Sunshine Coast tourism: Who owns the region’s major resorts, hotels and retreats
It’s the Sunshine Coast’s billion-dollar industry but who really benefits? See the list of major resort and hotel owners – from small businesspeople to multinationals.
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Mum and dad investors are taking on international behemoths when it comes to hotel and resort ownership on the Sunshine Coast.
The make-up of who’s who of the region’s major accommodation offerings range from Bangkok-based billionaires to locals wanting to share our slice of paradise with tourists and visitors.
Tourism dollars underpin a large piece of the Sunshine Coast’s economy with the sector delivering a $2.8bn windfall from domestic spending last year despite the ongoing effects of Covid-19.
Visit Sunshine Coast chief executive Matt Stoeckel said recent research found the sector supported 23,000 jobs and represented 15 per cent of the region’s gross regional product.
While domestic spending hit a new record last year the Sunshine Coast experienced a 13.9 per cent decline in total visitation when compared to research from before the pandemic.
Mr Stoeckel said events such as The Aussies which attracted thousands of surf life savers provided widespread economic benefits.
“This impacted every aspect of the Sunshine Coast economy from retail and restaurants to cycle repair shops and remedial masseurs,” he said.
“With the Olympics on the horizon, major development projects such as the proposed Maroochydore City convention centre and new hotels will accelerate short and longer term economic benefits.”
Mr Stoeckel said trends showed travellers favoured up-market boutique accommodation offerings, particularly in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
But the sector will have a new player emerge in 2022 with the introduction of a new internationally-branded hotel, the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites.
Mr Stoeckel said it would the first new hotel of its kind to open on the Sunshine Coast in more than 30 years.
“This will send a signal to the industry that Sunshine Coast tourism sector is reaching a new level of maturity,” he said.
Here’s some of the big players in the Sunshine Coast’s accommodation sector:
Accor
The resort owner with the most skin in the game at the Sunshine Coast is France-based accommodation giant Accor, which owns Mantra, the Sebel and Novotel hotels.
Chief executive Sebastien Bazin, 58, heads the French multinational company which generated almost $920m in revenue between July and September with its 5,525 hotels.
Mr Bazin said in the company’s quarterly report that the business was very strong in Europe, the Middle East and America.
However its revenue in Australia was down 56 per cent, with losses attributed to lockdowns in major cities.
It said the gradual easing of restrictions should enable a business recovery.
The business owns Novotel and The Sebel at Maroochydore and Twin Waters, Breakfree at Caloundra and Alexandra Headland, Mantra Zanzibar, Sirocco and Mooloolaba Beach and Mercure Sunshine Coast, Kawana.
The Oaks
A multinational hospitality, restaurant and lifestyle brand operates two major Sunshine Coast resorts.
Thailand-based Minor International Public Co owns Oaks Hotels which has two resorts on the Sunshine Coast, Oaks Oasis at Caloundra and Seaforth at Alexandra Headland.
The company is headed by William Ellwood Heinecke and owns 532 hotels internationally.
In its 2020 report Mr Heinecke said the hotel industry was one of the hardest hit industries from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Inevitably, Minor International, along with many other hospitality operators, was severely impacted by the pandemic,” he said.
“We have navigated through the toughest time in Minor International’s history.”
Craig Hooley heads the company’s Australian and New Zealand hotel business after being named its chief operating officer in April 2018.
Surfair/Ramada Hotel
The iconic and longstanding Surfair and Ramada Hotel at Marcoola Beach is owned by a United States-based hotel giant Wyndham Hotel Corporation.
Geoff Ballotti is the chief executive of the influential hotel brand based at Parsippany, New Jersey, which describes itself as the largest hotel franchisor in the world with 9280 locations.
The Marcoola Beach hotel features tourism accommodation as well as a conference centre.
Spicers Retreats
Successful businesswoman Jude Turner’s Spicers Retreats business showed no sign of slowing down as the tourism sector went into recovery mode from Covid-19.
Ms Turner has built the business over the past two decades to now feature 15 eco-friendly luxury getaways including Spicers Tamarind at Maleny and Spicers Clovelly at Montville.
The wife of Flight Centre co-founder and CEO Graham “Skroo” Turner last year launched Private Collection by Spicers, an accommodation booking platform for luxurious holiday homes with nightly rates ranging from $1000 to tens of thousands.
Her two Sunshine Coast retreats gained popularity since the Covid-19 pandemic with travellers increasingly wanting private and boutique accommodation offerings.
Narrows Escape
A young couple is behind a hinterland getaway that was this year named as the world’s most romantic hotel.
Ali Kahn and Xochi Lindholm purchased Narrows Escape in 2019 for $1.85m.
They offer package deals that include other experiences throughout the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
“The beauty of Narrows Escape is that it is a boutique property and we have the luxury of personally welcoming you and getting to know what we can do to help make your stay exceptional,” they said.
They also manage two boutique hotels in India.
The Hunchy House at Hunchy
Paul and Karin Orwin snapped up The Country House at Hunchy in 2016 with dreams to “retire” from the corporate world they endured in Brisbane.
Since then the couple has transformed the bed and breakfast near Montville after doing renovation works to the two-suite property.
In 2020 and 2021 the property was named among the Star Ratings Australia’s National Gold List – which only officially star rated properties can achieve.
Rumba Beach Resort
Rumba Resort on beachfront Leeding Terrace, is Caloundra’s only five-star resort.
It is made up of two low rise towers that wrap around swimming pools.
The management rights were sold to Craig Schiller in 2019.
Previously to that the resort was managed by SC Resort Management – headed by Benn and Leslie Wilson.
Under Mr Schiller’s management major renovations have been completed to the lagoon and jacuzzi spa areas.
The Falls Montville
Romantic rainforest retreat The Falls at Montville was snapped up by Tatenda Shamwari in early 2014 for about $863,000.
Company documents show directors Mark Joseph Collins and Alan David Dryden are co-directors.
The Sunshine Coast hinterland retreat features six secluded rainforest cottages and the Manor House which can have up to eight guests.
The Falls at Montville was named the top small hotel in Australia in Tripadvisor‘s Travellers Choice Awards.
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