In a parallel universe, Auckland is slowly building up towards the America's Cup and every day hundreds more tourists are piling into the country, booking accommodation at the many new hotels that had their openings perfectly timed for the influx of sailing fans.
Alas, here we are in the COVID-19 world. The America's Cup is still going ahead, but the pandemic means we don't have thousands of foreigners stretching Auckland's hospitality sector to its maximum.
But as Newshub Travel recently discovered at the opening of the Park Hyatt at Wynyard Quarter, new hotels are still opening in Auckland and Kiwis can take advantage of their vacancies - sometimes with booking specials.
One of these things is not like the others
One new Auckland accommodation option is Hotel Fitzroy on Richmond Road in Ponsonby. The Fable-operated hotel could be described as the most boutique of boutique accommodation.
It's an intimate hotel that only hosts a handful of guests, so while the rooms are big and have all the modern facilities, it all has a very homely feel.
A big contributor to that feeling is the Fitzroy's library.
It's really more of a sitting room with a liquor cabinet than a library. However, resting on the shelf was a large book dedicated to the art of font design, serving as a reminder of the type of establishment I was at. We all love a good font.
The library almost had a conversation pit feel, with the hotel's host was serving whichever drinks were requested, all complimentary.
Inside the heritage two-storey villa on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Richmond Road there is a mix of old and new with a recently built expansion of the property having a very urban aesthetic, justaposing the classic front facing villa design.
As the hotel has no dining area, breakfast is delivered to your bedroom and boy it is amazing. It's well worth all the time and effort you have to put into finding a comfortable spot in your room to eat it.
The key to the hotel's success won't be in its sustainable operation - which in this decade should be standard - but rather its tailor made experiences.
The benefit of only having a handful of guests is being able to get to know them and maximise their experience, whether it's serving up their preferred drink or recommending local activities and establishments which might be to their taste.
The hotel's first guest was Taika Waititi, who stayed for an entire week. In fact, the hotel opened a week early to accommodate him.
After spending a night at Hotel Fitzroy, it's easy to see why Waititi would walk in the front door every evening proclaiming: "Honey, I'm home!"
Newshub Travel stayed as an invited guest at the Hotel Fitzroy.
