Hospitality giant Accor appears set to introduce the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts brand to the Australian market, with reports circulating that the French juggernaut has inked a deal with Melbourne property developer, Chiodo Corporation, to operate the Fairmont Port Douglas in Queensland.
The new-build project has been on Chiodo’s radar since April 2019, according to its social media posts spruiking the hotel which features the first renderings of its Tropical North Queensland vision.
According to News Corp, demolition work will begin on the $300 million “uber-luxury” resort before the end of this year and construction of the 253-room six-star retreat will commence in early 2021. It will feature rooftop bars, cafes, a signature chef restaurant, swimming pools, a day spa, wedding facilities and more.
Developer Paul Chiodo has engaged global interior design firm HBA to begin the design phase of the hotel, the report said.
Chiodo was quoted saying: “We are trying to bring the bling back to Port Douglas. We are going all out to make this a state-of-the-art eco-conscious development that integrates with the entire community.”
Commenting on the partnership with Accor, Chiodo told News Corp: “We both share a love for Port Douglas and its community, and we will jointly push hard to bring Port Douglas the bling factor that it had 15 years ago, where world leaders go to play golf and Hollywood celebrities go for vacations.”
Chiodo Corporation’s website lists the future Port Douglas hotel development, including renderings. The portal describes the project as: “A luxury hotel like no other that infuses the senses, the elements, culture and nature. A celebration of the planet and the human spirit.”
A post on Chiodo’s Instagram page this week [13 July 2020] describes the future Fairmont Port Douglas as a “first of its kind, in that it will be locally-focused and globally-artistic, cultivating a celebration of the planet, sustainability and humanity”.
Accor’s MGallery by Sofitel brand operates another Fairmont asset outside of Sydney, however, the Fairmont Resort & Spa Blue Mountains is not a member of the long-established, and steadily growing Fairmont Hotels & Resorts chain.
The collection numbers more than 80 hotels around the world. One of the latest additions was Fairmont Rio de Janeiro Copacabana which debuted in August 2019 as the maiden Fairmont in South America.
The Fairmont Windsor Park had previously been slated to open in the United Kingdom this year, and in March the luxury hotel brand revealed it would gain a presence in Ireland for the first time, signing a management deal to operate the historic Carton House outside Dublin.
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