What’s happening with Wellington's abandoned Amora Hotel

Wellington's famed Amora Hotel, which turned into an abandoned eyesore following its closure seven years ago, has had a change in ownership.

The once lavish 4-star hotel was deemed a go-to for many in the capital during its heyday thanks to its prime location.

But following the Kaikōura earthquake in 2016, the hotel was closed the following year with a low earthquake rating and remediation work required.

So what is happening with the abandoned hotel?

When did the hotel close?

The Amora officially closed in 2017 after the hotel suffered extensive cosmetic damage in the Kaikōura earthquake, leaving some floors out of action.

Liam Craughwell, the hotel's general manager at the time, previously told Stuff the hotel was closing as the work would involve disruption to guests.

"The scope and complexity of the work required to refurbish both front and back of house areas will be significant and would cause considerable disruption to guests and staff," he said.

What happened after?

Primeproperty bought the building in 2018.

There were high hopes for the hotel when the property group suggested in 2021 it was being refitted as a five star hotel, prompting strong international interest.

Despite that optimism, the Amora remained empty.

Its abandoned state became a source of frustration for Wellingtonians and civic leaders.

Who are the new owners?

Property records show the site was transferred to Precinct Properties in January 2023 with a recorded sale price of $15m, The Post reported.

The Auckland-based developers were behind the construction of the high-end Commercial Bay in downtown Auckland, as well as Wynyard Quarter.

Precinct Properties was recently named by Wellington City Council as the preferred developer for Civic Square.

According to The Post, the deal between Precinct and Primeproperty was not as straightforward as a sale, with sources describing it as "incredibly complicated". While on paper it looked like the site had been sold to Precinct, the development deal involved multiple stages and conditions.

What's next for the Amora?

Speaking to The Post, Jason Dunn, the residential development manager, said as far as he knew Primeproperty was still in charge of developing the Amora. He had not heard about the property transfer.

"Our intention is to reinstate that as a hotel ... It's been gutted, all the floors have been x-rayed and so on to see what's going on with the steel and anything for structural integrity.

"But we can't do anything with the Amora until we jack up the James Smith car parking building at the back, because that building fell against it."

The first priority was therefore strengthening the car park behind the hotel, which was a large part of the earthquake safety problem. That work had already started and would be done by early 2026, Dunn said.

Dunn was unaware of any deal with Precinct Properties over the Amora but said he was aware that the company had a joint venture with Primeproperty to develop 61 Molesworth.

- This story was originally published by Stuff.