Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains claims its elite training camp helped victorious NSW Blues

Dr. Jerry Schwartz’s Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains and its new $600,000 high-performance training camp are claiming some of the credit for the NSW Blues historic State of Origin win over the Queensland Maroons last week.

The resort has now announced plans to build a bigger facility driven by the resort’s independent hotel operators, Trilogy Hotels and owner-entrepreneur Schwartz after the Blues used the hotel as the team’s training camp and its new sporting facility and nearby field.

While Trilogy Hotels CEO Scott Boyes has a15-year friendship with Blues coach Michael Maguire it was combining his expertise in the hospitality space plus investment in the new sporting facility that was the catalyst for the NSW team moving out west to the Blue Mountains from their former home in Coogee.

“Late last year, Michael Maguire called and asked for advice on his plan to shake things up and move the team out of Sydney to somewhere more private for team bonding,” Boyes said.

“The Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains came top of mind and seemed fitting for the Blues. I knew that Dr Jerry Schwartz would be the right person to help make this vision happen.”

The Blues were stationed at the resort on camp weeks since May, immersing themselves in rigorous training and team-building activities, enjoying the fresh air and privacy of the Blue Mountains. The resort offers six restaurants and bars, a golf course, a sauna, a pool and an ice-skating rink, offering players a unique blend of field and gym sessions and recreational time.

“We owe a huge thank you to Scott, Jerry, the Fairmont team and the entire Blue Mountains community for supporting us in the way that they did- they really went above and beyond, we couldn’t have done this without them,” said NSW coach Maguire.

“The combination of intense training and moments of respite and relaxation has been key to our preparation. I wanted to unite all the players, whether it was in the gym, on the field or sitting around the dinner table, I wanted them to use every available moment to bond and build trust on and off the field.”

To accommodate the Blues’ exclusive stay, Trilogy Hotels worked closely with Dr. Schwartz to build a private gym fitted with top-of-the-line equipment, to keep the players at peak performance at all times.

Players enjoyed the on-site golf course and were placed in interconnecting rooms, further fuelling the much-needed bonding aspect of their stay. In addition, at times, families joined, making it truly their home away from home.

The Blues’ theme song was also played throughout the hotel, plus a guard of honour was organised upon the team’s arrival.

With peak performance the top priority, the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains head chef Emilo Llaussas crafted a bespoke high-protein menu and schedule for the players, complete with supplement stations to ensure nutrition was up to the standards required for a winning team.

With no expense spared, the Blues also had access to a significantly upgraded field at Blue Mountains
Grammar School, which had been transformed from what appeared to be a “goat track” to a premier training
ground following the investment from Dr. Schwartz.

Despite facing multiple setbacks from scheduling to bad weather, the “field of dreams” built at the school was a remarkable achievement.

“The players said it was the best field they had ever played on, and it has now become a cherished gift from Dr. Schwartz to the Blue Mountains Grammar School,” Boyes said.

Following the Blues’ epic triumph, the field has now been appropriately adorned with the signage, ‘2024 State of Origin Winners, The Blue’s Field of Dreams’.

Trilogy Hotels and Dr. Schwartz now plan to create the ultimate all-inclusive training destination, for the country’s elite athletes and sporting teams, with plans now underway to build a new rugby field next to the Fairmont Resort.

“Pending council approval, we are eager to get it underway as soon as possible, we are ready to start construction, and grass grown before next winter,” says Dr. Schwartz.

There are also plans to expand current gym facilities to include a recovery wing, with elements such as ice baths.

“We look forward to building a beacon for elite sports teams for years to come. Just over an hour and a half
from Sydney, teams can privately train with exceptional facilities, under a canopy of stars, surrounded by the
purest air, and without distraction,” Boyes said.