David is the Senior Director of CBRE Hotels in Western Australia specialising in the sale and consultancy of hotels and leisure related properties as well as land and commercial properties in the Perth region. David joined CBRE in 1984 and until 1988 was Director of Valuations. During his 33-year tenure with the company, David has been involved in a number of significant transactions including the Hyatt Centre, golf course estates such as Joondalup Country Club and Araluen, and city redevelopment sites such as Raine Square and the Emu Brewery East site.

How did you get into the hotels industry?

I started my working life as a valuer in 1970. Yes I’m old. As I became more experienced I took a greater interest in hotel valuations under the mentorship of Kevin Milne who started Colliers in Perth. I joined CBRE in 1984 and continued valuing hotels until the 90’s when I started selling pubs and accommodation hotels.

What are some of your career highlights from your time in the industry?

Some of the bigger deals include the Hyatt Centre, Sheraton Hotel, Joondalup and Araluen Country Clubs and more recently Sheraton Four Points and a couple of new Quest Hotels in Perth.

What are the biggest issues facing the hotel industry at the moment?

From a Western Australian view point, the mining collapse has had a major effect on the economy in the last few years and hotel trading has been on a slide because of this. There are a number of new hotels under construction, which Perth needs badly. This includes the award winning Como Treasury Hotel, Ritz Carlton, InterContinental and Westin - all of which are five star hotels that will help put Perth on the international map. The previous State Government brought to life a number of infrastructure projects, such as Elizabeth Quay, the Cultural Centre, Perth Citylink and the new Stadium which, together with the upgrade of the Perth International Airport, will assist the tourism industry and hotel trading. In the short term, there will still be a couple of years of difficult trading before it gets better.

How has the industry changed in the time you have been involved with it?

When I started back in 1970, the two big hotels in town were the Parmelia Hilton and Sheraton - that was it. Since then, we have seen a number of new hotels such as the Hyatt Centre, Novotel Langley, Orchard Hotel now Four Points. Burswood Hotels, Esplanade Fremantle and others. Then there was a big gap in development because we couldn’t justify the cost. As mentioned the new five star hotels are very much needed as the existing stock is below par.

What changes would you like to see over the next two to five years in the industry?

The new State Government is concentrating on tourism where the Liberals left, with this to be a major revenue producer in the coming years. Direct flights to and from Europe will be an advantage and the Burswood Stadium is said to earn us $250m pa. South East Asia and India are still a focus for inbound tourism with China being a major winner given the timeline advantage Perth has over the eastern states.

What is your favourite hotel and holiday destination?

Without doubt, the Como Treasury Hotel is the best hotel in Australia - and I’m off to Tuscany in June, so that is my current favourite destination.

See also:

Perth's hotel landscape makes its mark on the international stage

Famous Scarborough Beach Hotel in Prime Position

Get to know Rob Cross, CBRE Hotels