A plan to diversify the income of the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority (AOSMA) by constructing a 128-room hotel on the eastern exterior of the ground is being met with criticism by patrons and state sporting bodies.
The $42 million project, to be funded by a state government loan, comes just four years since the ground reopened following a major redevelopment which saw new grandstands, technology and capacity upgrades installed.
On its website, AOSMA says the boutique hotel is aimed at providing a steady, year-round income stream separate to the existing irregular revenue generated by events. This new income will help it with the more regular stadium maintenance and operation costs and allow it to compete in an already competitive events landscape in Adelaide.
Further, the stadium management body says a hotel will allow it to make use of existing catering assets such as kitchens which currently only fire up on event days. A new hotel would also create 120 full-time equivalent jobs.
Overlooking the neighbouring parkland and city skyline, the plan calls for a dual-wing property linked by a common foyer and lounge on the top floor. Designs call for a facility which fits into the stadium’s existing façade and is built as a separate pod so as to not disrupt the event experience for guests in the existing seating bowl.
The design has been extensively assessed by South Australia’s Office for Design and Architecture to determine whether it would complement the current Adelaide Oval design environment.
AOSMA would build and manage the hotel independently of any domestic or international hotel brand. No brand signage would be erected, and AOSMA says it already has a large number of staff members with “extensive experience working in the four and five-star hotel and casino industry.”
Construction is currently scheduled to begin in May 2019 with a view to being open for business in time for the T20 World Cup the following year.