Outrigger chooses Australia

By Frank Cho
Advertiser Staff Writer

Outrigger will manage the Port Douglas Resort, its seventh resort property in Australia, latest in a growing list of agreements by the company's Australian arm. Outrigger Hotels & Resorts photo

Outrigger will manage the luxury Outrigger Port Douglas Resort about 30 miles north of Cairn, in the state of Queensland. The resort of 32 one- and two-bedroom units is being developed by Australia-based Ray Group and will open in June at a cost of $7 million.

"We remain extremely confident in the North Queensland tourist market," said Dave Lawrence, vice president and general director for Outrigger Hotels & Resorts in Australia.

The property represents Outrigger's latest move into the South Pacific. The Outrigger Port Douglas Resort is the fourth property management agreement announced this year by the company's Australian arm, bringing to seven the properties in Outrigger's Australian portfolio that are open or under development. An eighth property is set to open in New Caledonia late next year.

Lawrence said Outrigger intends to announce another property agreement in the region shortly, and expects to be operating more than 20 resorts throughout Australia by 2005.

Outrigger's long-term strategy is to operate full-service hotels in gateway cities such as Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

Bill Henderson, Outrigger's vice president for business development, said the company's growing portfolio of properties in Australia and the Pacific region is in line with the company's strategic decision several years ago to diversify outside of Hawai'i.

"With the current downturn in tourism to Hawai'i resulting from the tragic events of Sept. 11, our Australia properties are currently the best-performing resorts in Outrigger's inventory, and we look forward to further growth in the region," Henderson said.

Outrigger Hotels & Resorts is Hawai'i's biggest locally owned lodging company, with 45 hotels and resorts and more than 12,000 hotel rooms and condominiums throughout the Pacific region.