WELCOME: Steve Old of the Tasmanian Hospitality Association
SECURING a hotel chain such as Crowne Plaza in Hobart is a coup for the city and a vote of confidence in the state, the Tasmanian Hospitality Association says.
“To have an internationally-recognised hotel brand such as Crowne Plaza in our capital city is undeniably a coup for the industry,” general manager Steve Old said of the 187-room hotel to be built in the Liverpool St ICON compile.
“This is a major chain with global reach stretching to more than 400 hotels, including nine in Australia. Its ability to help attract visitors to our state cannot be underestimated.
“The more people we have staying in Tasmania, the busier our restaurants and cafes are, and the more people those businesses employ. I have no doubt this development will encourage other businesses to invest.”
Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin welcomed the announcement, saying it would help with the hotel shortage.
“Recent research indicated we need an extra 800 rooms and now the market is responding,” he said.
“In the short term the challenge is keeping up with demand.”
Mr Martin said he had heard speculation about another three hotel proposals around the city.
The InterContinental Hotels Group, of which Crowne Plaza is a brand, is partnering with the Kalis Group, developer of the Hobart CBD ICON Complex, also the site of the new Myer store.
Online reader comments yesterday were largely positive with Nick Jelicic say “Brilliant news!” and Saxon Mitchell: “Great news for the business events sector”.
Source: The Mercury - 26th March 2015
