A dedicated focus will be put on attracting events, conferences, meetings and exhibitions to utilise a variety of new spaces at Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach following the completion of its multimillion-dollar redesign, hotel management has said.
The beachfront hotel has developed a purpose-built events centre, 10 new flexible meeting spaces and new event dining concepts as part of the project, while all 209 guest rooms have been renovated, with entirely new bathrooms fitted.
A new-look lobby and arrival experience is now in place along with The Studio – a co-working space for up to 12 people which can also be booked by the hour or day for private meetings, workshops or dining as part of the Crowne Plaza brand’s global reworking of its lobby functionality, which is shifting to make spaces more flexible and efficient.
In a phased opening, around half of the new rooms along with the new lobby experience and ground-floor restaurant are on course to be opened to guests from January 2020. The final phase, including addition F&B venues and the outdoor pool area, is expected to be complete and open to guests in the second half of the year.
Together, the new meetings and event facilities amounts to 1,175 square metres of space across a number of flexible venues. This includes the 360sqm Oceanic Ballroom which can be split into two smaller spaces if needed. The Business Centre Boardroom caters for up to eight people and is located on the ground floor, while the Centennial Conference Room has been expanded to 217sqm but can also be divided into up to three separate spaces. The hotel’s former Coogee Room, Bronte Room and Clovelly Room have also been increased in size.
On the lower-ground floor is the Experience Gallery which can be used for trade shows and exhibitions, surrounded by local art and design. Integrated seating areas in this room allow guests to work or network in a casual environment while waiting for their next engagement.
Area General Manager, Gareth Long, said the hotel was better equipped than ever to cater to the flexibility of guest demands and that the hotel’s location was “second to none”.
“What we can now offer guests is much more flexibility when it comes to staying here on business, with upgraded technology, smarter use of our social spaces and responding better to the changing ways in which people do business.
“We’ve been buoyed by the amount of interest and excitement in our new meeting spaces and offerings, and we’re already seeing strong interest coming through for 2020 and beyond,” Long added.