Director, Ryan McGinnity heads CBRE’s industry leading Hotels business in Perth and the wider Western Australian market to develop solutions that make hospitality assets a meaningful contributor to business productivity and performance, working with a wide range of clients including hotel owners operators, investors and developers.

During more than 15 years’ experience working in the Perth hotel market, Ryan has completed some of the state’s most significant pub transactions including the Brisbane Hotel in North Perth, The Raffles Hotel in Applecross and The Como Hotel as well as prominent accommodation Hotels including Quest Adelaide Terrace, the New Esplanade Hotel Perth, Quest Rockingham, The Sebel Hotel Mandurah and the IBIS Budget Hotel Rivervale.

How did you get into the hotels industry?

I started my property career in Valuations, with a small focus on hotel and pub properties. Enjoying getting to know the business side of hotel and pub assets, I continued this path and ultimately ended up in hotel brokerage with CBRE Perth.

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

Some of the stand out moments of my career to date include completing being involved in several of Perth’s largest pub transactions and accommodation assets. Working in the largest state of Australia means I have been lucky enough to travel extensively throughout WA, working on some of the most remote properties in the country. Experiencing the boom of the resource sector in the north, the wine regions of Margaret River and the beaches of Broome and Ningaloo are things that won’t be soon forgotten and are among some of the many reasons I remain working in the industry.

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

Locally, WA cannot continue to rely on the resource sector and needs to encourage other investment to support the large numbers of new rooms which have recently entered the Perth hotel market. The State Government needs to better promote tourist offerings throughout WA, encouraging inbound international and domestic guests as well as highlighting the lifestyle benefits that living or studying in Perth offers. Perth will not grow by hiding away.

We need to actively promote WA as a lifestyle and tourism destination – something which all West Australians should be encouraged to do. Another issue facing the industry in WA is the red tape around Liquor Licencing and the impact this has on an active and viable food and beverage industry. Laws must be enforced, however, common sense should also prevail to encourage more leisure investment into WA and allow greater flexibility around when, where and what people can consume.

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

Since I entered the industry in 2003, there have been over 3,000 hotel rooms added to the Perth market -  2,500 of which were in the past two years. Perth was starved on new hotel product for a long period and without the State Government incentives offered for hotel development five years ago, we may not have the new hotels we have today. 

Along with the hotel construction boom, Perth’s infrastructure has dramatically changed in the past few years, with the opening of the new Optus Stadium, Perth Stadium, Elizabeth Quay and the City link project, connecting Northbridge with the CBD for time in over 100 years. All these changes are creating a vibrant world class gateway city, which will be a destination of choice for investment, tourists, student and employees.  

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

Relaxing some liquor licensing laws to create more venues and subsequently providing more flexibility around  where, when and what people can eat or drink at any time of the day or night. More late night venues are needed to cater for a traveller who is truly working 24 hours in all regions of the globe.  

What is your favourite hotel and holiday destination?

My favourite holiday destination is Praiano on the Amalfi Coast. It’s not as busy as its neighbour town Positano, but with crystal clear beaches, orchards and cliff top bars, it’s an amazing place. If it wasn’t the other side of the world, our family would go more often.  Another favourite – and closer to home – is Indiana Kenanga on the small island of, Nusa Lembongan, off the coast of Bali. It consists of a small hotel owned by a French chef who swims and a surfs in the morning, only coming off the beach to make his guests lunch and dinner – very idyllic.

To discuss the hotel market in further detail, phone or email Ryan McGinnity via the below contact details.

See also:

CornerStone of Perth’s northern suburbs hits the market

ALH Group divests second venue in $86m Perth portfolio

Singaporean group swoops on holiday investment in Perth CBD hotspot