Rydges enters Townsville
One of North Queensland’s most successful hotel and convention complexes this week becomes the 30th Australian property for Rydges Hotels and Resorts.
The Southbank Hotel and Convention Centre in the coastal city of Townsville will be known as Rydges Southbank Townsville, providing the growing accommodation group with its first presence in the city.
The current General Manager, Paul Burke, who has been at the property for 2½ years, will continue in the role after the Rydges rebranding with Paul serving previously in a range of hospitality roles in Papua New Guinea, Turkey UK, New Zealand and Tasmania.
Townsville is both a major business and transportation hub supporting the booming Queensland resources industry, and a tourism gateway to Far North Queensland, providing access to Magnetic Island, the Great Barrier Reef and coastal and outback tourism attractions.
Rydges Southbank Townsville is a 4 ½ star property located close to the city centre, serving the corporate travel and tourism sectors and the growing meetings and conventions market.
The property is divided into three major sections – the core hotel and the adjacent convention centre, in Palmer Street, and a block of 12 self-contained apartments, in nearby McIlwraith Street.
The seven-level hotel building offers almost 100 guestrooms, many with sweeping views of the city and harbor, plus three restaurants, a swimming pool and free on-site parking for guests.
The lead-in Standard Rooms offer features including in-house movie channels, cable television, direct dial national and international telephones, and dial-up internet facilities.
All other guestrooms include broadband internet access, while the Executive Spa Suites each offer a two-person spa bath and two televisions, including a 106cm flatscreen unit.
A separate building, 200 metres from the main hotel, houses 12 self-contained apartments, each including two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fully-equipped kitchen, a washing machine and a dryer.
Connected to the main hotel is a major convention facility, with 400 square metres of floorspace and capacity to seat up to 500 delegates in a theatre-style layout or 350, banquet style.
This North Queensland-style building also offers three purpose-built conference rooms, plus the option of two additional rooms in the main hotel.
The conference centre is not only a leading meeting and events venue in Townsville but a popular choice for wedding receptions and other private functions in the region.
For more information about Rydges Southbank Townsville, visit www.rydges.com or call the property direct on 07 4726 5265.
For conference information, visit the website, or call the Rydges Southbank Convention Centre on 07 4726 5222.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent