WA government looks to ease hotel shortages

The Western Australian government is welcoming hotel developments on two new sites in Perth as it looks to address critical accommodation shortages in the city centre.

Following the launch of the hotel incentives package last year, the WA government has approved a 7,300 square metre site for development at the east end of Perth’s CBD.

Expressions of interest are now being collected, with the successful tender to be announced by the end of the year.

Delivering the announcement last week, Tourism Minister Kim Hames remained confident that the developments would help ease “critical” hotel shortages in Perth.

It would also edge closer to the government’s goal of developing a further 1,900 hotel rooms by 2020, he added.

“Perth desperately needs more hotel rooms, with the average annualized occupancy rate of 85.43% [making it] the highest in the nation,” he said. “This is a prime site in the central business district and we are very confident it will attract a lot of interest from developers.”

The site marks the first area which has been approved for development under the WA hotel incentives package. Further sites are currently being assessed for development.