Fresh from signing a joint-venture agreement with KSL Capital Partners (KSL), Baillie Lodges has announced a northerly addition to its portfolio of luxury lodges, with Tropical North Queensland bolt-hole Silky Oaks Lodge set to join the fold in April 2019.
Set among the World Heritage-listed wilderness of the Daintree National Park and along the banks of the gently flowing Mossman River, Silky Oaks Lodge offers guests a stylish rainforest escape, with experiences including river-snorkelling, driving safaris, Indigenous guided walks, the lodge’s own Healing Waters Spa and access to Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef.
The move comes just weeks after Baillie Lodges announced its partnership with KSL, reaffirming a commitment to grow its portfolio of luxury lodges in Australia’s most extraordinary destinations. The new company will invest in property enhancements and product developments at Silky Oaks Lodge in the coming months, aligning it with the trademark Baillie Lodges’ guest experience.
Already a member of the Luxury Lodges of Australia collection, Silky Oaks Lodge was considered a perfect fit with the existing Baillie Lodges properties, offering guests a broader range of multi-lodge itineraries and leveraging Baillie Lodges’ distribution network and operations expertise.
As a destination experience, the discovery of the Daintree at Silky Oaks Lodge is an ideal complement to Baillie Lodges’ existing lodges including the outback encounter offered at Longitude 131° at Uluru-Kata Tjuta, the remote coastal wilderness at Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island and the barefoot luxury at Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island.
Silky Oaks Lodge’s recognition among Australia’s best luxury lodges is a tribute to owner managers Paul and Barbara Van Min, who have led the property’s direction and welcomed thousands of domestic and international guests over the past nine years.
Silky Oaks’ talented staff will join the broader Baillie Lodges team, with future opportunities now open to them to work at other lodges in the portfolio. Recruitment will also commence for a new senior management team at the property.
Baillie Lodges Founder and Executive Chairman James Baillie said he was delighted to welcome Silky Oaks Lodge to the family.
“We see great benefits in Silky Oaks Lodge joining Baillie Lodges where there are so many synergies, including our relationship with the travel trade, opportunities for staff, supplier and cost efficiencies and above all, an enriched experience for our guests,” Mr Baillie said.
“It’s very special for me to reignite my involvement in Silky Oaks Lodge, having joined the iconic property as General Manager when it was first acquired by P&O Resorts and then leading its continued development – alongside the likes of Lizard and Bedarra Islands – in my former role as Managing Director of P&O Australian Resorts.”
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