Upmarket Plans Pitched to Fill Sunshine Coast Hotel Void

Sydney-based developer Felix Capital has teamed with InterContinental Hotels Group, lodging plans to build a 13-storey Voco-branded tower on the Sunshine Coast.

The 153-key upmarket hotel is part of a mixed-use proposal earmarked for a 2190sq m site at 15-17 Ocean Street, Maroochydore.

It would comprise a mix of studio, one and two-bedroom short-term accommodation suites across levels 3 to 9.

Below the boutique hotel component, a three-storey podium would accommodate a 140-seat specialty restaurant and 65-seat lobby bar as well as 510sq m of conference, event, prefunction and meeting spaces—including a ballroom with the capacity to cater to 250 people.

Level 2 is dedicated to recreational facilities and would feature a pool, a 130-seat all-day eatery and outdoor terrace, bar and pool deck, spa, sauna and state-of-the-art health club.

Crowning the DBI-designed tower, the three top levels would be occupied by 9 three and four-bedroom luxury private residences that are not part of hotel operations.

“Inspired by Maroochydore’s stunning natural environment, the hotel design draws on the tranquillity of the nearby coastline,” a design statement said.

“The building’s sculptural facade, with its flowing lines and organic shapes, echoes the rhythm of the ocean waves and the natural contours of sandy shores.”

Parking spaces for 70 vehicles and 53 bicycles would be provided in two basement levels and at the rear of the building.

The development application supersedes recently approved plans for a 12-storey mixed-use tower comprising 53 two, three and four-bedroom apartments.

The latest application noted a draft Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) to introduce a targeted set of planning provisions to encourage the development of upscale hotels in the region was expected to be adopted in December.

▲ Renders of the 153-key Voco-branded hotel proposed for Maroochydore’s Ocean Street dining and entertainment precinct.

“As such, upon adoption of the TLPI, the proposed development will be afforded an additional 7 metres of building height and will therefore comply in full with the local government planning provisions…and would be subject to code assessment only,” it said.

According to a planning report, the region’s supply of visitor accommodation is “not able to meet the forecasted growth in visitor nights generated by local tourism and will not fulfil the demand that will be created by the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, which will include events on the Sunshine Coast”.

A study by the Sunshine Coast Council found the region was “significantly undersupplied” with only 709 international hotel rooms available across four properties.

Overall, it recorded 78 properties and 3608 rooms, most of which are self-contained units.

“This means that the region is significantly undersupplied to meet the needs of a growing overnight visitor economy,” the report said.

Since the study, a previous target to deliver 1800 additional rooms by 2032 has been increased to “actively seek 2450 new-build internationally branded hotel rooms”.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for the Sunshine Coast,” IHG Hotels & Resorts Australasia and Pacific development director Cameron Burke said. “The region desperately needs new accommodation product, and hotel developments like Voco Maroochydore will play a vital role in stimulating the local economy.”

Felix Capital founder and chief executive Michael Maroun said the group had worked closely with the Sunshine Coast Council to ensure its plans were in accordance with their proposed TLPI.

“It’s energising to see that big steps are being made in the right direction for the region’s growth and we’re delighted to be part of its journey,” he said.