Contemporary Design Meets Seamless Service' At New Zealand's Airport Hotel Inspired By Art Icons

If the glitter-bedecked models, fire-juggling bartenders, and golden backdrops of opening night festivities in 2018 didn't offer a strong enough clue, the Naumi Auckland Airport Hotel is full of spunk. It's also a surprising turn-around for a once-drab 1970s motel block next to a major airport and far from the hip and wealthy neighborhoods that normally see that kind of action. Nevertheless, the Singapore-based hotel group spent nearly 50 million NZD (28 million USD) purchasing, gutting, and redesigning the building to create a memorable hospitality experience — or, as Vogue magazine wrote, "This space will break your preconceived notions about airport hotels."

It starts at the reception desk, framed by a 24-carat gold wall representing the plumage of the tui bird, one of New Zealand's most remarkable animals. Indeed, the tui seems to inspire the whole hotel. For example, the tiles in the bathrooms form a herringbone pattern in the bird's signature colors — fuchsia pink, aqua teal, nautical blue, and cherry red. Above the restaurant bar, a message in diamond-studded cursive invites guests to "Ruffle your tail feathers." The motifs also extend to the 193 guest rooms and suites, which come in four color patterns that mimic the iridescence of the tui's feathers and feature brush-stroke paintings inspired by its unique birdsong. It will become all the more vivid after witnessing this bird up close on a 10-day tour of New Zealand that includes the ultimate Lord of the Rings experience.

While the spirit of the tui clicks and cackles throughout Naumi Auckland Airport Hotel, it's only one element of the all-encompassing design. The Dotty suite, for example, draws inspiration from artist Yayoi Kusama, who's behind the immersive art exhibit in Phoenix that invites an existential crisis in an infinite space. Replete with the dots that feature in Kusama's work, the suite lets you soak it all in from an oversized freestanding bath. The Ziggy suite draws on the Italian luxury fashion house Missoni for its knitted quilts and kaleidoscopic color scheme. The hotel's common areas share the same spirit, with splashes — if not waterfalls — of whimsy ideal for social media shares, be it at the pool, on the three-hole putting green, or in the yoga garden. 

The Restaurant Lunar & Bar stands out, too. Here, gold dominates and glows under globes of light that look like fireworks in mid-blast. The menu cleverly pays tribute to Asia with dishes based on the Chinese zodiac. Those born in the year of the tiger might order a curry vegetable tofu dish called "Crouching Tiger Hidden Vegetables," while the year of the rabbit translates to "Gold Bunnies," crispy pork wontons with chili and garlic. Complete the theme with a cocktail like "Blood Moon," a blend of gin, lemon juice, blood orange tea syrup, and yuzu tonic. The Auckland Airport Hotel is now one of five Naumi properties in New Zealand that taps this spirit of adventurous design, with three more in Sydney, Australia, and Singapore.