Blue Mountains accommodation is set for a massive shakeup with the Schwartz Family Company completing the purchase of Leura Gardens Resort and Salter Brothers Hospitality soon to embark on plans to fully refurb Lilianfels.
Leura Gardens Resort consolidates the Jerry Schwartz’s presence in the Blue Mountains, joining the award-winning Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains and Leura Golf Club, all within a few minutes’ drive of each other. Leura Gardens Resort is the 15th hotel in the Schwartz hotel network and will be managed by Trilogy Hotels.
The Schwartz portfolio
Schwartz aims to make the Blue Mountains the conference and events capital of regional NSW. Leura Gardens Resort opened in 1970, but its famed gardens were created in the 1920s by Lady Mabel Fairfax and her gardener Hector Hood. The gardens remain a feature of the property’s four-and-a-half acres of landscaped grounds, which are located just a few minutes from the picturesque village of Leura, the gateway to the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park.
The recently refurbished Leura Gardens Resort comprises 92 studio and family rooms and self-contained apartments. Recreational facilities include a solar-heated outdoor swimming pool, fitness room, guest lounge, and the Olive Tree Restaurant, with the Schwartz-owned Leura Golf Course across the road.
The extensive grounds, multiple conference and events spaces, and onsite restaurant make Leura Gardens Resort popular for weddings, functions, conferences and corporate retreats. The hotel will now operate in association with Fairmont Resort and Leura Golf Course, offering one of the most comprehensive destination conference and event venues in regional New South Wales.
Director of Schwartz Family Company, Dr Jerry Schwartz, said the hotel purchase was well timed with the announcement that the NSW Blues rugby team would establish a training base in the Blue Mountains, using the facilities at both the Fairmont and Leura Gardens.
“The Blue Mountains is Sydney’s holiday playground and one of the most popular destinations for weddings, retreats, leisure groups, conferences and events, and by bringing these three venues together, we can offer a complete business events solution,” said Dr Schwartz.
“Leura Gardens Resort’s 3.5-star accommodation will complement the 4.5-star accommodation at the Fairmont, while we can also offer multiple different venues for functions along with the renowned outdoor activities that the Blue Mountains is famous for.
“While economic pressures are likely to impact more expensive destinations, regional residential conferences are likely to be far more resilient. Leura is less than two hours from the city centre and we can offer great value accommodation and memorable conference and event programs. The NSW Blues recently showed just how rejuvenating it can be to set up camp in the Blue Mountains, and we aim to make every stay at Leura Gardens Resort or Fairmont a winner!”
Feature image: Leura Gardens Resort exterior.
The Salter portfolio
Meanwhile, Salter Brothers Hospitality made its Blue Mountains play in May 2023 when it announced that it would acquire the Escarpment Group collection from Huong Nguyen and George Saad.
The Blue Mountains portfolio comprises five luxury properties including Spicers Sangoma Retreat, a luxury bush retreat located in the Bowen Mountain area of the lower Blue Mountains, The Hydro Majestic, the heritage 84-room icon situated on the edge of the Megalong Valley in Medlow Bath, elegant Lilianfels Resort & Spa, the 14-room Echoes Boutique Hotel & Restaurant and Parklands Country Gardens & Lodges (31 rooms) in Katoomba. Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort & Spa is planned to undergo a full property refurbishment that includes the re-opening of Miss Lilians, to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.
Salter Brothers also acquired The Convent Hunter Valley, with 19 rooms, from Escarpment Group, and operates and manages other Spicers Retreats.
The total Salter Brothers Hospitality portfolio consists of 17 hotels and experiences, including the renowned Scenic Rim Trail in Queensland, and 14 restaurants and bars. Most properties are within a 2-hour drive of a major city, with the exception of Spicers Potts Point in Sydney and Spicers Balfour in Brisbane that are CBD properties.
The portfolio also includes Milton Park Country House Hotel and Spa in Bowral, in the heart of the Southern
Highlands, just 90 minutes from Sydney and Canberra. Salter Brothers recently launched the Ardour Hotels & Estates brand.
