Mantra Richmont Hotel, a new $28 million 108-room boutique hotel at Spring Hill in Brisbane, was officially opened today by Queensland Minister for Tourism and Major Events the Honourable Kate Jones MP and the Right Honourable, the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Councillor Graham Quirk.

Merging a bygone era with present day, Mantra Richmont Hotel’s modern design and stylish finishes are complemented by the historic charm of its onsite restaurant and bar, Kennigo Social House, which is housed in a meticulously refurbished heritage listed Queenslander.

The hotel, which is managed by leading Australian-based hotel and resort operator Mantra Group, is the first project undertaken in Australia by Malaysian-based developers Richmont Holdings.

Richmont Holdings Managing Director Gregory Loh said Brisbane was an obvious choice for Richmont Holdings’ first Australian development as their company vision focusses on building high quality hotels in fast-growing major city centres.

“We’ve always seen the potential growth and development Brisbane has to offer and, in our assessment, we also considered the many long term investments and future plans for the city,” said Mr Loh.

“We also specialise in integrating modern buildings with historical sites, like we’ve done with Mantra Richmont Hotel, thus preserving cultural ties within the city.”

Mantra Group Chief Executive Officer Bob East said the addition of Mantra Richmont Hotel will play a key role in further elevating Brisbane’s international profile and attractiveness as a key leisure and business destination.

“Mantra Richmont Hotel appeals and caters to a range of domestic and international travellers seeking a contemporary midscale hotel in Queensland’s capital,” said Mr East.

“The addition of this property also reaffirms Mantra Group’s status as Queensland’s largest hotel and resort operator, with more than 10,000 rooms in 55 properties throughout the state.”

Tourism Minister Kate Jones said the new hotel was a vote of confidence in Brisbane’s booming tourism market.

“Mantra Group is a key player in the Queensland hotel market and it is great to see another exciting addition to their Brisbane offerings,” Ms Jones said.

“We’ve seen significant increases in both domestic and international visitors here in Brisbane and the continued investment in new hotels is a sign of confidence in the Queensland tourism industry.  

“The Palaszczuk Government is committed to attracting quality investment and development to support the tourism industry and drive overnight visitor expenditure.”

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said Council had taken a proactive approach to supporting Brisbane’s growing tourism industry and the opening of Mantra Richmont Hotel was another vote of confidence in Brisbane as Australia’s New World City.

“I introduced incentives in 2011 to attract new four and five star hotels to Brisbane which has seen the construction of 13 new hotels and 1,775 new rooms, with significant investment in the CBD and Fortitude Valley,” Cr Quirk said.

“International tourism was worth $1.9 billion in Brisbane last financial year, and the introduction of this new hotel will play an important role in supporting Brisbane’s growing tourism industry.”

Mantra Richmont Hotel showcases a unique design incorporating a heritage building, which houses Kennigo Social House, alongside the brand new five level 4-star boutique hotel complete with a range of onsite leisure and business facilities including internal landscaped courtyard, an espresso café, 24 hour reception, a gymnasium, meeting facilities, undercover basement car parking and tour desk.

Mantra Richmont Hotel is offering grand opening special rates starting from $165* per night in a Hotel Room (Sunday to Friday) and include a la carte breakfast, a $50 Kennigo Social House dining credit and 1GB of Wi-Fi daily. Call 13 15 17 or visit www.mantra.com.au.