The new Western Australian General Manager of ISIS has flagged significant growth in demand for accommodation refurbishments as Perth’s hotel and leisure sector continues to evolve.
Damian La Rosa said high occupancy rates driven by Perth’s resilient economy and demand from resources workers and growing demand from the energy sector meant that, at present, Hoteliers do not need to update their accommodation to attract clientele.
“With high occupancy rates for rooms that may be 10- to 15-years old there is very little motivation for them to upgrade their accommodation in an effort to keep pace with their competitors,” he said.
“[However], as a range of large hotels and leisure sector projects – such as the Elizabeth Quay, Crown Burswood and FESA site re-developments – are completed over coming years this will place additional pressure on existing Hoteliers to provide a better and more modern product for their guests.
“As a result, in approximately 12- to 18-months, we expect to see the beginning of a period of substantial growth for hotel refurbishments in the Perth marketplace as established hotels look to keep pace with these new developments,” he said.
ISIS is one of Australia’s leading fitout and refurbishment contractors, with a long history delivering projects in the hotel sector. Having started with the company nine years ago, La Rosa has gained a solid knowledge of the business and the industry through a variety of roles ranging from Project Manager to General Manager.
ISIS has recently completed the AUD$29 million Rendezvous Hotel refurbishment and has a pipeline of high-profile projects pending commencement, for clients including Westpac, Qantas, and a joint venture University of Western Australia and CSIRO project.