IHG Adds Brisbane Hilton, NT Hotel to Aussie Expansion

IHG’s expansion in Australia has taken another step as it reveals plans for a Darwin property hot on the heels of news it would take over Brisbane’s landmark Hilton. The hospitality group announced with developer and funds manager ISPT that the InterContinental Brisbane will open in early June, transforming the former Hilton through a long-term management agreement. The hotel in Brisbane’s CBD is at Elizabeth Street, with direct connection to Queen Street Mall, and is the only Australian hotel designed by modernist architect Harry Seidler. It will undergo a two-year transformation to enhance its luxury offerings while preserving key elements of Seidler’s original design. ISPT plans to integrate the hotel with the Wintergarden and Regent Theatre to create a precinct that combines retail, dining, entertainment and hospitality. IHG Hotels &amp; Resorts director of development, Australasia and Pacific, Cameron Burke said the project was a strategic investment in Brisbane’s tourism infrastructure ahead of the 2032 Olympics. “The Brisbane hotel market, and the south-east Queensland region, is entering a golden era fuelled by transformative infrastructure projects, a booming tourism sector and the countdown to the 2032 Olympics,” Burke said. InterContinental Brisbane will comprise 321 guest rooms, four restaurants and bars, and conference and events facilities. The hotel is to become the third InterContinental property in Queensland after Hayman Island and Sanctuary Cove assets. The Brisbane announcement comes as IHG expands into the Northern Territory with the signing of voco Darwin Suites. The 87-key property in Darwin’s CBD will adaptively reuse a commercial office building and is scheduled to open this year. IHG is partnering with JH Group on the project, the first voco hotel in the Territory. ▲ A rendering of Darwin voco. The site is near the Darwin Entertainment Centre. The Darwin property will include an all-day dining restaurant, meeting space, fitness centre and outdoor pool. Guest rooms will include self-contained kitchenettes for short-term and extended-stay visitors. The former Health House building at 87 Mitchell Street was acquired by JH Group for $7 million in December. According to planning applications, the five-storey structure would be converted to house a basement office, gym and carparks, ground-floor motel suites, alfresco cafe, and reception facilities under the plan. JH Group founder John Halikos said the partnership with IHG and voco came “at a time of significant need for new hotels in Darwin”. Halikos was the founder of Halikos Group with business partner Shane Dignan until the company split in December of 2023. In the restructuring, Halikos retained control of several assets including H on Mitchell and Crab Claw Island Resort, while the Dignan family took ownership of other business divisions, rebranding as DCOH. IHG’s Australian expansion plans also include a $100-million luxury resort in South Australia’s Barossa Valley . ▲ An artist ’ s impression of the InterContinental Barossa Resort &amp; Spa. Adelaide-based Strategic Alliance has signed a 25-year management agreement with IHG to operate the InterContinental Barossa Resort &amp; Spa, scheduled to open in 2028. The 150-key development will be built on a 21ha site near Lyndoch, 43km north-east of Adelaide. “This development will be transformative for the region,” IHG Australasia &amp; Pacific managing director Matt Tripolone told The Urban Developer . The resort will feature a signature restaurant, function spaces, wellness spa, pool, gym and its own cellar door with working vines already on the property. Tripolone said changing market dynamics were driving IHG’s expansion, with “Australian and international travellers now not willing to compromise on their experience”. “There’s a bigger trend going on in Australia and more broadly around the world and it’s this migration towards more refined, high-quality travel experiences,” Tripolone said. IHG currently operates 69 hotels across nine brands, with 26 additional properties in its development pipeline.

IHG Adds Brisbane Hilton, NT Hotel to Aussie Expansion

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