Hotels nation-wide are riding a post pandemic building boom with 20,000 new rooms coming on-line and more than 200 hotels opening since the end of 2020.

Accommodation Australia CEO Michael Johnson said many people didn’t realise that while the hospitality sector was locked down during COVID, construction continued unabated.

“We’ve had 206 hotels open across Australia in the last three years,” he said today.

“In Sydney the opening of the long-awaited W Hotel next month will be the 34th hotel to open since 2020. There have been 57 new hotel openings in NSW over that period - 15 in suburbs surrounding Sydney and nine in the regions. Great news for the sector and for the  travelling public looking for choice.”

Mr Johnson said 71 new hotels had opened in Victoria since 2020 (51 of those in Melbourne), eight new hotels have opened in Tasmania, 36 in Queensland, 17 in South Australia, two in the Northern Territory and 10 in Western Australia.

“The extra rooms have come on just at the right time,” Mr Johnson said. 

“Hotel operators across the country - but particularly in our gateway cities - are seeing occupancies re-building to pre-pandemic levels. We are confident we will now see the benefits of being back on the Approved

Destination Status for China with more direct flights confirmed in preparation for the all-important group tour business returning."  

He said hoteliers are also reporting a real move away from short-stay accommodation back to the comfort and modern facilities of today’s hotels.  

“People are telling us short-stay accommodation has become increasingly expensive and hard to get and that a hotel is often a much easier and affordable option,” he said.  

“Customers know what they are getting with hotels, there are no hidden fees for cleaning or garbage or linen. And people also want an experience, they want to be pampered. They want to order room service, enjoy a variety of restaurants including buffet breakfasts, a nice lobby and a concierge instead of having to clean up after yourself when you leave.”   

“Our members in the regions have also been saying customers are turning off short-term accommodation because it is taking away houses for locals trying to rent, and hotels are giving jobs to locals and contributing to the economy.”