Brent Howard will own a majority share of the North Sydney apartment hotel and maintain his role as General Manager at Quest St Leonards. Josh Harkness, with more than three years’ experience as Front Office Manager at Quest King William South in Adelaide, will take on the role of General Manager at Quest North Sydney.

The joint franchising model is one of several commissioned by the apartment hotel operator this year which partners established Quest franchisees with high-performing hospitality professionals from Quest’s Franchisee Accelerator Program. The model serves as a pathway for experienced franchisees to enter multi-unit franchising and employees to take their first step into the world of business ownership. 

Recognised for running one of Quest’s most successful franchises, Brent Howard, together with partner Ann Crowhurst, have been awarded Quest NSW Franchise of the Year for the last two years. Brent said he is pleased to apply his expertise in hotel management and hospitality in the heart of North Sydney.

“The proximity to Sydney’s CBD and its location in a mixed-use property is one of several exciting features of this apartment hotel. I’m eager to begin working with Josh and our clients over the coming months in preparation for the launch in October,” Mr Howard said. 

Quest North Sydney forms part of The Miller by development group Yuhu and contains 100 serviced apartments and 169 private residences. Scheduled to open in October 2019, Quest North Sydney will be Quest’s twenty-ninth property in New South Wales.

North Sydney sits along the Pacific Highway and Warringah Freeway corridor, providing easy access to Sydney’s north shore and greater northern metropolitan region. Financial and professional services, health care and public administration form a large part of the corporate mix with over 15,000 local businesses registered in the municipality. 

Quest Apartment Hotels General Manager – Growth, James Shields said the franchise application process for Quest North Sydney was one of the most competitive in recent years with a record number of applicants looking to expand into multi-unit franchising in the favourable business environment of North Sydney.

“There are several major commercial buildings planned or under construction in North Sydney including mixed use projects in Denison Street and Walker St, Northpoint Tower and the Australian Catholic University’s Health and Science Building."

“Our conservative forecasts for this property are positive, so the combination of Brent Howard and Josh Harkness as franchisees will ensure that guests can expect a premium apartment hotel accommodation experience in the heart of North Sydney,” Mr Shields said. 

Quest North Sydney, due to open in October 2019, features 100 studio, one, and two-bedroom apartments containing modern amenities such as high-speed Wi-Fi and smart televisions. Each apartment is also equipped with kitchen facilities, spacious bathrooms and ergonomic work spaces to provide a home away from home experience for guests. 

Quest North Sydney is located just 4 kilometres from Sydney’s central business district. With a Sydney Metro train station at Victoria Cross expected by 2024 the commute will soon drop to less than 10 minutes. 

Quest North Sydney is one of eight new properties opening across Australia, New Zealand and the UK over the next two years. Other upcoming Quest Apartment Hotels are Orange (NSW) and Joondalup (WA); Tauranga Central (NZ), Takapuna (NZ), Hastings (NZ), Christchurch – Cambridge Street (NZ) and Mt Maunganui (NZ) and Liverpool City Centre (UK). 

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See also: 

Quest starts construction of first Gold Coast Apartment Hotel

Quest to manage 100 apartments in Yuhu's The Miller North Sydney development

David Mansfield appointed Chief Operations Officer at Quest Apartment Hotels