New Move In

Northern Hotels Ltd.?

New Move In Suva Hotels’ Prob[?]

THE announcement that app tion was being made by Max Lovell for the issue liquor license for the old Club E to be held in the partially premises of the South Seas E at the corner of Victoria Pa and Gordon Street, Suva, ca considerable interest in Fiji cently.

Mr. Lovell is the mangaer o: Nadi Hotel, one of the string ol country hotels owned and ope] by Northern Hotels Limited; a: is assumed that the move by Lovell means that Northern H at long last, are moving intc Suva area.

Sir Hugh Ragg, chairmai Northern Hotels Ltd., would : no statement. It is presumed if any statement is forthcomi will be made jointly by Nor’

Hotels Ltd. and Morris Hedf Ltd.

In order to increase Suva’s accommodation, Morris Hed!

Ltd., a few years ago, made for a large, modern hotel or corner site indicated, and bu: operations commenced. The templated cost was around £2£ A hurricane put the old Hotel and McDonald’s Hotel c commission, and both were < down. This left Suva with C Pacific, Melbourne, Garrick Metropole Hotels—not enoug take care of normal traffi< alone the growing flow of to from all over the world.

With the permission of

licensing authority, the Club

bar and license were moved the ground floor of the new Seas Hotel, as soon as constn permitted it.

Then, in 1954, came the f quake, which shook Suva in i never before known.

Messrs. Morris Hedstrom im ately ceased building the Seas Hotel—the plans did nol vide for earthquake condition! had to be re-drawn. Mean building costs had soared so in Fiji as elsewhere, that MH not go on with the building, the plans were redrawn—the e] ous capital cost, it, was stated, profitable operation of a resid hotel impossible.

The licensing authority, in suspended the Club Hotel 1 and the bar was closed up. (It has been occupied as a tern] office by Pan American Airwa

Orthern Hotels Ltd. Has

been watching these develop ments with interest. The profit »operation of the Northern Hotels Lautoka, Nadi, Korolevu, Siga 1, Ba, Tavua and Raki Raki) is ited by the Suva accommodation Jeneck. All tourists wish to visit a; so, of course, no more rists can tour Fiji than can be nnelled through Suva.

'orthern Hotels Ltd., naturally, ild Mke to operate its own hotel Suva; but that Co. is similarly ;ouraged by the enormous cost juilding a new establishment, [orris Hedstrom Ltd. recently in ited that plans now are being pared for a South Seas Hotel of ut 20 bedrooms, with first-class jnities; and the presumption is t some arrangement has been le between Morris Hedstrom Ltd. [ Northern Hotels Ltd., under ,ch the shaped and overgrown ! of concrete at the corner of fcoria Parade will be restored to and completed as the South s Hotel, and that Northern els Ltd. will lease and operate hotel. ; is supposed that, in the mean e, as soon as construction is re ied, and the licensing authority 5s the OK, Northern Hotels Ltd. t reopen the liquor bar in the and floor of the new hotel build ; with a renewal of the old Club el license.

Wenty more bedrooms will not tribute very much to the solution Suva’s hotel problem; but it will something—and the entry of [them Hotels into this field will welcomed, because Northern els, more than any other Fiji el proprietor, is interested in encouragement and develop it of the tourist business. closing of the Grand Pacific Hotel for one month, in Janhas emphasised r a’s shortage of hotel accom iation. This is the tourist “off” son —but there always is a stream travellers moving through Suva; I they are pressing hard on the ee remaining hotels.