An arty hotel in creative Wellington

BY DIANA PLATER

It seems even the hotels in Wellington are creative, in this most arty of cities.

Take the Museum Hotel, opposite the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa, after which it's named.

Owner Chris Parkin has filled the theatrical-style hotel with art work, paintings and quirky sculptures – even the foyer bathrooms are opulent.

Both the ladies and gents are adorned with over the top chandeliers, chiffon curtains and white leather – elegant enough for numerous brides to have their wedding snaps taken in.

Much of the art is by New Zealand artists, says Parkin, a collector who buys art "because I like it".

He points as an example to one of his favourites, Large Takahe with Sparrow, an enamel and lacquer on canvas painting of a blue toucan with a red beak – the more you look at it the more is revealed.

The hotel's a favourite with local and visiting celebs – the cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express has been staying here of late.

It's also popular with business people.

"It's all about our style," says Parkin, but he also points to the reasonable prices for this 165-room boutique hotel, which also has studio apartments and large apartment-style suites.

"I did realise in order for the hotel to work it had to be an extension of me, a reflection of my character. . . an exterior exposure of what I'm like," he says.

He treats the hotel like a large home, with the guests' friends coming to stay.

The night we meet he's off with friends to the launch of the New Zealand 09 International Film Festival and then to several bars afterwards.

We have coffee at a large table in the lobby the next morning, when we're all a bit worse for wear – a testament to the scores of great little bars in this funky town.

Parkin was born in England and came to New Zealand when he was three, spending his school years in the rural town of Otaki, near Wellington.

While training as a geoscientist he got into investments and later saw a great opportunity when the land opposite the harbour was still only a wasteland.

The five-storey Museum Hotel was initially located on the other side of the road but instead of being demolished in 1993 to make way for Te Papa, he had it moved.

It made a 120-metre journey down an inner city street on railway tracks. While it took four months to separate the hotel from its foundation, the move itself took only two days.

(Visit museumhotel.co.nz to read about the whole complicated process.)

In 2006 Parkin added to the hotel with a new block, where the apartments are located.

His foresight has been rewarded – now the Lambton Harbour area is prime residential land.

"I love it," he says speaking of working in hotels and this one in particular. ". . . but the industry's hard. The only way we make money is by doing something different. . .it has to be word of mouth."

One such idea was to agree to the mounting of an experimental play, Hotel, in one of his rooms, during one Wellington Fringe Festival.

"That's the sort of thing we do. Would any other hotel do this? It's fantastic."

As Parkin hates the idea of hotel uniforms, and in the pursuit of staff who "act naturally", they are dressed by the NZ designer, Alexandra Owen, whose boutique is next door.

They also get a haircut every six weeks and half price makeup at the Cathy Davys Hair Design and Day Spa, also next door (which also does terrific massages including shiatsus, facials and other beauty treatments).

The hotel's restaurant, Hippopotamus, has French style cuisine by Laurent Loudeac and is about to be redecorated.

"New Zealand hotel restaurants have a very bad reputation. . .so the name needed to be off the wall," Parkin explains, saying despite 5000 entries in a local radio competition, it was a French girl who was on the internet in the lobby and overhead the conversation, who came up with the name.

"It provokes a reaction," he says, while to go with the theme they actively look for French speakers as wait staff.

And as to why Wellington is just SO arty?

"It's the arts centre of NZ. . . and has a much more uniform population," he says explaining NZ's capital city.

"There's a very intelligent and well paid population in Wellington."

And then with a laugh: "It's a bit like Canberra but not boring."

Some locals' favourite hangouts:

Chris Parkin:

Hummingbird, 22 Courtney Place. Call (04) 801-636. It has tapas, over 30 beers and is popular and friendly to the "over forties".

Largerfield, 21 Blair St. Call: 04-801-5212. Fine dining and a bar.

The Cavern Club, 22 Allen Street. Call (04) 801-5285. A revival of what is considered to have been the world's most famous club – the Cavern Club in Matthew Street, Liverpool.

Positively Wellington Tourism:

Olive Cafe – Pacific rim cuisine, popular coffee, and a spacious courtyard and dining area. 170-172 Cuba Street. Call: (04) 802- 5266.

Avid Gallery – a well-established dealer gallery representing New Zealand's foremost artists in glass, ceramics, bronze, stone, mixed media and other objects of applied art. 48 Victoria Street. Call (04) 472 7703

Capitol – Occupying a ground-floor corner of the landmark Embassy Theatre, Capitol is a stylish gathering place with a modern Italian fare. Cnr Majoribanks Street and Kent Terrace. Call (04) 384 2855; .

Motel – a cool bar in Forresters Lane. (04) 384-9084.

The Best of Wellington author Sarah Bennett says the following two bars are both – among many – "top shelf ".

Matterhorn, a local institution on Cuba St. While an award-winning restaurant, it's also good for dessert and a late-night whisky. (04) 384.3359.

Havana – recently refurbished – a loveshack/shebeen in a Cuba backwater. Wigan Street.

Some of a local Wellingtonian's favourite places to shop

Frutti – (04) 384 6965;

Voon Designer Clothing – (04) 801 8292.

Robyn Mathieson Design – (04) 384 3044;

Basquesse – (04) 499 3012.

Starfish Wholesale – (04) 384 1696;

Workshy – (04) 803-3590.

IF YOU GO

The Museum Hotel , 90 Cable St, Wellington, 6011. (04) 802-8900.

The hotel has a deal: three nights accommodation in a luxurious Premier Studio; breakfast for two in Hippopotamus Restaurant one morning; two tickets to Formula One Exhibition at Te Papa Museum of New Zealand; High tea for two in Hippopotamus Restaurant. All $499 including GST.

Available until September 13, 2009. Subject to availability at time of booking.

Cathy Davys Hair Design and Day Spa: Museum Apartments, 247 Wakefield St, Wellington. Call (04) 801 7355.

For more information on Wellington visit WellingtonNZ.com.

The Best of Wellington by Sarah Bennett and Lee Slater.

- AAP