Sydney Airport’s new hotel lands
As airport hotels evolve beyond the pitstop, Mantra Hotel at Sydney Airport opens to accommodate the 42 million passengers passing through Australia’s busiest airport each week.
The International Air Transport Association predicts that annual global air passenger movements will reach seven billion by 2034.
As these global passenger numbers continue to climb, and as heightened security means travellers can have many hours to spare between flights, airport ‘cities’ are becoming destinations for visitors to explore retail and restaurants, conduct business and even admire the architecture.
In May, Canberra Airport’s new hotel offering, Vibe Hotel Canberra, took home a coveted prize at the Property Council of Australia / Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation & Excellence Awards for its inspired architecture and clever business model.
Internationally, airport hotels are taking off. In Amsterdam, for example, the new Hilton at Schiphol Airport features a cubist design, a 43-metre high atrium and resort-style amenities. Central Amsterdam is just a 15-minute train ride away. In AccorHotels’ new Pullman Hotel at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, luxurious rooms have views of the busy taxiways so guests can enjoy planespotting.
Mantra Group’s new offering is just eight kilometres from Sydney’s CBD, with many of the 136 modern studio rooms overlooking Sydney Airport’s runways. Business-friendly services, such as express check-out and an internet kiosk, are complemented with relaxed dining offerings and a “bold provincial menu”.
Mantra’s chief executive officer Bob East says the eight-storey property provides additional hotel capacity to support the growth of aviation and tourism in the Sydney basin, while providing “vibrant, dynamic facilities and a slick service culture”.
NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall says new hotels in key precincts play a critical role in promoting a vibrant visitor economy while meeting the needs of growing visitor numbers to Sydney, attracting first-time and returning domestic and international travellers.
“I also know that this hotel will be warmly welcomed by people living in rural and regional areas who are often after a nearby quality hotel to stopover for a night before having to fly out again the next day,” Marshall says.
Sydney Airport contributes $30.8 billion in economic activity each year, equivalent to 6.4 per cent of the New South Wales economy. It is also a major employer in the state, generating more than 306,700 direct and indirect jobs, equivalent to 8.9 per cent of the state’s employment. Around 29,000 of these jobs are at the airport itself.
Mantra Group’s portfolio consists of 128 properties with more than 21,000 rooms in properties under management, across Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Hawaii.