Project Details
Designer: SJB Sydney / Richards Stanisich
Developer: Pro-invest Group
Hotel Operator: Pro-invest Group
Products: Carpet Tile in Custom Colour: Near & Far NF401 1m x 25cm, Luxury Collection LC08 1m x 1m & Net Effect B601, B602, B603 50cm x 50cm
Forming part of an exciting development under the Pro-invest Group portfolio, the Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre and voco™ Auckland City Centre are within the first dual-branded hotel building in New Zealand. The building is located at 58 Alberta Street and was designed by SJB Architects to offer a sense of instant respite in one of New Zealand’s most exhilarating destinations.
“We know that once our hotels are due for refurbishment, our 100% carbon-neutral carpets can be recycled locally, through Interface’s ReEntry program.”
Tim Sherlock, Managing Director for Pro-invest Group
Located in the heart of the city, this unique hospitality destination is walking distance from SkyCity, Viaduct Harbour and the CBD, making it the perfect base for any leisurely or business visitor. Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre boasts refined and purposeful design that creates an inviting, contemporary environment, with 294 rooms equipped with a range of amenities. Voco™, on the other hand, offers premium accommodation without the fuss. An ideal destination for urban explorers, the hotel is a carefully curated fusion of comfort and joie de vivre.
Both hotels are emblematic of what Auckland has to offer, and flooring was pivotal to creating interiors that established a connection with the hotels’ geographical context. As such, Interface’s New Zealand Hospitality palette capturing the essence of the country’s landscape was specified to create an exceptional experience for international and local guests.
Challenges
Focused on creating comfortable, inviting and premium interiors, the voco™ venues often feature custom Axminster carpet design. In line with that, Interface had to ensure their carpet patterns would provide a seamless finish with the desired high-end plush feel underfoot.
Solutions
Due to the exceptional quality of their modular carpet tile Interface was not only selected for the voco™ hotel, but was also able to maintain the carpet specification for the Holiday Inn Express project.
While “printed carpet” alternatives might be cheaper to supply, they don’t tend to offer the same quality, warranty nor durability. Interface’s signature modular carpet tiles are incredibly hard wearing and – because of the 100% solution dyed yarn and stain protection coating – they are also resistant to fading from sunlight or marks from chemicals used by housekeeping. Thanks to their dimensionally stable backing system, they have outstanding appearance retention, which means they won’t curl or shrink – a crucial safety feature for high-traffic hospitality spaces.
For the Holiday Inn Express, the designers specified the Net Effect Collection from the Sea Palette range. Inspired by the movement of the world’s oceans, this range was the original carpet tile collection that featured Interfaces emblematic, reclaimed fishing nets as the nylon yarn source. Specified in a 50x50cm carpet tile, the product brings a nautical look and feel to the suites with custom-coloured multi-tonal yarns, meticulously selected to emulate the gentle waters of the neighbouring Waitematā Harbour.
For voco™, the design team opted for two products from the New Zealand Hospitality Palettes. They used Near & Far NF401 from the River Palette throughout the suites and Luxury Collection LC08 1m x 1m tiles from the Mountain Palette in the event, lounge and meeting spaces. Both of these carpet tiles were expertly customised by the Interface Design Team to bring in voco™ brand colours and the plush look and feel the client was after. Equipped with Interface’s patented CushionBacRe™ backing system, the modular tiles provide the sense of luxury and ultimate underfoot comfort.
In addition, for both projects, modular flooring provides the hotel operator with ease of maintenance and selective replacement in case of damage to the carpet. The extra tiles can be kept on site, and can be swapped out by hotel staff within seconds, without the need to close off the area to complete the work, which could potentially affect the occupancy of the hotel.
Matching the outstanding quality of the products, Interface’s incredible environmental credentials were equally as crucial in the specification process. “The ability to challenge conventional thinking is a big advantage to us as a hotel developer, owner and operator as we benefit from our ability to adapt to change and try new things, and so we choose to partner with Interface based on a shared commitment to ESG principles,” explains Tim Sherlock, Managing Director for Pro-invest Group. “We know that once our hotels are due for refurbishment, our 100% carbon-neutral carpets can be recycled locally, through Interface’s ReEntry program.”
This exciting destination is not only the first dualbranded hotel building in New Zealand, but also a prime example of a modern hospitality venue seamlessly balancing outstanding quality and
usability, inspiring design and environmental considerations to deliver exceptional experiences for Auckland visitors.
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