thought id make a thread on this.its becoming an issue.
sydney hasnt had a luxry highrise hotel built since 1992 (ANA Hotel).
the latest hotel is new 15storey as part of star City casino in Pyrmont.
Gowings and adjacent sate theatre have combined to create a 12storey hotel on king street currently under reno for next year.
latest news today is a company has bought a 12storey cnr Pitt/bridge st and will convert to hotel.
Barangaroo have plans for Australias tallest hotel, being the 40storey/170m peir hotel.
Ha HarryT from meriton killed off hotels due to massive service aprtments prescence in CBD?

todays fin rev-
Sydney room deficit ignites hotel hotspot
Cititel Hotels, a unit of Malysia-listed IGB Corporation, has bought 12storey Hunter Street office tower for $36 million.

The only 12 storey building it could be on Pitt and Bridge is owned by Hawaiian and was renovated a couple of years ago. Has a Westpac branch and I believe offices still in the building, it is an ugly hexagonal building, so it wouldn't be a shame if they dramatically remodelled it.

It's 34 Hunter, north western corner of Pitt. Sold by Charter Hall.

sorry hunter not bridge. doh!

It is good that even with Meriton flooding the market with serviced apartments, that there is demand for hotel rooms in central Sydney.

34 Hunter is the same building that has a Dymocks at street level for those not 100 % sure. Not a nice building to look at.

Yep, it's a fairly pedestrian, lumpish '60s job. Never was a pretty one. Won't be a loss if it's radically reworked. Right opposite the Radisson (? ), isn't it?

Right opposite the Radisson (? ), isn't it?

Yes.

There's a 235m height limit there, but alas, the site is so small FSR restrictions would stop it from going anywhere near that height.

I saw the other day that the menswear suit store was closing down which is towards the back of the building, hopefully in preparation for the hotel.

Here is a list of their hotels. One would assume that Sydney would be a St Giles chain like their other international hotels http://www.cititelmidvalley.com/chmindex.html

thought id make a thread on this.its becoming an issue.
[...]
Ha HarryT from meriton killed off hotels due to massive service aprtments prescence in CBD?

I wonder if this is more of a national problem -- there are room shortages in Brisbane and Perth as well, from what I know. Maybe the high $A is scaring away developers, afraid foreign visitors will drop just as their hotels are finished?

the hotel shortage has been in sydney since 2000. i dont think visitors are the issue. i think serviced units have taken hotels place. sydney needs a big hotel, major one.
this hopefulyl will be barangaroo.gee i reckon even 115bathurst would make a perfect hotel.great location and has views!

always wondered why Sydney didn't have more hotels... if you compare that to say European cities with equal or even lesser population (but presumably similar number of visitors and tourists over the year), it's bizarr why that is.

Does anybody know how many hotel rooms and serviced appartments there are in Sydney?

Just as an example: Berlin has about 4m people and about 110,000 rooms (incl B&Bs, hostels, and 1-5 star hotels), and there are another 20,000+ in the pipeline! ... and that's even with a much lower occupancy rate, and lower average room prices (so you'd think Berlin is even less attractive than Sydney for investors)

Serviced apartments killed off new hotels? Really?

I'd much prefer to stay in a hotel than serviced apartments.

Cul when was Sheraton on the Park completed? Granted it's not a skyscraper hotel but I would've thought that a fair number of hotel rooms were added aside from ANA pre-Olympics?

always wondered why Sydney didn't have more hotels... if you compare that to say European cities with equal or even lesser population (but presumably similar number of visitors and tourists over the year), it's bizarr why that is.

Does anybody know how many hotel rooms and serviced appartments there are in Sydney?

Just as an example: Berlin has about 4m people and about 110,000 rooms (incl B&Bs, hostels, and 1-5 star hotels), and there are another 20,000+ in the pipeline! ... and that's even with a much lower occupancy rate, and lower average room prices (so you'd think Berlin is even less attractive than Sydney for investors)

A couple hundred million potential tourists within 2 hours flight of Berlin cf 18m within the same distance from Sydney.

Yep this is true, the other night I was looking for a hotel room for a root and couldn't find any. Others had booked them for a root too!

