Hotel investor Dr Jerry Schwartz has this morning revealed Rydges has been appointed to manage The Sebel Surry Hills hotel.
The 4-star Schwartz Family Group hotel has operated as the Sebel Surry Hills since 2008, and has been managed by Accor for the past two years, however from April 8, 2014, the hotel will be re-branded as Rydges Sydney Central.
The well-established hotel offers 271 contemporary rooms, and nine meeting rooms, catering for up to 220 delegates.
Additional facilities and services include Bar Surry Hills, Albies Restaurant and Bar, coffee shop, indoor heated 15m pool, spa, sauna, gym, business centre and undercover car parking. It also remains Australia’s first hotel to feature an in-ground glass aquarium.
Schwartz thanked Accor for their management and said that with Sebel becoming an apartment-style brand, it was decided to change the hotel branding to Rydges and ‘hub’ the hotel with his other Rydges-managed hotel, at nearby World Square.
“The two hotels will benefit from working more closely together, as both are large hotels with major conferencing facilities and a strong domestic market,” Dr Schwartz said.
“Surry Hills has become an increasingly popular destination for travellers to Sydney as it offers the combination of Sydney city convenience and one of city’s most vibrant dining and cafe districts.
“The hotel will also benefit from its proximity to the southern end of the Sydney central business district, which is currently enjoying a major renaissance with the new Central Park and University of Technology developments set for completion this year.
“The change of name will also reflect the massive upgrade in the Central transport hub and the imminent construction of the Goods Line, which will link Central to Darling Harbour,” he said.
Rydges Hotels and Resorts’ Group General Manager, Norman Arundel, said the hotel offered excellent potential for growth, with an enviable location and quality accommodation and conferencing facilities.
“The Central/Surry Hills location makes it ideal for the corporate, business events and leisure markets, and with Rydges’ extensive Australian hotel network, supported by our highly-experienced sales and marketing team, we are very confident of delivering a strong result for the hotel,” he said.
The Schwartz Family Group is Australia’s largest privately owned hotel company with 12 hotels and resorts operated by a variety of management companies including Accor, IHG and Rydges.