Wollongong’s thriving tourism industry has triggered a boom in hotel development, with the city preparing to welcome its fifth international-standard hotel in only two years.
While Sydney prepares for only its first new five-star hotel in a decade, Wollongong has been on fire in the hotel stakes and on January 21, 2008, will welcome the new Medina Executive Wollongong, offering a range of serviced apartments supported by full hotel services.
Other mainstream brands to open in the city over the past two years are Ibis, Rydges, Best Western and Quest.
The one-time industrial city has not looked back since it took advantage of its prime coastal location and proximity to Sydney to re-invent itself as a tourism and lifestyle centre seven years ago.
Visitor numbers rose steadily as the repositioning took effect, then surged when the NSW Government opened the new Sea Cliff Bridge on the spectacular drive from Sydney.
Tourism Wollongong General Manager Greg Binskin said the new bridge had provided a turning point, providing the city with a powerful draw card.
“Suddenly we had a new emblem, which we used to set up Grand Pacific Drive, a new coastal driving route that would spread the bridge’s popularity right along the coast,” Mr Binskin said. “The visitors soon started coming, and along with them came the hoteliers.”
Mr Binskin credits the bridge and Grand Pacific Drive with adding more than 400 rooms to Wollongong’s accommodation stock over the past two years, mostly in the 4-star plus category.
“Where the Novotel Northbeach was once our only international-standard hotel, we now have five,” he said. “The rest of the region is also benefiting from Grand Pacific Drive, demonstrated by last month’s opening of the new 174-room Grand Mercure Kiama Blue Hotel in the seaside village of Kiama.”
Located in the heart of Wollongong’s CBD, the Medina offers 71 studio and one-bedroom apartments, a gymnasium and swimming pool and three conference rooms with theatre-style capacity for up to 110 people.
To celebrate the opening, the Medina is offering studio apartments from $130 per night and one-bedroom apartments from $150 per night until February 29. For bookings call 1300 MEDINA and quote ‘OPENING’. Offer subject to availability and excludes February 15-17.
For more information about the Medina Executive Wollongong go to http://www.medina.com.au/.
For information about Wollongong and surrounds go to http://www.tourismwollongong.com.au/ and http://www.grandpacificdrive.com.au/ or call 1800 240 737.
A Report by The Mole
