A very warm, southern welcome to you and thank you for choosing to stay at the Ascot Park Hotel.
This business is owned and operated by ILT, a community owned organisation, and is run by Dean Nicol and the team who are also delighted to welcome you.
ILT owns 23 hospitality businesses including hotels, motels, bars, conference facilities, restaurants, liquor stores, neighbourhood taverns and an out-catering arm. We employ around 650 people and by using a combination of trading profit and income generated from gaming machines located in our various businesses, give back to the community regularly via grants, donations and sponsorships. We also endeavour to purchase most of our goods and services through local suppliers.
Over recent years ILT has been able to return over $8 million per year to our local community of approximately 54,000 people. We recently celebrated reaching the tremendous milestone of $208 million back to our community in grants and donations.
Invercargill is the envy of a great many other provincial cities because of the facilities and infrastructure that has been built as a result of this community funding and some excellent examples are ILT Stadium Southland, SIT Velodrome and our local pool, Splash Palace.
So while you won’t find liquor for sale in our supermarkets, you will find thriving community groups, world class facilities, a burgeoning arts’ culture, scholarships across tertiary education, trades, arts and sport, and high quality hospitality businesses.
The Invercargill community voted for our trust system back in 1944 following a 39 year era of prohibition. We were given three mandates at that time: firstly to provide quality hospitality businesses, secondly to operate those businesses in the interest of public wellbeing, and thirdly to distribute our profits back to the community by way of grants and donations. 79 years later we are proud to be still delivering on these goals.
ILT exists mo to tatou hapori (for our community) with our ultimate aim being a vibrant Invercargill and we thank you for helping us to achieve that. Once again, welcome to the Ascot Park Hotel. We hope you enjoy your stay.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY STORY
Caring for our earth and future generations.
We’re proud of our city and its breathtaking natural surroundings. Southland is a unique and exceptional paradise, and it’s our responsibility to preserve it for future generations.
This is why sustainability lies at the core of everything we do. We’re always looking at ways to reduce our energy use and wastage, improve recycling, as well as find the best suppliers and products that are in-line and of a like-mind.
It’s a constant work in progress and we’re committed to ensuring we’re doing our part. This mission remains close to our hearts, as we deeply care for our guests, our people and environment.
Here are some of the ways we’re making a difference:
ENERGY
We invest in clean, green technologies such as low-energy light bulbs, energy-efficient ovens, kitchen equipment and appliances, and a temperature-controlled heating system for a comfortable stay in our hotel.
CLEANING
We encourage our guests to reuse their towels, and we only service rooms when our guests request it. Forget about nasty cleaning chemicals - we use effective microfibre cloths. Moreover, the use of restricted flow shower heads and dual flush toilet cisterns saves precious water.
WASTE
From recycling drop zones for guests, water coolers with biodegradable cups, the collection of cooking oil for bio-fuel, the use of biodegradable bin liners and partnering with a local famer to collect our food waste – we’re committed to reducing landfill.
FOOD
We source locally whenever possible, which reduces freight and energy costs, and supports employment in the community. Our fantastic gardening team grow a selection of herbs, garnishes and vegetables that we use in all our restaurants. It doesn’t get much fresher than that.
Meet the Team
The Management team acknowledges that without the fantastic staff at the Ascot Park Hotel, we could not deliver the service standards we pride ourselves on.
Dean Nicol
Executive Manager
Dean has recently joined the team at Ascot Park Hotel taking over from Bryan Townley who takes up the reins of the new Langlands Hotel. Dean has over 28 years of hospitality experience from a variety of hotels and locations across New Zealand. He is a hands-on manager, with strong operational experience in all hotel departments. Getting the best out of people and delivering an excellent customer experience are his day-to-day motivations.
Sarah Hughes
Executive Assistant Manager, Food & Beverage
Amber McMurdo
Front Office Manager
Amber joined the Ascot Park Hotel team in 2013 bringing with her qualifications from Sir George Seymour National College of Tourism, Travel and Business. Amber is a Southlander born and bred and has over 15 years' experience in hospitality. Amber has been 2IC Front Office Manager / Reservations Manager for the past six years so is well equipped to help with all of your accommodation requirements.
Karley Henderson
Accounts Manager
Karley has always lived in
Southland and has been part of the Ascot team since 2017 working in both our
reception and events departments. Previously she was in the tourism industry
for 17 years bringing to us a wealth of knowledge. Outside of work Karley spends
most of her time running her 2 children to their next sporting appointment.
Greg Jenks
Executive Chef
- greg@ascotparkhotel.co.nz
- DDI (03) 219 9308
Southland born and bred, Greg has 20 years’ experience in the kitchen, working all over NZ and Australia. Everything from pubs to 5 star hotels, Greg enjoys making the ‘classics’ and adding his own new twist. He has now come back home to show and teach all he has learnt from his work experiences.
Lynese Boyes
Room Attendant Manager
Joining the Ascot Park Hotel team in 2010, Lynese brings a whopping 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry to our rooms division.
Lynese was the driving force behind the implementation of the chemical free cleaning policy in our guest rooms, ensuring your accommodation is always presented in the cleanest and most comfortable of condition.
History
Ascot Park Hotel covers an expansive 17 acres and has been an icon of Invercargill for over 40 years.
The goal for the site was to provide a tasteful, modern, internationally classed hotel and conference centre for Invercargill city. The plans to build a single floor, fully contained complex were released in 1972.
The vision for site was to build motel units along with a full hotel complex on landscaped grounds that provided privacy and noise reduction for the site and the guests.
In a bold move by the Invercargill Licensing Trust the Hotel was built in stages, utilizing permanent and temporary facilities in order to gain revenue from the complex even while it was being completed.
Work officially began in 1976 on the motels units. In December 1976 the 23 motel rooms had been completed and work began on temporary facilities that would be used while the permanent structure of the hotel was being completed. A year later in December of 1977 Ascot Park Hotel was opened, with 23 motel units and temporary facilities providing accommodation and dining to guests.
From 1978 to 1980 the hotel took shape as permanent dining and kitchen facilities, conference rooms, accommodation wings and main foyer were completed. The last facility added to the hotel before its opening was the pool area and on the 16th of February 1980 Ascot Park Hotel was officially opened by Prime Minister Robert Muldoon.
Upon completion the 'Y' shaped complex had 81 guest rooms and conference facilities able to cater for 600+. It instantly became the crown jewel of the Invercargill Licensing Trust.
Since its completion in 1980 the hotel has seen the addition of extra conference rooms, upgrading of facilities and interior refurbishment. Two new accommodation wings have also been added to the complex, the Henderson wing in 1995 and the Harrington wing in 2010.
Today Ascot Park Hotel offers 92 Hotel rooms and 24 motel units, 8 conference rooms, pool and spa facilities, Fitness Centre, fully licensed bar and restaurant, a world class hotel that is a unique gateway into Invercargill and the Southland Region.
Tesla Destination Charging Station
Wherever
your journey takes you, there is a large and growing network of accessible
locations to keep your Tesla electric vehicle charged. Ascot Park Hotel is pleased to be able to
offer our guests use of a Tesla Destination charging center!