Hermitage Hotel to launch backpacker accommodation

Plans are underway at Aoraki Mt Cook to convert The Hermitage Hotel’s former Glencoe Lodge into a 50-room backpacker lodge and bring back the much loved Chamois Bar (pronounced Shammie). The conversion is designed to offer a more complete range of accommodation and entertainment choices at one of New Zealand’s most spectacular destinations.

The lodge, to be called Mount Cook Backpackers, will offer a mix of dorm rooms, single and double rooms, and self contained units.

It will comprise 20 four-bed dorm rooms with ensuites, 23 double/twin rooms with ensuites, and seven one-bedroom units with bathroom and cooking facilities. Prices will start at approximately $35 for a dorm bed.

The original Chamois Bar will undergo a makeover and relaunch complete with a new beer garden.

A favourite local watering hole for many years, the new-look bar will keep the same vibe as before, offering a relaxed and friendly place to enjoy an evening drink, pub meal, game of pool and big screen TV. It will also host events and themed evenings on a regular basis.

The Hermitage Hotel’s General Manager Andrew Cleverley is excited about the new offerings and believes visitors and locals alike will benefit.

“Mt Cook is a both a small community and a world-renowned destination so it’s very exciting to be able to expand its current range of accommodation and entertainment choices to better cater for different budgets and tastes,” he says.

“Demand for backpacker priced accommodation has grown in response to the increased range of activities on offer such as the Glacier Explorers iceberg cruise, 4WD & Argo tours, Stargazing, and the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre’s 3D movie, planetarium and museum.”

Mr Cleverley says the layout of Glencoe Lodge was ideally suited to a backpacker lodge.

“It has budget rooms in good condition, a large entertainment, bar and function area and a central location in Mt Cook Village.

“It’s also very satisfying for us to be able to reopen the public bar. It will provide a more casual night out than the hotel can provide and has previously been considered by many residents as the heart and soul of the village.”

Mount Cook Backpackers and the revamped bar are scheduled to open on 1 October. They will be operated and marketed independently of The Hermitage Hotel.