Marina Mirage Lands Marriott for Spit Redevelopment

The Makris family has made a deal with Marriott International for the first hotel project in the $500-million Marina Mirage redevelopment at The Spit on the Gold Coast. 

Developers’ confidence to move ahead with plans in the highly coveted secttion of the Glitter Strip are gowing with with this latest announcement on the heels of several smaller new applications in the area.

The Spit was caught up in controversy in 2019 when a masterplan for the neighbouhood limited building heights to three-storeys, or 15 metres.

That included the big one that got away from former prolific developer Sunland, who withdrew its 44-storey twin-tower application and offered the site for sale.

The Spit had lain dormant for decades because of planning uncertainty. Then the sands were shifted by the pandemic, creating a $1-billion-plus development pipeline.

One of the biggest is the Makris Group’s Marina Mirage redevelopment designed by Elenberg Fraser and approved on December 4.

At the time of that approval the Makris family said it was in discussions with an international operator.

This week that was revaled to be Marriott. The US-based multinational operates, franchises and licenses brands that include hotel, residential, and timeshare properties.

It owns more than 30 hotel and timeshare brands and has 8785 locations comprising more than 1.5 million rooms across its network

The Marina Mirage redeveloper includes a 122-key hotel, 89 apartments, and dining, health and function spaces at the Seaworld Drive, Main Beach site. 

The Marina Mirage’s landmark rooftop shade sails will be retainedbut repositioned to open up the central courtyard.

▲ The Marriott Luxury Collection at Marina Mirage is expected to open in 2027 as part of the second stage of development.

Makris Group acquired the property in 2013 for $52 million in a receiver’s sale. A year later it acquired The Oracle retail and office precinct at Broadbeach for $65 million.

Hutchinson has been appointed as builder and the project is slated to begin next year with a 78-berth superyacht marina as stage one.

Meanwhile, the Gordon Corporation signed Multiplex in January for its $300-million-plus Mantaray Marina and Residences project nearby.

Its neighbour is the $480-million redevelopment of Mariner’s Cove by Melbourne-based developers Pelligra Group and Giannarelli Group for a Ritz Carlton hotel and dining precinct.

And also on The Spit, plans were filed on June 14 to redevelop the landmarket Peter’s Fish Market.

▲ The future of Peter’s Fish Market, which has been trading on The Spit for more than 30 years, appears secured through a deed of development.

The entity GCPC, led by the Peter’s family, wants to create a dining and function facility, and a shop at the 130 Seaworld Drive site.

And at the breakwall end of The Spit at 535 Seaworld Drive, Volunteer Marine Rescue Southport in May filed an application to formally approve its function facilities that had been operating for seven years.