Choice Hotels Australasia announced the newest addition to its portfolio, the new Lester Hotel in Adelaide, in front of a packed audience of almost 600 delegates at last week’s Australasian Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition (AHICE) in Melbourne (Apr 29-30).
This year’s AHICE attracted a record of almost 600 delegates – hotel executives, investors, owners and suppliers – who turned out to hear sessions on investment, management, operations and trends at what has become Australasia’s largest hotel industry conference.
Worth more than AUD$50 Million and the first member of the Ascend Hotel Collection in South Australia, the property is being developed by the Lester Group of Companies and will be managed by the Lancemore Group.
Choice Hotels Australasia Chief Executive Officer, Trent Fraser, said the highly innovative hotel will feature more than 240 rooms across 14 levels once complete in September 2016.
“Choice Hotels is proud to be working with the Lester Group of Companies and Lancemore on the new Lester Hotel, which will become a standout property in our network of hotels across Australia,” he said.
“We expect that demand for our first Ascend Hotel Collection property in Adelaide will be high, responding to a need for more corporate and quality accommodation in the area,” Fraser said.
Proving a strong interest in the proposition from institutional money, this will be the second significant project Choice and Lancemore have partnered together on with this model, following on from Quality Hotel CKS Sydney Airport.
Lancemore Chief Executive Officer, Julian Clark, says his team is looking forward to managing this landmark property in Adelaide.
“Lancemore has had great success in working with Choice Hotels’ and we are passionate about growing our white label hotel management business,” he said.
Located on the corner of North and West Terrace on the fringe of the CBD, rooms will range from 23 square metres to 46 square metres with a 5-star interior.
The hotel will take inspiration from some of the best luxury hotels and retail stores in the world, incorporating the vision of development and advisory design firm, Intro, and award-winning interior design team, Genesin Studio.
It will also be the first modular project in South Australia, allowing Intro to produce an innovative, high quality development in a short time frame with superior sustainability benefits.
The boutique property will also feature upscale amenities, including significant conference facilities, gymnasium, restaurant bar and an opulent marble floor foyer.
Completion is expected in September 2016, in line with the opening of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.