Refurbishments for Brisbane hotels

Challenge

A prominent hotel owner sought refurbishments for two of its hotels after recently taking over ownership. JLL’s project management team was engaged to do the work with the aim of enhancing the guest experience and bring fresh appeal to the well-known establishments.

Part of our scope was to manage a design overhaul that would reflect the brand of the new hotel operator, as well as the vibrancy of the city. The design brief was to be ‘fun without being vanilla’, ‘trendy without being alienating’ and ‘premium without being stuffy’.

Approach

JLL’s project and development services specialists conducted a market analysis to help define the project brief. At the same time, they collaborated with other industry experts to navigate the COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time, ensuring that all necessary building approvals were obtained.

The age and non-compliant aspects of the buildings made the renovations relatively complex. To address this, we came in as an ‘early contractor’ – an approach that would allow us more time and authority to carry out site investigations, as well as workshop the design and build strategy, and methodology, to mitigate unforeseen challenges.

Both hotels would remain operational throughout the works, and so we had to ensure a careful staging plan to minimise guest disruption and risks to safety.

Our project management entailed engaging with stakeholders located interstate, appointing and managing designers and builders, and hosting weekly meetings with our client.

Our project management software Clarizen streamlined the project co-ordination by acting as a single point of reference when it came to collating and viewing project data, budgets, and hazard reporting.

Given restrictions around the pandemic, our design work was supported by our Virtual View 3D camera, which scanned the hotels to allow overseas and interstate team members to view the site virtually. Incidentally, this approach was more sustainable and cost effective than flying design teams between Sydney and Brisbane. But it also produced compelling visualisations of the design for the client.

Result

Despite the complexities of the pandemic, we met our client’s delivery timeframe, opening two refurbished hotels in the heart of Brisbane.

JLL's hotel experts, designers, builders, and other specialists were also able to identify new revenue opportunities for the hotel owner. One of the hotels now includes office space that can be leased or hired per day, expanding the hotel’s offering beyond traditional accommodation. These enhancements have elevated the guest experience, providing more than just a place to stay. Furthermore, they have contributed to strengthening the hotels’ brand presence in Australia.