One of the newest entrants to Perth’s hotels sector is promising a radically different approach to hospitality.
One of the newest entrants to Perth’s hotels sector is promising a radically different approach to hospitality.
When Starwood Hotels and Resorts executives began looking at expanding their Aloft brand to Australia it was Perth, not an east coast capital, that firmed as the best landing place to debut their new breed of hotel.
That’s because those executives saw many synergies between the burgeoning Perth hotel market and the Aloft brand’s identity, according to Aloft Perth general manager Stephen Morahan.
“The aspect of creating a brand in a market that seems to be quite youthful, vibrant and willing to try new things, it made perfect sense to put it here in Perth,” Mr Morahan told Business News.
“There’s nothing like it in Perth at the moment, so it fills a gap.”
Mr Morahan said Aloft was the fastest growing brand in the Marriott stable, with two more hotels, in Adelaide and Melbourne, slated to be constructed in coming years.
Perth’s Aloft hotel, which is being built by BGC Development and is nearing completion in Rivervale, will open on May 26, having started taking bookings today.
The property will add 224 rooms to Perth’s rapidly diversifying hotels market, which is experiencing a wave of new development after decades of malaise.
Mr Morahan said the property was designed for people to interact, rather than simply check in and spend all of their time in their room or suite.
“It’s designed to get people out of their rooms and be involved in the property itself, whether that be through the meeting spaces, through the restaurants, through the bar, or even just socialising or mingling,” Mr Morahan said.
“And the property has been designed to encourage local people to experience the hotel, particularly the food and beverage spaces.
“We are trying to make it a destination in its own right, for local residents, leisure guests, or the business community.’
Mr Morahan said that elusive point of difference was all the more important in Perth, especially with nearly 4,000 new hotel rooms in the development pipeline.
Aloft isn’t alone in being a new brand in Perth; last year, Sage Hotels opened its first WA property in West Perth, while Mantra Group also introduced its Peppers marque to the WA market in 2016.
Mantra Group will also introduce its Tribe Hotels and Breakfree Hotels brands to Perth in coming years, with proposals in East Perth and the CBD in the planning process, while construction is under way on a 21-level QT Hotel at the old Cinema City site on Barrack Street.
Mr Morahan said it was important for Aloft to be able to establish itself as one of the first of the new brands to open.
“It’s a huge opportunity for us that we get to set the benchmark for what’s going to happen going forward,” he said.
“There are some great products out there, there is no question of that, but the uniqueness of Aloft will provide a point of difference for what can be done and what’s coming.”
