Sydney NRL Club Signs On Global Hotel Giant

An NRL club has signed up one of the world’s biggest hotel players to join its precinct in western Sydney.

Panthers Penrith Precinct will team with global accommodation heavyweight Accor for a five-star Pullman hotel at the 68ha precinct about 2km from the city centre.

The 153-key hotel, Pullman Sydney Penrith, is slated to open in the fourth quarter of next year.

The hotel site is next to the new 1250sq m Western Sydney Conference Centre, which it will service.

The 1000-person conference centre is also to open in the last quarter of 2023 and will include a restaurant and bar with private dining rooms, and a ground floor cafe. 

“Pullman Sydney Penrith will be an elevated addition to western Sydney’s tourism offering and builds upon the existing and upcoming new amenities within the Panthers precinct and the wider Penrith locale,” Panthers Group chief executive Brian Fletcher said.

“It is part of our ongoing commitment to deliver world-class facilities to the local community … and will further enhance Penrith’s reputation as a world-class event and tourism destination.”

Accor Pacific chief executive Sarah Derry said western Sydney was widely renowned as the “engine room” of Sydney.

“Sport plays a crucial role in Australian culture and, by tourism and sporting organisations working together, our guests have the ability to enjoy incredible experiences and service,” she said.

Pullman has 18 hotels and resorts in metropolitan and leisure destinations in Australia and several more in the pipeline. Accor has more than 350 hotels, resorts and apartments in Australia across brands including Sofitel, MGallery, Pullman, Swissôtel, Mövenpick, Grand Mercure, Mantra, Novotel, and Mercure.

▲ A render of inside the conference centre that the hotel will service.

According to Savills Australia’s Hotel Market Overview for the September quarter, Australia’s hotel sector continues to attract strong levels of investment despite inflationary pressures.

The overview predicts around $2.5 billion in hotel transactions for 2022, with a spate of hotels changing hands redently revealing the on-going trend for re-branding within the sector.

The report said that underpinned by strong occupancy and record-breaking performance indicators, Australia’s hotel sector has recovered more swiftly from the pandemic than expected.

It is tipped to continue on a growth trajectory into 2023 when it is set to be on the radar for offshore investors and travellers thanks to the weak Australian dollar.

“Record occupancy levels are expected to continue into 2023 fuelled by increased demand coupled with reduced competition as AirBnB properties convert to permanent rentals, capitalising on the groundswell of residential tenant demand,” the report said.

Recent movement in the sector includes plans being revealed for a second Calile, this one in Noosa, following on from the stellar success of its flagship hotel in Brisbane’s James Street, a high-end retail, dining and residential precinct it has helped define.

Also in Queensland, the developers behind the $480-million hotel and superyacht marina at Mariners Cove, Main Beach, on the Gold Coast, recently announced they’d signed hospitality giant Marriott International to bring its luxury hotel brand The Ritz-Carlton onboard.

In Sydney, Melbourne-based ICD Property and real estate investment firm Belingbak will break ground on its $500-million hotel development in Pitt Street after it was greenlit by the city.