New Christchurch hotel towers above the city

Christchurch’s newest hotel will tower above the city when the doors are opened to guests for the first time on Thursday 18 March.

The Marque Hotel Christchurch is located in the heart of the central business district and occupies 15 floors of the tallest building in the South Island.

As the first of The Marque Hotels brand in New Zealand, the hotel has 171 smart guest rooms and suites, as well as an innovative bar and restaurant.

"The Marque Hotel Christchurch is a contemporary, vibrant and stylish business hotel, where guests will receive hassle-free service and value for money," the hotel’s general manager Brad Watts says.

At the forefront of hotel technology in New Zealand, free wireless internet is available in all the public areas and in the Biz business centre. Every room has easy-to-use free high-speed broadband access for up to a specified limit, iPod docking stations as well as a desk and a comfortable ergonomic chair. Laptop-sized room safes are also provided.

The Marque Hotel Christchurch offers guests the option of a virtual concierge service, being a 32" LCD touch screen in the lobby where guests can search for local attractions, shopping, transport and entertainment. It’s interactive and allows guests to book online with instantaneous confirmation.

The hotel’s space-saving car stacker is a first for Christchurch. Built to take 93 vehicles, the car stacker is designed to maximise car parking space in the hotel and lessen the impact hotel guests’ vehicles will have on the environment by cutting down the amount of driving they need to do to find a parking space. The result will be fewer emissions than in a conventional car parking building.

"This hotel sets the new standard for The Marque Hotels brand in New Zealand and we want to make sure that not only do we meet our customers’ expectations, but that we exceed them."

The hotel has a tram stop right at its doorstep and is just a minute’s walk from Cathedral Square, making it the perfect place for business travellers to stay.

Its distinctly styled restaurant, simply called Fresh, will showcase fresh seasonal produce. The Hotel’s talented Executive Chef Adrian Lowrey designed the menu to complement New Zealand’s superb quality produce and wine. The focus is on food that is not only healthy and nourishing but also delightfully delicious and the show kitchen style of the restaurant means guests can watch their meals being prepared by the hotel’s team of experienced chefs.

Wet, the hotel’s ground-floor hip bar, offers a fine selection of international beers, wine, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages as well as an innovative snacks menu.

Careful attention has been paid to mitigating the impact of the hotel on its environment. The facade is completely double-glazed throughout and high-grade insulation has been used to reduce the energy costs during the life of the building. The latest energy saving systems have also been incorporated wherever possible as part of property manager Ernest Duval’s commitment to reducing the environmental footprint of the building.

Trees have been planted on the two roof terraces to provide guests with a pleasant outdoor area to relax and help improve the air quality in the city.

The lobby is contemporary, functional and welcoming with a stunning fireplace that immediately draws the eye and beckons people in.

"A lot of planning has gone into the interiors because we want to make sure our guests are comfortable, but also that our business travellers have access to everything they might need during their stay. Our rooms are stylish and practical," Brad Watts said.

"We’re very proud of how the hotel has been developed and our goal now is to match the level of service to the high quality of the surroundings we offer. We want to give our visitors the most meaningful service possible and to ensure they leave us with fond memories of their stay in Christchurch and a desire to return.

"We are excited to welcome our first guests and to establish The Marque Hotels brand at the forefront of the accommodation market in New Zealand,"Brad Watts said.

The Marque Hotel Christchurch is operated by the Rendezvous Hospitality Group (RHG), which is based in Singapore. RHG, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Straits Trading Company Limited, was formed last year to combine the hospitality assets of The Straits Trading Company, together with its hospitality management arm, Rendezvous Hotels and Resorts International.

RHG currently operates 13 hotels across the Rendezvous Hotels and The Marque Hotels brands in the Asia Pacific region. It employs more than 2,500 people and manages more than 2,600 hotel rooms. The company aims to establish itself at the forefront of the hotel industry in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, in particular with business travellers, and has plans to expand to over 12,000 rooms by 2020.

The Marque Hotel Christchurch opens on March 18, 2010.

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About Rendezvous Hospitality Group Pte. Ltd.

Based in Singapore, the Rendezvous Hospitality Group (RHG) operates 13 Rendezvous and The Marque brand hotels in the Asia Pacific region, with two new hotels opening in 2010. RHG employs more than 2,500 people and manages more than 2,600 hotel rooms.

Rendezvous Observation City Hotel Perth

Rendezvous Allegra Hotel Adelaide

Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne

Rendezvous Stafford Hotel Sydney

Rendezvous Hotel Brisbane

Rendezvous Reef Resort Port Douglas

Rendezvous Hotel Singapore

Rendezvous Merry Hotel Shanghai

Rendezvous Hotel Auckland

Rendezvous Hotel Kuala Lumpur (opening July 2010)



The Marque Hotel Brisbane

The Marque Hotel Sydney

The Marque Hotel Canberra

The Marque Hotel Perth

The Marque Hotel Christchurch (opening March 2010)