Packer project backed by hotel group
Accor Australia is backing plans by James Packer to invest in a major tourism infrastructure project at the planned Barangaroo site in Sydney CBD.
The proposal includes a luxury hotel and entertainment facilities.
Accor Australia COO, Simon McGrath, said that with the Packer proposal and the re-development of the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, “Sydney’s tourism sector was at last receiving the investment support it requires to compete in the Asia Pacific region”.
McGrath said there has been been “virtually no development (in Sydney) which in turn has affected our ability to attract new – and particularly high-end – tourism to the city”.
“This is not just a tourism issue, this has major significance for the wider economy, and could very well provide the kick-start Sydney has lacked since the Olympics,” he added.
Former prime minister Paul Keating said recently that Barangaroo represented a once-in-200-years opportunity to return the lands of the western side of Sydney’s central business district to the public.
“The last time Sydney did something of world importance was when it chose Jorn Utzon’s design for the Sydney Opera House,” he said.
Meanwhile, the IHG flag is about to be taken down from two hotels at James Packer’s Burswood Resort in Perth. Crown Limited has confirmed the two hotels on site will be re-branded from July.
InterContinental Perth Burswood and Holiday Inn Perth Burswood are set to be re-branded Crown Metropol and Crown Promenade respectively, reflecting the upscale brands’ successful positioning in the Melbourne market.
Ian Jarrett
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