Property developer Kevin Carlin dies

High-profile property developer, concert pianist and hotel operator Kevin Carlin, a United States emigrant who made Queenstown his home, has died.

It is believed Carlin, 69, died of natural causes at the weekend.

Carlin was in the news in 2022 with the completion of his $30 million luxury hotel in central Queenstown. The “beyond five-star” Carlin Boutique Hotel and its upmarket restaurant, Oro, was his retirement project.

He moved to New Zealand to retire about 30 years ago, feeling disillusioned with the development of society in the United States. He developed New Zealand’s first gated community – the 41-section Lakeside Estates – as well as The Waterfront Hotel in Queenstown and the Styx Mill Country Club near Christchurch. More recently, he was on Australia’s Gold Coast, developing and selling high-end properties. .

Carlin continued to perform as a concert pianist, also playing guitar, drums, Irish whistles and saxophone throughout his life.

Olivia Wensley, a Queenstown friend of Carlin’s, said he was unusually talented in multiple domains. “He was very intelligent, kind and generous. He was a true entrepreneur and accomplished inventor.

Carlin is survived by four children.