by James Ruggia
Last updated: 11:16 AM ET, Tue October 21, 2014
PHOTO: The Sydney By Crown tower will add to Sydney's skyline and bring more life to the central business district. (Courtesy of Crown)
The two state capitals of Brisbane (Queensland) and Sydney (New South Wales) are connected by a fine 575-mile coast road drive. That's not all that connects them these days; good fortune also joins them together. In both cities all kinds of building is going on; visitation is up (especially from China) and the accolades are rolling in. So are the rooms.
Recently, Pricewaterhouse Coopers named Sydney the most livable city in the world. Multi-millionaires are already lining up to own one of the 220 luxury apartments that will become available in 2017 when Sydney adds the $250-million, 25-story Sydney By Crown tower to its skyline. The tower will bring 160 boutique serviced apartments to the city's central business district (CBD).
Accor's Sofitel brand will add 600 luxury rooms when it opens as part of Sydney's International Convention Centre Hotel. Due to open in 2016, the convention center is part of the $6 billion Barangaroo development and will be located in an area between Circular Quay and Darling Harbor where a $1.3 billion Crown Hotel and Casino will open in 2019.
Sydney is just now hitting that milepost in its growth as a city where it's developing multiple hotel clusters. From its beginnings, the critical mass of visitors to Sydney has been located around Circular Quay, the Rocks and the Opera House. Developments at Darling Harbor broadened that a bit, but the 140-room the InterContinental Sydney Double Bay that's opening in November is situated well to the east of the Opera House and is the only five star in that part of town.
The hotel, which is InterContinental's second in Sydney and fifth in Australia, will open in what was originally the Ritz Carlton Double Bay. The hotel's VIP rooftop pool and lounge area give it a distinguishing feature that lifts it out from the city's inventory of hotels. The brand's other hotel in the city; the InterContinental Sydney Hotel overlooks the Harbor from behind the Rocks District.
All of these additions follow on top of what was already a great upgrade over the last few years. Already Australia's largest hotel with 682 rooms, the Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Darling Harbour, is adding an extra 231 rooms as well as office, meeting, convention and exhibition space. All of it should be completed by 2015.
The Shangri-La Hotel Sydney, the Darling at the Star and the Sheraton on the Park have all commissioned significant upgrades in the past two years.
This November, Brisbane will host the G20 meeting, which helped catalyze the local hotel inventory. The TRYP Fortitude Valley Hotel recently opened 15 minutes from Brisbane's airport. TRYP Fortitude Valley will put guests within walking distance of key business centers and some of Brisbane city's top attractions including shopping and dining, Fortitude Valley's "super clubs" and bars, James Street Market and Chinatown.
It is Australia's first TRYP by Wyndham Hotel. The hotel is home to UP, Brisbane's newest rooftop bar with a capacity for 240 people cocktail style. Brisbane will also open Australasia's largest ibis hotel. Construction of the $90 million dollar and 368-room hotel will open in 2016.
In 2018, the 305-room W Brisbane will open overlooking the Brisbane River in a mixed-use development. The hotel will be Starwood's 14th Australian property. Starwood is planning 15 W Hotels in the Asia Pacific region before 2019. The mixed use development in Brisbane will be comprised of three towers - W Brisbane will occupy one tower, while the other two towers will be used for office and commercial space and high-end residences.
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