New hotels in Tauranga

Tauranga is the main city of the Bay of Plenty, on New Zealand's North Island, sharing its harbour with the beach town of Mount Maunganui and home to the country's largest port by cargo volume. We track two hotels here: Mercure Tauranga, the city's first internationally branded hotel, open since May 2026, and Rydges Tauranga, a new-build waterfront property confirmed for late 2028. Both sit in central Tauranga, a short drive from Mount Maunganui's beaches across the harbour.

What to do

A weekend in Tauranga

Cross the harbour to Mount Maunganui for its main beach, regularly ranked among New Zealand's best, and, when the summit track is open, the walk up Mauao for panoramic views over the harbour and the Pacific. Back in central Tauranga, the Tauranga Art Gallery and the Saturday farmers market at Tauranga Primary School are both an easy walk from Mercure Tauranga on Brown Street. Leisure Island, reached by footbridge from Mount Maunganui's main beach, has a short track out to a blowhole, and Pilot Bay on the harbour side offers calmer swimming than the surf beach for families.

A full week

With more time, McLaren Falls Park, a 20-minute drive from the city, has walking trails through native and exotic forest around Lake McLaren, and night kayaking tours run there to see glow worms. Papamoa, 15 minutes from Mount Maunganui, has a 16-kilometre beach and inland mountain-biking trails through the Papamoa Hills. The Bay of Plenty's orchards, among New Zealand's biggest kiwifruit-growing country, spread out behind the city toward the Kaimai Ranges, and several operators run orchard tours through the harvest season. Tauranga and Mount Maunganui also rank among New Zealand's busiest cruise ports, with ships regularly docking at the harbour a short walk from central Tauranga's hotels. Rotorua's geothermal parks and Māori cultural sites are about an hour's drive inland: worth a day trip from Tauranga for anyone not continuing on to stay there.

Where to stay

Central Tauranga

Mercure Tauranga opened in May 2026 on Brown Street, a rebrand of the long-running Hotel Armitage and Conference Centre following a multimillion-dollar refurbishment: the city's first internationally branded hotel, in a market that had previously been entirely independent. Accor kept the existing team on through the transition, and pitches the 80-room property at corporate travelers and conference groups as much as leisure visitors, bringing the group's New Zealand portfolio to 49 hotels.

Willow Street & the waterfront

Rydges Tauranga, confirmed for late 2028, is a 158-room new build on Willow Street, about 50 metres from the waterfront promenade and close to the Port of Tauranga, New Zealand's largest port by cargo volume: EVT Hotels & Resorts' eighth New Zealand property under the Rydges brand, part of a wider portfolio of 38 hotels and resorts across Australia and New Zealand, appointed through a competitive selection process.

Which hotel for your trip

Business & conference travelers

Mercure Tauranga's conference centre heritage, carried over from its Hotel Armitage days, and its Accor backing make it the practical choice for corporate and conference groups today.

Travelers wanting Tauranga's next international opening

Rydges Tauranga, confirmed for late 2028 on the waterfront, will give the city its second internationally branded hotel and its first ground-up new build among those we track, construction having broken ground in August 2026 and announced at the AHICE Aotearoa conference.

Beach-focused travelers

Either hotel puts Mount Maunganui's beaches within a short drive across the harbour, though Mercure Tauranga's Brown Street address is the closer of the two to Tauranga's own harbourside path today, and Rydges Tauranga's waterfront site will put its future guests directly on the promenade.

Frequently asked questions

What is the only internationally branded hotel open in Tauranga today?

Mercure Tauranga, which opened in May 2026 as a rebrand of the former Hotel Armitage and Conference Centre.

What hotel is confirmed to open next in Tauranga?

Rydges Tauranga, a 158-room new build on Willow Street confirmed for late 2028.

Was Mercure Tauranga a new building or a conversion?

A conversion: it was previously the independently run Hotel Armitage and Conference Centre before Accor's rebrand and refurbishment.

Is Tauranga close to Mount Maunganui's beaches?

Yes: Mount Maunganui sits across the harbour from central Tauranga, a short drive or bus ride away.

How many internationally branded hotels will Tauranga have once Rydges opens?

Two: Mercure Tauranga, open since 2026, and Rydges Tauranga, confirmed for late 2028.

Is Tauranga a major port city?

Yes: the Port of Tauranga is New Zealand's largest port by cargo volume, sitting close to where Rydges Tauranga is confirmed to open, and the harbour is also one of the country's busiest cruise-ship stops.

Is Tauranga a good base for visiting Rotorua?

Yes: Rotorua's geothermal parks and Māori cultural attractions are about an hour's drive inland, an easy day trip from either hotel we track in Tauranga.

What is the Bay of Plenty known for growing?

Kiwifruit: the region around Tauranga is one of New Zealand's largest kiwifruit-growing areas, with orchards spreading out toward the Kaimai Ranges behind the city.