The Waterloo Hotel was built for New Zealand Breweries in 1937 and designed by the local firm of Atkins and Mitchell. A podium and tower design not dissimilar to the Hotel St George, it had 102 rooms and accommodation for 125 when it opened. A contemporary account said it set “new standards in furnishings and interior decoration”. The liberal use of
chrome in many of the building’s fittings was an integral part of the hotel’s modern appearance. The hotel went into decline in the 1980s and finally closed towards the end of the decade.
In 1991 the hotel was granted a new lease of life when it was converted to a backbackers’ hostel and the bars were reopened to the public.
Image reference: Alexander Turnbull Library 414031/2
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