Scenic Hotel Southern Cross

Scenic Hotel Southern Cross is a 178-room heritage hotel at 118 High Street in central Dunedin, near Princes Street and a short walk from the Octagon, the railway station, theatres, shops and the University of Otago. Operated by Scenic Hotel Group, it is the group's largest Dunedin property and the one built for full conference and banquet programmes.

Rooms

178 rooms and suites across five categories:

• Standard Rooms - 32m2, 1-2 guests
• Superior Rooms - 34m2, 1-2 guests
• Tower Suites - 60m2, 1-2 guests
• Executive Suites - 60m2, 2 guests
• Presidential Suites - 60m2, 1 guest

Some suites include kitchenettes.

Property features

• 24-hour reception and 24-hour room service
• Free high-speed Wi-Fi and business services
• Fitness centre
• Conference and meeting facilities; wedding receptions
• On-site car parking subject to availability (listed at $25 per day, subject to change), plus Tesla electric-vehicle charging at $30 per night
• Guest laundry
• The Grand Casino is located on site

Meetings and events

The hotel has nine function rooms. The larger Heritage and Cargill Rooms are on the ground floor, with a cluster of smaller meeting rooms in a dedicated conference centre on the fourth floor. Scenic Hotel Group lists the venue's overall maximum at 200 guests.

| Room | Dimensions | Theatre | Classroom | U-shape | Boardroom | Cabaret | Cocktail | Banquet | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Cargill Room | 27 x 8m | 120 | 50 | 40 | 48 | 60 | 200 | 70 | | Heritage Room | 19 x 7m | 100 | 40 | 30 | 32 | 60 | 180 | 64 | | James Speight Room | 14 x 5m | 50 | 27 | 23 | 27 | 18 | 60 | 32 | | Charles Greenslade Room | 10 x 8m | 45 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 32 | 50 | 40 | | Scenic Room | 9 x 5m | 25 | 16 | 12 | 14 | - | 30 | 20 | | Massetti Room | 5 x 5m | 20 | 10 | 10 | 12 | - | - | 10 | | Lounge Bar | 8 x 5m | 20 | 12 | - | 14 | 12 | 50 | 30 | | William Dawson Room | 5 x 5m | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | | Sutton Room | 6 x 3m | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - |

Indicative full-day room hire published by the hotel ranged from $300 for the Sutton Room to $1,200 for the Heritage and Cargill Rooms (prices as at July 2022 and subject to change). A conference and event information pack covering delegate packages, catering and equipment hire is available from the hotel. For larger city-wide conferences, Scenic Hotel Group works in partnership with Dunedin Venues, which manages the Dunedin Centre and Forsyth Barr Stadium, and can co-ordinate delegate accommodation packages.

Food and beverage

Three in-house outlets serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, backed by 24-hour room service:

• The Carlton Restaurant - ground floor, serving breakfast (buffet and a la carte) and tour group dinners. Stays that include breakfast are served here.
• Boldini Cafe - street level, open to guests and the public for breakfast, light meals and cabinet food.
• Ports O'Call Bar & Grill - ground floor, open for dinner and drinks with family-friendly options; also the source of room service orders.

History and recognition

The building dates back to 1883 and the hotel presents itself as Dunedin's oldest and most established, retaining heritage character alongside contemporary refurbishment. It holds a 4-star Qualmark rating and, per Scenic Hotel Group, an Enviro-Gold award.

Suitability

The strongest fit in central Dunedin for full residential conferences, association meetings, awards dinners, exhibitions and multi-stream programmes: nine rooms allow concurrent breakouts, the Cargill and Heritage Rooms handle plenaries and banquets of up to 200 cocktail or 70 banquet, and 178 rooms on site remove the need for delegate transfers. The on-site casino and multiple bars also give incentive and social programmes an easy after-hours option.