General manager Marlene Poynder and her team worked hard to get the 178-room Hilton Queenstown, 98-room boutique Kawarau Hotel and most of the village's lakeside bars and resorts ready in time for Queenstown's inaugural hosting of the three-day Trenz international tourism expo, which begins in the resort on Sunday.
"Our incredible location in the Kawarau Village will add a new and exciting dimension to the South Island hotel offering. The irresistible style, sophistication and comfort of Hilton combined with the iconic beauty of Queenstown is unsurpassed," Ms Poynder said.
Since 2008, various international hotel chains had expressed an interest in managing the resort and, in December last year, after months of rumour and speculation, Hilton announced it would manage Kawarau Village and the two hotels.
The opulent hotels employ about 120 staff and feature 12 relaxation rooms with hot tubs on private lakefront decks. New Zealand art is on display throughout the hotel and restaurants - Signature restaurant; the Wakatipu Grill, which overlooks Lake Wakatipu and is run by renowned chef Peter Thornley; and the Cru Wine Bar and Lounge.
Kawarau Village - billed as a destination for locals and visitors alike - boasts a water taxi service to and from Queenstown as well as restaurants, cafes, bars and specialty stores, including the Lake Counter, a specialty grocer, cafe and deli.
Only a handful of guests are staying in the hotels now, but Ms Poynder, a veteran hotel executive who has previously opened 11 luxury hotels across Asia, said she expected occupancy levels would stabilise by the end of the month and within two months a true picture of the Hilton's share of Queenstown's competitive high-end accommodation market would emerge.
