Sofitel So comes to Auckland
Auckland will be the fourth city in the world to welcome a Sofitel So ‘‘designer’’ hotel, following the announcement of plans to open the Sofitel So Auckland in 2015. Joining the boutique portfolio of hotels, which also includes properties in Mauritius, Bangkok and Singapore, Sofitel So Auckland will feature 133 rooms situated in the heart of the CBD in the old New Zealand Reserve Bank in Customs St. Facilities will include a lobby lounge bar and rooftop restaurant, meeting and conference spaces, a swimming pool, day spa and fitness centre.
Sofitel So is the network’s ‘‘designer’’ label featuring trendy hotels in contemporary locations, with a strong focus on expressing the essence of the destination. Each So has input from a famous name from the world of fashion, arts or design – Christian Lacroix, Kenzo Takada and Karl Lagerfeld have been involved in previous So projects; Auckland’s design connection is still under negotiation.
‘‘New Zealand has always been a world-class destination, but perhaps for the first time Auckland is now truly ready to realise its true tourism potential,’’ says area general manager for Sofitel New Zealand, Wouter de Graaf.
The new Auckland hotel will be New Zealand’s fourth Sofitel hotel, alongside the Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa, Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour, and the much-anticipated Sofitel Wellington, due to open in 2014.