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Sudima Hotels & Resorts’ latest offering will complement its existing hotel at Christchurch Airport, next to Spitfire Square, and will cater to the unique central city market.

“This is an important opportunity for us to invest in the city’s CBD, now in recovery,” says Sudima director of hotels Les Morgan.

“We have the patience to see the recovery through and definitely view this as a long-term investment. Christchurch is poised to be the most liveable city in Australasia within four or five years and we want to be a part of that.”

Located in Victoria Street’s busy hospitality and retail hub – close to Christchurch Casino, Hagley Park and the planned new convention centre – the new Sudima is strategically placed to become established over time as a premium city hotel.

“We are positioning it at that five-star, luxury level by developing it as an apartment style hotel and targeting people looking for something more self-contained who need that longer stay option.

“They could be FIT (fully independent travellers), leisure guests seeking an upmarket experience or corporate people from out of town requiring accommodation for a week or more.”

South Island construction business ABL is steaming ahead with work on-site.

The main slab has been poured and the first structural steel framing erected. The new four-storey hotel – with two luxurious penthouses on each floor – is due to open in October 2018.

Ignite Architects, which has a track record of design excellence across the Asia-Pacific region, has created a design tailored to the site that will reflect the culture of the South Island.

Ignite has also signed up to join the new complex as a commercial tenant.

While the hotel will look beautiful from the outside, its stylish interior will likely steal the show with its luxurious southern ambience and high quality finish.

Each room will be well lit, double-glazed and fitted with air conditioning.

Well-appointed kitchenettes will allow for easy independence, with room service also available. A new restaurant and bar will be seamlessly integrated into the hotel.

HIND management, which runs the Sudima Hotels & Resorts franchise in New Zealand, has considerable expertise in hotel development and operations.

As well as its presence in Christchurch, Sudima has hotels at Auckland Airport, Hamilton and Rotorua. Sudima Hotels & Resorts is at the forefront of this country’s tourism industry.

At this year’s NZ Tourism Awards, Sudima won the Department of Conservation Environmental Tourism Award.

“We’re very proud of that award, which reinforces our values on sustainability and the environment, and our commitment to the community,” Les says.

“In Christchurch, we want to make sure we’re a good citizen and, as part of that, we also plan to launch a tourism scholarship for the city’s young people seeking a career in tourism.”