A 140-year-old heritage hotel is undergoing a major makeover, enhancing its tenant opportunities to become Hamilton’s newest retail precinct.
The works will allow The Sudima Hamilton to benefit from new tenant opportunities in line with Hamilton’s wider transformation.
Andrew Giarn, head of the Giarn Family Trust which has owned the property since 2001, says the planned works are designed to preserve the heritage and character of the original building whilst blending with a contemporary new look.
“We believe protecting and enhancing the character of the city’s core is essential for Hamilton’s continued positive development and growth.
“The past 10 years have been extremely difficult times for the Hamilton CBD but we have a substantial investment here and believe now is the time to build on the vibrant activities planned in the central city’s Downtown, City Living and river bank developments in the years ahead,” he says.
Retail revamp
Housed in the original building built in 1876, the hotel comprises 69 well-appointed guestrooms and a selection of completely transformed ground floor retail tenancies in various space options.
Colliers International has been appointed as the Exclusive Marketing Agents overseeing the role of securing registration of interest from prospective new tenants for the ground floor retail tenancies.
Commercial Sales and Leasing Broker for Colliers International John Hagar says the enhanced veranda cover will provide active building frontages to both Victoria and Collingwood, making them ideally suited to retail, travel, tourism, high fashion and accessories, corporate cafés fine dining and entertainment opportunities.”
Total transformation
The timing of this development is “perfect” given the transformation going on within the area, Hagar believes.
“The new “Victoria on the River” embankment park opposite and the conversion of the former Farmers building (housing over 700 District Health Board staff) all contribute to a revitalising and stimulating of the spending power in the CBD,” he says.
Builders’ shrouds will go up in the interests of guests and public safety over the next few months, and remediation works designed to meet new earthquake strengthening guidelines will take place.
Completion of the restoration works is forecast for September with ample time for prospective tenants to conclude negotiations and fit out requirements in readiness for bumper Christmas Trading 2017.
