Motor-hotel plans: Chch and Picton

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32679, 7 August 1971, Page 1

Motor-hotel plans: Chch and Picton

Plans are being laid in Christchurch and' Sydney .to finance, build, and own large new motor hotels of international standard in Christchurch and Picton. The Christchurch promoters, Pacific Syndicates (N.Z.), Ltd, and the Australian motel operators, Courtesy Inns Pty, Ltd, hope that both will be ready before the Commonwealth Games are held in Christchurch in 1974.

The Christchurch plan is for a 184bed motor inn, costing about s2m, built in Mediterranean style on a treestudded site bounded by Deans Avenue, Kilmarnock Street, and Darvel Street. (Illustrated right, top.)

At Picton, the promotors have secured land facing the waterfront on which to build a nine-storey, 150-bed hotel expected to cost $2.5m. This will replace the Federal Hotel at Picton and extend over land adjacent to the present hotel. Mr A. H. Holmshaw, managing director of Courtesy Inns, announced in Sydney yesterday that his own company and another major Australian motel company with hotel interests in Singapore, Indonesia, Fiji, Malaysia, and New Guinea intended to run a 580-bed chain of motor hotels in New Zealand. Courtesy Inns already runs the 100-bed Grafton Oaks motor inn in Auckland. Another motor inn may be built later in Wellington. Mr Holmshaw said that the combine would open a travel booking office in Tokyo and would have links with the biggest travel agencies in Australia and Fiji. "The business referred from our overseas chain, particularly from Japan, will inject new vitality and growth into N.ew Zealand’s awakening tourist industry,” he said. First term Next month, Pacific Syndicates,. Ltd, which has recently promoted investment

in syndicates to build motels in Papanui Road (the Diplomat and the Colonial Inn), will invite subscribers to form a syndicate to finance the Christchurch and Picton schemes.

t- in syndicates to build motels j in Papanui Road (the Diplo- •_ mat and the Colonial Inn), ] will invite subscribers to j form a syndicate to finance i the Christchurch and Picton L schemes. e The sites and the motor - inns will be owned by the ] syndicate and leased to Cour- . tesy Inns. The first term of c the lease would be for 15 years, with right of renewal, and the rental would be re- '■ viewed every five years. y [Details of the proposal y are printed on Page 13.] t The managing director of

r Pacific Syndicates (Mr .J. G, f Williams) and a director of ' the company, Mr D. J. S. J Reid, said yesterday that ‘ their company would contribute capital to a $200,000 operating company, Courtesy Holdings New Zealand, Ltd. This company, financed also - by the Australian combine, - will run the hotels. t Mr Reid is chairman of

Reid Development Company, Ltd, which undertook the Kelvin Heights project at Queenstown. Wilding Estate Mr Holmshaw said that he . was very pleased with the “remarkably good” sites in ’ Christchurch and Picton: • “No better sites could be im- > agined in either of these ■ beautiful South Island i centres.” Of the 3.27-acre Christ- • church site, which includes i land of the Wilding Estate, ■ Mr Holmshaw said: “We can [ unequivocally say that this i incredibly beautiful environ- , ment will remain unspoiled, ■ and that our motor inn for Christchurch has been de- ) signed so that guests will enjoy its peace and quietude, 1 and the soothing song of the birds that are plentiful in the trees. “These trees have taken a hundred or so years to be created and we intend to keep them for posterity as a heritage for this city,” said Mr Holmshaw. Sulphur bath The proposed name for the Christchurch motor inn is “El Presidente". It will have a heated swimming pool, sauna, and sulphur bath. Streams and waterfalls are a feature of the design prepared by Mr David Allen of , Christchurch. Parking space ' for 142 cars is being pro- . vided. An internal courtyard will be bordered by a lounge, I steak bar and breakfast room, ' Each block of guest rooms . will have its own kitchen for i room-service breakfasts. , The rooms will be fitted with bedside switch panels f for the control of lighting, temperature, radio, and television. A conference room, with its own bar, a diningroom of 2100 sq. ft, and a 1200 sq. ft kitchen are in the plans. A second lounge opening on to a toof garden, and shops for guests are other features. Conference room The Picton hotel has been named “The Marlborough”. It has been designed by Messrs Hall and Mackenzie, of Christchurch, and will have a conference room on i the top floor. The dining- . room, lounge and house bars t will be on the second floor. . Each guest room will have r a balcony overlooking Picton i Harbour. The ground floor will house . the foyer, the guest entrance > from London Quay, a public » bar, and shops. The roof 1 will be open for a panoramic s view of the sound. Names - chosen for the bars are “Ship r Cove” and "Endeavour Inlet”.