Christopher Ehmann Joins Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa as GM

After opening two hotels in Bangkok for Hilton, and after a four-year run in Southeast Asia, hotelier Christopher Ehmann is relocating to New Zealand’s South Island where he’ll take charge of the three-year-old Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa as general manager.

With more than two decades of hospitality management experience in Europe, the Middle East and Australasia, the Vancouver native most recently launched the Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok and DoubleTree by Hilton, Sukhumvit Bangkok. Ehmann started with Hilton in 1998.

A dual citizen of Canada and Germany, Ehmann graduated with an MBA from Henley Management College in Oxfordshire, England in 2001. He has also studied at the Cornell- Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management in Malaysia, the British Columbia Institute of Technology and the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In his new position he’ll guide the operations of one of Queenstown’s newest luxury accommodation options. The hotel opened in 2011, and features 220 rooms and suites.

“We’ve already won a reputation as New Zealand’s top ski hotel,” said Ehmann. “And really, that’s only the tip of the iceberg for Queenstown, no pun intended. As an all-season destination for outdoor activities, I can’t think of a more up-and-coming destination anywhere in the world.”

The alpine-style retreat is located within Kawarau Village, along the shores of Lake Wakatipu and at the foothills of The Remarkables mountain range. It offers easy access for Queenstown’s many outdoor activities, from world-class golfing to bungee jumping to winter sports. The resort is just minutes from a number of award-winning wineries, and guests can follow hiking and cycling trails that pass directly in front of the property.

Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa’s dining options include Wakatipu Grill, a fine-dining establishment boasting scenic views over the emerald Lake Wakatipu, as well as the more casual Stacks Pub, a sports-themed restobar serving up hearty favorites.

Hilton opened the first eforea spa in New Zealand at the Queenstown location. The facility features 10 private treatment rooms, a 25-meter heated indoor pool, along with a hot tub, sauna, and steam rooms.

Like the hotel itself with its schist and red cedar exterior, the spa has an earthy, natural décor, which blends in seamlessly with the surrounding landscape of towering snow-capped peaks, rugged valleys and pristine lakes.