Sponsored ContentPartner ContentTue 05 May 26
Radisson Hotel Group Builds Australasian Pipeline Via New Hotels, Conversions, Mixed-Use
Radisson Hotel Group has signed or opened five hotels across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific in the space of months, and the group’s development team says its pipeline is far from complete.
In Australia, two Radisson Individuals signings have been confirmed: the 59-room The Merchant Hotel Brisbane, due to open this year in the CBD with operator Mandala Hotels and Resorts, and the 74-room Canterbury International Hotel Melbourne.
Three new-build signings in Australia are expected within months.
Brisbane is one of the group’s most active focus regions. With the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games the catalyst for hotel demand, Radisson Hotel Group is working across multiple opportunities in South-East Queensland.
Radisson Hotel Group director of development, Australasia Victor Kondarios said the opportunity for developers to bring a project to market ahead of the Games remained open, but not indefinitely.
“There is still time to open a hotel before the Olympics, but that window is slowly closing,” Kondarios told The Urban Developer.
“Councils like Moreton Bay are offering very strong incentives for developers, with fast DAs and reduced infrastructure charges, and other councils are actively supporting hotel development across the region.”
Mixed-use where hotels can unlock the development
Elevated land, construction and labour costs mean a standalone hotel often cannot justify a site on its own, and Kondarios sees integrated schemes combining hotel with residential, retail or commercial components as a way to overcome hotel feasibility challenges.
In New Zealand, Radisson RED Auckland opened in February 2026 and is the group’s debut in the country and the first Radisson RED in Australasia.
The 322-room hotel operates within a building that also incorporates a retail shopping centre.
A second Radisson RED, 221 rooms at Queenstown with developer Redwood Group, has been signed for early 2028.
In the Pacific, the 160-key Mana Island Resort and Spa Fiji is currently undergoing a comprehensive refurbishment, targeting a 2027 opening under the Radisson Individuals brand.
“We are re-entering the market with a focus on strong markets and high-quality hotels,” Kondarios said. “There is a big push on Australia and we are seeing genuine momentum build across the pipeline.”
How Radisson Hotel Group works with developers
Behind the signings is a development partnership model that begins long before a hotel opens.
The group’s development team engages early, working through feasibility, commercial structuring and technical requirements alongside ownership and project teams to make the hotel component viable before a single room is built or converted.
“It depends on the developer. We can come in late once they have obtained their DA and completed designs, or we can work with a developer through the whole process, from buying the site, through securing the DA, to working through the build with them,” Kondarios said.
The group’s pre-opening value proposition focuses on two areas: feasibility modelling and technical delivery.
On feasibility, Radisson Hotel Group provides five-year forecasts detailing rate occupancy, operating costs and profit, segmentation analysis and ramp-up assumptions benchmarked against the local competitive set—outputs that feed directly into the valuations developers rely on to secure funding.
1 of 3
“Where we really add value is working with the developer to create a hotel that delivers the best financial outcome for the owner, with considerations such as the brand, room count, hotel facilities and layout,” Kondarios said.
Development deal structures
On deal structure, Radisson Hotel Group offers three primary models.
A hotel lease, available in core CBD locations in key capital cities, where Radisson Hotel Group pays the owner a fixed and variable rent, transferring operational risk to the group.
A hotel management agreement means Radisson Hotel Group operate the property on behalf of the owner, where we receive fees based on management performance.
A franchise model suits owners who operate their own hotel or appoint a third-party management company to run the property under one of Radisson Hotel Group’s brands.
Radisson Hotel Group also offers hybrid structures, where an agreement begins as a management contract and transitions to a franchise arrangement.
The Radisson Individuals brand, which accounts for three of the recent Australasia signings, offers a further option where the hotel can keep its own individuality as no hard brand standard apply, while still benefiting from Radisson Hotel Group’s distribution platform.
“We are focused on growing our Australasian portfolio and working with owners looking for a brand to partner with,” Kondarios said. “The pipeline we are building now reflects where we want to be in five years time, and we are actively looking for the right developers to build it with us.”
Developers considering a hotel component, whether a new build, a conversion, or a mixed-use project, can begin a conversation with Radisson Hotel Group’s Australasia development team at radissonhotels.com/development-opportunities.
The Urban Developer is proud to partner with Radisson Hotel Group to deliver this article to you. In doing so, we can continue to publish our daily news, information, insights and opinion to you, our valued readers.
