International hotel chain Wyndham Hotel Group has announced plans to increase its portfolio of properties in New Zealand to include two apartment hotels in Christchurch and Queenstown, as well as a resort and spa in hot

spring town Rotorua.

Auckland-based developer Safari Group has signed franchise agreements for three new Ramada-branded properties to further Wyndham Hotel Group’s strategic efforts to grow the brand throughout the South Pacific and around the globe.

The 68-bedroom and hotel apartment Ramada Lakeside Resort and Spa in Rotorua is in the early stages of development, with plans to open in December 2015. The NZ$18.5m (US$15m, €11m, £9m) development will feature a geothermal health spa, an on-site restaurant and bar, swimming pools and conference facilities.

During the construction phase, as many as 100 people are expected to be employed to work on the project.

This property will be the second Wyndham Hotel Group property in Rotorua, alongside the WorldMark Marama Resort Rotorua.

“As we seek to grow our reputation as a quality destination, the addition of a luxury development of this nature only strengthens our position – particularly with its lakeside location and focus on geothermal health and spa facilities,” said Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick in an interview with local press. Chadwick is currently promoting the city’s hot spring tourism opportunities at the Global Spa and Wellness Summit (GSWS) in Marrakech, Morocco this week.

Developer Rob Neil of Safari Group told local press that work on the project would begin at the end of the year and that the property will be a five-star resort and will fill a hole in Rotorua’s accommodation market.

“Rotorua is a very attractive and well-known destination for both international and domestic visitors, so we see it as a vital link in our expansion plans,” said Barry Robinson, managing director of the Wyndham Hotel Group in the South Pacific. He also said that the hotel group had been working with the developer of the site for more than 18 months already and now all of the consent processes are complete.

The two apartment hotels planned for Christchurch and Queenstown, which do not feature spas, are each scheduled to open by early 2015. The 44-apartment Ramada Suites Christchurch City will offer a mix of studios as well as an on-site café. This development is costing NZ$12.5m (US$10m, €8m, £6m). Construction is also scheduled to start soon on the 54-apartment Ramada Hotel and Suites Remarkable Park in Queenstown, which is costing NZ$25m (US$21m, €16m, £13m). This hotel will offer a restaurant, gym and eight boutique retail stores.

These three new properties join two existing Ramada hotels in New Zealand, located in Paihia and Orewa.

The Wyndham Hotel Group recently announced the addition of Ramada Kooralbyn Resort in Queensland and Ramada Resort Shoal Bay in New South Wales – both in Australia. It also has plans to open Fiji’s first Ramada resort in Nadi Bay.

The Ramada network includes almost 830 hotels in approximately 50 countries. The Wyndham Hotel Group has a portfolio of approximately 7,540 hotels globally.