The context and brief The striking seven-storey Park Hyatt Auckland is located along Auckland Harbour’s waterfront, offering guests spectacular views across Lighter Basin and beyond. The 195-guestroom hotel also includes four restaurants and bars, flexible event spaces, a day spa, swimming pool and gym. The client’s brief was to create a collection of unique but connected spaces with Park Hyatt’s sophistication, an unmistakable identity and a unifying sense of place. Innovation and creativity Conran and Partners’ approach has been inspired by Auckland Harbour’s strong sense of place and the hotel’s close relationship to the vibrant city’s urban grain, as well as the general maritime character of the area and multi-cultural society, drawing upon New Zealand’s rich natural beauty and its strong multicultural heritage. Added to this is Park Hyatt’s own concept of luxury, reflecting the brand’s contemporary and elegant nature. Combined, these elements evoke the Māori notion of ‘turangawaewae’ or sense of place and belonging. Each space within the new hotel, including the extensive F+B offering, has its own identity while being consistent with the overarching concept. We have sought to create a seamless journey through the series of spaces, contrasting dramatic volumes with intimate spaces. On the whole we have sought to use natural and locally sourced materials, with references to Māori heritage and its arts and crafts contrasted with modern influences from Europe and Asia scattered throughout. Upon arrival, guests are welcomed by a striking reception area, taking the guest from an intimate porte cochère into a dramatic full-height atrium which reveals the bold architectural concept of open corridors and central courtyards. To create a human scale in such a grand and open space, the reception is housed in a pavilion which is anchored by a bespoke full-width Māori tukutuku woven screen. On the ground floor, visitors mix with locals in the numerous public areas that surround the atrium and face out onto the harbourside and its public boardwalk. Among the spaces is the Pantry which faces the street, inviting in locals as well as providing the dining room for the hotel team. Whilst very much a café area, it surprises guests with a dramatic, full-height atrium space that reveals the intricate architecture of the building. The signature restaurant Onemata looks out onto harbour and sea from its prime corner location and features an open kitchen with a hearth oven and a relaxed and welcoming - yet minimal - interior, including an intimate private dining room. The Living Room offers a contemporary twist on the ‘lobby’ with a dramatic fireplace and relaxed lounge furniture arranged on two levels looking out over the harbourside. The Captain’s Bar was envisaged as a version of a harbourside pub but layered with Park Hyatt’s sophistication. Completing the ground floor spaces is The Boathouse which, continuing the nautical theme, is a function space with its own private pantry area adjacent to the harbour front. Conran and Partners’ design for the guest rooms is inspired by nautical references with a warm palette of timber and fabrics and furniture in-built as if on a yacht. The rooms have bespoke rugsbased on Māori patterns: a custom woven fabric panel developed by a local iwi (meaning people or tribe). Our design also includes a 5* wellness facility. The spa offers an intimate sanctuary of relaxation and calm, thoughtfully curated to provide health and wellbeing for guests. Other facilities include a fully equipped fitness centre, hydrotherapy area including an aroma steam room, sauna and vitality pools as well as a 25metre infinity pool. The hotel’s atmosphere reflects the easy-going outlook which Kiwis are famed for. Nonetheless, we have created a luxury hotel setting with a difference, balancing industrial gutsiness and urban references with locally-sourced, natural materials and Maori craft. Functionality It was important to us that as well as being visually striking, the hotel was functional from an operational perspective. We have therefore drawn on our decades of hospitality design to ensure that every design consideration was made with functionality in mind. Since opening the hotel has been able to easily adapt to Covid restrictions, while ensuring that the 5* level of service and overall guest experience was not compromised. It was key that despite being a vast hotel of 29,000 sqm, wayfinding and the visitor journey throughout the spaces was simple and logical, with spaces naturally flowing from one another, but also expressive and exciting, with shifts in volume and atmosphere throughout. A consideration of how the hotel operates has been at the forefront of all design decisions, making the guest experience as seamless and enjoyable as possible. The guest rooms are thoughtfully located at the building’s four corners to maximise views out, with external bathrooms connecting guests to the hotel’s waterfront setting. Throughout the hotel, we have sought to make guests feel connected to Auckland Harbour’s strong sense of place. Inclusivity We were conscious to preserve Auckland’s strong multicultural heritage through our design so encouraged strong involvement with the Maori from start to finish. Our design team visited local tribes and had an extensive briefing from tribe leaders regarding meaning and significance of land, nature, symbols and traditional tribal practices. At the early design stages Maori art consultants were involved in discussions surrounding appropriateness of artwork and appropriate interpretations of tribal symbols. We have incorporated bespoke fabric patterns by Maori artists and manufactured using local New Zealand wool and mill. The chosen artwork selection represents both New Zealand artists and young Maori artists. We also tied in some work by Chinese artists as a point of reference of the ownership group and Chinese visitors. Our role as designers is to create spaces for people, and that means all people: • We have made provisions complying to local building code regulations as we would for every project we are involve in. The New Zealand requirements are quite similar to the UK. • We were guided by the local architect and accessible consultant. The accessible consultant is herself a wheelchair user and offered first-hand experience and guidance • All areas are accessible and step free • We have provided gender neutral WC on the public GF • As part of the Hyatt design and operational requirements, we have included a number of accessible hotel rooms with the same standard of aesthetic and design Sustainability Being a country with such a green reputation, New Zealand has extremely strict sustainability requirements which the team had to adhere to from the outset. The overall design includes two large rainwater retention tanks, rooftop solar panels and green walls with hanging gardens integrated during construction. Given the hotel’s location, we were also very mindful to source materials locally and sustainably where possible, to minimise the carbon associated with shipping materials overseas. The design adopts a refined palette with natural materials like stone and timber used throughout. We were mindful to preserve the local culture and values of the Māori. The sustainability approach has therefore had a very strong cultural element. Designed to reflect a wharenui meeting house, our design ensured the guests were engaged with authentic, local culture and that Māori artists and businesses were at the forefront of the design. Working with the local iwi, large original works by Peata Larkin and woven tukutuku panels created by artist Beronia Scott and her whānau from the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei were commissioned to really cement the hotel in its location, giving a unique sense of place. Client feedback “We are incredibly excited to see the opening of Park Hyatt Auckland which will incorporate much from New Zealand’s Māori culture including artworks and design features to create an intimate environment that is both beautifully stylish and welcoming. “With the spacious comfort of our guestrooms, immersive culinary experiences and sophisticated yet flexible event spaces - complemented by the highest standard of service - we are confident that our guests will experience a level of unparalleled hospitality in the city.” Brett Sweetman, General Manager, Park Hyatt Auckland