EVT director of development Peter Hill said in a media release: “We’re pleased to be partnering on a development that will help meet increasing demand for quality accommodation, conferencing and hospitality experiences”.
The site where the new 158‑room Rydges Tauranga hotel on Willow St is being built. Photo / Zoe Blake
EVT Hotels Group general manager Callum Kennedy said the location ”ticks so many boxes”.
“It’s a beautiful setting close to the beach, will be a stone’s throw from the new hospital and is right in the heart of the community it serves.”
Kennedy said while Rydges was an international brand, each hotel was designed to reflect their local surroundings.
“We can’t wait to be part of Tauranga.”
Rydges Tauranga will become the eighth Rydges property in New Zealand, taking the brand’s Australia and New Zealand portfolio to 38 hotels and resorts.
The development follows another major international hotel brand arriving in Tauranga earlier this year.
Accor’s Mercure Tauranga opened on Brown St on May 1 after the former Hotel Armitage and Conference Centre underwent a multimillion-dollar refurbishment and rebrand.
The 80-room Mercure became Accor’s first hotel in Tauranga and signalled growing confidence in the city’s accommodation sector.
Mercure Tauranga was Tauranga’s first internationally branded hotel.
Priority One chief executive Dave Courtney previously described the arrival of Mercure as a “step-change” in Tauranga’s development as a business and visitor destination. He said the lack of suitable accommodation had long been a barrier to growth in the conference market.
Gareth Wallis, Tauranga City Council head of community hubs, arts, heritage and events, said it was encouraging to see another international hotel brand commit to the city centre.
“It will attract new opportunities to our city centre and increase our city’s capacity to host larger events.”
Wallis said Mercure and Rydges arriving within a short timeframe was a positive signal for the local economy and reflected growing investor confidence in Tauranga as a place to live, work, visit and do business.
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan.
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan said Rydges would strengthen the region’s visitor economy and infrastructure.
Having Mercure and Rydges would help Tauranga mature as an international destination and provide greater confidence for travel agents and inbound tour operators recommending the city to visitors.
Nathan said one of Tauranga’s biggest opportunities was converting day visitors into overnight guests.
Those visitors were more likely to spend money across restaurants, cafes, bars, retail stores, attractions, activities and transport services, delivering wider economic benefits.
He said the new hotels, alongside major city-centre developments such as Te Manawataki o Te Papa, highlighted Tauranga’s evolution into a more internationally competitive visitor destination.
Zoe Blake is a multimedia journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post.