Five star Wanda Vista hotel for Sydney
Beijing-based developer Dalian Wanda is planning its first hotel project in Sydney.
It will be a five-star 25-storey 110 metre high Vista Hotel at Circular Quay.
The project is all part of Wanda’s $1 billion redevelopment of Gold Fields House at 1 Alfred Street and will include a 57-storey luxury residential tower designed by Kerry Hill Architects.
The hotel will sit on the east side and the residential tower on the west.
When it’s ready, it will be known as Wanda One Sydney and will feature a lobby extending on to Herald Square and a 300-person grand ballroom with views of Sydney Harbour.
There will also be two levels of restaurants as well as a rooftop bar.
There will be four to five levels of car parks, and no offices.
The plan is contained in a development approval submission lodged with the City of Sydney Council on Friday.
Wanda is also committed to improving the footpath, parks and recreational areas in Circular Quay as part of an agreement with the council.
The company, headed by billionaire Wang Jianlin, bought the site for $415 million from Blackstone in late 2014.
It then parcelled the building it with two smaller properties: Fairfax House at 19-31 Pitt Street and the Rugby Club at 31a Pitt Street.
Work on the project is expected to start next year.
Wanda is new to Sydney but it has form around the world with six hotel projects internationally including London and Madrid.
Wanda also used to operate the Hilton and Sofitel groups in China.
"Sydney could do with another five-star hotel. The tourism industry will continue to grow. Sydney is on the top with London and New York because it has a unique location," Wanda Sydney managing director Charlie Li told the Australian Financial Review.
"This brings something fresh to the city. In Australia, I don't think there are enough star brands."
by Leon Gettler, September 19th 2016