A couple hundred million potential tourists within 2 hours flight of Berlin cf 18m within the same distance from Sydney.

granted! .... however, potential and reality differ! Berlin "only" had 9 million visitors last year (majority of them Germans) who stayed an average of 2.2 nights (if the latest stats are correct). Given Sydney's status as the gateway to Oz, with a huge number of International arrivals and, presumably, a much longer average stay (in days), you'd assume that they are not too far off eachother.

But maybe someone can shed some light on the room numbers for Sydney! ... or does Sydney / NSW not have an authority / office that keeps track of those stats? ;)

granted! .... however, potential and reality differ! Berlin "only" had 9 million visitors last year (majority of them Germans) who stayed an average of 2.2 nights (if the latest stats are correct). Given Sydney's status as the gateway to Oz, with a huge number of International arrivals and, presumably, a much longer average stay (in days), you'd assume that they are not too far off eachother.


Sydney gets 10 million tourists a year, 7 million of them Australians.
It's a small world in 2011, we're only 20 hours from Europe. Used to take more than 20 hours by train to get across Europe!

Sheraton Park Hotel 20fl
1980
Crone Associates.

Originally called the Park Grande Hotel.

http://www.emporis.com/application/?lng=3&nav=building&id=167079

the hotel shortage has been in sydney since 2000. i dont think visitors are the issue. i think serviced units have taken hotels place. sydney needs a big hotel, major one.
this hopefulyl will be barangaroo.gee i reckon even 115bathurst would make a perfect hotel.great location and has views!

How does that explain the closures of hotels at Kings Cross and their conversion to unit towers? Thats what has bought the problem on over the past few years.

Sheraton Park Hotel 20fl
1980
Crone Associates.

Originally called the Park Grande Hotel.

http://www.emporis.com/application/?lng=3&nav=building&id=167079

If I am right, it opened around 1992?

A couple hundred million potential tourists within 2 hours flight of Berlin cf 18m within the same distance from Sydney.

Totally true.

Its not good to looks at a city in isolation. It is important to look at the surrounds, and in that sense, Australian cities falls far behind most of the world for a immediate regional catchment area to draw from.

Totally true.

Its not good to looks at a city in isolation. It is important to look at the surrounds, and in that sense, Australian cities falls far behind most of the world for a immediate regional catchment area to draw from.

does sydney's stats take into account back packing lodges because I would swear we had one of the highest per capita.

bump

not sure if this has been mentioned elsewhere

$68 Million Four-Star Hotel at Sydney Airport
19 November 2011Category:Media Releases

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n554/beastben/Screenshot2011-11-29at63445PM.png

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n554/beastben/Screenshot2011-11-29at63435PM.png

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n554/beastben/Screenshot2011-11-29at63422PM.png

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n554/beastben/Screenshot2011-11-29at63402PM.png

Sydney Airport passengers will soon benefit from greater choice and greater convenience with a new $68 million, four-star hotel to be built at the airport's revamped International Terminal by the Denwol Group and operated by Rydges Hotels.

Rydges to develop $68 million, four-star hotel outside International terminal
317 rooms, bar, restaurant and gym
Expected completion date 2012

Construction of the hotel will commence shortly outside the International Terminal in Sydney Airport and is expected to substantially complete by late 2012.

The new four-star hotel will include 317 rooms, a bar, restaurant and gym to meet growing demand from passengers for convenient and immediate access to the International Terminal at Sydney Airport.

rest of article here: http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/corporate/media-centre/media-releases/media-release-detail.aspx?item=%7B8F27A3DC-E6CE-4FCF-ADFB-7179EB5E4C82%7D&lst=%7BC313C142-0E4E-4269-A2FB-BDEB95B3BC9E%7D

looks good. not sure if its mentioned in mascot thread?>
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=199042&page=7

Was mentioned in the Sydney Airport thread - however good idea to post it in this one too

I had a vague idea I'd posted something on it somewhere, however, the pics here are much better.
Still not excited by the design even with the V stilts (shades of Oz Square Pitt St building).

The hotel is already under construction. :)

In the first two pictures the stilts are V but in the last one they are just straight...

Keeping their options open?

The new commercial building, attached to the parking lot facing the terminal, has V shaped stilts, I would assume, being right next door the hotel will have a similar theme and have V stilts.

My favourite hotel in Sydney is the YHA in the Rocks. It has brilliant views of the Opera House and stuff!

