The Clements Hotel is officially opened by Tourism MP Louise Upston, second right with from left general manager Cameron Kellow and co-owners Gerry Westenberg and Jo Pannell.
Cambridge’s newest boutique hotel – once a run-down rough place that the local MP needed a police escort into – now tells a story of resilience, vision and community pride.
Guests at the opening amble into The Clements Hotel foyer after Tourism MP Louise Upston cut the ribbon opening the hotel. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Tourism minister Louise Upston cut the ribbon to symbolically reopen the former Masonic Hotel in Duke Street last week, praising the project as a labour of love and a significant addition to Waikato’s tourism sector.
But years earlier Upston, who also attended the opening as the Taupō MP and a local resident, recalled visiting the hotel with police as part of a Friday night tour of Cambridge’s rough places.
Police flanked her as she walked in.
Wearing three hats: Louise Upston in her role as Tourism Minister, Taupō MP and neighbour speaks at The Clements Hotel opening. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
“The carpet was sticky, you know those carpets, I’m sure we all remember,” she said.
“When I heard rumours that a couple had bought the hotel and wanted to convert it into a high-end boutique hotel, I have to be honest, I’m like, who are these people? They must be mad.
“This will be an asset for Cambridge for many years, not just decades, but hopefully a century,” said Upston.
“We want to attract visitors to enjoy the finest things we can offer and that is what you’ve made possible here,” she told co-owners Gerry Westenberg and Jo Pannell.
The couple spoke emotionally about the journey they had been on since purchasing the rundown Masonic Hotel in 2015.
“It still had many of the beautiful original features that gave us a glimpse into what this building must once have been,” said Westenberg.
“The more we learned about its story, the more we felt a responsibility to restore it properly and honour its legacy.”
There were hidden surprises behind many walls, a basement which became a little more complex than initially expected when they discovered a buried well and the hotel’s cellar from 1866.
It now houses a speakeasy bar.
Co-owner Jo Pannell watches on as her partner Gerry Westenberg emotionally thanks her, their family and contractors for the long hours spent converting the Masonic Hotel. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
The Clements manager Cameron Kellow speaks at the opening with from left Clare Davies (Capstone), Louise Upston, Jo Pannell and Gerry Westenberg. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Pannell spoke of the sacrifices behind the transformation.
“I always say it takes a special kind of crazy to embark on a project like this. Who really, in their right mind, would ever do such a thing?”
She credited Westenberg’s single-minded focus and Herculean work ethic.
“For the last three and a half years, every day he has woken up at 8 o’clock in the morning, worked all day and gone to bed at night at two, three or four o’clock in the morning.”
The Clements’ legacy began in 1866 when Archibald Clements built the original timber structure on a one‑acre (4046 square metre) site.
It was Cambridge’s first commercial building and quickly became the beating heart of the community, hosting weddings, celebrations and even a Governor-General’s lunch during Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953-54 tour.
After surviving fires and a complete rebuild in 1912, the hotel thrived for decades before falling into decline.
Guests, including Olympic champion Eric Murray, Waikato Regional Councillor Liz Stolwyk and Taylor Made trustee Ruth Crampton, enjoy opening night at The Clements’ Hotel 1866 Speakeasy Bar. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Now restored as a 29-room premium boutique hotel, The Clements combines heritage architecture with contemporary design – warm, stylish and unmistakably Cambridge.
“Every strip of this restoration brought its own challenge but also its own reward,” Westenberg said, acknowledging the many people behind the development
“A hotel is just a building without its people that give it warmth, personality and heart. Today marks a new chapter in the story that began in 1866, a story of resilience, craftsmanship, community and an enduring spirit.”
Also present was Capstone Hotel Management founder and managing director Clare Davies, who Westenberg described as a “tireless cheerleader” for The Clements. The company has the management contract for the hotel.
After the official function, guests were welcomed into the hotel’s 1866 Speakeasy Bar – based in the original basement and inspired by Chicago speakeasies.
Speakeasies are described as hidden bars, inspired by the secret, illegal establishments of the American Prohibition era which aim to capture the clandestine and intimate feel of their historical predecessors.
With its doors now open, The Clements stands as a symbol of Cambridge’s resilience – honouring its past while shaping its future.
Cutting the ribbon opening The Clements, Tourism MP Louise Upston with Gerry Westenberg, left and Jo Pannell. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Cheers!! And with that The Clements Hotel is officially opened by Tourism MP Louise Upston, second right with from left general manager Cameron Kellow and co-owners Gerry Westenberg and Jo Pannell. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
The Clements Hotel, formerly The Masonic
Masonic Hotel February 2023
