THE PRINCE’S GATE HOTEL BUILT IN 1897 WAS THE FIRST PRIVATE HOTEL IN NEW ZEALAND AND TODAY REMAINS PRIVATELY OWNED AND OPERATED. BRETT AND VLASTA MARVELLY HAVE BEEN HOSTS AT THIS VICTORIAN CHARMER FOR 25 YEARS..
It is without doubt a showpiece of Rotorua and recognised as one of New Zealand’s finest hotels, with a 5-star Mine Host Qualmark assessment. That’s about as good as it gets!
The Prince’s Gate is sited at the city’s best address, overlooking Government Gardens which in turn embrace the museum, art gallery, a nine-hole golf course and the Polynesian Spa.
Guests are blessed with superb surroundings of the three hectares of beautifully manicured gardens and relaxing activities to match the recently refurbished top-class accommodation (18 one and two-bedroom suites plus 34 Designer, Premier and Classic rooms) two restaurants and general hotel services including a boutique bar, thermal pools and sauna. The building has a fascinating and roistering history going back to its birth in Waihi. But that is another and very good story for another time.
The Princes Gate today is much more sedate and enjoys an established reputation as Rotorua’s most prestigious hotel and exclusive dining-out and living in spot. It has a New Zealand Heritage listing.
The hotel is renowned for its creativity, hosting cabaret dinner shows every Friday and Saturday, opera and theatre shows and its signature ‘High Tea’. This creativity and the five-star recognition for this iconic establishment haven’t just happened by chance. The services have been carefully crafted by hosts for the past 25 years, Brett Marvelly and his wife Vlasta.
Their ongoing love affair with ‘the grand old lady’ has transformed the hotel into an attraction the city of Rotorua can be proud of - a hotel so good they built the city around it!
Mine host, Brett, is a ‘local’ who entered the hospitality industry after schooling at Rotorua Boys High School. His wife, Vlasta - an important and essential element of a successful partnership - is also a local and attended Rotorua Girls High. And if the name Marvelly rings a bell, that is logical. Their only daughter Elizabeth is the very successful young classical singer making a name for herself on the international music scene. She has just returned to her beloved hotel-home after a concert tour of Europe with the popular tenor, Paul Potts.
Brett loves and understands people, an essential trait for anyone wanting to succeed in the hospitality industry.