Hayman Island officially open

QUEENSLAND Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk formally opened the new Hayman Island by InterContinental on Fri night, at an exclusive event attended by senior dignitaries from Tourism Australia, the Qld Government & InterContinental Hotels Group.

The official plaque was unveiled by the Premier and Seng Huang Lee, Chairman of Mulpha International, owners of Hayman Island for more than 15 years.

This is the second “reimagining” for the island, and Mulpha is thrilled with the result of its $135m investment, directly overseeing the building project which employed over 400 locals after the resort was damaged by Cyclone Debbie in 2017.

InterContinental has replaced One&Only as the property’s manager, and “we could not be prouder to be in charge of operating Australia’s most iconic private island resort, under the world’s largest luxury brand” said Leanne Harwood, IHG Managing Director, Australasia and Japan.

The re-opening of the resort elevates the standard of luxury travel in the region, offering 166 guest rooms, suites and villas, as well as the exclusive threebedroom Hayman Beach House.

“All in all, it is an exclusive, immersive, luxury experience,” Harwood told Travel Daily.

Sustainability has played a key role in the revitalisation of Hayman, she added, saying “with such an enviable and pristine location comes responsibility”.

Single use plastics on the island are avoided as much as possible, and water stations allow guests to refill bottles provided at check-in.

All glass bottles are crushed to make silicone sand product which is used across the gardens.

Check out our exclusive video of the resort by CLICKING HERE.

More from Hayman on page 5.