Chateau Tongariro sold

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 402, 3 September 1991, Page 19

Chateau Tongariro sold

The Chateau is now owned by a Malaysian Company. Lands minister Rob Storey announced the approval of the sale of the THC Chateau Tongariro and the THC Wairakei to Kah New Zealand Limited. The company has agreed to spend half of the amount paid for the hotels on redevelopment

works over the next decade with an emphasis on sports and lcisure activities. Existing staff at the hotels would be retained, the owners have agreed. Promotion of the hotels would focus on,skiing, golf, tennis, fishing and walking. Improvement of existing facilities would include extcnding the Chateau's

accommodation, if the Whakapapa management plan allowed. The new owners plan to build up the summer trade of the Chateau. "Joint promotion of the two hotels should attract significant tourist traffic, generate overseas earnings and employment opportunities," said Mr Storey. He said he thought the sale would see the injection of a "welcome spark" into the central North Island tourism scene. He said the company was newly incorporated and a subsidiary of Kah Motor Company, owned by Oricntal Holdings Berhad, based in Penang, Malaysia, which has interests in hotels in Malaysia, Singapore and in Wcstern Australia.