The Story of Happymotion
A family dream built from schist stone and southern light — how a small lakeside lodge became Queenstown's most personal luxury casino hotel.
From a lakeside lodge to a destination
Happymotion began in 2016, when the Hartley family restored a weathered stone lodge on Frankton Road — a building that had watched over Lake Wakatipu since the gold-rush era. Rather than flatten its character, we rebuilt around it: hand-cut schist walls, rimu timber salvaged from the original beams, and windows positioned to frame the Remarkables like paintings.
The first winter, we hosted eleven guests. Word travelled the way it does in New Zealand — quietly, over shared tables and long conversations by the fire. Within three seasons the lodge had grown into a 48-room boutique casino resort, and the old billiard room had evolved into our signature casino salon: a candle-lit space where the romance of classic gaming culture meets South Island warmth.
Today, Happymotion remains family-run. Amelia Hartley, our director, still greets returning guests by name — and still insists that no building this beautiful should ever feel anything less than welcoming.
New Zealand nature luxury, casino soul
Our design language is the landscape itself: deep forest green, graphite stone, warm milk and muted gold — the colours of beech forest, schist and evening light on the lake.
Into this calm we weave a deliberate thread of theatre. The casino-inspired interiors — brass details, roulette-wheel motifs, card-table felts in our private alcoves — bring a gentle sense of occasion to the evenings. It is a casino atmosphere translated into hospitality: social, elegant and always in person.
- Architecture that frames the mountains rather than competing with them
- Interiors by New Zealand makers: wool, stone, timber and brass
- A casino lounge experience reserved for resident guests and their visitors
- Small scale on purpose — 48 keys, never more
Luxury, the unhurried way
We believe true luxury is not marble lobbies or formality — it is time, attention and the feeling of being expected.
Personal before polished
We learn how you take your coffee, which pillow you prefer, when you like the fire lit.
Of this place
Menus from South Island farms, wines from Central Otago, wellness from native botanicals.
Time well kept
No queues, no rush, no scripted service. Your day unfolds at your pace.
Evenings with theatre
Our casino salon rituals — cards, chips and live piano — turn nights into memories.
Happymotion in numbers
The Happymotion difference
- Lakefront position five minutes from central Queenstown, yet utterly peaceful
- A genuine boutique scale — every guest known by name, every stay tailored
- Restaurant, spa, events and casino-inspired lounge under one historic roof
- Family ownership and a team that has been with us for years, not seasons
We would love to welcome you
Story is best continued in person — reserve your stay and let Queenstown do the rest.
Book Your Stay