Local luxury
Visitors to Perth can now treat themselves
to one of the world’s most luxurious hotel
experiences, following the opening of
The Ritz-Carlton in November. But there
is more luxury on the way.
Marriott International’s vice president
of luxury brands, Bruce Ryde, recently paid
a visit to share the company’s vision for
luxuryaccommodationinAustralia.
“It’sbeenquitequietinAustraliathe
lastfewyears.Thecosttobuild,thecostto
operate– particularlyluxuryhotels– has
beenprohibitive.Nowthereturnon
investmenthasevenedupandthereis a
surgeofnewluxurypropertiesopening.”
ThatsurgebeganwithWBrisbaneopening
inJune2018,followedbyTheRitz-Carlton
Perthopening.InMelbourne,threenew
luxurypropertiesaresettoopeninthenext
threeyears,withplansforAustralia’sfirstSt
Regispropertytoopenin2022.TheRitz-
Carltonis alreadyunderconstruction,along
withWMelbourne,whichwillopen
onCollinsStreetnextyear.Meanwhile,in
Sydney,theworld’sbiggestWpropertyis
underconstructioninDarlingHarbour.
“WehadnothinginAustraliaandwe
nowhavea very,veryrobustpipelineof
luxuryhotelscoming,”explainsRyde.“We’re very seriously going back to Aust
and making sure our brands resonate with
the Australian audience.”
Internationally, dining and hospitality a
a major focus for the group, especially The
Ritz-Carlton, which claims more Michelin
starred restaurants than any other hotel br
In Australia, the goal is to enlist some of
thecountry’sbestculinarytalenttocreate
restaurantsthataredestinationsforlocal
residentsas wellas hotelguests.And,of
course,tomakeGourmetTraveller’s listoft
restaurantswhenit comestoourannualaw
“It’sabouthavingtherightchefwho’sa
tobringtolifelocalproduce.InPerth,we
havea greatchef,JedGerrard,whois alla
localWesternAustralianproduce.Thewi
listis theverybestofWesternAustralian
winesbecauseit’sa stunningwine-growing
regionandwinesareincrediblyimportant
toAustralians,”saysRyde.
Likewise,whenit comestodesign,thet
is consciousthatimportinginternational
conceptswillnotimpressthelocalaudien
“Todoa formalhotelwithlotsof
chandeliersandmarbleis notgoingto
workanymore.Australiansaretoopro
andtoosophisticatedtowantsomek
ofcopyofa Europeanmodel.”After a quiet few years on the high-end hotel front,
there’s a wave of new options hitting our shores.Left: The Ritz-Carlton Perth
sits on Elizabeth Quay.
Above: Interiors at The
Ritz-Carlton Perth.wpesto
hsauce
esinthree
ry,vibrant
urs:Green
o,RedTomato
OrangeTomato.
280gmfor$5,
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