Landing a flight of fancy: Jude Turner’s Sydney boutique retreats

Jude Turner finds the perfect size for her chain of boutique retreats.

Jude Turner’s new project is expected to emerge as the financial powerhouse of her burgeoning Spicers Retreats Group.

Jude Turner’s new pet project, a boutique 20-room hotel in Sydney’s trendy Potts Point created out of a series of 1880 Victorian terraces is expected to emerge as the financial powerhouse of her burgeoning Spicers Retreats Group.

The Brisbane-based Jude was in Sydney inspecting the $20 million-plus renovation of her first Sydney boutique hotel property, Spicers Potts Point, which is opening in June and will be the ninth addition to her portfolio of regional retreats and city hotels.

The private Jude, wife of Graham Turner, who co-founded the Flight Centre global travel empire, has amassed boutique hotels and retreats throughout southeast Queensland and NSW.

The chic Victoria Avenue Spicers Potts Point will be decorated with 32 limited edition Martine Emdur oil paintings and prints, with velvet soft furnishings reflecting the deep blues and greys used by the award-winning artist. The reception area will be lined with a Martine Emdur oil on linen and glass walls, with the aim of creating a water tank effect when guests first arrive.

As well as oversized bathrooms, and recycled timber floors the 20 suites feature bespoke bathroom cabinets crafted in Melbourne, Italian light fittings and tiles as well as glass doors imported from Switzerland. Hotel rooms will cost between $400 and $700 a night.

Jude, who says she has no mind for business, but is all about creating the product, says the new rule at Spicers Retreats is that each property must have at least 20 rooms.

“They don’t make money unless they have 20 rooms ... I am gradually adding to them to get them all up to 20 rooms,” she says.

But that won’t happen in her favourite property, Spicers Sangoma Retreat in the NSW Blue Mountains, given council restrictions on extending the six-suite property due to bushfire restrictions.

“With the Sydney property there will be a lot of international guests, I think it will appeal to anybody who wants an inner-city experience,” says Jude, who initially trained as an art teacher.

“My mother said it would be good if I could support a family like she did.”

Born near Harvey Bay, Jude picked up her love of design from her father, an architect and engineer.

“I have an interest in creating the experiences, that is my passion. I have learnt I have to make it an experience, I have to encourage the right people to want to work for me. To do that it has to be a profitable business, I have learnt that.

“And I have a good teacher.

“I grew up in Warwick, Graham or Skroo as he is known was from Stanthorpe in southeast Queensland. He asked me out and I said ‘no’. Five years later we met in London again ... ”

Graham Turner, Jude’s husband of more than 40 years, sits on the 10-member Spicers Retreat board.

“I try to learn and I ask him to pass on his business acumen. I worked for Top Deck in London which morphed into Flight Centre for 20 years. I did a bit of everything, I worked as a consultant, I worked in human resources, as Flight Centre’s news editor, and I organised the first global ball of 146 people at Jupiters on the Gold Coast. Now they have 3000 people attending those global balls.”

The businesswoman, who employs nearly 250 staff, is putting the finishing touches to Spicers Potts Point as well as scouring Daylesford and Yarra Valley to bring the Spicers brand to Victoria.

“I would love to do a warehouse conversion, and I would love to create a Brisbane pod and a Blue Mountains pod of Spicers properties,” she says.

The plan is to get local and international guests to spend one week staying in Spicers Retreats both in the city and rural areas.