SKYE Suites Sydney will open its doors for Sydney's first boutique serviced apartment in the CBD in October 2018. Located at 300 Kent Street, the highly-anticipated opening of the luxury 25-storey, multi-residential tower will set new benchmarks for combining architectural excellence and luxurious amenities and will enhance the modern inner-city lifestyle.
Australia's most iconic food market will be the focal point of IHG's latest hotel signing, with the 16-storey Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets set to open in 2020 in partnership with Primefield Property Pty Ltd.
The proportion of "lifestyle" and boutique hotels in Australia has ballooned from below 3 per cent to 10 per cent of the national accommodation pipeline in the past six years, new research shows. The emerging hotel category refers to accommodation properties that have a unique design and that offer their guests experiences that connect them with the local area. While 3 per cent of rooms in the national pipeline were classed as boutique hotels in 2012, Colliers International's Karen Wales told Commercial Real Estate that the real figure was likely to be "miniscule" as a large proportion of that 3 per cent included lodges in regional areas.
"Rebecca brings with her a wealth of industry knowledge and experience which will be instrumental in driving her teams forward to achieve business objectives, while also strengthening the competitive position of the hotel as leading property in Surfers Paradise," said Ravinder Dhesi, general manager, Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa.
Marriott International has today announced it will debut its ultra-luxury St. Regis Hotels & Resorts brand in Australia via a newbuild hotel set to open in Melbourne in 2022.
The global tourism and hospitality industry, and notably in Australia, is faced with the challenge of attracting and retaining quality employees which has resulted a lack of skilled personnel to meet the ever-expanding tourism and hospitality landscape. This challenge can be attributed to several factors. The possible causes for the lack of manpower include a young transient workforce, low levels of pay and formal qualifications, high level of female, student, part-time and casual workers, a high proportion of low skilled jobs, a large proportion of hours worked outside normal business hours, a negative industry image in the eyes of potential employees, a large number of migrant staff, poor utilisation of student labour and high levels of staff turnover. These factors contribute to the challenges in relation to recruitment and retention of quality staff in the industry.
Gus Moors and Karen Wales of Colliers International have found that Australian hotel transaction activity slowed in FYE2018 with volumes easing to $1.338 billion - however deal flow increased with 35 transactions (above $10 million) concluding throughout the year; This compares to 30 transactions in FYE2017.
Maloney brings extensive international experience to the role at Sydney's high-profile, five-star property having worked for several leading luxury hotel brands across four continents, often in uniquely challenging conditions and highly competitive markets.
A ground-breaking ceremony has taken place at The Star Gold Coast to mark the start of construction of the resort's new 53-storey mixed-use tower, which will house The Dorsett and cement the luxury brand's entry to Australia when it opens in 2022.
Hilton is planning to open its first hotel in West Australia at the Kalgoorlie Golf Course in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Former Quest Apartment Hotels CEO Zed Sanjana has been named as the new Chief Executive of Veriu Hotels and Punthill Hotels, tasked with continuing the expansion of the rapidly growing brand.
Michelle Bradshaw will take charge of two as General Manager of a jointly-branded newbuild property - Ibis / Novotel Little Lonsdale Street in Melbourne upon the complex opening later this year. Beginning with the hotel giant in 2005, Bradshaw completed the Accor Vivier National Management training program in 2008. Since then she has worked for two hotels in Melbourne and Sydney - the Novotel Glen Waverley and Hotel Lindrum MGallery, which together book-end a stint at the Novotel/Ibis Sydney Olympic Park.
Ana Royal has been named as the new Hotel Manager at the Ibis Styles Tamworth. Beginning with AccorHotels in 2006 at the Mercure Wellington in New Zealand, Royal has worked her way up across a variety of properties in NZ and Australia. She comes to her new role from her recent position as Operations Manager at Ibis Styles Hobart.
Another graduate of the Accor Graduate Management Program is Rebecca Davis, who has ascended to the role of General Manager at Ibis Styles Geraldton. Davis has held a number of roles at AccorHotels properties in Sydney and Canberra and takes charge in her new role having most recently served as GM at Wilpena Pound Resort in the Flinders Ranges National Park in South Australia.
The new GM of Ibis Budget Melbourne CBD is Ashan Abeykoon, who returns to Melbourne after a two-year stint as Operations Manager at Novotel Wollongong in NSW. Prior to this, Abeykoon has progressed through the ranks at a number of properties in Melbourne, with a particular history and expertise in F&B roles. He has been with AccorHotels since 2003.
Design Hotels™ appoints Allison Barclay to represent their global collection of independent hotels, in Australia and New Zealand. Design Hotels represents and markets a select collection of more than 300 hotels in 60 countries and 200 destinations around the globe. Australia and New Zealand is an important growth market for those truly original and unique destinations. Jinou Park, Vice President, Design Hotels APAC says, "Design Hotels is the perfect proposition for the Australian and New Zealand market as it is a curation of independent, design-lead original experiences across the globe. Australia and New Zealand has always been a bedrock of our likeminded community and we decided to work with Allison to support our travel trade partners and gain greater presence in the region. Allison shares our passion for stories and experiences with our Design Hotels members and we look forward to growing the Design Hotels Community with her." Allison, of Revolve Communications, is based in Sydney and has national responsibility for representing Design Hotels and supporting travel partners in Australia and New Zealand.
Development paperwork has been lodged by Sydney casino The Star for a new 61-storey hotel tower which all but confirms the return of Marriott International's Ritz-Carlton brand to the NSW capital after a decade away.
STR's preliminary July 2018 data for hotels in Sydney, Australia, indicates performance affected by significant supply growth and less market events. Based on daily data from July, Sydney reported the following in year-over-year comparisons:
Graham Perry has been appointed managing director of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Australasia. The appointment follows Best Western International (BWI) taking management control of the brand on June 1 from the Motel Federation of Australia. His first few weeks have been spent bedding down the operational transition as BWI moves to a property direct relationship with hotels and resorts in Australia and New Zealand. Perry's immediate goals are to boost the level of services Best Western provides properties such as increasing revenue management capabilities and growing Best Western Rewards. He was most recently CEO of inland NSW, while previous roles include CEO See Australia, CEO Traveland, managing director classifieds at Fairfax Media, and managing director Utell International.
Travelers and staycationing Sydney-siders will soon be able to immerse themselves in Sydney's burgeoning Central Park Precinct, with the opening of the Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Central Park. Strategically located in Chippendale, the hotel sits in the heart of Sydney's creative scene and playground of local haunts from artisan cafes and galleries to hidden bars.