AccorHotels has signed a partnership with renowned thoroughbred horse sales company William Inglis and Son Ltd to open a new-build luxury boutique hotel under the MGallery by Sofitel brand.
The William Inglis Hotel, MGallery by Sofitel is currently under construction as part of a new $140 million precinct developed by Inglis to be known as Riverside Stables.
The new facility is located adjacent to the Warwick Farm racecourse, in south-western Sydney and will feature more than 800 horse stables re-using the hardwood from the existing Inglis Newmarket stables in Randwick.
The hotel is expected to open by March 2018 and will boast 144 elegantly appointed rooms including 22 suites and a number of family rooms across eight floors. Celebrating Inglis’ racing and thoroughbred history, each hotel room will have a personalised name and theme, based on one of the many champion racehorses sold through its sales rings.
There will be a range of hospitality facilities at the William Inglis Hotel including a paddock to plate-style restaurant and gardens named The Newmarket Room, a ringside bar, a lobby café, a mezzanine lounge bar, a micro-brewery and entertainment precinct.
Atop the hotel, a spectacular rooftop bar and pool deck will overlook the racecourse and stable precinct, with sweeping views of the Georges River and Chipping Norton Lake. A fully-equipped gymnasium and luxurious day spa will also be located on level nine of the hotel.
Catering to both business and leisure guests, the hotel will have an extensive range of conferencing facilities, including a business centre, private dining and meeting rooms. The adjoining conference centre will house a horse sales arena with capacity to cater for up to 1,000 people featuring corporate box ringside dining and access to the mezzanine bar, 1876 Lounge. Onsite car parking will also be available.
AccorHotels Chief Operating Officer Pacific, Simon McGrath, said: “The William Inglis hotel is a significant and exciting addition to our growing boutique hotel collection.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Inglis on this prestigious hotel development for south-western Sydney. Not only will it provide much-needed high-end boutique accommodation to service the racing industry and clients of Inglis, but we also believe it will be a major driver and drawcard for regional tourism across both the corporate and leisure sectors.”
“The William Inglis Hotel will be a special addition to our boutique collection of MGallery by Sofitel hotels across Australia and abroad. Each hotel in the collection excludes its own individual personality, style and stories which are layered into the details of design, signature dishes and cocktails and their destinations, and the William Inglis Hotel will be no different.
“We look forward to welcoming guests to the new hotel in early 2018 and delivering exclusive experiences and memorable moments that inspire lifelong memories,” he said.
Inglis Managing Director, Mark Webster said, “After years of planning, the time has come to relocate our Sydney business to its new home, a truly world class sales and events facility at Warwick Farm.
“The Riverside Stables complex and The William Inglis Hotel is a massive investment by Inglis, and has been created to service the thoroughbred racing and breeding industry for the next 100 years.
“We are delighted to be working with the Asia-Pacific’s leading hotel operator AccorHotels to manage this special property under its luxurious boutique MGallery by Sofitel brand.”
The hotel will be flanked by two Moreton Bay fig trees, which have been grown from saplings of the famous Newmarket Fig Tree over many years in readiness for the relocation.
In honour of the existing historic Newmarket Stable in Randwick, a large barn is being constructed overlooking the racecourse for use during major horse sales which will also double as a venue for weddings and other special events.
The William Inglis Hotel, MGallery by Sofitel is situated on Governor Macquarie Drive, just 25 minutes from Sydney International Airport, 40km from Sydney Eastern suburbs and in close proximity to several major motorways.
Once open, the William Inglis Hotel will be the 11th hotel in the MGallery by Sofitel collection across Australia and New Zealand, joining iconic properties such as Hotel Lindrum and The Como Melbourne, Hotel St Moritz Queenstown, Elements of Byron, The Reef House Palm Cove, Harbour Rocks Hotel Sydney, Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains, Mount Lofty House Adelaide Hills and The Playford Adelaide.