The Hobson Street Hotel is a 12-storey, 300-room five-star hotel that forms part of the master plan together with the New Zealand International Convention Centre for the block of land bounded by Hobson Street, Wellesley Street and Nelson Street with TVNZ sited to the north. The design challenge was to create an iconic addition to the Sky City complex, with a building that had its own character reflecting its use, while also enhancing its relationship with the new convention centre.

The hotel has two air bridge linkages to the Sky City main site and the convention centre. A pedestrian laneway adjacent to the hotel will house bars and restaurants at street level to link Hobson and Nelson Streets and interface with the convention centre.

The challenging site constraints with various setbacks and height restrictions were responded to with a hotel design that responds to those constraints with hotel rooms arranged in a curving formation either side of an elliptically shaped atrium. Rising up between the hotel rooms, the atrium orientates the rooms to the north and south of the site while maintaining privacy and outlook from the adjoining buildings. The building is fully glazed to maximise outlook and views but carefully controlled with overlapping guards van windows on the south side in close proximity to the New Zealand International Convention Centre. 

The concept for the hotel rooms is based on the idea of the portmanteau - the travelling suitcase, with planning, detailing and materials designed to reinforce the idea of a series of cabinets, headboards and framed components.

Materials are stained hardwood timbers, natural granites and marbles with brass detailing to create a rich and varied palette of materials commensurate with the 5 star offering. The selection of these high-quality materials also contributes to the overall sense of luxury and craftsmanship within the space

The Hobson Street Hotel was designed by Moller Architects in association with Warren and Mahoney.