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Thai group Amora Hotels & Resorts is extending its Australian footprint, acquiring the Hilton Adelaide and revealing plans for a $40-million upgrade.
The Siriphatrawan family in September announced its intention to double its portfolio to 12 properties within five years.
The South Australian capital was one of its first targets—fortuitously, the Hilton was listed via an expression-of-interest campaign around the same time.
The five-star Hilton at 233 Victoria Square is close to Adelaide Central Market, Chinatown and the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.
The hotel opened in October of 1982 and had been held by the same entity for more than 30 years.
The property has a management agreement with Hilton Hotels of Australia until mid-2026.
The hotel occupies a 3556sq m site and comprises 377 guest rooms, 20 conference and meeting rooms, a business lounge, tennis court, gymnasium and swimming pool.
Hotels in Perth, the Melbourne CBD, Auckland and Bangkok were also part of the acquisition strategy with the intention of operating the Amora brand in each property.
This includes the Novotel Brisbane, which Amora purchased for $68 million in October of 2020. The hotel was upgraded and rebranded last year.
Amora Hotels & Resorts owner Earp Siriphatrawan said the Hilton Adelaide marked a significant milestone in its expansion strategy.
“This acquisition aligns with our vision of establishing a strong presence in key Australian cities while delivering world-class hospitality experiences,” Siriphatrawan said.
CBRE Hotels’ Michael Simpson, Vasso Zographou, Tom Gibson and Nick Hill negotiated the sale.
“The sale of this flagship five-star asset ... has been supported by a rich pipeline of private and public infrastructure projects,” Simpson said.
This includes the completion of the $2.3-billion Royal Adelaide Hospital and the $500-million Australian Bragg Centre, and the $450-million Central Market redevelopment now under way.
“Government-funded innovation districts and defense projects are expected to further drive corporate and event demand,” Simpson said.
The Siriphatrawan family holds Amora hotels in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Bangkok and Chiang Mai as well as a resort in Phuket.
Meanwhile, a 19th-century building in Sydney’s hipster hub would be converted into a boutique hotel with rooftop bar under new plans.
The proposal for the four-storey building at 168 King Street, Newtown, about 5km south-west from the Sydney CBD, would replace four residential apartments with four hotel rooms.
Commercial space would remain on the lower levels while a rooftop bar would be added.
The property last sold at auction in July in 2022 for $4.15 million, according to AllHomes.
Planning documents submitted by ACSQUARED Property Trust, on behalf of Made in Katana, described the $5.26-million redevelopment as an adaptive reuse to “serve the needs of people who live in, work in or visit the locality”.
The Victorian Free Gothic facade would remain, with internal changes to accommodate the new hotel rooms, a small lobby bar in the basement and a rooftop terrace.
A heritage report said the project would “retain and respect the Victorian-era commercial building” and that the rooftop addition would be “not readily visible from King Street”.
The developer applied to exceed planning limits on building size and height.
The building already exceeds the floor space allowed under current planning rules.
While the redevelopment would reduce its overall size, it would still be about 20 per cent over the limit.
The developer said strict compliance wasn’t practical for a heritage building and the new design “does not materially alter the existing correlation between building height, massing, form, bulk and scale”.
They would also require approval to increase the height by nearly a metre and a half above the 15m limit, to accommodate the rooftop lift and terrace.
They said the extra height would be “largely not visible from the public domain” and was necessary to ensure accessibility.
The plans don't include onsite car parking, with reasoning being the site’s proximity to public transport and its pedestrian-friendly location.
Newtown is known for its bars, live music and historic pubs, but has few boutique accommodation options.
The Urban Newtown is one of the few boutique hotels in the area, offering industrial-style studios, while other options, such as the Sydney Park Hotel, provide pub-style stays.
More budget-friendly accommodations exist but the selection is limited compared to Sydney’s inner-city areas.
Planning documents said the project would “promote the local centre and its surrounds as a strong and healthy place for local business and investment”.
Public exhibition is due to end April 2.
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