IN BRIEF
• A 165-room hotel will be built near
Adelaide Airport in South Australia, the first stage of an US$1.5 billion facility expansion. Construction on the Atura-branded property should begin this spring, with a planned 2018 opening. The airport plans to triple in size by 2044.
• The Cairns Convention Centre in Queensland has completed a refurbishment that brings a contemporary feel to the venue, as well as an upgrade of the arrivals area. The facility is celebrating its 20 anniversary.
MUST DO
For a glorious incentive, take a helicopter to the mountaintop Spicer's Peak Lodge.
There's a lot going on Down Under, with the country's major cities flaunting exciting new hotels and attractions. In the luxury pipeline, Marriott International plans to open two new Ritz-Carltons, in Melbourne and Perth, in 2020.
SYDNEY
The city welcomed a new convention center in December, the ICC Sydney in Darling Harbour. The US$1.3 billion project features 378,000 square feet of exhibition space, 86,400 square feet of meeting space, a theater that can seat different configurations of up to 8,000, and a 54,000-square-foot open-air event deck.
Also in Darling Harbour, the 892-room Hyatt Regency Sydney has opened following a US$250 million conversion. The new property is the largest upscale, full-service hotel in Australia and has more than 37,100 square feet of pillarless meeting space. Offerings include a 272-seat restaurant and two ballrooms capable of seating more than 1,000 people in total.
Designs are complete for the US$225 million transformation of the city's Lands and Education buildings, known as the "Sandstones," into a hotel with more than 250 rooms, retail space, dining areas, gardens and rooftop lounges. Construction should begin in late 2017.
BRISBANE
The 305-room W Brisbane is set to debut on Dec. 22, 2017, at the western end of the central business district overlooking the Brisbane River. The property will offer a full-service restaurant, the Pool Bar and a W Lounge, plus more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space, a spa, a workout facility and an indoor pool.
MELBOURNE
The 188-room QT Melbourne in the city's central business district has opened with two private dining spaces. The boutique hotel features the Cake Shop and the signature restaurant Pascale Bar & Grill, as well as the alley bar Hot Sauce and the Rooftop at QT.
SUNSHINE COAST
The 220-room Westin Coolum Resort & Spa will open in 2021 on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. The resort will have access to Yaroomba Beach and will feature four dining options, a Heavenly Spa by Westin, an infinity-edge pool and a WestinWorkout studio. Plans call for about 9,200 square feet of meeting space.