New hotel management company plans to "disrupt the luxury hotel market"

Chris Dickinson rose through the hotelier ranks from a bellboy to general manager, and after more than a decade working in Australia, he has launched Luminous Living in New Zealand, with plans to go global – expanding into Australia, followed by Asia and North America.

Luminous Living’s first property, Hotel Fitzroy by Luminous is in the upmarket Auckland suburb of Ponsonby, and in February 2025, Luminous on Anzac will open in the CBD – a conversion of a heritage building into eight expansive two-bedroom, two-bathroom penthouses.

Four other Auckland properties will open by the end of 2025, followed by “expansion into other major New Zealand tourism destinations and 50 fully branded properties by 2030”.

Humble beginnings

Dickinson started his career at just 16 years old when he left school to study tourism, and worked at Auckland’s Spencer on Byron Hotel.

“School wasn’t for me and I decided I’d like to work in the tourism industry, so I went into the Spencer on Byron to apply for a job dressed in one of my dad’s suits, and I looked about 10 in this oversized suit and started as a bellboy.”

Other concierge roles followed before he was appointed to General Manager, and moved to Australia where he stayed for more than a decade working at Sails in the Desert, Lizard Island and Dunk Island, and on the Gold Coast for Marriott and Mantra Group.

A return to New Zealand saw him work for CPG Hotels, before deciding to branch out on his own.

“I think the industry is ready for a shakeup and so I wanted to create a new legacy, setting new benchmarks in luxury.

“I haven’t come from money; this is purely hard work and a passion for wanting to elevate the customer experience. I firmly believe there will be a lot of recovery this year and we’ll come out better than pre-pandemic.

“It’s an exciting time for the industry, and particularly the luxury travel market, and we plan on leading the way.”

Time for change

Dickinson says his focus is on launching hotels that have a lodge experience in both the way they feel and the service.

“In hospitality and tourism as a whole, we have lost a lot of talent and patience and a general focus on the customer.

“We became too focused on costs and that has taken a toll… so we want to focus back on the customer… and that is where I saw a hole in the market.”

Luminous Living is based in New Zealand, but he says they have “a global mindset”.

“I’m not restricting what we do to only using New Zealand products. We want to use the best, regardless of where they come from, so we’re including Chopard Swiss bathroom amenities, Rivolta Carmignani Italian linens, and authentic Italian Illy coffee.”

“We are the best customer-centric business in New Zealand, and I want to take that to a global market.

“When I travel, I like to be taken care of and that’s what we’re trying to achieve. A space where you become part of the fabric because you are so thought of.”

Kirstie Bedford