The Tui Effect

Singaporean hospitality brand Naumi Hotels launches its first property in Auckland, bringing its chic design sensibility to the quiet Māngere neighbourhood. ANWESHA SANYAL checks into Naumi Hotel Auckland Airport.

AS THE CAR SWERVED

out of the airport driveway, my first impression of the city took shape like a jigsaw puzzle coming together. Some of the airport dullness had set in after the long layover in Singapore, and the sense of an impending jet lag was beginning to catch on. After a short, 18-minute drive, I arrived on the front porch of Naumi Hotel Auckland Airport on Kirkbride Road to the view of its glass façade, gleaming with the reflection of the afternoon sky. Vaguely visible inside was a very large, shimmering golden wall behind a partially lit but busy reception desk. I hopped off to join the incoming guests for check in. What immediately followed was a peculiar (and unconscious) indifference to the actual process. Instead of falling in line, heads turned everywhere in a bid to familiarise themselves to the surroundings—the warm green walls textured with gold; lively, artsy furniture in the waiting areas; imaginative, modern artworks on the walls; and an opera of debating canaries in a large birdcage. One thing was clear: this was not your regular airport hotel.