Coronet Ridge Resort wins Hotel of the Year – Refurbishment

The award was introduced on the Design Inn Symposium held at Adelaide Oval on 5 Could, which celebrates excellent resort inside design tasks throughout Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. Winners are judged on design idea, innovation, affect on the visitor expertise, group engagement, accessibility and sustainable outcomes.

The accolade recognises the multimillion-dollar transformation of the previous Nugget Level Lodge into Coronet Ridge Resort, a five-star luxurious alpine sanctuary perched above the Shotover River in Arthur’s Level, Queenstown. The resort’s placing inside design was led by architects Mitchell McKenzie of GCA Studio and Graham Crust of G2 Studio, with procurement and fit-out delivered by FURNZ Group, whose mixed imaginative and prescient gave the property its distinctive sense of place, drawing on the encircling alpine panorama. Director and Registered Architect at GCA Studio Ltd and G2 Studio Ltd, Graham Crust, mentioned, “Our imaginative and prescient for Coronet Ridge Resort was to craft a refined sanctuary that blends modern luxurious and sustainability, inviting friends to chill out and reconnect with nature by means of all seasons. This venture reworked an outdated resort, repositioning it firmly inside the luxurious market, and by prioritising genuine design that displays its distinctive alpine location, the resort delivers a very memorable visitor expertise.”

Clare Davies, Director at Capstone Lodge Administration, mentioned the popularity displays the collective ambition behind the venture. “From the very starting, the aim was to create one thing genuinely distinctive for Queenstown. Coronet Ridge Resort is a property that honours its spectacular pure setting whereas delivering a world-class visitor expertise. To have that imaginative and prescient recognised at an Australasia-Pacific degree is extremely affirming, and a testomony to everybody who contributed to bringing Coronet Ridge to life.”

Coronet Ridge Resort opened in December 2025, welcoming friends to 41 redesigned rooms and suites, every with a non-public balcony or patio, alongside a Roman-style spa, elevated eating at Elevation Restaurant and Bar, a non-public cinema, convention services, health centre and squash courts. The property is without doubt one of the closest lodging to Coronet Peak Ski Space, and is below ten minutes from central Queenstown.