Exclusive by James Wilkinson
Marriott International’s President and Managing Director for Asia-Pacific, Simon F Cooper, says the company is excited about Ritz-Carlton’s long-awaited return to Australia, which is set to happen in early 2018 when the Ritz-Carlton Perth opens for business.
On Wednesday (Mar 26), Marriott finally revealed a 204-room Ritz-Carlton was set to be built at Perth’s Elizabeth Quay development, ending one of the industry’s most well-known secrets since developers Far East Consortium won the right to develop the hotel in October 2013.
Speaking to exclusively to HM just after the announcement, Cooper said while there had been some industry concerns about the Perth market flattening out, he was confident the market would be a success for Marriott International.
“Long-term, I think Perth is going to be great,” he told HM. “And 204 rooms means it’s the right size hotel for the market.
“We are really delighted [with this project] as it’s not easy here [to sign hotels] as you know,” he said.
The ground-breaking for The Ritz-Carlton, Perth is expected during 2015 and it will be the first purpose-built Ritz-Carlton to operate in Australia.
Cooper said the look and feel of the hotel would be “contemporary” and the company’s Hong Kong hotel was “a good example of what to expect in Perth”, adding elements like floor-to-ceiling windows would be seen at the Perth property.
Up next, Marriott is set to announce another new hotel in Australasia and stay tuned to HM for an exclusive announcement on that project in the coming days.