Mantra has signed a new 110-room boutique hotel in Brisbane that’s set to commence construction this month.
The property, to be known as Richmont Hotel by Mantra, is being developed by Richmont Holdings and is the first project undertaken in Australia by the Malaysian based company.
Brisbane Lord Mayor, Graham Quirk, announced the development yesterday (Nov 6), at an official signing of the management agreement between the two parties in Brisbane and said the new hotel would help fill a niche market in the city’s hotel sector.
“While the demand for hotel rooms in Brisbane continues to grow in key segments like leisure and events travel, there is growing demand for strategically-located accommodation for the business traveller,” Quirk said.
“This hotel will have quick access to the airport and will be only minutes from the CBD and Fortitude Valley, making it convenient and attractive to many business visitors.”
The development, scheduled for completion in December 2015, will showcase a unique design incorporating a heritage building which will house a restaurant and bar, alongside the brand new a five level 4-star hotel complete with internal landscaped courtyard, grab and go cafe, gym, and a 58-space basement car park.
Mantra Group CEO, Bob East, said the new hotel would create 60 jobs for the city and further complement the Group’s growing Brisbane network:
“With the addition of this unique hotel to our portfolio, Mantra will offer eight hotel options across Brisbane, and strengthen our position as the leading mid-market hotel group in the city,” he said.
“It is exciting to see the progressive attitude towards development by the City of Brisbane which has allowed opportunities for invesement like this to come to fruition.”
Richmont Holdings Managing Director Gregory Loh said Brisbane was an obvious choice for the company as it undertakes its first investment into the Australian market.
“There is an air of confidence in the Brisbane business scene at present and we believe the style of hotel we are building will fit in perfectly with the mix of accommodation in demand at this time,” Loh said.
“We have partnered with Mantra to harness their strong brand presence, not only in Queensland but across Australia, and to utilise their substantial distribution channels.”
Mantra currently has six properties (nearly 900 rooms in total) in Brisbane CBD including recent additions Mantra on Edward, Mantra Midtown Apartments, Mantra on the Quay and Mantra Terrace Hotel as well as its established hotels, Mantra South Bank and Mantra on Queen.