Sheraton plans to build a luxury five-star resort in Queensland’s Hervey Bay

Hotel giant Sheraton has announced plans to build ‘the largest and most luxurious new hotel between Brisbane and Cairns’.

The planned 223-room, five-star resort will be located on the Hervey Bay waterfront, about 300km north of Brisbane, rather than more popular and established tourist destinations such as the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast or Cairns.

Through Sheraton’s parent company, Marriott International, it signed a memorandum of understanding with developer Sunny Beach Land confirming plans to build the luxury resort, to be named Hervey Bay Esplanade Resort.

The resort is part of a $450 million plan to regenerate Torquay, one of the city’s beachside suburbs.

TV presenter and Sheraton ambassador Jamie Durie announced Sheraton’s vision for the 408-412 The Esplanade site at a media event in Brisbane on Thursday morning.

The Hervey Bay Esplanade Resort would be Sheraton’s fifth Australian hotel, joining its properties on the Gold Coast, Port Douglas, Sydney’s Hyde Park and Melbourne.

The new resort is set to feature a podium-level resort pool, two-lap pools, outdoor terraces, barbecue areas, a fitness center, business lounge, 400-seat function and world-class conference rooms, destination rooftop bar, kids’ club, private cabanas, sun deck , water play areas and several residential apartments.

The project is expected to create 1,100 jobs during construction and a further 250 long-term jobs.

Sunny Beach Land Director Dan Cuda said Sheraton’s proposed hotel would put the Fraser Coast region “firmly on the map as a world-class tourist destination”.

“The potential contribution this would make to the Fraser Coast economy, local businesses and employment is simply massive and an opportunity too good to pass up,” he said in a Courier mail report.

“The presence of the Sheraton in Hervey Bay would also set the tone for future residential and tourism developments in this region and encourage further investment.”

Jamie Durie will help design the resort’s world-class oasis recreation area.

He hopes his input will help the project ‘focus on Hervey Bay globally’.

“We all know that K’gari (formerly Fraser Island, off the coast of Hervey Bay) is paradise and with the internationally recognized Sheraton brand behind it, the world will too,” he said.

‘A destination hotel with Sheraton’s pedigree gracing the Esplanade in Hervey Bay will be a magnificent draw for tourists both across Australia and the world.

‘Hervey Bay will become a landmark destination and a must-see on our international guests’ “visit Australia checklist”.’