For a hostel, it's superior in terms of what they offer and YHA have a good reputation for providing good rooms. They even have hotel style rooms if you dont want to share.

For a hostel, it's superior in terms of what they offer and YHA have a good reputation for providing good rooms. They even have hotel style rooms if you dont want to share.

Privates? Most hostels have those :)

Seems hotels are coming back into favour!

Aside from the recent opening of The Darling at The Star (5 star, 171 rooms), the redevelopment of the Gowings Building into the QT Hotel (4.5 star, 196 rooms), the proposed Barangaroo hotel (~250 rooms) and at least 1 new hotel at the Convention Centre, the latest proposal is to convert the commercial and retail building at 34-36 Hunter Street into a 3 star, 282 room hotel. It is located on the corner of Pitt and Hunter Streets, opposite the Radisson Plaza Hotel.

http://cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Datasource/DANotifications/1039891_034.pdf

The hotel is not going to win any architectural awards, but it will be good to see a more affordable accommodation option come online.

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/8623/hunterstreethotel2.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/607/hunterstreethotel2.jpg/)

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/671/hunterstreethotel.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/hunterstreethotel.jpg/)

http://cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Datasource/DANotifications/1039891_037.pdf

It's the building originally called the Guardian Assurance Building, never a classic, rather London c.1960s in design. Having a funny new hat and a bit of an extension down one sidewill at least give it a bit of oddity value.
Pity they didn't start from scratch tho'.

Architects: Innovarchi

Data: Guardian Assurance Building 13 storeys 46m (150ft) Cost $2m (sic!) Stafford Moor & Farrington Architects Completed 1963

Does anyone have a list of the current tallest hotels in Australia, in order?

Just wondering where a potential Barangaroo hotel will sit on that list.

^^
The Barangaroo hotel in its current form (170m) would be the tallest single use hotel in Australia.

Like the idea - but the add on doesnt have any relationship to the existing building.

I don't mind it's hat, but I was hoping more would be done with the existing building as it is not a looker.
I can't remember the hotel group now but I think they are a Malaysian group and it will be their first Australian hotel

Given the existing building is such a stolid & conservative block, I think giving it a funny hat is the right decision to give it a bit of character for a hotel. For whatever reason the original is being retained and it may partly be because it is clad in a lot of marble which is its only distinction.

I don't mind it's hat, but I was hoping more would be done with the existing building as it is not a looker.
I can't remember the hotel group now but I think they are a Malaysian group and it will be their first Australian hotel

This it? Tune Hotel.

Rooms from $1: Tune Hotels coming to Australia
June 13, 2011

Malaysian budget hotel chain Tune Hotels is set to enter the Australian market, promising to introduce one dollar a night offers.

Tune has already acquired a property in Melbourne and also plans to open hotels in Sydney and Perth.

Tune Hotels group chief executive officer Mark Lankester hopes to have the chain's flagship Melbourne hotel open before Christmas 2012.

He said the company had been in talks about sites in Sydney and Perth, as well as the Gold Coast, while he was also looking at Darwin and possibly Brisbane.

"Hopefully if we are welcomed with open arms by the Australian public, I'd be more than happy to do far more, and actually get my brothers and sisters in AirAsia to do more flights going in as well," Mr Lankester said.

Part of the Tune Group set up by Tony Fernandes, the head of South-East Asia's largest budget airline AirAsia, Tune Hotels follows the same model by offering a no-frills product.

It has 12 hotels - nine in Malaysia, two in Bali and one in London - with a further 54 under construction across South-East Asia.

"We've got another 14 under construction in London," Mr Lankester said.

"It's been so successful that we just want to continue there."

Tune Hotels had a one penny a night special before the opening of its first London hotel in Westminster and Mr Lankester said an offer like one dollar a night was on the cards for the Melbourne hotel.

"You bet, we'll do exactly the same thing," he said.

He said the 230-room hotel on Swanston Street would likely have an average rate of $60 to $70 a night.

Like budget airlines, the cheapest rates come from special offers and from booking online and in advance.

And the catch is you have to pay for `extra' services like air conditioning, a TV, daily room cleaning and even towels.

The rooms are small and basic, but the chain's pitch centres on having "five star beds and one star prices" and power showers.

