Langham Group eyes Hayman Island, Aussie resorts

By Hannah Edensor

The Hong Kong hotel magnate, Langham Group, has got Aussie shores firmly in its sights, claiming that everyone has got eyes on Hayman Island following One&Only bowing out.

According to The Australian, Langham Group wants to control 50 hotels by 2025 in the Asia Pacific region, already on track to add at least 10 more properties to its line-up in Asia in the next three years.

Langham Hotels’ Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Simon Manning, told The Australian that growth in the Pacific was a big focus, with eyes on the lucractive Hayman Island management.

One&Only came on board to manage the luxury resort on Hayman Island following the severe damage from Cyclones Yasi and Anthony in 2014, taking over as operators from its independent Hayman brand.

But earlier this year, they announced it wouldn’t be reopening following the battering it copped from Cyclone Debbie.

“We are very excited about the growth in the Pacific. We believe we can lead and dominate in this market,” Manning told The Oz.

“We are looking at resorts in Australia; I think everybody is looking at Hayman Island,” he added.

Langham, which is owned by Hong Kong-listed property company, Great Eagle Holdings, owns 14 of its 21 hotels, giving it a point of difference over competitors, although admitted, per The Oz, that it wouldn’t say no to taking on hotels already under management contracts.

“We believe Melbourne will be one of the great cities of the Pacific. There is huge potential for Melbourne.”

Per The Australian, Langham recently signed a management contract for The Langham Adelaide, and in Melbourne is lining up a $130 million renovation for its existing property in Southbank.

The hotel group is also hoping to up the ante with its relatively new brand, Cordis, which sits amongst the likes of Marriott and InterContinental as competitors. Sydney and Melbourne are key markets for this growth, Manning told The Oz.

“We are doing feasibilities in Melbourne and Sydney for Cordis Hotels (and) we have other feasibilities we have not announced yet, including resorts,” Manning said.

Langham wants to ramp up its Cordis brand from the present four it operates in China and New Zealand, taking that figure to seven by 2019, per The Oz.

The company is spending over AU$28 million on redeveloping its Auckland Langham property, converting it into a 411-suite Cordis Hotel by November, setting up the Cordis brand for a big presence in the Pacific region.

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