It is in
Hamilton.
It is not
a hotel.

But it used to be.

The first Hamilton Hotel opened in 1865. Since then the name, building and city around it have lived a few lives.

Now the Hotel is back, as a Bistro, Public Bar and gathering place inside Hamilton’s theatre precinct.

Black and white historic photo of a wide dirt street named Victoria Street in Hamilton, with two men conversing near a horse in the middle, horse-drawn wagons parked along the left side, a two-story veranda building on the right, and utility poles with wires overhead.
18651874192319281930s19531980Today

The very first
Hamilton Hotel opens

Captain W.E. Turner, late of the paddle steamer Rangiriri, began advertising his new hotel on 2 March 1865. His licence came through five days later. The place has run on confidence ever since.

Black and white historic photograph of a rural landscape with scattered buildings and trees under an open sky.

Photo: Victoria Street c. 1870, HCL_02787, with the hotel on the right.

Gwynne’s Hamilton Hotel

Late in 1874, Richard and Sarah Gwynne took over and put their name above the door. They added bedrooms, a balcony, a croquet lawn and a honeymoon cottage by the river. Whenever Hamilton held a public function, the Gwynnes were in the thick of it.

Black and white photo of Gwynne’s Hamilton Hotel around 1882: a two-storey building with people on the upstairs balcony and horse-drawn vehicles parked outside.

Photo: Gwynne’s Hamilton Hotel, c. 1882 (HCL_01440), with horse-drawn vehicles parked outside.

The later Beaux Arts hotel

Fire took the first hotel in 1898 and its replacement in 1922. A third went up in concrete twelve months later. It was Beaux Arts in style, the only building of its kind in Hamilton, and its façade still stands on Victoria Street.

Black and white historic street scene showing a city street lined with early 20th-century buildings, parked vintage cars, a truck loaded with crates, people walking, and a bicyclist riding along the road near a corner building with signs pointing to the Hospital Board Office, Marlb'o Place, and the River Path.

Photo: Hamilton Hotel, c. 1947, HCL_03892.

Prime Minister Coates

On 29 May 1928, Prime Minister Gordon Coates, Mrs Coates and their daughters stayed at the Hotel.

Black and white portrait of a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair wearing a dark suit, striped shirt, patterned tie, and white pocket square, looking at the camera with a slight smile.

Photo: Prime Minister Rt Hon J G Coates, 1925, Crown Studios. Alexander Turnbull Library, 1/1-032119-F.

Governors-General

Governors-General stayed and dined here when passing through Hamilton. Viscount Galway, Governor-General from 1935 to 1941, was expected for lunch in December 1937 on his way to Rotorua.

Black and white photo of eight people standing outdoors in front of wooden buildings and hills, dressed in early 20th-century formal attire including suits, coats, hats, and two women holding bouquets.

Photo: Lord and Lady Galway at Port Waikato Health Camp with Hamilton’s mayor, 13 January 1936, HCL_10644.

The Queen and
Prince Philip

Twenty-five thousand people lined the streets when Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrived in Hamilton on 30 December 1953. That night they stayed at the Hotel, after a brief scramble behind the scenes.

Black and white photo of a ceremonial parade with a procession of vintage cars driving down a street lined with large crowds on both sides, some waving and others standing. The street is decorated with flags and banners displaying a crown and the letters ER. Several men in uniform and civilians are visible along the roadside, and a building with columns and a sign for Wisemans is on the right side.

Photo: Royal procession, 30 December 1953, HCL_02495.

The Hotel closes

In 1980 the Hotel closed for the last time. The building carried on as the Left Bank arts and community centre. In 1985 it was listed as a Category 2 historic building.

Black and white photo of the Hamilton Hotel building facade featuring three arched windows with decorative molding and a metal railing balcony, with 'HAMILTON HOTEL' signs above and below the balcony.

Photo: Hamilton Hotel balcony, c. 1980, HCL_M00636.15.

The Hamilton Hotel

Behind the restored façade now sits the region’s new theatre. Out front, the Hotel is back as a Bistro, a Public Bar and a place to be before the show. It is still not a hotel.

Hotel foyer with a checkered floor featuring a large gold monogram, a crystal chandelier, and open glass doors with decorative patterns, showing a person walking blurred across the scene and a staff member behind a bar counter in the background.

Photo: The Hamilton Hotel foyer.

They said the golden

years would not last.

Or are they just beginning...

Cozy restaurant corner with dark brown cushioned bench seating, two wooden chairs with padded seats, and a rectangular dark wood table set with napkins, forks, and empty glasses, illuminated by warm wall sconces and natural light from a nearby window.