Duo captured in strange balcony blue six floors up at city hotel
Two blokes have been caught on video in a strange punch-on, six floors up on the balcony of a Cairns hotel, that’s now taking on a new kind of guest to relieve a critical housing shortage. SEE THE VIDEO
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TWO blokes have been caught on video in a strange punch-on, six floors up on the balcony of a Cairns Esplanade hotel, that has recently taken on a new kind of guest to relieve a critical Cairns housing shortage.
On Friday afternoon an eagled-eyed city guest, Dion Creek, noticed the two men going toe-to-toe on the balcony of the Acacia Court Hotel and pulled out his phone to capture the action.
Coen-based Kalan Enterprises operations manager, Mr Creek, can be heard in the video uttering an expletive as the duo go at it shadow boxing.
“In all seriousness people. I called the hotel and told them what was going on … hopefully nothing silly happens,” he said on Facebook.
Chinese property tycoon Benny Wu bought the Acacia Court Hotel for $18m in 2013 with an $80m plan to drastically redevelop the site.
In 2015, his company shelled out $2.68m for the neighbouring property – a stately old house once home to a well-known Cairns GP, the late Dr Lesley Westaway.
Unoccupied, the property has fallen into disrepair and has been the subject of Cairns Regional Council overgrown notices.
Acacia Court has also gone downhill in recent times if the negative reviews on TripAdvisor are any indication.
Staff confirmed on Sunday morning the property is now home to long-term residents rather than overnight guests in a bid to generate income amid a tourism downturn and provide desperate locals with a roof over their head.
It has also been reported the hotel is housing children in state care and their minders when beds in suburban residential care homes cannot be sourced.
Hotel manager Polly Pan said most guests are sight seeking tourists but there was a mix of guests.
“It’s mostly tourists at Acacia Court but we have some people that stay there long-term and they renew weekly,” she said.
“But we have another property that does long-term stays.”
She also confirmed state wards and their carers use the hotel.
“They do not book directly with us, they have an agency that works with us if they have had some violent issue,” she said.
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Originally published as Duo captured in strange balcony blue six floors up at city hotel
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