TASTE OF THINGS TO COME AT NEW HOTEL’S RESTAURANTS
LOCALS’ tastebuds will traverse the globe at 14 new restaurants and bars when the doors swing open on Crystalbrook Collection’s trio of new hotels.
Syrian investor Ghassan Aboud took a tour yesterday of his most advanced CBD project, the $130 million former Tradewinds hotel redevelopment, simply dubbed “Riley”.
The hotel will have three restaurants ready to feed the masses when it opens in November, each focusing on different cooking styles to tend to a range of dietary inclinations.
Paper Crane will dish up “the tastes of Asia” inspired by Far North Queensland ingredients; Greenfields will focus on simple, raw and healthy cuisine, while Rocco will tap into modern Middle Eastern flavours for culinary inspiration.
Next hotel off the ranks, Bailey – Mr Aboud said the marketing team had named the hotels after “naughty boys” – will be home to the carnivorous CC’s Bar and Grill, Mexican fiesta-vibe Colada, and Milk Bar, an indulgent throwback to a quintessential piece of Australian childhood.
The final hotel, Flynn, will have three storeys dedicated to wining and dining when it opens late next year.
They include boutique bar Whisky and Wine, Italian restaurant Flynn’s and Boardwalk Social, a market-style affair comprising six mini-restaurants with self-explanatory names – The Grill, The Chicken Shop, The Fish Shop, The Pizza Shop, The Dessert Bar or The Juice Bar.
Mr Aboud said the Cairns tourism market had for too long hinged on the Reef and rainforest while neglecting the luxury offerings international travellers desired.
“For two days, the visitor is busy, then OK what about the other days in the week?” he asked.
“This is what we try to manage for them. The full week will be exciting, seeing something new, looking to attend more adventures.”
His marketing team is aggressively targeting Europe, the US, the Middle East and Japan, and he still has another CBD property up his sleeve.
Mr Aboud said he was still exploring what to build on the Grafton St property. “We will see,” he said. “But, we promise you in early ‘20, you will see that project start to work.”