Covers Come Off Thai Hotelier’s Sydney Expansion Plans

Plans have been launched for a 12-storey Sydney Airport hotel as traveller numbers continue to climb off the back of events including the FIFA Women’s World Cup. 

Bangkok-based international hotel group Minor Hotels’ NH Hotel brand has launched a development at 102-106 Robey Street aimed at travellers “seeking a retreat within the urban hub of Mascot, within close proximity to the airport”.

The development application and further information submitted earlier this year covers the demolition of existing structures on site—a single-storey cottage and a small industrial building.

In their place will be a 12-storey hotel development with 77 rooms costing an estimated $55 million.  The site is surrounded by similar hotel developments including the nine-storey Quest Hotel, and the 12-storey Citadines Connect Hotel. 

The Mascot hotel would be the latest in NH Hotels’ existing portfolio of more than 330 hotels in 30 countries—and one of its first in Australia.

Plans for a Sydney CBD site have also been launched under the NH Collection brand, which is due to open in 2025.

A previous Wollongong NH Hotels project was due to complete this year, however, those plans appear to have fallen through. NH Hotels has been contacted for comment. 

Parent company Minor, which acquired the Spanish hotel brand in 2018 for $353 million, has several Australian locations under its other brands.

▲ A render of the planned NH Hotel at the Sydney airport, Mascot.

Bates Smart Architects plans for the hotel include a ground-floor lobby, reception and restaurant, loading dock and four levels of car parking.

The location is “moments” from Sydney airport, which had 3.25 million passengers in August, 2023, an 88.6 per cent increase compared to pre-pandemic August 2019. It was also the second consecutive month that the international passenger recovery had been stronger than domestic.

According to CoStar hotel figures for Sydney for August 2023, occupancy levels reached 80.7 per cent, up 26 per cent, with an average daily rate of $261.83, while revenue per available room rose 37.3 per cent year on year to $211.19.

NH Hotels’ Mascot site is due for completion in 2026.