The Westin Perth hotel at 480 Hay Street has been cleared to start construction, with the City of Perth’s development assessment panel giving the tick to BGC Development’s $500 million project last night.
BGC director Julian Ambrose said construction would begin immediately on the hotel, which is scheduled to be complete by 2017.
Westin Perth will total 362 rooms and include a range of guest facilities, including three storeys of restaurants, small bars and shops in a new building on Irwin Street, as well as a flagship restaurant in the heritage listed Hibernian Hall.
The precinct also includes a 22-level office tower, with negotiations with an anchor-tenant understood to be well under way.
Construction works, which will begin while negotiations for the office tenants are ongoing, will be undertaken by BGC's joint venture with Korean steel giant Posco, BPi, which was also the contractor for the demolition of the brutalist-style FESA House formerly at the site.
An artist's impression of the office tower for 480 Hay Street.
The project, the first to emerge under the state government’s Hotel Development Incentive scheme, is expected to be a significant catalyst to the reactivation of the east end of the CBD, as reported by Business News earlier this month.
Mr Ambrose said BGC and the Westin brand’s owner, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, had collaborated to create a precinct that will bring a new level of sophistication to the city’s hotel offering.
“Perth’s hotel accommodation shortage is well documented, so realising the vision to bring The Westin Perth to 480 Hay Street will go a long way toward resolving this issue in the immediate term,” Mr Ambrose said.
“The Westin Perth, combined with BGC Development’s proposed commercial building and other significant precinct attractions will see the evolution of Perth’s next inner city destination.”
Tourism Minister Kim Hames agreed that the project would be a big help to the revitalisation of the eastern end of Murray and Hay Streets, while Starwood Hotels & Resorts Pacific director of acquisitions and development Andrew Taylor, said Perth was a prime location and a perfect opportunity for the Westin brand.
“Perth is emerging as a popular and progressive destination for the next generation of global travellers, and the Westin Perth will help meet the need for high end accommodation in a city which has the higher occupancy rates in Australia.”
BGC and Starwood are also working together on a 224-room, Aloft Hotel, the brand’s first entrance into Australia, at the Springs Rivervale precinct, which will be built by BGC Construction.
The Aloft project is expected to be under way in late April or early May.
The Westin Perth is expected to considerably lift the profile of the eastern end of the CBD.
