Hotel St George, Wellington

Hotel St George under construction in 1930

The hotel was built on a site that had previously been taken by the Union Bank, whose building was converted about 1877 into the Albert Hotel (nicknamed the "Old Identities") by early Wellington settler John Plimmer.[1]

The hotel was designed by architect William Prouse in the Art Deco style and built in 1929-30 of steel-framed reinforced concrete at a cost of almost £100,000.[2] The hotel was originally to be called the Majestic Hotel, as Prouse had also designed the nearby Majestic Theatre and the two buildings had features in common, but the name was changed during the construction period.[1] During excavation for the foundations it was discovered that the site contained substantial deposits of blue clay, so the builders had to put in deep concrete piles to ensure stability.[2] Hotel St George opened on 1 December 1930. The hotel's main entrance was on Boulcott Street but the bars could be accessed directly from an entrance on Willis Street.[3] Originally the hotel had over 100 guest bedrooms, including some suites, and 30 staff bedrooms, with each guest bedroom having its own bathroom and telephone.[4][3] The bedrooms were in two identical eight-storey wings facing Boulcott and Willis Streets, while the central area housed lounges and public areas.[1] The dining room could seat over 200 people, and the Palm Lounge was available for afternoon teas and functions.[3]

The hotel was widely regarded as the capital city's top hotel, and played host to many events in its Palm Lounge. After the 1942 entry of USA into World War II its accommodation was briefly seconded by US Marines and it featured with them in the 1957 movie Until They Sail. It was the first choice of hotel for visiting dignitaries for many years, from royalty to the Beatles to international sports teams.[5]

The Beatles stayed in two suites on the sixth floor at the Hotel St George during their 1964 tour of New Zealand.[6][7] Thousands of fans crowded the intersection in front of the hotel on the day the Beatles arrived, erupting into "a screaming frenzy" when the Beatles appeared to greet the crowd from the third-floor balcony at the front of the hotel. Two fans climbed a fire escape from the verandah to get to the group.[8] In October 2012, The Bootleg Beatles re-enacted the Beatles' visit with a concert from the same balcony.[9]

The hotel was also host to the inaugural New Zealand national science fiction convention in 1979, and was a venue for the convention in 1980 and 1987.

Hotel St George has a Category II listing with Heritage New Zealand.[10]

Mike Knapp, Simon Morris, Paul Walker, Wellington 1992

St George entertainment - Wellington 1992

In 1992 the third floor was used as an entertainment venue, for late night shows after the main performances around Wellington city. Many well known musicians from around New Zealand turned up to play in their own bands, or spontaneously created 'jam' bands. the television sets from all the unused rooms (the entire third floor) were arranged in an array, and computer graphics shown.

The Queen is believed to have visited the hotel when she was touring New Zealand. Her youngest son, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, worked as a house tutor and junior master for two terms in September 1982 at Wanganui Collegiate School.

The hotel has been used since 1995 as a student hostel first for Wellington Polytechnic Massey University in Wellington and then from 2006 for Victoria University for much of the year, and is that university's second-largest hostel, housing 232 students. It still serves as a hotel during the summer university recess.

The Hotel St George underwent major renovations in 2005 and continued to be upgraded well into 2006.

Renovations continued throughout the entire year of 2007, even though management had said at the beginning of the year that builders would be gone within two weeks.

In late September, the sewage pipes leaked, causing fecal matter to leak into room 309, and onto the balconies of most floors. As a result, 309 was unusable, and the carpet was stripped and the room uninhabited for the rest of 2007.

In 2007, the hostel was managed by Mark Tuohoro. The managing company, EdPac, underwent significant financial problems which at one point meant Victoria University of Wellington's Accommodation Services staff sent letters to 2007 residents telling them that they were unsure if the hostel would remain open until the end of the year. EdPac declared bankruptcy at the end of the year, and the management of the hostel was overtaken by the university itself to ensure the 2008 intake of students would have accommodation.

Hotel St George was the most expensive of Victoria University of Wellington's student hostels, with the cheapest rate (for a shared room with a shared ensuite) $225 per week, up to $270 per week for a private room with a private ensuite. There were eight floors in the hotel, and three floors in the Annex. The eighth floor was designated a girls' floor.

In early 2008, Victoria University of Wellington secured the lease for the St George Hotel building, and the Annex building. The hall itself became known as "St George Hall". The university was able to successfully change the image that St George had gained over the years, even though it still suffered from some of the problems that EdPAC left behind. At the time, St George Hall had eight staff members. It had a Residential Manager, Office Administrator, and six Residential Advisors, with the cleaning and catering contracted out to independent companies.

In 2009, Victoria University of Wellington decided not to renew the lease of the St. George Hall, after the building was found not to meet modern earthquake codes.[11] The year saw many false fire alarms and leaking roof in the 2nd floor common room. Since then, it has been owned by the Prime Property Group.[11]

Media related to Hotel St George at Wikimedia Commons

• Official site
• Wellington Heritage Walk
• Turnbull Library photograph of the hotel, circa 1930
• Photograph of the hotel circa 1965