Sheraton plans on hold

Press, 21 May 1988, Page 8

Sheraton plans on hold

The $lOO million, 300room Sheraton hotel planned for Worcester Street is on the back burner in the “short to medium term,” its developer says. But in spite of that decision, the chief executive of Partington Properties, Mr Steve Madigan, said Christchurch could cope with more international standard hotels. Christchurch was still New Zealand’s No. 2 gateway and with the increase in business visitors to New Zealand, class hotel rooms were needed, he said. However, he could not indicate when the luxury Sheraton would be built.

He rejected industry speculation that Partington had frozen its Shera-. ton project for as long as 10 years. However, he could not put a time on how far away the “short to medium term” was.

The site, stretching between Worcester and Gloucester Streets and bordered by Montreal Street, would remain a car-park until work began, he said. Partington had not changed its “concept” for the Sheraton site, he said. The developer paid more than $7 million for the land, which was previously the New Zealand

Motor Corporation showrooms, a Lutheran Church and the old Christchurch Girls’ High School tennis courts.

Plans and a model of two Sheraton designs have been done.

At one stage Mr Madigan had said the company might use the site for an office block incorporated with the hotel. He would not comment on that yesterday. He blamed the.“changing face of New Zealand tourism” as one reason for the hotel’s delay, with the self-drive tourist taking a lot of business away from luxury hotels.