KEY POINTS:
A major hotel operator has ended its management contract at Auckland's tallest five-star hotel/apartment building.
Millennium Hotels and Resorts had a short-term contract to manage the 38-level, 350-unit Metropolis above High St on Courthouse Lane.
But Matt Taplin, Millennium's vice-president, said yesterday the contract ended on Sunday and his business was unable to renew the deal.
"We found the whole thing disappointing," he said.
Millennium is now turning away room bookings and will leave the tower at the end of the month.
On June 1, Millennium took a three-month contract to operate 100 apartments in the building as hotel rooms after Ascott International Management's lease with apartment owners expired. Ascott, formerly called Somerset, had operated more than 118 apartments since the building opened in 1999.
The management changes saw the tower rebranded this year from the Singaporean-managed Ascott Metropolis to Millennium Metropolis.
Mr Taplin said Millennium was keen to renew its contract but negotiations with the building's body corporate failed.
"We were identified as the preferred operator and the deal we put forward was seen as being the most suitable.
"But we could not convince enough apartment owners to allow us to have a viable pool of rooms to operate as a hotel," Mr Taplin said.
"We're staying on as building manager for another month while there's a transition. But there's no new operator coming in. The restaurant and bar is no longer operated but the security is part of the building management functions."
HIGH STAKES
* Hotel operator unable to agree on new management contract.
* About 100 apartment owners now become landlords.
* Just 100 of 350 rooms in hotel 'pool'.
* Building mainly owner-occupied.
* Hunt now on for new building manager.
