Legends of reinvention

As ultra-luxe hotel group Rosewood takes on three benchmark New Zealand lodges, MICHAEL HARDEN gets the read on this next chapter.

- MICHAEL HARDEN

It's never an easy proposition taking on an icon, let alone three of them simultaneously.

But this is exactly what Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, the Hong-Kong-based ultraluxury hotel brand, is doing in New Zealand.

Late last year, Rosewood made a foray into New Zealand's iconic luxury lodge scene, as part of an ambitious expansion plan under the watch of CEO Sonia Cheng. This involved taking over the management of the three Robertson Lodges properties Kauri Cliffs in the Bay of Islands, Cape Kidnappers in Hawke's Bay and Matakauri near Queenstown - that have been integral in defining and shaping this unique corner of the upscale accommodation market.

It's easy to understand why the deal has attracted attention. Fundamental to this specifically New Zealand style of luxury accommodation is that these small-scale lodge properties offer distinct and one-off experiences, individual both in terms of their gobsmackingly beautiful natural settings and in the types of activities and amenities they offer. From architecture designed to drink in the unbeatable scenery from every angle to private golf courses, hiking trails and surf beaches and skilled chefs focused on Aotearoa's amazing produce, unique and specific have always been the lodge genre's raison d'être. 

On the surface, then, it might seem that an international hotel brand with multiple properties across Asia, the US and Canada, Mexico, Europe, the UK, the Caribbean and the Middle East might not be the snuggest fit with the rugged, if ultraluxurious, individualism of New Zealand's lodge scene. But Rosewood's calling card is that it only takes on properties that have a unique style and sense of place. No two look the same. As Sonia Cheng says, "the key is to design a hotel that doesn't feel like a hotel." With that mantra in mind, partnering with Robertson Lodges reads like an ideal match.