Hotel Management Start-Up Inks Deal with Schwartz

One of the big hitters in hotels in the region, the Schwartz Family Company, has inked a deal to adopt an independent hotel management model that was launched near the end of last year.

Under the deal, Trilogy Hotels will take over management of Mercure Sydney, Ibis Sydney World Square, Mercure Canberra and Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains, bringing more than 1000 rooms to the start-up’s platform.

It is the first deal for Trilogy Hotels since its business launched in December, 2023 by three Australian top hospitality innovators, Scott Boyes, Grant Alchin and Tony Ryan.

Trilogy Hotels provides hotel owners and hotel brands with an operating platform for investment-grade assets where hotel operations are managed independently by Trilogy’s team.

Hotel brands may, under a franchise agreement, provide strong globally established branding, distribution, and loyalty programs.

The Schwartz Family Company is the largest privately owned hotel group in Australia with more than 4000 rooms across 14 hotels, headed by Dr Jerry Schwartz, who took over the family business from parents, Dr Bela and Eve Schwartz.

The wider investment portfolio also includes Sydney Brewery, the Hunter Valley Conference & Events Centre and Blue Sky Airlines.

▲ The hotels to fall under the deal (from top left) the Mecure Canberra, Mercure Sydney, and Ibis Sydney and (main image at top) the Fairmont.

Trilogy Hotels chief executive Scott Boyes said he had worked with Schwartz and his family for many years and believed the deal “marks a turning point for the hotel industry in Australia”.

“Trilogy’s name takes its inspiration from its three key stakeholders: owner, guest and team,” he said.

“Operating under independent management allows hotel owners and operators to make agile decisions through a local lens. As a result, hotel owners feel connected to their investment and can take on an entrepreneurial approach.”

Schwartz said the deal would “give us the best of both worlds—greater flexibility in terms of managing the four hotels, complemented by a franchise agreement with Accor to plug into their global distribution systems.”

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