Luxury Adventures are doing a series of interviews with some of our key suppliers looking at the different aspects of their lives and how these influence the experiences they offer. Queenstown Park Hotel is a boutique hotel located in central Queenstown,  South Island, New Zealand.

Why should people stay at Queenstown Park Hotel, what separates you from other boutique properties in Queenstown at a similar price point? Queenstown certainly has a lot of choice for accommodation options.  The proximity to downtown and the lakeside edge of Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu is a short stroll (5-7 minutes).  This makes Queenstown Park Boutique Hotel an attractive option for guests who may not have their own transport or enjoy a vibrant town centre. The personal attention each guest receives from our small team provides an introduction to the best the region has to offer.  We have all experienced most of what Queenstown and the region offer for activities, scenic drives, hiking or cycling.  On a one-to-one basis we share this knowledge with all our guests, making their choices varied and effective within the timeframe they have available.

Can you tell us about the different room types on offer at Queenstown Park?  Our accommodation is designated either Gondola Double or Twin to represent views towards Queenstown’s iconic  Bob’s Peak where Skyline Gondola complex is located or Remarkables Double which offer vistas towards the Remarkable Mountain range.  All rooms are contemporary in design and the upstairs Gondola showers have a unique feature of a glass skylight for the shower roof.

What type of guest do you think Queenstown park is ideally suited to?  Our guests are mainly couples travelling on their own or couples and extended family travelling together.  All of our guests like to maximize their time in Queenstown either with adventure or scenic activities.

What are the typical inclusions guests can expect when staying there? The most popular inclusion is our complimentary offering of pre-dinner drinks and canapes each evening from 6.00 to 7.00pm.  During this time we provide a selection of Central Otago Wine, NZ Beers, flavorsome organic fruit juices or mineral waters. This is our opportunity to hear of the day’s adventures, assist with planning for the following day and make dinner reservations.  Guests interact with each other and tales of ‘what a small world it is’ are frequent and funny. Connectivity is important to us and our guests.  We offer 5MB of complimentary wireless internet per day and our provider tells me that 10 separate devices can be used within each room. Covered car parking is also available at no cost.

Can you tell us a little more about your background and what you bring to the hotel? I have 15 years hotel experience in the Queenstown region.  I am a ‘southern’ New Zealander and use my knowledge to guide self-driving guests into some interesting territory …. ‘off the beaten track’.

What top five experiences would you recommend for our guests whilst staying in the Queenstown? I am certainly not up for bungy jumping … but my personal highlights are the Shotover Jet and Shotover River Rafting, Dart River Wilderness Safari, TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak, coach/cruise/fly to Milford Sound… but there is a lot more!!

What are your current favourite eateries/bars in Queenstown?  Rata, The Bunker, Botswana Butchery, Pier 19 and Jervois Steakhouse are among our most popular recommendations. Added to this list for fresh fish and seafood would be Fishbone & Grill or Bella Cucina for Italian.  I like the shared plates that are offered in many Australasian restaurants now, in Queenstown this style of dining is offered at Rata, Blue Kanu, The Bathhouse and Madam Woo (my personal favourite) and Eichardts Wine Bar offers a tapas menu with some great cocktails.  For a late night spot, I would also recommend upstairs at The Bunker.

You market yourself as eco friendly, what is the philosophy behind this and what are a couple of interesting practices you’ve introduced?  Our entire team is focused on re-using and recycling.  As a new building we also have a motion sensor camera and lighting system which reduces public area lighting to 20% when there is no movement.  However, the most engaging aspect of our environmental efforts for our guests is when our Chef goes out into the courtyard during breakfast service to harvest herbs and garnishes fresh from the garden. Our strawberries are huge and we also have crab apple, Granny Smith apple and apricot trees.

Tell us more about the design and interiors of the property and what the influences are? Our building is contemporary and designed by New Zealand architects and interior designers..  There is Central Otago schist stone used externally & internally and our entrance lobby has wonderful aerial photographs of the north and south islands. We have recently included the colour orange into our rooms with the addition of some beautiful NZ wool bed throws and bright orange cushions.  This has given some additional warmth to our previous black and white furnishings.

If you had 10 days to see as much of New Zealand as possible, where would you visit? I love the North Island’s Bay of Islands and Coromandel areas, but as a southerner, I would explore the rugged Catlins coastline (southeast), then up to Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula, back inland to cycle the Otago Central Rail Trail through the Maniototo region and if time permits, up to Lake Tekapo and Mt Cook.

Karen Henry is the General Manager at Queenstown Park Hotel.

Kay Campbell is a luxury travel specialist at Luxury Adventures. Talk to us about planning your next visit to New Zealand, Australia or the South Pacific Islands.