Business tycoons launch Hyatt Place
Business tycoons Lindsay Fox and Max Beck have created Australia’s first Hyatt Place hotel.
It’s located in in Essendon Fields, a multipurpose precinct owned by both families.
Mr Fox and Mr Beck’s hotel costs $60 million.
They created it after transport magnate Lindsay Fox bought the Essendon Airport leasehold from the Federal Government for $22 million back in 2001.
Max Beck, with his 50 years of experience in the property development scene, managed the development of the hotel with its proximity to the airport and city. The site also includes office space, a hospital, a car dealership precinct, supermarkets and a DFO outlet.
Mr Beck said it pretty much reflects the personalities of the two businessmen.
“We both like timeless interiors. In my view, the whole place is a piece of art,” Mr Beck told the Herald Sun.
The aim, he said, was to create something that made people feel right at home.
“We’ve built it to make it the gold standard of business hotel I don’t think people will drive past us at all. We want to make our hotel a home away from home.”
What they really want, he said, was to give the place a completely residential feel, not like a hotel at all.
“I hate those big hotels with huge lobbies that make you feel miniscule in the scheme of things. We want to welcome customers home to Hyatt Place,” Mr Beck said.
The hotel will have 166 spacious guestrooms.
In addition to that, there will be art work. The rooms will have original John Sheehan prints in the rooms. The hotel’s adjoining conference centre will feature the largest fresco painting done in Australia in the last 100 years.
The hotel’s launch last week was attended by celebrities including singer Guy Sebastian, broadcaster Richard Wilkins, and AFL star Brendan Goddard.
Mr Fox, who had been overseas in the lead-up to the launch, was there as well.
by Leon Gettler, June 22nd 2017
