Northern Territory Government looks to private sector for Darwin Convention Centre Hotel development

The Northern Territory Government will be calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI) in the coming weeks from the private sector to develop the Darwin Convention Centre Hotel - a new hotel which will be integrated within the Darwin Convention Centre and built at the Darwin Waterfront.

The Territory Government and Darwin Waterfront Corporation have appointed commercial real estate and investor specialists, CBRE Hotels, to run the international campaign to attract an experienced investor, developer and operator for the project.

CBRE Hotels have already commenced market sounding for the opportunity as a precursor to the EOI process with CBRE Hotels Director, Tom Gibson advising “The Darwin Convention Centre Hotel is an incredible opportunity to secure a strategic foothold in one of Asia Pacific’s fastest growing hotel markets.

“For the twelve months through August 2022, Darwin recorded the strongest RevPAR increase in Australia, increasing by 47% when compared to the same period through August 2019.”

The Darwin Convention Centre Hotel is expected to offer between 200 – 250 rooms, and provide new, upscale accommodation options for corporate and leisure visitors, located on Stokes Hill Road directly adjacent to the Convention Centre and offers spectacular views across Darwin Harbour and the Waterfront.

NT Minister for Tourism and Hospitality, Nicole Manison adds “Transforming our iconic waterfront will reinvigorate our tourism industry, and we’re excited to welcome visitors to a brand new international hotel surrounded by restaurants, bars and must see attractions.

"A new hotel will attract workers and visitors alike to the Northern Territory and provide ongoing jobs in the tourism hospitality sector.

"This is a really exciting development in the future of Territory tourism but also for locals who love our waterfront precinct, to see it become even bigger and better.”

NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles noted that the Territory Government is working to grow a $40 billion economy by 2030.

Minister Fyles advised “The Darwin Convention Centre Hotel is listed in the NT infrastructure plan and pipeline 2022 as one of the key projects that align with the strategy’s investment objectives, in particular, to invest in the right infrastructure, in the right place, at the right time.

“The Territory’s economic position is bouncing back from COVID-19 with investors actively looking for projects to undertake.

“The hotel will be an important development to attract visitors and new business to the Territory as we continue to grow our relationships with our international neighbours.”

Darwin Waterfront Corporation Board Chair, Richard Fejo adds “having a Hotel integrated with the Convention Centre will be a game changer for the Darwin Waterfront.

“This is the critical first step in the delivery of the Waterfront Masterplan, which builds on our connection to water to develop a truly world-class tourism, business events, hospitality and lifestyle destination.”

The Darwin Convention Centre Hotel is part of the first stage in the redesigned Darwin Waterfront Masterplan also publicly released today, which will redevelop the Waterfront into one of Australia’s leading integrated tourism and lifestyle destinations through a world-class surf park, iconic snorkelling lagoon, new temperature controlled pools and countless additional food and beverage offerings. A flythrough of the new Masterplan can be found at waterfront.nt.gov.au/masterplan

Experienced proponents interested in the opportunity can visit www.invest.nt.gov.au