SKYCITY confirms enhancements to its Auckland property
An artist’s impression of SKYCITY Auckland’s main atrium entrance featuring new flooring, wall cladding and lighting
features
SKYCITY Entertainment Group is enhancing its Auckland property with a major upgrade of its main atrium.
Preliminary work on the refresh of the ‘front door’ of the company’s flagship Auckland property is already underway,
with further redevelopment to follow.
SKYCITY plans to spend around $24 million on the improvements, which are expected to include new wall claddings,
chandeliers and light features, new entrance doors and flooring, and new bathrooms on the ground floor of the main site.
A premium, gourmet burger bar is planned for the Atrium Sports Bar area, adding to the choice of quality food and
beverage offerings for customers.
SKYCITY is also planning to remove the existing series of escalators linking the three floors of the atrium and
replacing them with a new main escalator providing more direct access to the main gaming floor. A second new escalator
will link levels two and three.
Under the plan, the main gaming floor on level two will also be extended slightly through a partial infill of the atrium
space.
SKYCITY Auckland General Manager and Chief Operating Officer New Zealand, John Mortensen, says the changes are designed
both to enhance the entertainment complex’s public ‘front door’ that leads to SKYCITY Hotel reception and the entrance
to the Sky Tower, and to provide a better experience for gaming customers in the casino.
The extension of the gaming floor will create new space to house the additional gaming product granted as part of
SKYCITY’s agreement to build the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC).
“We decided to use this opportunity to look with fresh eyes at the SKYCITY atrium as a whole and to ask how we could
improve the customer experience upon on arrival,’’ Mr Mortensen says.
“With SKYCITY Auckland poised to celebrate its 20th birthday next year, this refresh is very timely. We believe our
architects have created a more modern, sophisticated space for our customers and the public to enjoy.’’
Auckland iwi Ngati Whatua is involved in helping SKYCITY ensure proper protocol is followed over the removal and storage
of the great waka hanging in the atrium during the redevelopment.
Customers should be able to enjoy the new burger bar by December, with final improvements scheduled to be completed
around September 2016.
SKYCITY Auckland’s entertainment precinct contains 20 bars and restaurants, the Sky Tower, the SKYCITY Theatre and the
casino.
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