Distinction Hotels turned a stark 1966 government office tower on Invercargill's Esk Street West into a 150-room, 4.5-star hotel, opening in August 2025. Led by Studio Four Architects and owned by Southland native Geoff Thomson, it gives New Zealand's southernmost city its most significant hotel opening in decades.
The essentials
Group
Distinction Hotels
Opening
August 2025
Rooms & suites
150 studios and suites
Segment
Upscale
Designer
Studio Four Architects (adaptive reuse, Matt Sloper project lead)
On Esk Street West in the heart of Invercargill's central business district, inside the modernist former Menzies government building now anchoring the city's downtown revitalization.
The concept
Studio Four Architects led the adaptive reuse of the 1966 Menzies government building, gutting a former Ministry of Works structure to create Distinction Hotels' flagship in the deep south of New Zealand. Owned by Southland native Geoff Thomson, the 150-room, 4.5-star property targets business and leisure travelers to a city with little prior upscale hotel stock.
Dining & wellness
The Retreat Restaurant & Bar serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a relaxed dining room, complemented by a 24-hour gym and private dining rooms; the hotel does not publish spa or pool facilities.
