One&Only drops Hayman Island from portfolio

By Hannah Edensor

Less than two months after it announced it was closing for renovations following the damage done by Cyclone Debbie, One&Only has decided to bail out of Hayman Island.

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 it has now announced it is dropping Hayman Island from its portfolio.

The One&Only Hayman Island website, which recently displayed a message on its temporary closure, now reads:

“Hayman Island is no longer in the One&Only portfolio. Please explore our website to discover other One&Only Resorts, including Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley in the Greater Blue Mountains of Australia.

“For enquiries about Hayman Island please email enquiries@hayman.com.au or visit hayman.com.au.”

The island is owned by Mulpha Australia and operated by One&Only, with News Corp reporting Mulpha Australia now says they will be rebranding once the resort re-opens after a formal process to select a qualified luxury operator to take over the island’s management.

Per News Corp, a joint statement released by One&Only and Mulpha read, “While it is disappointing to have to close the resort after record trading that had been achieved, Mulpha are planning to undertake significant capital works to once again position Hayman as one of the most prestigious luxury resort properties in the Australian market.”

The Hayman Island independent website remains down, with a message reading, “Due to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Debbie, Hayman Island is temporarily closed.

“In the meantime, we are creating a rejuvenated luxury resort in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. We are currently unable to accept new reservations until mid-2018.

“Please watch this space as we provide updates through the island’s redevelopment works.

“Thank you for your continued support during the repositioning of the resort.”

Per The Oz, Dubai-government owned Kerzner International, which owns One&Only, said it was committed to Australia for the long term, given its agreement to manage Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley in the Blue Mountains.

In April it had flagged plans to attach branded private homes to its resort on Hayman Island with Mulpha.

According to The Australian, Mulpha hasn’t mourned the loss for very long, with reports Mulpha is already “reviewing the operations of its hotel portfolio” and considering seeking “new managers to run its key properties that include the resort-style Sanctuary Cove, the InterContinental Sydney Hotel and ultra-luxury private island One and Only Hayman Great Barrier Reef”.

“Mulpha has called in Colliers International to run an operator selection process across the portfolio as it also deals with the damage to the One and Only Hayman Island resort in the Whitsunday archipelago.”

Per The Oz, Tourism Whitsundays Sales and Marketing Manager Tash Wheeler was confident the island would bounce back from the damage and succeed on its own merits.

“Hayman Island was a strong island for many years before One&Only took over operations,” she said.

“It has strong ownership and leadership in Mulpha and it is a world-renowned brand in its own right.

“It is one of the many jewels in the Whitsundays crown and we look forward to the island reopening next year.”

Advertise with us

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

cyclone debbie great barrier reef hayman island mulpha australia one&only one&only hayman island whitsundays