Its first hotel, in downtown Kuala Lumpur, is set to be revamped in stages with another 101 rooms to be added on one side to take its occupancy to 275 rooms.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/rooms-from-1-tune-hotels-coming-to-australia-20110602-1fik2.html#ixzz1jIsYdszw

Yup that's them.

LOL at having to pay for Air Con

I have stayed in a Tune Hotel in KL before and they are awesome value if you book ahead - much better than those crappy Hotel Formule 1 things that we have here. This coincides with Air Asia starting their KL - Sydney flights.

It's an interesting but good choice of location by them - the majority of the more affordable hotels are at the other end of the CBD. It's a real boon for Tune that they were able to secure a location a couple of blocks from the Quay and Pitt Street Mall

Its a good concept where you can have what you need. I have stayed in hotels where there are facilities that I wouldnt even use.

Like budget airlines the bills can add up if you do decide to take everything on offer. It will be great to see some alternative affordable accommodation opening up around this country.

I took a look at their website, and for 40 GBP / $60 AUD during winter you can get a windowless room with them located just 500m north of Liverpool Street Station, (central) London. That is a very decent price!

You still have to shop around at the end of the day.

Seems hotels are coming back into favour!

Aside from the recent opening of The Darling at The Star (5 star, 171 rooms), the redevelopment of the Gowings Building into the QT Hotel (4.5 star, 196 rooms), the proposed Barangaroo hotel (~250 rooms) and at least 1 new hotel at the Convention Centre, the latest proposal is to convert the commercial and retail building at 34-36 Hunter Street into a 3 star, 282 room hotel. It is located on the corner of Pitt and Hunter Streets, opposite the Radisson Plaza Hotel.

http://cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Datasource/DANotifications/1039891_034.pdf

The hotel is not going to win any architectural awards, but it will be good to see a more affordable accommodation option come online.

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/8623/hunterstreethotel2.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/607/hunterstreethotel2.jpg/)

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/671/hunterstreethotel.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/hunterstreethotel.jpg/)

http://cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Datasource/DANotifications/1039891_037.pdf

This is not going to be a Tune Hotel, but rather another Malaysian hotel chain called 'Cititel'

http://venturebeat.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/doh.jpg

Did anyone else see this article about the NSW government potentially leasing out heritage government buildings to hotel operators?
http://m.news.com.au/NSWACT/pg/0/fi985540.htm

^^
Yup, I think it is an interesting idea that should be explored further. The Lands Department building would be a great location for a boutique hotel, however it could also be used as a culture venue, and this would enhance the eastern edge of Hyde Park/Macquarie Street as a cultural hub, part of the greater Cultural Ribbon.

^^
Yup, I think it is an interesting idea that should be explored further. The Lands Department building would be a great location for a boutique hotel, however it could also be used as a culture venue, and this would enhance the eastern edge of Hyde Park/Macquarie Street as a cultural hub, part of the greater Cultural Ribbon.

Is this the old chief secretary's office?

^^

The Lands Department building is the Victorian Gothic building opposite StMarys and next to Hyde Park Barracks.
It's perfect for a hotel as it has great aspects in a number of directions (Domain and Hyde Park).
Plus, it has an unremarkable addition between the Barracks and the Domain which could be replaced with a modern addition to provide conveniences necessary for a 5 star hotel.

I think you'll find the Lands Department building is on Bridge Street, even though there is no longer a Lands Department and the Bridge St building is occupied mostly by the Department of Planning and Infrastructure. The external toilets accessed via cast mesh walkways are one of its more "interesting" features.

You could probably call the Queens Square building the Land Titles Office building, although the Gothic building and the larger 1960s extension are occupied by a range of divisions of the former Land and Property Management Authority.

The Chief Secretary's building is worth a visit. With its conversion into the Industrial Relations Commission (although the Governor's office is in there as well), there are some interesting architectural details on public diplay.

Depending on how well the article was researched (now there's a big question), the building the Telegraph identifies as Dept of Lands is the one next to the Barracks, and they refer to the one on Bridge St as Dept of Planning.

Considering the article is based on quite a deal of speculation, I would imagine they are not really sure which ones are high on the list.

All would make great opportunities for hotels though....

The Dept of Planning building has always had hotel operators sniffing around, but they never offer enough money.

Dept of Planning needs enough money to lease elsewhere or have enough funds to build a new office, so they are in no rush to move.

