The recently opened Holiday Inn Express & Suites Queenstown marked the group's maiden foray into New Zealand.

Australian developer Pro-invest Group has confirmed it will open its first hotel in New Zealand as scheduled, with Holiday Inn Express & Suites Queenstown ready to welcome guests from 10 July.

Opening in time for the ski season peak travel period, the 227-room hotel on the corner of Stanley and Sydney Street adopts an alpine ski chalet look and for the first time in the brand’s history in Australia and New Zealand, will offer guests access to Suite-style accommodations.

The hotel will provide guests with easy access to a number of ski fields including Coronet Peak, the Remarkables, Cardrona and Treble Cone, with nearby access to the city’s Skyline gondola also.

The hotel will feature highly advanced sustainability technologies to conserve energy usage.

Pro-invest CEO, Ronald Barrott, said the group was excited to be launching a new product via its first New Zealand property, with indicators pointing towards strong demand throughout its opening season.

“We are committed to expanding the Holiday Inn Express brand in New Zealand and we’re confident that Queenstown’s reputation as premier destination makes it the ideal place to start,” Barrott said.

“With school holidays and the ski season approaching, and New Zealand’s COVID-19 travel restrictions lifted, we are anticipating that Queenstown and our latest hotel will be a popular destination for many holidaymakers.”

Like many Pro-invest properties, sustainability forms a key component of the hotel, with interior carpets made from recycled materials. In addition, an energy recovery system draws energy from all heat exhausted by hotel facilities and HVAC systems including bathrooms, the fitness centre, meeting rooms, restaurants and all common areas, using it to power the hotel’s heating and air-conditioning, leading to a significant reduction in power usage from the local grid.