The property, located in the heart of Parramatta’s dining and entertainment hub, has long been an iconic hotel in the region and was well maintained through the “dedication and care of many long serving associates”.
But according to an internal presentation provided to WSBA, “it was time to re-position the property as a preferred accommodation and meeting venue with an eight million dollar refurbishment”.
The project commenced mid 2010 with the accommodation rooms and progressed through to the public areas to include the bar ‘BAR:30’, foyer, reception and pre-function areas. The refurbishment was completed mid 2011 following the opening of the new kitchen and restaurant, ‘TABLE:30’.
“The enhancement to the product from a visual perspective and overall guest experience has positioned PARKROYAL Parramatta as a preferred place of lodging in Parramatta and the immediate region,” the presentation notes.
“The textures, colours, and materials used throughout the design offers guests a warm and inviting atmosphere created through rich colours, contrasted with striking modern furnishings and signature indigenous artwork on each floor.”
PARKROYAL Parramatta commissioned established renowned designer John Dunn from IDC Design to develop the design through to practical completion. The refurbishment scope of works included an extension on the ground floor to the Marsden meeting room through the relocation of administration offices, increasing the Marsden room’s meeting capacity from 60 to 110people.
According to the presentation, the relocation of the administration offices to a refurbished open plan on the first level has increased the efficiency and effective communication of the hotel’s various departmental teams and relationships between them, improving overall hotel functionality.
Elsewhere in western Sydney, the Sunnybrook Hotel and Conference Centre appears to have landed on its feet after a financially devastating period which saw the complex placed into receivership in March 2011.
But a joint strategy by receivers and managers, Ferrier Hodgson, and property marketers Jones Lang LaSalle, successfully repositioned the asset, splitting it into three distinct components – a function centre, a hotel with gaming potential and an accommodation facility.
The asset was sold unconditionally for $18.6 million to Oscars Hotels - a 25 per cent premium to the banks mortgagee valuation of $15 million. The restructured approach clearly had its merits, with plans on display in the foyer of the complex for fresh upgrades at the site. WSBA contacted Oscars Hotels to ascertain the nature of the upgrades but did not receive a response at time of press.
