Pelligra, IHG Add Rooms, Rebrand To-Be-Built Hotel

A major accommodation player has made the call to “elevate the positioning” of a yet-to-be-built asset in the South Australian capital with a rebranding—and 25 more rooms.

IHG Hotels & Resorts, Pelligra Group and developer ONE7 said the hotel being built 12km north of the Adelaide CBD would be rebranded as a Crown Plaza Mawson Lakes.

The property was to be a 130-key Holiday Inn & Suites hotel.

However, IHG said, the hotel had undergone a “transformation during the development phase and is now positioned in the upscale space, with higher than anticipated demand coming from corporate, leisure and conference and event customers”.

“The decision to elevate and rebrand the hotel as Crowne Plaza Mawson Lakes, [reflects] the higher-end quality of the build and the location’s demand drivers in the meetings and events space.”

Due to open in the second half of this year, the hotel now comprises 155 rooms, three meeting spaces across 442sq m, a fitness centre and a bar and restaurant.

Pelligra Group, currently the owner of Holiday Inn Werribee, Holiday Inn Dandenong, and Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport, will this year add three more IHG-branded hotels to its portfolio, including the soon-to-open Crowne Plaza Carlton in 2024, as well as the Holiday Inn Richmond and the Crown Plaza Mawson Lakes.

IHG Hotels & Resorts Australasia & Pacific managing director Matt Tripolone said his compayy and Pelligra “share a remarkable partnership, operating three hotels together with three more in the pipeline”.

“We are delighted that Ross and the Pelligra team envision such a positive outlook for the premium travel segment in Australia, leading them to invest in elevating this asset to the premium sector.

“This move brings exceptional iterations of the Crowne Plaza brand to Adelaide.”

The Crowne Plaza brand has enjoyed a renaissance in Australia during the past few years, including the opening of new properties such as Crowne Plaza Adelaide, Crowne Plaza Hobart, Crowne Plaza Sydney Darling Harbour, and Crowne Plaza Burwood, as well as refurbishments of Crowne Plaza Sydney Coogee Beach, Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley, and Crowne Plaza Melbourne.

Crowne Plaza Melbourne Carlton and Crowne Plaza Shell Cove Marina are due to open in 2024 and Crowne Plaza Geelong in 2026.

▲ The view from Pyrmont Bridge looking across Sydney Harbour Marina towards the W Sydney.

Sydney breaks daily rate record

Meanwhile, driven by New Year’s Eve, Sydney’s hotel industry recorded its highest monthly average daily rate (ADR) on record, according to December preliminary data from property researchers CoStar.

It found that for the month, occupancy in the Harbour city was 77.1 per cent, 9.9 per cent higher than the same period last year, while the ADR had risen 4.8 per cents to $313.27, while revenue per available room (RevPAR) was up 15.3 per cent to $241.66.

According to the daily data, Sydney hotels achieved their highest occupancy level on New Year’s Eve (94.0 per cent), followed by Saturday, December 2 (93.8 per cent). The New Year’s Eve ADR was $776.69.

The market’s daily occupancy levels remained above 60 per cent throughout the month except for two days.