PARTY PALACE
Coast hotel tower just for Millennials
A GOLD Coast developer is building this 18-storey hotel as part of a $1 billion landmark. But there is one condition – it is for 20-something Millennials. The Queensland-first tower will have an outdoor cinema and rooftop bar to cater for the growing demand of Gen Y travellers.
A LONG-TIME Gold Coast developer is targeting the fickle attention of 20-somethings in a $1-billion Queensland-first pitch.
Robert Badalotti’s 18-storey hotel tower in Southport will cater exclusively to Millennials.
Think outdoor cinemas, rooftop bars, “superfast” WiFi, and the ability to use smartphones to access rooms and lifts.
Mr Badalotti’s Azzura Investments will break ground early next year on The Tryp Hotel, on the corner of Meron Street and Gillian Lane. It will be the first stage of what is expected to be one of the largest
developments conceived for the city – Imperial Square.
The centrepiece of the completed project will be the Southern Hemisphere’s tallest tower at 108 storeys.
Mr Badalotti decided to focus on the highly lucrative youth market with research showing that Millennials will make up 50 per cent of all worldwide hotel bookings by 2020.
Destination Gold Coast chief executive Annaliese Battista said the project represented a new step in the city’s growth.
“This shows the evolution of the tourism sector and shows that we can cater for niche markets – we have the critical mass for that now,” she said. “Our product and tourism operators are getting more sophisticated about who they target.
“I welcome this and it reminds me of the art hotels and what they offer. It is nice and the sort of thing we need to welcome here on the Coast.”
Millennials, also known as Generation Y, were born beween the early 1980s to the mid-1990s.
Experienced hotel operator Wyndam has been appointed to run the complex on completion.
The Tryp tower will feature the 252-room hotel on its top five floors. The bottom floors include a 346-room student accommodation and education complex.
The tower will also feature a 2500sq m integrated hospitality school in its lower levels.
The site of the project has already been cleared and fences erected, with work to begin after Azzura completes its $130-million Mercato on Byron shopping centre in Byron Bay.
The Coast’s building community has welcomed the project as troubles surrounding the $1-billion Jewel development in Surfers Paradise and uncertainty about the $1.2-billion Spirit tower go on.
“No doubt this would be good for builders and if there is a clear scope of works for people to get into, a project of this size would be easy to knock out,” said Queensland Master Builders Association regional manager John Duncalfe. “If it is targeted at a specific market. They would have done their homework ... basically you will find it can be done quite easily.”