Cairns, North Queensland to get new 5-star Sofitel hotel

Accor is to expand its prestige Sofitel brand with a new luxury apartment hotel in Palm Cove, the premier tourist area in the Cairns region of North Queensland.

Sofitel Triton Palace - scheduled to open in late 2004 - will join the Sofitel Reef Casino Cairns, and will be the fifth Sofitel in Australia, following the launch of Sofitel Wentworth Sydney in early 2004.

Accor has been awarded the operating contract for the hotel by Triton Palace Management Pty Ltd, who has agreed to acquire the management rights for the property from the Melbourne-based property development syndicate FTV Palm Cove Pty Ltd. The 142-apartment hotel is to be named the Sofitel Triton Palace.

The hotel will comprise 16 penthouse apartments, 76 one bedroom apartments, 9 two-bedroom apartments, 32 dual-keyed two bedroom apartments and 9 beachfront three bedroom apartments.

The luxury apartments will be complemented by full hotel services, a lagoon-style pool, conference centre, fitness centre, two restaurants, a spa and swim-up bar.

The Sofitel Triton Palace will have an absolute beachfront location, with most apartments boasting water views. The interior design of each apartment will reflect the ambience of tropical north Queensland, including timber floors, ceiling fans and spacious balconies.

The Sofitel Triton Palace location is a short walk from Palm Cove's vibrant village and is less than 20 minutes to Cairns International Airport and 30 minutes to the Cairns city centre. Reef cruises operate directly from Palm Cove wharf and an extensive range of beach and water sports are available on the beachfront.

Cairns is one of Australia's largest gateways for international visitors, second only to Sydney for holiday arrivals from Europe and the USA. At the same time, the establishment of Cairns as a hub for Australian Airlines services is set to increase the numbers of Japanese and other Asian visitors.

Historically, the Cairns/Tropical North Queensland region's share of international visitors has risen from 6% to almost 20% in the last twenty years - a threefold increase in its market share. Palm Cove has seen an average growth in accommodation demand of around 17% per annum over the last 15 years, and even after September 11, the region enjoyed strong occupancies throughout 2002.

Palm Cove is also a preferred destination in North Queensland for domestic tourists and with the ever increasing services by both Virgin Blue and Qantas, there are excellent prospects for growth in the domestic market.

Frank Vita, of FTV Palm Cove said the appointment of Accor reflected the group's experience in operating in Queensland's resort market and the global renown of the Sofitel brand.

"This is one of North Queensland's most prestigious projects and with Sofitel branding and management on board, together with its prime location, we believe that this development represents a blue-chip investment," said Mr Vita.

"The move to 'holiday at home' in the wake of SARS and Iraq actually boosted occupancies for Palm Cove, with substantial increases compared to normal May/June periods. We anticipate that with increased air-services and outstanding accommodation such as this project, there will be even greater incentive for tourists to come to Palm Cove."

Accor Asia Pacific Chairman, David Baffsky, said that the project should benefit from Sofitel branding and Accor management.

"Over the past five years Sofitel has undergone the most extensive expansion in its history, with new additions in cities such as London, Paris, Chicago, New York, Montreal and Tokyo," he said. "We are also undertaking a massive expansion in Asia, particularly in China, where we will add five Sofitels in the next year bringing the China network to 11, with further projects being planned.

"There are also plans for additional Sofitels in a number of countries in Asia, including Indonesia and Thailand.

"China and Japan represent outstanding growth opportunities for Australian inbound business and with Accor and Sofitel now having a major presence in both markets we can anticipate attracting strong inbound numbers from these markets. Locally, the Sofitel brand is now firmly established in major domestic feeder markets such as Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns.

"We believe this new hotel will be an outstanding addition to northern Queensland's tourism infrastructure. While the region - as with the rest of Australia - has suffered in 2002-03 due to international crises, North Queensland has unique attractions for tourists and with the Accor distribution network, we are confident of taking this market to even higher levels."

When the Sofitel opens it will be Accor's 7th hotel in the Cairns region.