Colliers Wollongong’s Simon Kersten applauds as the pine tree is installed as part of the Crowne Plaza Shell Cove topping out ceremony. Photo: Kellie O’Brien.
Placing a pine tree atop the luxury five-star Crowne Plaza Shell Cove as part of a structural topping out ceremony marked a milestone in the combined $150 million project on Friday (2 August), which will set new standards for accommodation in Shellharbour.
Colliers Wollongong managing director Simon Kersten said that when reaching the top slab in a building project, the pine tree was installed as a symbolic gesture, a safety measure and a celebration in reaching the top.
Simon said Oscars Group had a vision for the region by wanting to put a Crowne Plaza hotel in Shellharbour’s marina precinct, which thanks to project management team Momentum Projects and builder Growthbuilt was now on track to be completed by February or March next year.
“They’ve really had a leap of faith in this project, and it’s been so great to see them stick with it and deliver this really important, both tourism and residential, assets to our city,” he said.
“You’ll see that lately there’s been a huge cry for more hotel rooms in the city.
“We have an event next year, which is a world triathlon event, and we pushed really hard to get that and they’re already fully booked.
“That just shows you the state of accommodation and the vision for reaching out and doing something so important and investing so many hundreds of millions of dollars into the city.”
He said the complex would offer luxury Crowne Plaza hotel accommodation and Benetti residential apartments, with a restaurant, bar and cafe, conference and event space, gym facilities and outdoor resort-style pool.
“We sold most of the apartments in the first release and within the first two weeks,” he said.
“We sold $50 million worth of apartments in the first weekend.”
He said of the 48 apartments, there were now only six smaller apartments with mountain views remaining.
“All the expensive ones went on the first day, and we set market records here with the initial sales, achieving $4.5 million for the penthouse,” he said.
“It’s really the best of both worlds in that you’ve got this ultra luxury living and you have the ability to walk straight into a five-star hotel.”
Oscars Group director and founder Bill Gravanis said it was a collaborative effort to reach the topping off point.
“It’s been a huge road starting from late 2016 when we first came across the site and the position,” Bill said.
“It was all just paddocks back then, so it’s come a long way this entire area from the precinct to the marina to what’s being built here.
“If it was just based on a mathematical formula, there’s probably a lot of things most people wouldn’t take on but you’ve got to have a bit of a gut feel, some vision and truly I’ve always felt this was going to be very successful and I believe it’s going to do extremely well.”
Shellharbour City Council Mayor Chris Homer said it would be a welcome addition to the growing region for tourism and jobs.
“I’ve lived in Shellharbour all my life and I don’t know how many times I’ve had to say when you come to beautiful Shellharbour and you want five-star accommodation, you’ve unfortunately got to go to Wollongong,” Cr Homer said.
“Shellharbour has been a tourist haven for a long time now, but a variety of accommodation has not always been available.”
He said he was looking forward to the area having different accommodation options and amenities available.
“The diverse range of facilities available will provide an array of employment options for both people who already live in Shellharbour and those who may wish to move to this fabulous area in order to take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.
Loading ...
