Construction work is expected to begin before Christmas on Pro-invest’s planned Holiday Inn Express and Suites Maroochydore after Economic Development Queensland gave the go-ahead to the new 4.5-star project.
Expected to open in 2021, the nine-storey development will offer 167 rooms on a 2,535 square metre site on First Avenue in the evolving city’s centre, close to the future light rail project.
The Sunshine Coast city is in the midst of a significant transformation, with scores of new residential and commercial projects on the way up to capitalise on booming population growth. These are being supported heavily by the city council, which is investing in new transport links and all associated infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and road networks.
Pro-invest CEO, Ronald Barrott, said Holiday Inn Express and Suites was the perfect brand for the area as it was capable of catering to both business and leisure travellers.
“The Sunshine Coast is transitioning from a largely leisure-based market to a more diversified market with major growth in businesses establishing themselves in the region to take advantage of the large-scale infrastructure project such as the expanded airport, the new Maroochydore CBD and the international broadband submarine cable,” he said.
Sunshine Coast Council Mayor, Mark Jamieson, said the commitment from Pro-invest was a vote of confidence in the region.
“Smart, first movers like Pro-invest are taking advantage of the rare opportunity to be part of building the only greenfield CBD site in Australia.”