Carlin Boutique Hotel Carlin Boutique Hotel stretches seven stories above the central town.
Each of the interconnected suites has its own outdoor fire and spa pool, and a kitchen where private chefs can whip up a meal.
“We don’t expect our guests are ever going to buy eggs and cook,” Carlin said.
The toilets have remote controls that do everything from lift the seat to provide a massage.
The walls are marble and oak, the waste baskets and tissue holders are leather and embossed with the newly-developed Carlin crest.
If you are unfortunate enough to have one of the few bedrooms without a view over Queenstown, you will instead have a 65-inch television linked to a rooftop camera that provides a live feed of the outlook.
“That’s a digital window. It’s kinda cool,” Carlin said.
Guests who walk into central Queenstown but want a lift uphill home can choose to be picked up in a Bentley, Porsche or Maserati – or grab an e-bike from the available fleet.
A night in a one-bedroom suite starts at $1750 plus GST, while the three-storey penthouse goes for about $25,000 a night for seven bedrooms, seven-and-a-half bathrooms, four spas, four backyards and four lounge rooms over about 510 square metres.
“The lower level is for your film producer, bodyguards, butler, personal assistant or private jet pilot – an entourage for a celebrity or someone who’s a high net worth traveller.”
Every suite has a treat trolley, custom-made of brushed nickel, containing complimentary treats.
Like the mini bar, it’s all included in the price.
“Not matter how much capital people have they still enjoy something for free,” Carlin said.
The upmarket restaurant and bar Oro is open to the public and run by chefs who have worked in Michelin-Star kitchens. There’s live music – sometimes featuring Carlin himself on the piano.
“There’s not much choice for someone over 30 to go out in the dark after dinner in Queenstown. Town is full of 19- and 20-years old throwing beer bottles.”
The son of a symphony arranger and composer, Carlin grew up a young virtuoso, skilled on eight instruments by the time he was 10.
But as a young adult he left the music industry, trained to be a chef, and later designed and built mobile kitchens that he used while working as a private chef and butler to a string of film stars and celebrities including Olivia Newton John, Ozzy Osbourne, John Travolta, Sting and The Police, Foreigner, Tom Petty and Van Halen.
His modular buildings and mobile kitchens were used by the United States Army in Kuwait and sold in 10 countries. After 10 years he sold the company to a firm listed on the New York Stock Exchange, whose directors included Hillary Clinton.
In New Zealand, he developed Queenstown’s first gated community – the 41-section Lakeside Estates – as well as The Waterfront Hotel in Queenstown, and the Styx Mill Country Club near Christchurch.
More recently he has been on Australia’s Gold Coast developing and selling high-end properties. But his interest in Queenstown continued, and he purchased land to develop a five-star Radisson Hotel in the central city.
He remains a 50 per cent shareholder in the $74 million development, which is currently under construction, with Australia-based partner Centuria.
He returned to Queenstown last year to oversee the development of The Carlin, when he could not secure a builder.
“I’ve built my own homes before, but a hotel is a whole different ballgame and then in a pandemic, trying to get people and materials. It was tiresome. It still is. I have one more floor to finish, and I can focus on managing the hotel.”
Carlin has been the designer, hired the tradespeople and bought every tile and bag of grout himself.
It cost $3.5m to dig a hole in the ground large enough for five stories of hotel, and under grounding 50 metres of “ugly” power lines that obscured the view cost $250,000.
“Yes, I’m a fussy perfectionist, but that is what beyond five-star is, and you have to look after very fussy guests.”
The cost went “millions and millions” over budget mostly due to the pandemic, he said.
“Shipping costs went up, material costs went up, and it took longer than planned.”
Now the hotel is operating, he is still looking for staff to fill positions as New Zealand’s borders open to the world.
There have been guests every night, including a large contingent of Fisher and Paykel executives.
Carlin has upcoming bookings from an Australian family of 18 who want the whole building for five nights in December and a week-long booking from a royal family who are waiting for border openings.
He also hoped to see more New Zealanders treat themselves to a bit of luxury, something that might not have happened 30 years ago.
“Because of television and movies, people are now wanting a higher standard of life. They want nicer cars. Look at tradesmen – they are making good money, and they’re all driving new Utes and towing boats. People have evolved in New Zealand and I haven’t felt any tall poppy bashing of this project.”
