New Westin Hotel to open in Queenstown, New Zealand in 2009

Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Peninsula Road Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of Melview Developments Limited have signed an agreement for Starwood to manage a 177-room hotel in Queenstown, New Zealand. Scheduled to open in 2009, The Westin Queenstown further strengthens Westin’s position in the Pacific region.

The Westin Queenstown will be the fifth Westin property in the Pacific region, joining Westins in Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney and Denarau Island, Fiji. The signing of The Westin Queenstown also marks the continued growth of the Westin brand in Asia Pacific. This is the ninth Westin development announced by Starwood in Asia Pacific this year. New developments announced earlier in the year include Westins in Auckland, Guangzhou, Zhejiang and Beijing in China; Bangalore and Sohna in India; Fiji and Langkawi, Malaysia.

Located right on Lake Wakatipu at Kawarau Falls Station in Queenstown, The Westin Queenstown will feature 177 rooms, including 12 suites, 728 square meters of meeting space, a fine dining Restaurant situated on the lakefront, an all day dining Restaurant and Bar, as well as a luxury spa and wellness centre and gymnasium covering 1150 square meters, including a 25 meter indoor heated swimming pool. Lake Wakatipu is the third largest lake in New Zealand and is renowned for its scenic beauty and mountain ranges. The hotel will be located approximately 3 minutes by car from the Queenstown airport and 5-7 minutes by car from central Queenstown.

“The new Westin Queenstown will enjoy the best site in Queenstown. The Kawarau Falls Station site is one of the few gently sloping north-facing sites left in Queenstown and as such enjoys late afternoon and evening sun. The site itself is beautifully located on the lakeside and on completion will, we believe, be regarded as one of the iconic residential, leisure and entertainment developments in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Mr. Nigel McKenna, Melview’s Managing Director.

Queenstown is one of New Zealand’s most sought after destinations from the perspective of its sheer variety and leisure offering. It is one of the rare places in the world that provides travelers with crystal clear lakes, magnificent mountains, ski fields on the front step and the whole lot surrounded by international class vineyards. Queenstown is also one of the most beautiful regions of Otago and offers year round attractions. The town sits on the edge of Lake Wakatipu and is surrounded by the Southern Alps. The most magnificent sight is the Remarkables, which is a saw-toothed range of mountains on the opposite side of the lake from the town. Queenstown is approximately 1.5 hours by plane from Auckland and 3 hours by plane from Sydney and Melbourne in Australia. Because of the extensive list of action sport attractions in Queenstown, there are year round attractions that appeal to different needs.

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