Check in to QT Queenstown

Best for

Creatives who love quirky design.

The Hotel

Everything about QT Queenstown oozes cool under the direction of interior designer Nic Graham, whether you’re admiring the two black-mirrored and eerily silent elevators that transport guests across the five floors or the carefully selected artworks peppered around each room. Opened in December 2017, the property sits atop the Rydges Hotel, with which it shares Bazaar restaurant and Reds, a huge bar with striking views of the alps that surround Queenstown.

The Location

It’s an eight-minute walk from the centre of town along Beach Street and Lake Esplanade to the hotel. It’s a little over a 20-minute taxi ride from the airport.

The Rooms

It’s all in the detail, from the 37-square-metres Lake King rooms to the top-floor Remarkable King rooms that come with arrival cocktails and a charcuterie board. The green-grey-white alpine colour scheme is continued throughout, with rose-gold and black accents on the lighting and bathroom fixtures. Like all QT properties, the minibar is a highlight, with regionally specific items such as chocolates and pineapple lumps from The Remarkable Sweet Shop and instant fake snow. But nearly everything in the room is available to buy, from the black felt coat hangers to the smooth sculptures. Tip: if you’re looking for the kettle, it’s chicly stowed in a box inside the wardrobe.

Food and drink

Thanks to the enormous angled windows, Reds bar on level six must have the best drinking views in Queenstown so make sure you stop by before dark to take advantage. The cocktail list is extensive but a signature is the rum-based Spiced Cloud, which comes with three skewered and toasted marshmallows. Opposite the bar is Bazaar, a QT dining concept featuring an “interactive marketplace” (essentially a buffet on steroids) with stations updated daily covering seafood, cheese and charcuterie, Asian dishes, roast and vegies and a large dessert cabinet. It also serves a buffet breakfast to hotel guests between 6am and 10am, including quick, made-to-order omelettes.

For business travellers

Wifi is free and accessible throughout the hotel. There are three conference rooms (named Von, Dart and Rees after nearby rivers) on level seven fully equipped with AV equipment that can hold between 20 and 100 people.

For wellness travellers

There’s no gym but scores of walking and running trails nearby. Head across the road to St Omer’s Park and follow the lakeside path to the Queenstown Botanic Gardens for a fairly flat run. There’s a bright blue kidney-shaped pool on level six open between 10.30am and 10pm. In-room massages from the Body Sanctum spa in town can be organised through the concierge.