Construction has begun on what will become Holiday Inn Express and Suites Sunshine Coast, with an official sod-turn ceremony taking place this week at the hotel’s central Maroochydore site.
Pro-invest Group co-CEO, Jan Smits, joined executives from developers Minicon and Sunshine Coast Mayor, Mark Jamieson, for the ceremony, with construction scheduled to be complete in May 2022.
Holiday Inn Express and Suites Sunshine Coast, located on First Avenue, will feature 181 rooms, a rooftop swimming pool, bar and dining venue along with parking, retail options and conference facilities.
The addition of the Holiday Inn Express brand to the region comes as part of a calculated push to grow its appeal to business travellers, whilst retaining its traditional space as a leader among leisure tourists and family holidaymakers.
Pro-invest co-CEO, Jan Smits, said he was excited to see work now underway at the site.
“We believe Holiday Inn Express and Suites Sunshine Coast is a great addition to Maroochydore, particularly as the region transitions from a largely leisure-based to a more diversified market with major growth in businesses establishing themselves in the city centre to take advantage of the large-scale infrastructure projects currently underway.
“The Holiday Inn Express brand is ideal for the destination as its midscale positioning will make it highly-suitable for targeting business, meetings and leisure travellers,” he added.
The hotel’s milestone precedes what will be a big year for Pro-invest as a master franchisee of IHG Hotels and Resorts, with two voco properties due to open this year in Auckland and Brisbane along with Hotel Indigo after that.
“This project will provide a significant economic boost to the region with up to 1,500 people working on the project during construction as well as 30 full and part time staff employed when the hotel is operational,” said Sunshine Coast Mayor, Cr Mark Jamieson.
“Holiday Inn Express & Suites Sunshine Coast will be an important part of the Maroochydore CBD precinct and will offer brand new, quality hotel accommodation in the heart of our region’s new city centre.”