Quest Apartment Hotels is set to launch a new select service brand in Australia targeting millennial travellers.
The Melbourne-based chain revealed the plans in an announcement for the appointment of former SilverNeedle Hospitality Managing Director, Cameron Stewart as the company’s new Director of Group Operations.
Quest said Stewart had been appointed to “develop and launch its new hotel concept, which will fill a gap in the hotel marketplace between the traditional no frills ‘select service’ category and the emerging ‘millennial’ hotels category”.
While limited details have been revealed about the new brand, Stewart said he was excited about joining the prominent Australian apartment hotel operator, and leading the development of the new hotel, “designed for the modern business and leisure traveller”.
“It is an honour to join Quest – a truly iconic Australian company, which has been leading the industry for almost three decades,” he said.
“It’s an exciting time in the hospitality industry – particularly for the accommodation sector – as we see significant shifts in consumer mindsets, technological developments and an increasingly global workforce.
“The emerging traveller has a unique mindset – savvy, confident, digitally connected and hunting for new and unique experiences.
“I look forward to working with this highly experienced team to develop the new hotel brand. This ‘select service’ style hotel will be visually, attitudinally and operationally distinct from the Quest brand and model,” Stewart said.
Most recently, Stewart oversaw Group Operations and Growth for SilverNeedle Hospitality, which included the leadership, management and growth of seven brands spanning from regionally based franchised motels to full service hotels at over 40 locations.
During his time with SilverNeedle, he was also a key contributor in the development and launch of the Next Hotels and Sage Hotels brands.
Quest CEO, Zed Sanjana welcomed Stewart to the Quest team, emphasising the important role he will play in bringing the new hotel brand to life.
“We are extremely fortunate to have someone with Cameron’s background and industry experience to guide the development of the new hotel concept,” Sanjana said.
“Cameron will be an invaluable addition to the team and I can’t wait to show the industry what we’ve been working on, an announcement which will be made later in 2016.”
HM understands Quest is expected to reveal further plans for the new brand later in 2016.