Business travellers heading to Auckland will find a new name on one of New Zealand's most familiar business hotels. The Hyatt Regency has been bought by Accor, and over the weekend became the Pullman Auckland Hotel & Residences.
Frequent business visitors to Auckland will be well acquainted with the hotel, which was the Intercontinental when it opened in 1968 before becoming the Hyatt. It's one of the largest corporate venues in New Zealand, with facilities for up to a thousand delegates.
The new Pullman, which has 267 rooms, suites and apartments, is slightly off the main drag, on Waterloo Quadrant at the corner of Princes Street. Rooms in the newer suites wing are more modern than those in the original building. Although the hotel was renovated two years ago when it was still the Hyatt, look for further refurbishment to start soon.
"Over the coming months, we will be enhancing the hotel to bring the property up to Pullman standard, providing a complete array of personalised services and innovative technologies including a Connectivity Lounge and the groundbreaking 'Co-Meeting' concept which ensures flawless success for meetings and events," said Paul Richardson, Accor's top man in New Zealand.
Accor -- which announced favourable profits late last week -- is now NZ's largest hotel group, with 29 hotels across the country. Travellers passing through Auckland Airport will have noticed its next two hotels for New Zealand: the Novotel and Formule 1 at AKL airport open in June.
Business travellers in Europe will recognise the Novotel brand, but Accor also owns Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, Ibis, All Seasons, Etap, Formule 1, HotelF1 and Motel 6.
Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.
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