Star hotel opens on the Gold Coast.
The Star Entertainment Group has opened a new luxury hotel, The Darling, on the Gold Coast.
It’s all part of the Star Group’s $2 billion spend for the region.
The 17-storey Darling sits at the front of The Star’s Broadbeach Island property.
It features 57 suites ranging in size from 70 square metres to 328 square metres with 22 jewel suites, 21 larger stellar suites and 14 lavish penthouse suites, which have their own private billiard, media and exercise room.
Geoff Hogg, managing director of The Star’s Queensland business, said the company growing domestic business and leisure market was looking for a high end offering.
“This new hotel will cater for that high end but there is also this growth coming from international tourism and the trends out of Asia, particularly China, are strong,” Mr Hogg told The Australian.
Star has been transforming its offering on the Gold Coast with its redevelopment adding 11 new food and beverage offerings and 596 refurbished hotel rooms at The Star Grand. The Darling is now the centrepiece of that redevelopment and Star’s plans for the Gold Coast.
And the money invested in the region has been massive.
The Australian-listed company and its Hong Kong joint venture partners, Chow Tai Took and Far East Consortium, have so far committed $850 million to the Gold Coast completing the refurbishment of the existing property and building The Darling.
So far, the investment has included a hotel and residential tower, the construction of which was expected to begin after the Commonwealth Games.
But the budget could get a lot bigger with further plans for the Gold Coast, which could take investment in the region to more than $2 billion with plans for four more hotel and residence towers, all featured in a proposed masterplan.
Star’s plan will be considered for approval by Gold Coast Council on Friday. And it would also need approval from the state government.
The master plan envisages seven hotel and apartment developments on the island.
And if it’s approved, it means Star and its Hong Kong partners would end up investing more than $5 billion in Queensland over the next decade.
That includes the $3 billion spend on the Queens Wharf development in Brisbane.
Leon Getler 23rd March 2018.
