One of Auckland’s most sustainable hotels
The Hotel Britomart Review
Auckland’s sustainable hotel
Opened in October 2020, as part of a nine-block reinvention of a once-seedy Auckland waterfront district, the luxurious The Hotel Britomart has been breaking new ground, with sustainability at its core, since it was constructed, earning 5 Green star design and build ratings.
It’s clear too, that the 99-room, 5-star property is extremely popular with guests – voted number 1 hotel in New Zealand in Trip Advisor’s Travellers Choice awards in 2023 – and critically acclaimed, having just won “Best Hotel” at the Hospitality New Zealand Business awards.
So, it is a privilege to be able to experience the hotel, over two winter weekend nights, in one of its top-end suites, named after, and sharing similar aesthetics to, its sister property, The Landing, located up the coast in the beautiful Bay of Islands.
BMW transfers to The Hotel Britomart
Arriving into Auckland international airport on a busy Friday afternoon, a bonus of staying in The Landing suites, is being met by a private transfer, and being driven the twenty minutes to the hotel in a spacious, top-range BMW.
My 14-year-old daughter Freya, and I, are staying in a suite named Wairoa, after one of the bays around which the 400-hectare sister property, The Landing, is gathered.
Wairoa (pronounced “Why-roa”) occupies 59sqm of the Hotel Britomart’s top floor, with big windows throughout, giving views over twinkling Waitematā Harbour and across Auckland. It has a spacious lounge and huge bedroom, both of which open out onto a terrace, adorned with plants, where there is an outdoor fire. This means we can sit outside, warmed by the fire, enjoying the views of the cityscape and the Sky tower, all lit up, over a complimentary non-alcoholic drink and a snack from the mini-bar.
Inside the suite feels intimate and homely, with warmly-toned timber throughout, ample built-in sofas, framed photographs and hand-made ceramics by local artisans. There’s a mini-library of New Zealand themed books to pore over and a 55-inch flat-screen television in the master bedroom. The bedroom has an ample ensuite bathroom stocked with organic skin and haircare products from Sans[ceuticals] and there is a separate washroom, near the entry door. The Super King Sized bed is among the most comfortable I’ve slept in, with a luxury topper and the finest organic sheets and there is a welcome turn-down service each evening, with some Studio Red teabags and a chocolate part of the offering.
My favourite feature of the suite, though, is the control panel that allows me to dim the lights, control the air conditioning, lower or open the master bedroom blinds and even turn on the outdoor gas fire.
Dinner at Kingi Restaurant
The Hotel Britomart’s impeccable sustainability credentials are mirrored in its excellent on-site restaurant, Kingi, where we have dinner on a humming Friday evening. Named after the kingfish, it celebrates sustainably caught seafood derived from New Zealand’s oceans, reefs and rivers.
Kingi’s striking decor leans on industrial chic, with exposed brickwork and wooden beams overhead but includes ornate artistic flourishes like the chandeliers of glass leaves hanging from the ceiling (which have to be painstakingly cleaned by hand).
The provenance of all seafood is shown on the menu, with dishes like Hapuka (a large white-fleshed fish) taramasalata and snapper on the menu, sourced from nearby Leigh, and smoked kahawai (NZ salmon) from Little Barrier Island, just offshore.
To start, I try green lipped mussels, from Mills Bay on the South Island, in a delicious nduja, rich-garlicky tomato sauce. The broth is very warming in the middle of winter and I mop it up with some wood fired flatbread. My daughter tries locally sourced wood roasted mushrooms. As a main I opt for Blackfoot paua (NZ abalone) tagliatelle with squid and diamond shell clams and chilli. We end with a chocolate mouse with Chantilly cream and home made ice cream, including a banana banoffee pie flavour. There is an impressive wine list to choose from, too, including Chardonnay and Pinot Gris from The Landing’s own winery.
On a Friday night, this feels like one of Auckland’s most desirable dinner venues, with locals and guests feasting on sustainable seafood in a convivial space.
Lazy Saturday morning at The Hotel Britomart
Kingi is a tad quieter the next morning but there is the same mix of locals and guests enjoying a weekend breakfast here. Every dish emanating from the open kitchen looks desirable and it is hard to decide between options including flatbread with egg, , béchamel and parmesan, and Huevos rancheros, with black beans, fried egg, avocado and lime. I try the nduja hollandaise, slow poached egg, roti and smoked kahawai (salmon) and my daughter’s sweet-tooth is deeply satisfied by the banana pancakes, raspberry, hazelnut and maple syrup.
We love our breakfast smoothies too – a “green fusion” of kiwi fruit, spinach, pineapple and avocado for me and “choc banana” blend of Koko deluxe chocolate, banana and cream for my daughter.
A Britomart tour
Our hearty breakfast sets us up for a quick tour of the local Britomart area, offered free as part of our stay in The Landing suites. The impressive 6-hectare waterfront development was evolved, in partnership with Auckland city council, by the hotel’s owner, US-based Kiwi developer Peter Cooper and was the largest heritage restoration project ever undertaken in New Zealand. It helped preserve and renovate 18 historic buildings and has turned what used to be a grimy, dilapidated space into a much more welcoming precinct.
This morning it is busy with weekend markets (stallholders can set up here for free), open public spaces (including comfy bean bags to hang out on) and a range of bars and restaurants. The restaurants include the hugely popular, Amano Italian, where our hotel guide, Operations Manager Ciaran Molloy, snaffles us the only remaining booking available for Saturday night.
The Hotel Britomart’s convenient CBD location means that nowhere is more than a stroll away, so we spend the rest of our Saturday exploring, taking the lift up to the 60th floor of the Sky Tower for standout views over Auckland, and later taking in an Angus and Julia Stone concert at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre.
The Libraries Lounge
We also have time to relax, on Saturday afternoon, in The Libraries, a private lounge for The Hotel Britomart guests located in the adjacent Masonic and Buckland buildings. This is a space favoured by former NZ Prime Minister, Dame Jacinda Ardern, for private dinners, and has a lovely bar, extraordinary wine loft and cosy banquettes on which you can relax over an evening drink.
Back in the Wairoa Suite late on Saturday night, we take one more opportunity to sit out on our lovely terrace, beside the fire, taking in the Auckland night sky, before sleeping soundly, and next morning, having another superb Kingi breakfast, including hemp heart granola, delivered to the room.
The in-room breakfast is another privilege of booking into The Hotel Britomart suites, along with a transfer to our next port-of-call, where we’re picking up a rental car to take us to an equally unforgettable stay, at the hotel’s sister property, The Landing, a four-hour drive north of Auckland.
Further information:
Website: thehotelbritomart.com
Email: reservations@thehotelbritomart.com
Telephone: +64 9 300 9595
Address: 29 Galway Street, Britomart,
Auckland, New Zealand
