1. Officially opening in October, The Hotel Britomart in downtown Auckland, has 99 guest rooms and five luxurious Landing Suites. Three of The Landing Suites have lush sky gardens.
2. The hotel’s exterior is made from precast panels containing 150,000 hand-made bricks.
3. It will be New Zealand’s first five Green Star hotel, certified by the NZ Green Building Council for design and build, and managed according to the NZ Green Building Council’s Green Star Performance tool.
4. The Landing Suites are named after The Landing, the 1,000-acre property containing luxury accommodation in the Bay of Islands. The Landing has been the focus of a 20-year reforestation and wetland rehabilitation project, which means (among other successes) that kiwi now roam the grounds. The Landing also has its own vineyard. The Landing Suites, with their crafted timber interiors and lushly planted sky gardens, bring the rural flavor of The Landing to town.
5. Cooper and Company, which owns The Hotel Britomart and the Britomart precinct, took over the Britomart precinct in 2002 when it was a wasteland of abandoned heritage buildings and a dingy bus depot. Now, after a patient 15-year regeneration process, the heritage buildings have been restored, new architecture has been added, and Britomart has become the character-filled heart of downtown waterfront Auckland.
6. The Hotel Britomart is designed inside and out by Cheshire Architects, who also master-planned the Britomart neighbourhood in 2003; designed the Pavilions on Te Ara Tahuhu, and created the interiors for Ortolana restaurant. The Hotel Britomart project involved the refurbishment of four adjacent heritage buildings, as well as the creation of a new public laneway linking two key Britomart streets.
7. Cheshire Architects also designed the bronze-and-paper ‘Fulcrum’ table lamps in every guest room, which are available from New Zealand furniture and lighting brand Resident.
8. Every room at The Hotel Britomart features hand-made ceramics by local artisans, including work by ceramicists Elena Renker and Rachel Carter.
9. The Hotel Britomart project involved the refurbishment of four adjacent heritage buildings, as well as the creation of a new public laneway linking two key Britomart streets.
10. The toiletries in every guest room in The Hotel Britomart are by organic New Zealand skincare brand Sans[ceuticals], who recycle their own packaging and whose products contain no artificial colours or bleaches, artificial fragrances, or petrochemicals.
