Crystalbrook Collection Hotels and Resorts has won the tender to acquire Newcastle’s iconic ‘Roundhouse’ Council Administrative Centre and intends to convert the building into a luxury five-star hotel, ready to open in late 2020.
The hotel is to be called Kingsley, a Crystalbrook Collection Hotel. The name follows a Crystalbrook Collection naming convention where each of their hotels is given a gender-neutral name and its own unique personality. The name Kingsley is a nod to Newcastle’s heritage and the city’s earlier name Kingstown dating back to 1804.
This will be the first five-star hotel for the city of Newcastle. Crystalbrook Collection CEO Mark Davie said he was thrilled with the result of the tender: “There’s really nothing like this building, it has a strong identity and connection to the city of Newcastle. I see a lot of potential.
“We think the location, with the City Hall, the Civic Theatre, the Art Gallery and the War Memorial Cultural Centre right on the doorstep, makes it a perfect location for a five-star hotel.”
Mr Davie said he had been watching Newcastle’s growth in recent years and felt strongly that Crystalbrook Collection should become a contributor to the future growth of the city.
Initial studies indicated the ‘Roundhouse’ could accommodate at least 100 five-star hotel rooms. Initial renders developed by Newcastle’s Barney Collins of EJE Architecture also show the introduction of a rooftop restaurant and recreational area complete with a swimming pool.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes hailed the landmark deal as a turning point in Newcastle’s history.
“Great cities around the world provide truly great accommodation. And the mark of a great hotel is one done to a five-star standard. Crystalbrook’s decision to invest in Newcastle, when they could have invested anywhere in Australia, says so much about our city and how we are viewed by those living interstate and overseas.
“I applaud Crystalbrook’s vision in re-imagining the CAC’s brutalist architecture. Reviewing their plans and renders, their vision for the building is an ideal adaptive reuse. In the space of less than two years, Newcastle will have a building that is both iconic and luxurious.”
To date, Crystalbrook Collection has committed to investments in excess of $800 million in Australia including six luxury five and six-star hotels currently operating or under development.
In the last quarter Crystalbrook Collection has opened Riley, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort in Cairns, the first five-star hotel to open in Cairns in over 20 years and acquired Little Albion, a Crystalbrook Collection Boutique Hotel in Surry Hills, Sydney.
Renders developed and created by Barney Collins or EJE Architecture, Newcastle.
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