Tasmania to get its first Hilton Hotel

The decision to introduce the internationally renowned brand to Hobart follows a major post-COVID tourism recovery. The latest Tourism Tasmania figures show that summer 2023-24 saw tourist spending increase 40 per cent and visitor nights increase 24 per cent.

“We’re very, very excited about coming to Hobart and potentially moving into Launceston too,” said Paul Hutton, Hilton’s area vice president and head of Australasia. “We’re delighted to be going into somewhere new.

“It’s interesting that over 70 per cent of the hotels in Hobart are 100 rooms or less, and are independently managed. The news that we are coming got out very fast and we’ve been very encouraged by the reaction.”

The new hotel is currently under construction and will open later this year as a DoubleTree by Hilton in partnership with property developer Fragrance Group. 

Within walking distance of Hobart’s CBD, the waterfront and bustling Salamanca Place, the hotel will have 206 rooms, a restaurant, bar, meeting rooms, pool and gym.

The upscale brand is particularly well-known in South-East Asia, China, Japan and Korea, where it has proved hugely successful.

Hutton, whose own family has been in Tasmania since 1805, says Australians have always been loyal to Australia when planning their holidays, particularly during COVID. 

However, the hotel’s recognition will pique the interest of overseas visitors, and they will look forward to a real voyage of discovery in Tasmania.

“It’s really good news both for us and for Tasmania,” he said. “This is the equivalent of the new Waldorf Astoria being announced in Sydney.

“It’s going to really drive recognition and visitors. We’d now love to see the government encouraging more international flights to Hobart, just like to Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Cairns and Adelaide.”

Other accommodation providers, both big and small, are also now welcoming Hilton to Tasmania, saying the brand’s reputation internationally will hopefully further boost overseas tourism, which is currently at 16.5 per cent of the market – up 0.9 per cent compared to 2019.

At the Federal Group, which owns the luxury lodge Saffire Freycinet on Coles Bay, Hobart’s Henry Jones Art Hotel and MACq01, and Wrest Point Hotel Casino at Sandy Bay, general manager of tourism Ross Boobyer says it’s excellent news.

“Having more hotels coming can only be a good thing,” he said. “We’re just a few years behind everyone else. However, companies like Hilton are setting up here, which means more international exposure as people recognise the brand and will react to that.

“More people will be encouraged to come to Hobart and use that as a start to explore the rest of the country, from the east coast and north west to Launceston and the Tamar Valley and back to Hobart again. We expect to see growth in tourism year-on-year, with more and more people coming here and seeing what Tasmania has to offer.”

Similarly, the smaller boutique operators also see Hilton’s arrival as potentially a massive fillip. 

Simon Holloway recently opened his own bed and breakfast hotel in the converted heritage-listed church St Martin’s of Tasmania in the fishing village of Dunalley, between Hobart and Port Arthur. He says Hilton will be a welcome newcomer.

“Having a new operator, and one so well known, will fit in nicely with the tourism industry in Tasmania,” said Holloway, whose renewal of the sandstone-and-stained-glass-window church featured on ABC TV’s Restoration Australia. 

“Anything that will encourage more international visitors to come to the state will be fantastic.

“Hobart is generally the first stop for people and then, after exploring the city, they can travel further. They might want to sample slow travel and the absolute peace and quiet of life beyond Hobart and experience the beautiful environment, the artisanal food and wine and the fascinating heritage. We have everything!”

Establishing the new hotel will mean the DoubleTree brand edges over the 100-hotel mark in the Asia Pacific, with nearly another 80 still in the pipeline. 

That will bring the total number of Hiltons – across its various brands – to over 1000 by 2025.

Meanwhile, Tourism Tasmania is running its Off Season campaign to attract visitors in the winter, inviting them to become “a winter person”, which is supported by its largest winter marketing investment to date.

The state received 1.277 million visitors in the year ending March 2024, with the total spend across all interstate and international visitors at $3.5 billion, up $1.01 billion from 2019.