InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) are set to enter Tasmania with a $45m Crowne Plaza in Hobart after signing a management deal overnight.
The deal is expected to be approved and will see a 187-room Crowne Plaza Hobart built as part of the Icon Complex in Hobart CBD.
Newspaper reports claim the deal with Tasmania’s The Kalis Group, developer of the complex, puts the hotel at an estimated worth of $45 million and is expected to open in October 2017 along with retail development on the site.
“I think this is what Hobart needs,” Kalis Group chief executive officer Alexia Kalis.
According to Kalis, Hobart has seen a rise in popularity as a meetings and leisure destination, shown by a steady increase in room rates and hotel occupancy.
The hotel, part of the IHG group, will reportedly be fitted with business and meeting facilities including a ballroom, all-day dining and fitness centre.
“Now is a great time to be developing an internationally branded upscale hotel, as this is where the biggest opportunity is in the market right now,” Kalis said.
“Crowne Plaza is globally recognised as a leading business hotel brand and we are confident this is what the locale needs to meet the expected tourism boom in the coming years.
The proposed Crowne Plaza will be built where Myer was previously destroyed by fire in 2007.
“In expanding into new markets we always look to work with Owners who understand our brands and are familiar with the city we’re entering. We are delighted to be establishing our presence in yet another key Australian city with The Kalis Group,” InterContinental chief operating officer, Australasia, Japan, Korea and Asia, Middle East and Africa franchising, Karin Sheppard, said.
“Hobart is thriving and tourism is a key part of that. The location and facilities of the new Crowne Plaza Hobart will make it a great choice for both business and leisure guests when it opens in 2017.”
