Opening their third property in Christchurch – the third for 2023 – is an impressive achievement for Quest Apartments Hotels New Zealand. Quest on Cambridge opened strongly on 15th November with many advance bookings from corporate clients keen to sample the boutique apartment hotel group’s latest offering.
In defiance of economic challenges, Quest’s growth trajectory is continuing into 2024, with the opening of a fourth property in Christchurch, Quest on Kilmore, in May 2024. By then, Quest will have 43 locations across New Zealand and Fiji.
Adrian Turner, Chief Operating Officer, Quest Apartments Hotels (NZ) is confident this is the right time for growth and adds that the expansion has been planned for some time.
“The opening of Quest on Cambridge will support Quest Cathedral Junction and Quest on Manchester and provide much needed inventory for the Christchurch Market, especially since the opening of Te Pae, Christchurch’s new convention centre.”
In its opening year in 2022, Te Pae exceeded expectations to host more than 180 events that brought more than 60,000 people into the city and contributed close to $45 million to the local economy. That momentum has continued to build throughout 2023. In May, for example, Te Pae hosted TRENZ, the biggest tourism trade event on the New Zealand calendar with 1500 delegates attending along with hundreds of New Zealand tourism business operators and international buyers. Te Pae’s 2024 event calendar is already filling up fast with a range of exciting conferences, shows, meetings and workshops.
Quest on Cambridge at 77 Cambridge Terrace is beautifully situated in the central city on the banks of the Avon River, by the Bridge of Remembrance. It offers an ideal business base for conference goers and other corporate guests, with excellent riverside restaurants and bars near at hand. Offering 84 rooms, Quest on Cambridge also has a meeting room that can easily cater to 20 people.
One of the key drivers of success for Quest is that each property is run by locals who know their area and how best to meet the needs of their guests. Quest on Cambridge is in experienced local hands. Apartment hotel operator George Lin, who previously ran Quest Cathedral Junction, has been with Quest since 2016 and is excited to be taking on this brand-new property.
“Opening Quest on Cambridge, which is the second largest in the Quest network, is an amazing opportunity,” says George, who, with his team, is dedicated to providing the same exceptional customer service as that provided by the teams at Quest on Manchester and Quest Cathedral Junction.
Every Quest Apartment Hotel offers a home or office away from home, complete with separate living, dining and sleeping areas, separate workstations and fully equipped kitchens and laundry facilities. Options for guests include regular housekeeping, valet laundry and dry-cleaning services, babysitting booking service and selected local restaurant chargeback arrangements. Quest attracts guests who stay for days, weeks or months at a time.
The opening of Quest on Cambridge coincided with some positive regional news from the Insights Forum, a partnership between the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and ChristchurchNZ. The forum reported on ongoing recovery in international tourism, with international visitors having injected almost $400 million into Canterbury’s retail sector in the last year. Another positive trend is what ChristchurchNZ CEO Ali Adams dubbed ‘the Great Southern Migration’, with over 15,000 people having moved to Canterbury from overseas in the last year. Canterbury has also experienced the strongest regional gain from domestic migration for the second year in a row, mostly driven by people moving out of Auckland.