The first guest at The Marque Hotel Christchurch will be treated to a traditional Maori welcome when they check-in on Thursday afternoon.

A powhiri or Maori welcome ceremony has been organised to welcome the first guest to The Marque, which after months of preparation is now ready to open its doors to guests.

Located in Cathedral Junction in the heart of the central business district, The Marque Hotel Christchurch occupies 15 floors of the tallest building in the South Island. It has been designed to provide a home-away-from-home for business travellers and features 171 guest rooms and suites, as well as a contemporary and vibrant bar and restaurant.

The Marque Hotel is operated by the Rendezvous Hospitality Group (RHG), which is based in Singapore. RHG currently operates 14 Rendezvous Hotels and The Marque brand hotels in the Asia Pacific region, with particular focus on the business travel segment. RHG employs 1700 people and manages 3,350 hotel rooms in operation or under development, with plans to expand to over 12,000 rooms by 2020.