An international campaign is underway to attract an experienced investor, developer and operator for a new hotel within the Darwin Convention Centre.
The Darwin Convention Centre Hotel is part of the first stage in the redevelopment of Darwin Waterfront into a leading tourism and lifestyle destination which will feature a world-class surf park, snorkelling lagoon, and numerous food and beverage venues.
Darwin Waterfront Corporation Board Chair, Richard Fejo, said having a hotel integrated with the Convention Centre will be “a game changer” for the Darwin Waterfront.
“This is the critical first step in the delivery of the Waterfront Masterplan, which builds on our connection to water to develop a truly world-class tourism, business events, hospitality and lifestyle destination,” he said.
The hotel itself is expected to offer between 200 – 250 rooms of upscale accommodation for corporate and leisure visitors.
The Northern Territory government and Darwin Waterfront Corporation have appointed CBRE Hotels to run the campaign and will seek Expressions of Interest (EOI) from the private sector in the coming weeks.
“The Territory Labor Government is working to grow a $40 billion economy by 2030,” said Chief Minister, Natasha Fyles.
“The Darwin Convention Centre Hotel is listed in the NT infrastructure plan and pipeline 2022 as one of the key projects that align with the strategy’s investment objectives, in particular, to invest in the right infrastructure, in the right place, at the right time.”
Fyles said the region is bouncing back with investors actively looking for projects to undertake.
“The hotel will be an important development to attract visitors and new business to the Territory as we continue to grow our relationships with our international neighbours,” she said.
CBRE Hotels Director, Tom Gibson, described it as “an incredible opportunity to secure a strategic foothold in one of Asia Pacific’s fastest growing hotel markets”.
“For the twelve months through August 2022, Darwin recorded the strongest RevPAR increase in Australia, increasing by 47% when compared to the same period through August 2019,” he said.