Rockhampton Plaza Hotel: New management on the way after the owner pays rates debt

The Rockhampton Plaza Hotel has been closed since 2014 and was in court with council last year for an unpaid rates debt of $200k. Now, it has taken a fresh turn. Find out the latest.

The unpaid rates battle between Rockhampton Regional Council and the owner of the troubled Plaza Hotel has come to an end.

Council took owner James Chang to court last year after he accumulated an outstanding rates debt of $207,008.05 over four periods, plus legal and interest fees.

The court ordered Mr Chang in September 2021 to pay the costs.

Mr Chang told this publication he had paid the rates in October after he sold a Brisbane property for $5.6 million.

A new list of properties to go to auction due to unpaid rates was published by Rockhampton Regional Council last month and the George Street property was no longer listed.

Plaza Hotel South Rockhampton in 2012

The hotel has been closed since 2014 and was reported to be quite run down then, and has only gone more downhill since.

Over the years, Mr Chang has spoken to this publication about his plans for the site and new management has been spruiked a few times but it has never come to fruition.

In 2019 he revealed plans for a $1.6 billion, 38-storey high rise building which would include apartments, a school, gym, hotel management college, five level shopping centre and rooftop restaurant and entertainment venue – but it has never gotten off the ground.

The hotel is regularly criticised on social media for being an eyesore and locals say it should be used to accommodate homeless people.

A new social media page has been created for the address, 161 on George Hotel International, which claims the hotel is opening soon and will have short and long term accommodation, a bar and a 100-person Filipino Australian Restaurant.