Taupo's luxury Huka Lodge has hosted royalty and rock stars. Photo / Supplied
Taupo's luxury Huka Lodge has hosted royalty and rock stars. Photo / Supplied
A luxury Taupō hotel, frequented by rock stars and royalty, is to close its doors next year.
Huka Lodge, one of New Zealand’s most exclusive riverside retreats, has said it will welcome its final guests in April 2024. Over its 100-year history the fishing lodge near Taupō has hosted an impressive roster of international guests, from Queen Elizabeth II to Bill Gates and Mick Jagger.
When the last guests check out on April 30 next year, owners Baillie Lodgers have signalled it will be the end of “an era”, as they plan the new chapter and a new-look for Huka.
Don’t write the obit for “the grand dame of luxury lodges” just yet.
Owners Baillie Lodges say the closure of the luxury accommodation on the Waikato River is a temporary arrangement.
Huka Lodge will be undergoing a seven-month renovation, ahead of the centenary celebrations of the hotel.
While it will remain closed for bookings for much of 2024 the new-look lodge will reopen for summer, with an intended first booking date of 1 December.
Baillie Lodges says that it will be a “new era” for the properties and has reappointed Virginia Fisher for the transformation, who was the interior designer who last renovated Huka in 1984.
The main lodge and owners’ residences are to undergo a transformation with floor-to-ceiling windows, double-sided fireplaces and more features to make the most of its riverside setting.
New look lodge: Huka Lodge is closing for a 7-month refurb ahead of its 100-year anniversary. Photo / Supplied, Baillie Lodges
Huka Spa Huts will also be popping up on the grounds, as rustic spa treatment rooms for guests to enjoy.
Baillie Lodges founder James Baillie said that, as a relatively new addition to the collection of properties, Huka Lodge was in need of a revamp. Especially with the 100-year milestone, around the corner.
“We’re very pleased to have worked on plans in such a way to embrace the heritage of the iconic luxury lodge while taking her carefully into the future,” Baillie said.
The group took over the running of Huka in February 2021.
Although Ballie Lodges describe the plans for the lodge as taking her into a “new era” of luxury travel, they have been careful to consult with former owners and designs.
The River Room of the main Huka Lodge is opening up to the Waikato River, in renovations ending summer 2024. Photo / Supplied, Baillie Lodges
Huka Lodge’s previous owner Alex van Heeren said he was pleased with the plans for the renovation and that the character of the original lodge would be upheld in the 2024 redesign.
“As Huka Lodge enters her centenary year, it’s timely to have our much-loved grand dame readied for a next generation of global luxury traveller,” he said.
Plans for the Huka Lodge dining room as part of the extensive centenary refurb in 2024. Photo / Supplied, Baillie Lodges
Auckland-based architect Christian Anderson has been named as a key part of the project, having designed Huka Lodge’s ultra-luxury, $5850-per night owners residencies the Alan Pye Cottage, which opened in 2008.
