Eichardt's Private Hotel on Queenstown’s lakeshore can lay claim to having the country's most expensive accommodation with its $10,000 a night rooftop penthouse. It also achieved recognition at the World Luxury Hotel Awards in Switzerland as New Zealand’s Best Luxury Boutique Hotel, Australasia’s Best Luxury Romantic Hotel and Australasia’s Best Luxury Ski Resort.
The 240sq m penthouse was part of a $6 million expansion of the historic hotel, which also features a 200-seat restaurant. Apart from sweeping views of Lake Wakatipu, guests also have the all-day services of a butler, private chef and a driver.
"We’re preparing for a new class of ultra-high net worth guests,” Andrew Cox says.
The Imperium Group, founded by Cox and his wife Sarah in 2000, also owns The Spire, a 10-suite luxury boutique hotel, and the No 5 Church Lane bar and restaurant in Queenstown. The Melbourne-based company employ more than 700 and has a diverse portfolio of investments in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Asia and the Americas. These include Australia's Providence Beer Co, Australasia's TGI Friday's franchise and a home solutions business that incorporates GarageSmart and Wardrobe World.
Imperium Sport Management controlled the Melbourne Rebels super rugby franchise for a couple of years before selling its interest to the Victorian Rugby Union in July last year.
Cox graduated from the University of Canterbury with a bachelor of commerce and worked at KPMG where he became a director of corporate finance specialising in international mergers and acquisitions.