apartments in 10 developments were under construction throughout New Zealand in preparation for the cup.
A 50-room hotel in Wellington was planned and a second 120-unit serviced apartment was also expected to be started before the year, said Ngan.
Christchurch would see 363 new hotel rooms open before the cup, with the Novotel and Rendezvous Hotels expected to open in late 2009 and early 2010. But of the new hotel and serviced apartment supply only 40 per cent would be in Auckland where most of the visitors were expected to pass through.
Ngan added, “Unfortunately, this new supply of 524 rooms and apartments will not sufficiently help to meet the needs of many of the 75,000 international visitors to New Zealand who will descend on Auckland for the Rugby World Cup.
“Temporary accommodation, including cruise ships, will be needed in Auckland to offset the shortfall in permanent accommodation supply.”
New developments like the Pullman and Tainui’s new airport hotel would also need to be started by the end of the year or risk not being completed in time, Ngan warned.
Some developments such as a Holiday Inn planned for the North Shore also face an uncertain future due to the economic climate.
“Our outlook publication found that some eight announced projects may well not proceed within the timeframe indicated or at all due to more challenging investment and funding conditions,” Ngan said.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt