How To Enhance Your Stay At SKYCITY Grand Hotel’s New Grand Deluxe Rooms And Suites

FOR THE ART APPRECIATORS:

From the moment you step through the gliding door of the SKYCITY Grand Hotel, you’re at the centre of a celebration of New Zealand art and design.

It makes sense that the design team who created the warm and vibrant new look for the hotel’s Grand Deluxe rooms and suites wanted to showcase local artists and designers. From the glorious floral gardenscapes by Auckland artist Karl Maughan and striking works by Shane Cotton and Robert Ellis that line the lobby, to the New Zealand-made details in the newly refurbished luxury rooms and suites, this is a place to discover the best of local culture.

Even before you arrive at your room or suite, you’ll have a personal encounter with New Zealand art – printed on the keycard that unlocks your door. Once inside, there’s much more – coastal-inspired green-and-gold abstract seascapes by Jody Hope-Gibbons, moody dream-like harbour scenes by Jane Blackmore, and bold calligraphic works by Max Gimblett.

Tear-drop vases and sculptural glass works by pre-eminent local New Zealand artists, including Lynden Over, Di Tocker and Keith Grinter add bright pops of colour to the main spaces, making them instantly feel as comfortable as your own living room (but with fabulous views across Auckland’s harbour, and room service).

In the bedroom and bathroom, there are more locally-made touches. Hanging in the wardrobe are beautiful charcoal-grey knitted bathrobes, made in New Zealand, with the colour inspired by the volcanic rock found throughout the Auckland area – so soft that you’ll immediately want to shrug of your clothes and wrap yourself up in one.

And in the stone-tiled bathroom, the exclusive Puriri shower and bath products use extracts of the native puriri tree, known as a therapeutic remedy for sore muscles, with a light, piquant scent.

Even when you’re heading out the door for the day, you can take a local treat with you – the mini-bar is stocked with locally produced beverages and snacks to keep you going while you explore the city’s best.

FOR THE STAYCATIONERS:

Part of the fun of taking a mini-break in your own city is doing all the things that you know you can do, but never make time for when you’re at home. But when you’re checked into the air-conditioned comfort of a hotel room, where there are no household chores calling to be done, you’ve got all the time in the world.

Throw yourself down on the new smoke-grey couch scattered with plump, colourful velvet cushions with a pile of magazines to flick through. The couch and cushions are part of a fresh colour scheme inspired by the centrepiece of the room – a circular rug with a striking floral print designed by Dutch wunderkind Marcel Wanders for Moooi Carpets.

Other elements in the rooms – the copper cone lamp in the corner, the botanical Euro pillows and charcoal bed throws in the bedroom and the round gold-and-granite coffee table in the suites – take their design cues from the rug. Along with the picture-window view across Auckland to the Waitakares, the couch with a peep of the rug in the background makes a perfect backdrop for a selfie to let your friends know you’ve taken a break for the weekend.

With one of the city’s finest dining precincts at the front door of the hotel, you have the option to dress up for dinner, starting with a long, Puriri-infused soak in the deep bath (and an aperitif glass of champagne). After getting ready while enveloped in the knitted Bemboka robes, head out under the twinkling lights of Federal St for a night on the tiles.

After sensibly downing a couple of pre-sleep glasses of water from the new smoked-glass water tumblers in the bathroom, collapse into the softness of the King Koil bed. These beds are so comfortable that guests have been known to want to take them home with them as a permanent reminder of their holiday – and fortunately you can, if you ask about it at check-out.

FOR MIXING BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE:

The new Grand Deluxe rooms at Auckland’s SKYCITY Grand Hotel are as smartly dressed as the executive business travelers who regularly stay there.

They’re also smart in the technological sense. Even the televisions greet you by name when you arrive, and the free, unlimited high-speed wireless won’t let you down. The hotel’s dedicated business centre is also just steps away, and can be booked to host up to eight people, with a catered menu from Gusto at the Grand.

Travelling for business, or hosting client meetings, product showings or boutique events is considerably more pleasurable (and effective) in a hotel room where everything’s been thought of before you think of it. SKYCITY’s Grand Deluxe rooms and suites tick all the boxes on the checklist, from Nespresso machines and cafe-style chinaware to keep in-room business meetings chic (and guests who have to work late well-caffeinated), to travel adapters, chargers and even Panadol on hand in the mini-bar.

The suites, in particular, make a unique venue that gives a trunk show or luxury product presentation a glamorous edge, or to host a corporate brainstorming session where the team can do their “blue-sky thinking” while they contemplate expansive city and harbour views from the big picture windows. Afterwards, the Federal St Precinct is a great place to finish the day with team-building drinks.

And if your business trip involves long days out on the road, at least you’ll know you’ll be looking your best. When you check into a Grand Deluxe suite, you receive complimentary dry-cleaning of two shirts, and there’s daily laundry, dry-cleaning and pressing services available at the touch of a phone button. After a morning soak in the luxurious rainshower, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running.

Plus, there are full gym, swim and sauna facilities just downstairs, so even your regular workout routine will run like clockwork.

10 THINGS TO DO DURING YOUR SKYCITY GRAND DELUXE STAY

In the dim, soothing environment of the hotel’s Asia-influenced spa, it’s easy to convince yourself that you’re a thousand miles from home, especially when enjoying a Shanti, Veda or Balinese massage. There’s a full range of relaxing or clinically rejuvenating facials to refresh yourself with, or head-to-toe packages that will leave you feeling like a new person.

Auckland central is home to the flagship stores of the biggest international luxury brands, including Prada, Gucci, Dior and Louis Vuitton, and T Galleria, and Tiffany & Co and Chanel Beauty alongside New Zealand designers Karen Walker, Kate Sylvester, World, Zambesi at Britomart, all within easy walking distance of the hotel.

Tailored to where you want to go, and what you want to see, a SKYCITY Chauffeur Tour can give you a new look at the city, from the backseat comfort of a luxury Mercedes.

Whether you fancy your skills at poker or baccarat, or just want to try your luck on the roulette wheel, there’s a casino game for any level of excitement you can handle.

Many talented New Zealand chefs head overseas to make their mark on the world stage, but when it’s time to come back home, the place where most of them have landed is Federal Street. From Nic Watt’s contemporary Japanese robata at MASU, the only 1 Hat hotel restaurant in New Zealand, Gusto at the Grand, and Al Brown’s seafood-led Depot to Peter Gordon’s sky-high Sugar Club and Sean Connolly’s New York grill-meets-New Zealand pasture-grazed beef, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to places to try a literal taste of New Zealand.

The Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tāmaki is just five minutes’ walk from the hotel, offering an extensive collection of New Zealand historic and contemporary art. After you’ve explored the galleries (and excellent gift shop), take a wander around the Lorne St-Kitchener St block, checking out the local dealer galleries and the public sculptures and artworks in the area.

Not sure what to do with your day in Auckland? Make yourself a nest of the colourful new velvet-look cushions on your room couch and flick through the new coffee-table books that describe Auckland’s history and iconic features, or showcase the work of New Zealand artists and designers. Or take a visual tour of the city via the SKYCITY channel on your wide-screen TV.

Here to work? Client hosting is part of good business – and the perfect excuse to try out one of SKYCITY’s world-class restaurants, from modern Chinese dining at Huami to cocktails and fine cuisine with the city’s highest view at Peter Gordon’s Sugar Club.

Catch an after-work movie, play or comedy act at the SKYCITY Theatre next door – it’s home to an ever-changing roster of shows and performances, including annual icon events like the New Zealand International Film Festival and the New Zealand International Comedy Fest.

A huge hit of adrenaline is an amazing way to give yourself a massive confidence boost and a new perspective about what’s possible. Challenge yourself and your key team to go beyond your day-to-day limits by taking an exhilarating Sky Tower, SkyWalk or SkyJump.

For more information and to book, Skycityauckland.co.nz/hotels/skycity-grand/rooms