The Fyles Government has hired a commercial real estate company to identify a developer for a proposed new 250-room “upscale” hotel near the Darwin Convention Centre, as part of an overall redevelopment of the Darwin Waterfront.

The new un-costed proposal comes a little over a year after Darwin Port owner Landbridge Group officially scrapped its plans to build a $250 million luxury hotel at the Waterfront.

The new hotel proposal is being called the Darwin Convention Centre Hotel and the government has hired CBRE to run the international campaign to attract an investor, with market sounding already having commenced ahead of the expressions of interest phase.

The government is spruiking the convention centre hotel as an “upscale accommodation option for corporate and leisure visitors” that would be located on Stokes Hill Road directly adjacent to the centre with “spectacular views across Darwin Harbour and the Waterfront”.

The proposed hotel is part of the first stage in the new Darwin Waterfront Masterplan that the government said “will develop the Waterfront into one of Australia’s leading integrated tourism and lifestyle destinations through a world-class surf park, iconic snorkelling lagoon, new temperature controlled pools and countless additional food and beverage offerings”.

It was not disclosed how much taxpayer money the Fyles Government would be contributing towards the redevelopment or the hotel.

“The Darwin Convention Centre Hotel is listed in the NT infrastructure plan and pipeline 2022 as one of the key projects that align with the strategy’s investment objectives, in particular, to invest in the right infrastructure, in the right place, at the right time,” Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said, adding the hotel is a key part of the government’s ambition to see a $40 billion economy by 2030.

Darwin Waterfront Masterplan

“The hotel will be an important development to attract visitors and new business to the Territory as we continue to grow our relationships with our international neighbours.”

Tom Gibson, Hotels Director with CBRE, said the proposed hotel is an “incredible opportunity”.

“For the twelve months through August 2022, Darwin recorded the strongest RevPAR [revenue per available room] increase in Australia, increasing by 47 per cent when compared to the same period through August 2019,” he said.