Horizon by SkyCity

Horizon by SkyCity opened on August 1, 2024, adding 303 rooms to Auckland's SkyCity precinct after a construction saga that pushed the launch back from an original March target. The curved, glass-finned tower now stands as SkyCity's flagship hotel and the closest accommodation to the New Zealand International Convention Centre, making SkyCity the largest single-site accommodation provider in the country with 938 rooms across three hotels.

The place

The hotel sits on Hobson Street in the heart of Auckland's central business district, directly beside the New Zealand International Convention Centre and linked to it by air bridges spanning the street. Multiple entry points, including a pedestrian laneway and street-level access, connect guests to the wider SkyCity entertainment precinct and the Federal Street dining strip a short walk away. The address places the hotel squarely within Auckland's commercial core, geared as much toward conference and business travelers as toward leisure guests drawn to the Sky Tower and downtown waterfront nearby.

The concept

Horizon by SkyCity is the flagship addition to SkyCity Entertainment Group's hotel portfolio, designed by Moller Architects with a curved glass façade built from hundreds of angled glass fins intended to catch light across the building's surface; the exterior lighting can also be synchronized with the neighboring Sky Tower. The project was developed alongside the New Zealand International Convention Centre and construction group Fletcher Building, and its path to completion was unusually long: originally slated to open in March 2024, the date slipped first to May and then to August before the hotel was declared practically complete and welcomed its first guests on August 1, 2024.

The 303 rooms include 10 suites, each built around Aotearoa-inspired design details, locally commissioned art and sculpture, and floor-to-ceiling windows framing views across the city, the Waitematā Harbour or the Hauraki Gulf. SkyCity has positioned the property as a five-star destination in its own right rather than a simple convention annex, and the positioning appears to be working: within a year of opening, Horizon picked up a New Zealand Architecture Award and the Holmes Group Tourism and Leisure Property Award at the Property NZ Awards, and climbed into Tripadvisor's top five Auckland hotels.

Dining & wellness

The hotel's culinary centerpiece is The Grill, led by executive chef Touvai Poloniati, which by its first anniversary had served more than 1,600 Beef Wellington orders and hosted some 1,200 celebrations. Onyx operates as the hotel's signature bar. Horizon also sits above SkyCity's existing dining and entertainment precinct, giving guests walking access to sister-hotel restaurants and bars including Depot, Huami and Federal Street venues, though the pool and spa facilities used by guests are housed at the neighboring SkyCity Grand rather than within Horizon itself.