(left to right) Adrian Turner, Group General Manager, Quest Apartment Hotels NZ, Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst, Scott Bellingham Franchisee Elect and Mike Walker Development Manager, Wallace Development Company.
Work has begun on the new Quest Apartment Hotel being built in Hastings, the culmination of a long-standing aspiration to have hotel accommodation available in the heart of the entertainment, culture and arts precinct surrounding Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre.
Construction of the 34-room apartment-style hotel, located in a currently vacant building behind the Municipal Building and Opera Kitchen café, was delayed due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Wallace Development Company is building the hotel and Managing Director, Jonathan Wallace said it was pleasing to be able to get on site and start the demolition work this month.
“We are working closely with Quest Apartment Hotels on this development to deliver an accommodation offering that will complement and enhance the other central city revitalisation projects Hastings District Council is undertaking,” said Mr Wallace.
Quest Apartment Hotels is the largest provider of serviced apartment-style accommodation in New Zealand and Quest Group General Manager, Adrian Turner said the hotel would fill a gap in the market for Hastings.
“Quest Hastings will be our 35th purpose-built property and by the time we open, it will be the 40th Quest property in New Zealand, all of which are locally owned and operated,” said Mr Turner.
“In the case of Quest Hastings, the franchisees Scott and Sonia Bellingham are moving to Hastings to live, to take on the opportunity and be part of the Hastings community.
“For visitors to Hastings, whether it be for business or tourism, this gives a flexible option for long or short stays, conveniently located in the heart of Hastings providing support for the increased activity taking place in the city.”
The construction is anticipated to take about a year to complete.
Hastings Mayor, Sandra Hazlehurst said that following the disruption of COVID-19, it was exciting that this project could resume, and would be finished around the same time that the Municipal Building earthquake strengthening and redevelopment project was complete.
“With the entire Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre up and running, alongside the enhancements taking place with Council’s city centre revitalisation plan, and the growth in excellent hospitality venues, we are making our city centre a real drawcard for both locals and visitors,” she said.
Mrs Hazlehurst said the CBD revitalisation was one of council’s top priorities and it’s such an amazing opportunity to have accommodation and new conferencing and hospitality offerings together for the first time in Hastings alongside our outstanding events venue at Toitoi.
“This hotel is a vital addition to this programme of work. It will provide quality accommodation that will complement the existing regional accommodation infrastructure and support growth in high-value commercial and leisure tourism, boosting our economy and bringing jobs and business opportunities to Hastings,” she said.
