Palm Beach Hotel: Green light for luxury Gold Coast Highway development near beach

A plan to build Palm Beach’s first luxury tower hotel has hit a critical milestone, with city leaders having their say on the $120m project’s future.

PALM BEACH’S first luxury tower hotel has been given the green light.

The Gold Coast City Council’s planning committee has approved plans by developer Rob Steer to build the $120m, six-storey project just meters away from the beachfront.

It is earmarked for a 2000sq m Gold Coast Highway site next to the popular Balboa Italian restaurant, which also puts it on the future light rail route.

The project, known simply as Palm Beach Hotel, will be built in a single stage, with construction to begin in the final quarter of 2023 and an opening date in early 2025.

Artist impression of the Palm Beach Hotel by developer Rob Steer of Steer Developments.

Mr Steer said there were few luxury hotels in the city’s southern suburbs.

“We wanted to create a space that makes our guests feel something special. It’s about the entire experience. A perfect blend of beauty, luxury, and premium quality with a calm, lush, and peaceful serenity,” he said.

“We have always appreciated the Gold Coast’s lifestyle and are excited to contribute to its beauty and make an everlasting impact on the southern Gold Coast.

“While the northern end of the Gold Coast is flooded with hotels, the southern end is ripe for a luxury offering. Along with Mondrian set to open in Burleigh, the timing is perfect for an additional prestige hotel at Palm Beach.”

The location of the proposed hotel.

The hotel, which was code compliant with the City Plan, will have 126 rooms, a rooftop pool and a restaurant.

It was designed by Plus Architecture.

Plus Gold Coast director Danny Juric said Palm Beach had dramatically boomed in recent years, with significant increases in property values, along with a large number of new developments.

Artist impression of the Palm Beach Hotel’s rooftop pool by developer Rob Steer of Steer Developments.

“Being such a significant project, our team took a considered approach to create a standout development in an increasingly discerning market,” he said.

While there has been an influx of new developments in Gold Coast’s southern suburbs in the past three years, most have been boutique residential projects.

A renewed focus on hotels came after tourism leaders previously warned the city’s accommodation stock was ageing and in need of significant refreshment.

However, the reshaping of the suburb ahead of the light rail’s construction, has led to significant angst from some Palm Beach residents who oppose both the tram and the resulting development. 

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