Ak-Born Hospitality Queen Marks 25 Year Milestone

Media Release from Queenstown House
April 2, 2007

Auckland-Born Hospitality Queen Marks 25 Year Milestone

You can take the chick out of Parnell, but Louise Kiely took some Parnell sophistication with her when she left Auckland 25 years ago to become Queenstown’s glamorous hospitality queen.

Kiely is celebrating 25 years of business and wouldn’t you know it, she’s planning one hell of a rip roaring VIP party at her boutique hotel Queenstown House.

Crying all the way south from Auckland in 1981, a quarter of a century of hospitality later, any tears will be of happiness as the glamorous South Island hostess plans her most star-studded celebration yet.

Kiely will mark the landmark anniversary with a glittering party for former and current guests, featuring VIPs from New Zealand and abroad, most of them regulars and by now, close friends.

You could say Kiely’s career was destiny – her parents married in an Auckland hotel and her grandparents and great grandparents on both sides were hoteliers.

Grandfather John Griffin was New Zealand’s oldest publican in the 1950’s when at 95 he was running The Alexander in Parnell Road, Auckland, now the exclusive Iguacu restaurant. She attended kindergarten in the suburb.

“I’ve loved meeting the fabulous people I’ve hosted over the years,” Kiely said. “I’m so happy to introduce my families’ hospitality legacy to the fantastic community in Queenstown.”

As for plans to retire, Kiely has other ideas.

“I’ll keep going until someone comes along who can do it better, and then I’ll move over.”

Kiely has owned three successful restaurants, first Sydney’s Jucy Lucy’s Natural food Cafe and then Auckland’s Café de Metro, reputed to be the first coffee house on Queen Street to use a cappuccino machine.

Following that, Kiely moved to Queenstown to set up her third restaurant with two partners, Roaring Meg in 1981 – winner of NZ restaurant of the year in 1984 -- opening her first hotel Queenstown House one year later. The trio sold Roaring Meg restaurant in 1984.

Kiely honed her skills at a string of exclusive hospitality venues during an overseas stint in the 1970s with Val D’Isere’s Jean Claude Killy and Scotland’s Lord Lovat.

An active promoter of her chosen hometown, Kiely’s status was officially recognised one year ago when she was appointed to the board of Destination Queenstown.

Kiely struck gold in Central Otago as her ancestors did – her great great grandparents were married in Queenstown at the height of the gold rush in 1864.

ENDS

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