Le Club Accorhotels - New Pullman being built in Auckland

A construction contract has been awarded to build a new Pullman hotel in Auckland:

CP Group and Accor Hotels & Resorts: Contract to be awarded to undisclosed party for Pullman Hotel ($ 100 mil) at corner Customs & Gore St, Auckland.

The Hyatt on Waterloo Quadrant is being rebranded a Pullman.

The Hyatt on Waterloo Quadrant is being rebranded a Pullman.

Also on Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-20/accor-to-become-n-z-s-largest-hotel-group-adds-pullman-brand.html):

Accor to Become New Zealand's Largest Hotel Group After Adding Properties

Accor SA, Europe’s largest lodging company, will become New Zealand’s biggest hotel operator after adding two properties and announcing plans for two more.

Accor will take over Auckland’s Hyatt Regency hotel from Jan. 20 and brand it as a five-star Pullman hotel, the Paris- based company said in a statement today. The site will have 267 rooms, suites and apartments, it said. Accor has already taken over Hotel So in Christchurch, on New Zealand’s South Island, which will be managed under the All Seasons economy brand.

The two properties increase Accor’s New Zealand business to 29 hotels. It plans to open Novotel and Formule 1 hotels at Auckland Airport next year, making it the country’s largest hotel group, according to the statement.

Accor has more than 4,100 hotels in 90 countries, including 400 properties in the Asia Pacific region. The company’s brands also include Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure and ibis.

The Hyatt Regency Auckland hotel sold for between NZ$50 million ($37 million) and NZ$60 million to an international investor who requested confidentiality, the New Zealand Herald reported on Nov. 24.