Sale of the century for historic hotel

The historic boutique Devereux Hotel at 267 Remuera Rd was built in the 1890s. Photo / Supplied

Formerly known as the Devereux boutique hotel, a century-old historic building and 20 self-contained studio units on the same site at 267 Remuera Rd are being marketed for tender either separately or as one complete package.

Built in the 1890s as a grand home for the Burns family and converted to a private hotel in the late 1930s, the 558sq m Victorian homestead is for mortgagee sale with vacant possession through David Gubb, Mike Houlker and James Hill of Bayleys Auckland Central, with tenders closing on March 30.

The 20 units located in the two-level Courtney Mews building, erected in 1974 to the front of the villa, are being offered for sale on behalf of a number of private owners, with one unit also a mortgagee sale.

The property, located on the southern side of Remuera Rd a short distance from the Remuera Village shopping centre, is being marketed in Bayleys' latest Total Property portfolio.

Gubb says while the former Devereux Hotel has previously been put up for sale, this is the first time in 35 years that the two buildings have been offered as one lot along with the 2368sq m prime Remuera leasehold site on which they are located.

The Dilworth Trust, which has owned the land since 1928, is offering purchasers the opportunity to acquire its freehold interest in the ground lease and there are a wide variety of possible future options for the site.

Its Residential 7B zoning allows subdivision into 200sq m lots and its location in the heart of one of Auckland's most affluent and sought-after suburbs means it could be more intensively developed for residential use.

The block of units, which are currently either leased or vacant, could be utilised by a motel or hotel operator in conjunction with the homestead and a two-bedroom cottage at the rear of the property and operated as an integrated accommodation complex or conference centre, says Gubb.

The property is close to Remuera's medical belt and could also potentially be converted to specialist rooms or for use as a private healthcare facility. "The villa could also of course be returned to its original use as a private family home," says Gubb. "It is in a very secluded position surrounded by trees."

The solid kauri and rimu villa has also been used as a restaurant and was home to the fashionable Pinks Restaurant for a number of years. It was extensively refurbished, modernised and renamed as a boutique hotel in the 1990s when it was owned by Charlotte Devereux. In more recent times, it has been used as a residential dwelling.

The house has nine bedrooms, all with private bathrooms. It also has two kitchens, with the larger a commercial kitchen, and downstairs is a living area including a former conference room, an office, a lounge with an open fire and additional bathroom facilities. The downstairs area was originally designed around a ballroom where large private dances were held.

Hill says the studio units at the front of the property each have a kitchenette with cupboard and drawer space and a bathroom with vanity, toilet and tiled shower. They open out on to balconies and there is an outdoor courtyard area in the centre of the L-shaped building. There is a communal laundry. Hill says the property could also lend itself to some sort of educational facility, such as a language school for foreign students.