The Education Building would have been simpler than Lands (Bridge St) and was vacant during the Greiner Govt's moves to have a casino in there. The refurb in the mid 90's was relatively low cost but worked quite well, as the spaces were decent enough in the first place, befitting a teens and then mid-20's building. Lands is a different story, with far more heritage features and strange elements.

Land Titles is a similar age to the Bridge St side of education and has also had significant internal renovation in the 1990/00s to modernise the space

http://www.propertyobserver.com.au/leisure/baillies-to-open-luxury-boutique-hotel-in-the-rocks-with-great-ocean-road-next-on-the-agenda/2012041254237

Baillies to open luxury boutique hotel in The Rocks, with Great Ocean Road next on the agenda

By Larry Schlesinger
Thursday, 12 April 2012

Husband and wife luxury lodge operators James and Hayley Baillie will open their first inner-city boutique hotel in Sydney’s The Rocks next year and expect up to 90% of guests will be wealthy international travellers.

The Baillies have acquired 35-year leases on two adjacent historic buildings on George Street.

The two buildings are five-level Merchants House at 43-45 George Street, dating back to 1848, and 47 George Street, a sandstone warehouse dating back to 1843 and previously a Westpac Bank branch.

They are currently being developed by Tim Greer of Tonkin Zulaikha Greer architects.

James Baillie tells Property Observer the Great Ocean Road is next on the couple’s agenda, while they also have ambitions of opening a second larger luxury hotel in Sydney.

“The Great Ocean Road is very much on the cards. We are looking at various locations and have received great support from the Victoria government on this,” he says.

“The end game would be to open a second bigger hotel in Sydney. One day we’d like to open a larger luxury hotel in the 50- to 80-room range," he says.

The Rocks lodge will be called Baillies Sydney and will feature 10 suites aimed at wealthy overseas travel market with rates starting from $1,200 per night up to $3,000 per night.

James Baillie says he chose The Rocks because it is a “quintessentially Sydney location” and “perfectly located close to all of Sydney key iconic attractions”

He says it will be “like nothing Sydney has seen before” with guests receiving “first-name service”.

“Luxury lodges have a highly inclusive element to them with all meals and beverages and in the case of wilderness lodges they would eat most of their meals at the lodge.

“However in the case of Baillies Sydney, we want to give them the opportunity to experience fine Sydney dining if they wish.

“We will include an open bar for guests and weary travellers can choose to have their meals in the hotel, but we don’t want to compete with Sydney restaurants,” he says.

Guests staying at Baillies Sydney will have the option of being driven to nearby restaurants and taken on behind-the-scenes tours of the Sydney Opera House.

The Baillies will next turn their attention to the Great Ocean Road with James Baillie telling The Australian he sees “amazing potential for a luxury lodge” on the famous Victorian coastal road.

Baillie Lodges was founded in 2003 and currently operates three luxury lodges in wilderness locations, these being Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island, the Baillies’ first venture, Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island and Remarkable Lodge in Tasmania.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/671/hunterstreethotel.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/hunterstreethotel.jpg/)

This is recommended for approval at the next council meeting: http://cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Council/MeetingsAndCommittees/2012/Committiees/070512/planning.aspx

Good! More hotel rooms for the CBD.

A recent report stated that Sydney needs a minimum of 500 hotel rooms per year through to 2020 - that's 4,500 new hotel rooms in the next 9 years, as a minimum.

Nothing Major. DA in for new signage to rebrand the Marriott Hotel on College Street to Pullmans Hotel.

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Development/DAsOnExhibition/details.asp?tpk=1055886

There is an article in property section of todays AFR.
But i dont have online subscription to read full article...

Demand for hotel rooms set to soar

Low supply levels and strong demand from business travellers are set to drive Australian hotel occupancy rates to their highest on record, pushing up room rates across the country.

It has nothing new relating to Sydney that we dont already know.

Nothing that Banga and packers new hotel atop a casino won't fix

Packers hotel is only a vision at the moment. Its up to Packer, the NSW Government & Lend Lease to sort it out.

But these hotels are not enough. We need more hotels.

AFR reports the hotel (ex Marriott) will also receive a multi-million dollar refurbishment and is part of a greater push to introduce the Pullman brand in Australia.

Wish they'd do something about the exterior.

Yeah that whole block is a hideous part of the street.