Christchurch’s luxury boutique hotel, The George is adding two high-end properties under its growing Brook Serene Hotel Management portfolio.
Hotel Montreal, Christchurch’s only other Qualmark five-star property opened in 2014, will become part of the portfolio from July 31. It will be called Hotel Montreal by The George.
In May it also took on ownership and management of The Regent of Rotorua, an established boutique property in central Rotorua.
Family-owned company TJK NZ and its management company, Brook Serene have owned and managed The George since 1988, establishing a 28-year reputation for excellent service and style. A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, The George has won numerous awards, including several years as New Zealand’s #1 City Hotel in Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards and New Zealand’s Leading Boutique Hotel in the World Travel Awards.
The George’s General Manager, Bruce Garrett who has been in the role for 10 years, will become Managing Director of the hotel collection. Garrett says the synergies between the hotels and the resources are a perfect fit for The George. “Everything from our style and service, food and beverage to our staff training and sales and marketing is being aligned under our banner,” he says.
Developing and retaining good staff has been a large part of the motivation for the company to expand. “This the perfect way to provide exciting career opportunities for our talented staff,” he says.
In Christchurch the hotel has 100 staff based at The George and is taking on the 20 staff based at Hotel Montreal, with 20 staff based at The Regent of Rotorua. They will all benefit from the increased opportunities available within the expanded group, Mr Garrett says.
Nathan Maynard, The George’s long-standing Operations Manager, has recently moved to The Regent of Rotorua as Hotel Manager. The George has also expanded its reservations and accounts office in Christchurch to take the hotels under one team.
Bruce Garrett says the three-hotel portfolio gives greater opportunity to expand the hotels’ international and group client base. “With two properties in Christchurch we can cater for more small high-end leisure groups, plus high-profile sporting, entertainment and diplomatic groups.”
The George’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Jan Stuart will now represent all three properties. She is heading to Luxperience in Sydney in September, while Bruce Garrett will be representing the group on overseas trips to the United States and the United Kingdom later this year.
Hotel Montreal is located just a minute’s walk from The George making it easily accessible for guests wanting to use facilities at either property. Guests will have three restaurants to choose from – fine dining, bistro and tapas style – while facilities such as Hotel Montreal’s well-equipped gymnasium and The George’s mountain bikes will be available for complimentary use by all guests.
