New ILT Hotel to be The Langlands
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With a hat tip to the city’s past, Invercargill’s new hotel will be named The Langlands.
ILT chairman Alan Dennis said the board was unanimous in its support of the moniker.
“It’s fantastic such a significant building for Invercargill’s future has a nod to our past heritage,” he said.
The Dee Street site has long been referred to as ‘Langlands block’. Scotsman William Langlands, an architect and Justice of the Peace, bought and developed the land in the mid-1800s, constructing several buildings.
ILT launched a competition last month for the public to name the new venture. Over 10 percent of entries opted for Langlands or a variation of it, so the winner was then randomly drawn. The honour went to Denise Grant, of Invercargill.
“I came across old plans and saw it has always been known as ‘the Langlands block’ so I felt it was a fitting name which paid tribute to the history of the area,” she said.
Grant will have a front row seat to the development in her job as family history librarian at the Invercargill Public Library, which is situated across the road from the new hotel site.
“It will be great to watch it all progress and exciting to see the name go up as well.”
Hundreds in the community contributed their ideas.
“We’ve always said this will be an asset for both locals and visitors alike so absolutely it felt right to seek input from the community itself. And people certainly delivered,” Dennis said.
“The entries came flooding in and it was fantastic to see so many people eager to be involved in creating history by naming our city’s new hotel.”
Site preparations are now underway to enable construction to begin on the extensive project.
With a budget of up to $40 million, The Langlands is set to significantly transform the CBD, creating a modern space with contemporary elements and a ground-floor presence to generate wow factor.
Design features include eateries and bars at ground level connected by a covered laneway, meeting and private dining spaces on the first floor and 4.5-star quality accommodation above. Construction of the hotel would be completed in two stages with the first featuring 80 guest rooms.
With a focus on future-proofing, an additional 40 rooms would be added when demand warranted it.
A new landmark on the cityscape, the development would be 7-storeys at its highest point – a trendy rooftop function space with terracing for indoor/outdoor appeal.
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