8 | REGIONAL Noble PM - Capstone Hotels: The Alfred We have your all of your pool & spa needs covered • Pool & Spa Maintenance • Pool & Spa Valeting • Premium Custom built and pre-moulded fibreglass pools • Premium spa pools • Pool fencing 03 579 6300 office@marlboroughpools.co.nz www.marlboroughpools.co.nz 66 Grove Road, Mayfield, Blenheim Proudly associated with NOBLE PM and CAPSTONE HOTELS Trusted electrical solutions for homes and businesses 03 579 4445 | www.cmelectrical.co.nz POWERING MARLBOROUGH SINCE 2001 T TKim Newth Five-star Blenheim hotel on track The 123-room hotel, comprising a mix of standard and luxury rooms, will be linked via a skybridge with the Alfred Taylor Centre. A new six-storey, five-star hotel under construction in central Blenheim is already igniting a lot of interest from corporate groups and others planning to visit Marlborough from late 2027. That’s when the new hotel — The Alfred — is due to open its doors for the first time. The 123-room hotel, comprising a mix of standard and luxury rooms, will be linked via a skybridge with the Alfred Taylor Centre and its riverside facilities, including Wine + Food Experience Marlborough, sophisticated tasting rooms, a restaurant, bar and gym. The Alfred will also link up with the Marlborough Events Centre to provide exclusive corporate opportunities, with growing synergies also with the nearby Whitehaven Theatre Marlborough, (formerly the ASB Theatre). Together, it adds up to a compelling combination. The Alfred is poised to provide a grand hotel experience, with guests arriving at a large glass atrium before taking escalators or lifts to the level above, where the hotel’s front of house will be located. Advance bookings for rooms at The Alfred are providing an early indication of likely future demand. “Even through we’re not close to being finished, we’ve already got 4,500 nights booked,” says Andy Noble, director and owner-operator of Noble PM Ltd. “This is the biggest construction project in Blenheim for over a decade, so people are pretty excited about the impact it will have. Up until now, there has been very limited hotel space in the area and nothing else at this scale. Companies holding conferences, drawn to Marlborough because of its vineyards, now have a viable conference option where all their guests will soon be able to stay in one place.” Noble is an investor in the new hotel and is also delivering project management and quantity surveying services to the project. “Developer Chris Thornley first approached us back in 2024, soon after he decided to buy the old Clubs of Marlborough building. The council-owned site next door was also for sale. The caveat was that it could only have a hotel built on it. Everything grew from there. “We’ve been managing it all from the start, including design coordination, budgets and the initial feasibility study. We managed the tender process and are currently overseeing construction,” says Andy. The project has involved extensive ground improvement for earthquake resilience, in the form of 600 12-metre deep stone columns across the hotel site. A six-metre deep sheet pile retaining wall has also been installed. Local suppliers have been used as much as possible. Brosnan Construction, a nationwide builder with a strong presence in Blenheim, was appointed to build the new hotel. Noble is providing full construction project management, including fortnightly meetings and processing/ oversight of changes and variations as they arise. Building work has been made easier thanks to the Marlborough District Council providing parking space for the project team to use, cordoned off from an existing council-owned car park. “The local Council team has been amazing to work with.” Capstone Hotel Management will operate The Alfred.
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