Ritz-Carlton returns to Australia

Ritz-Carlton returns to Australia

6 October 2017

Sydney is set to host a new Ritz-Carlton hotel, with US hotel giant Marriott International poised to announce having signed a memorandum of understanding with a developer to reintroduce the luxury brand to the city, reports The Australian.

The hotelier has also announced Ritz Carlton Hotels are being developed in Perth, Melbourne, and Auckland, however plans for Sydney are less advanced with an announcement of the site not expected until early next year.

In Perth, the long-awaited $500 million Ritz-Carlton development by Hong Kong’s Far East Consortium is further advanced with both the basement and podium construction in progress and the project ahead of schedule.

Marriott International Australia senior director of development Richard Crawford told the PerthNow Sunday Times the new developments would reintroduce the Ritz-Carlton brand to Australia.

“There’s a huge cohort of Ritz-Carlton guests who follow the brand and they haven’t had an option in Australia for some years,” he said.

“We see Perth becoming a prime location for luxury hotels over the next 10 years. When the hotel opens it will set a new benchmark for luxury accommodation in Perth (which is) fast becoming an important business hub and gateway leisure destination for many destinations in Asia,” he said.

The 205-room Ritz-Carlton Hotel Perth is expected to open mid-2019.

Far East Consortium is also developing a Ritz-Carlton in Melbourne’s Spencer Street while developer NDG is building a Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Auckland.

The Ritz-Carlton Perth is expected to open mid 2019 as part of the city’s Elizabeth Quay development.

The 205-room hotel will form part of a 28-level tower which includes residential apartments at Elizabeth Quay which has attracted more than 6.6 million tourists since it opened in December, 2016.

It is estimated it will boost tourism expenditure in Western Australia by $348 million by 2025- 26.

Meanwhile, Sydney’s first new-build luxury hotel since the Sydney Olympics, the $500 million Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, officially opened on Tuesday. the reports the AFR.

NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall launched the 590-room 35-level Sofitel, which is opposite the new International Convention Centre.

“With Sydney’s demand–especially at the top end of the market–expected to continue growing strongly, and with the International Convention Centre next door, this is a five-star development that made sense,” said Dr Jerry Schwartz, the hotel owner.

The 590 new rooms including 35 suites will join another 4,800 new hotel beds in Sydney to be completed by 2024.

About 40 new hotels are expected to open in Sydney in the next five years.