Heritage Hotel Hanmer Springs was closed earlier this year during lockdown. Photo / Supplied
Rumours are rife in Hanmer Springs over whether the Heritage Hotel has found a new owner.
The Hanmer Springs' Heritage Hotel complex was mothballed in May in the aftermath of the Covid-19 lockdown.
It now appears CPG Hotels could be about to breathe new life into the historic hotel.
CPG Hotels, the recent buyer of Terrace Downs, a resort-style property near the Rakaia Gorge that boasts a golf course, is advertising for staff for its $6.6 million acquisition.
Within the same advertisement for Terrace Downs staff, it is also asking for expressions of interest for senior staff roles at a "historic hotel property".
The advertisement says the Spanish-style building has been a drawcard to the area for decades, and will continue to showcase the "abundance of local produce and thermal activities in the area".
CPG has 10 properties in its portfolio, and the advertisement on the website Seek says both operations are scheduled to open in the near future, under the new brand, Fable Hotels and Resorts.
"CPG Hotels is a young and fast-growing New Zealand-owned company," the advertisement said.
CPG is looking for a general manager, duty manager, front office manager, food and beverage manager, housekeeping manager, conference co-ordinator, activities manager, and business development manager for both properties.
The mothballing of the Heritage Hotel was seen as a huge loss for the Hanmer Springs community.
It was not only used for conferences and business meetings, but was a popular wedding venue.
The 66 privately owned units, some in the hotel and some on the grounds, were run as a body corporate and leased back to the hotel.
Hurunui Mayor Marie Black said at the time of the mothballing that the job losses were gut-wrenching.
"It is a big shock because of the personal impact its closure will have on many families in the Hanmer basin and further afield," she said.
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