Not that Scenic Circle are exactly disinterested.
What proof is there that a luxury hotel is needed in Dunedin? From previous proposals it looks like a yeah-nah since most of the (big, ugly) buildings have had far more ordinary nice apartments and other facilities than 5-star hotel rooms.
Another thing, Dunedin's periodic accommodation squeeze when special events are on. What is going to happen to that demand when the Christchurch stadium is built? Dunedin is hellish to get to with a big entertainer's stage gear. Promoters aren't in the job to give charity to little cities. They know fans will travel to Christchurch as readily as they have travelled to Dunedin, in fact it is easier to access from places north and west.
Tuesday, 19 November 2019
.......The council has called for expressions of interest to build a
"high-quality hotel complex'', having facilities "normally associated
with a five-star hotel'', on the Filleul St car park site opposite the
Dunedin Town Hall......
The council was also part of the waterfront development plan, which
envisages a five-star hotel - built by the private sector on the
southern side of the Steamer Basin - as part of stage two of the
revitalisation of the wider area....
[Do we - DCC, councillors - believe in sea level rise and increased storm surges, or don't we?]
.....The Otago Daily Times was told yesterday that during a briefing for
city councillors last week, Dunedin Venues had also again floated the
idea of a hotel development on the site of the Forsyth Barr Stadium car
park....
[What a good idea, eliminate ANOTHER parking area.]
Scenic Hotel Group managing director Brendan Taylor... "We have the ability to [redevelop] either of our [two hotels - the Southern Cross and Dunedin City] into a
five-star product, if we wanted to, but we just don't believe the market
is there for it at the moment,'' he said....
.... Yesterday, Enterprise Dunedin director John Christie said the council's
aim was to encourage a wider range of accommodation in the city and
expand the overall visitor market, rather than "just shuffling people
from one hotel to another''.
[Build it and they will come.]
We've seen it all before - and for the record when I cam to Dunedin (1971) I was involved with the design of that car-park. I was told that the car park was only temporary - because a hotel was to be built there. I've learned not to hold my breath.
ReplyDeleteHere we go again