In the Queenstown Events Centre, on April 13, 15 and 16, more than 300 people applied for frontline hospitality jobs in the two hotels, the associated pub, called Stacks, and the gourmet grocer delicatessen, called The Lake Counter.
Positions included receptionists, reservation agents, commis chef, a sommelier, maintenance technicians, cashiers, food and beverage attendants, plus supervisors for the front desk, restaurant, bar, room service and housekeeping.
The first wave of recruitment for the five-star, 178-room Hilton Queenstown and the four-star 98 single-bedroom apartment-style Kawarau Hotel was held in December, for senior positions. The second wave of recruitment for managerial positions was in January.
Hilton Queenstown and Kawarau Hotel general manager Marlene Poynder, of Queenstown, said the open days went well and the company was pleased with the response.
About 120 full-time and part-time staff were expected to be on deck for the soft opening of both hotels, on a date yet to be announced, in "mid-May", before the first Trenz trade event in the Southern Lakes, on May 22 to 25.
The official opening would be held at a later date, Ms Poynder said.
The development within the $1 billion Kawarau Falls Station was on schedule, with hotel rooms furnished and landscaping in progress.
