Hotel chiefs view site

Press, 28 January 1984, Page 7

Hotel chiefs view site

Top executives of the Sheraton Hotel Corporation inspected a possible building site in Wellington, but not Christchurch, yesterday before flying back to Auckland. The corporation had contemplated building 300-bed luxury hotels in both Wellington and Christchurch. A Sheraton spokesman said from Auckland yesterday that there were no immediate plans to inspect the prospective site in Christchurch, between the Town Hall and the Salvation Army Citadel. Approval has yet to be given for the site to be used for a luxury hotel, and there are several objections to the proposal. Mr Geoff Mowday, public relations manager for Sheraton in Auckland, said the fact that the executives did not also visit Christchurch did not mean that the hotel chain had given up on establishing a hotel here. “We are still in the process of doing our sums and doing the financial work which is necessary to complete our bid for a hotel in Christchurch,” he said. “The feasibility study undertaken for Christchurch was, and still is, very positive. “Sheraton has definitely determined that it would like to build in Christchurch and if the Town Hall site is not available we will look

at other sites in the city. “Sheraton has plans to build up to six hotels in New Zealand, two of which have already been established — Auckland and Rotorua. Two others are in sight now — Wellington and Christchurch — and two further properties are still to be determined.” Mr Mowday declined to say where they were, but there has been speculation that Sheraton is considering sites in Queenstown and the Bay of Islands. The Christchurch City Council has heard nothing from the Sheraton Corporation recently said a spokesman yesterday.