Tonga's newest hotel, the Scenic Hotel Tonga [1]
Monday, April 30, 2012 - 12:43. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
The Royal International Hotel, near Tonga's Fua'amotu International Airport will today, Monday, April 30, have a new name, the Scenic Hotel Tonga, said Ross Brljenich, the hotel's general manager.
Ross has been the General Manager of the hotel since 10 May 2011, when a tender from a joint venture by two New Zealand companies, the Commercial Factors Ltd. and the Scenic Hotel Group for the ownership of the $14-$18 million hotel was accepted.
Since then the assigning of the lease of the land that the hotel was built on to the new owner has taken about a year to be agreed on. The land is part of the estate of Prince Tungi.
The hotel was an investment venture by a Chinese businessman, the late Sam Wong, and was built on land that was part of the estate of the late King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. The construction of the hotel started on 7 April 1992 and it took 15 years to complete. It was finally opened for business on 9 October 2007 by the late King George Tupou V.
Ross said that the 76-rooms Scenic Hotel Tonga is the 18th hotel of the Scenic Hotel Group, and its first off-shore hotel, the rest are in New Zealand.
When Brandan Taylor, the Managing Director of the Scenic Hotel Group announced on 8 August 2011, that they had taken over the ownership of the Royal International Hotel, he also said that the Scenic Hotel Group was looking at acquiring other hotel properties in Tonga.
However, he did not confirm that the Scenic Hotel Group was interested in taking over the International Dateline Hotel in Nuku‘alofa.