Along with a nearby lodge and motels, the hotel trades as Aoraki Mt Cook Alpine Village and is owned by Trojan Holdings.

[5] Most rooms in the main hotel building facing north have views of Aoraki / Mount Cook, as do the two restaurants through their large glass windows.

[6] The Hermitage Hotel houses the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre,[7] showcasing the region and its history.

The village's only retail shop is also contained within the main hotel building, comparable to a very small dairy (convenience store) in its range of groceries.

[9] Travel to the Hermitage by motor car first occurred in February 1906, and a bus service began in November that year.

[16] This was due mainly to the hotel's isolation, which meant that fuel and freight costs were expensive and it was difficult to retain staff.

[17] The Mount Cook Motor Company already offered a tourist bus service to the Hermitage, and was now able to provide what were some of the first package tours in New Zealand.

[20] The new hotel complex consisted of accommodation with private bathrooms for 60 guests, plus separate blocks for staff housing and a cottage for a park ranger.

[23] Not long after, Trojan Holdings, a New Zealand tourism company founded and owned by a local family, purchased the Hermitage Hotel from them.

Along with NZ Ski, also owned by Trojan Holdings, The Hermitage declined funds from the strategic tourism assets protection programme (Stapp).