Meetings Go West

Covering an enormous area, Western Australia is fast becoming the place to be
for outstanding conferences and meetings.

>> Conference venues in Western Australia.

In September 2003, the well-known Burswood Resort Hotel was rebranded to the InterContinental Burswood Resort Perth. The five-star InterContinental Burswood has recently undergone a $28 million refurbishment, covering all areas of the hotel complex from the 400-plus guest rooms and suites, to the meeting rooms, retail outlets, lobby and restaurant areas, swimming pools, recreation facilities and outdoor landscaping.

Popular with business delegates is the exclusive Club InterContinental Lounge, with sweeping views across the Swan River and Perth skyline. The Lounge offers private check-in, full business and concierge services, free continental breakfast, afternoon tea, evening cocktails and canapés, and soft beverages throughout the day.

Construction has also commenced on InterContinental Hotels Group's (IHG) new $50 million Holiday Inn Burswood, which is scheduled to open in early 2005 and will feature approximately 300 guest rooms. Upon the opening of Holiday Inn Burswood, IHG will be the largest international hotel operator in Perth with a total of four hotels and more than 1000 rooms.

The Sheraton Perth is the only CBD hotel to have two large pillarless ballrooms, one of which has floor-to-ceiling windows with views over the Swan River. The conference floor has ISDN lines and state-of-the-art technical facilities. Amongst the 12 meeting rooms are the newly refurbished Golden Ballroom, seating 900 people theatre-style or 600 for banquets, and the Grand River Ballroom for 700 people theatre-style.

Centre Of The City

Recent upgrades to the accommodation floors of the hotel include key-card security access, duvets in all rooms and broadband Internet connection in all rooms by 2004.

At the Hyatt Regency Perth, the Plaza Ballroom has been completely redesigned. Refurbished with the finest fabrics and finishes, the Plaza Ballroom has concealed high-tech equipment with Cat 6 cabling, ceiling mounted projectors, concealed screens, and an integrated custom-designed sound system.

The Hyatt Regency Perth has 367 guestrooms that feature the largest standard guestrooms in the Perth CBD, all with high speed Internet technology. The new Executive Spa Suites, Presidential Suites and Regency Club accommodation all have access to the Regency Club Lounge overlooking the Swan River. A quiet haven from the rest of the hotel, guests can enjoy complimentary evening cocktails, canapes, all-day refreshments, and continental breakfast.

For conferences, functions and special events, there are three ballrooms and six function rooms. The Grand Ballroom is the Hyatt's largest, seating up to 1000 people theatre-style or 640 for banquets, while the Terrace Ballroom holds up to 350 people theatre-style or for banquets.

New Apartment Hotels

This year will see the arrival of two new Medina properties in Western Australia. The $28 million Medina Grand Perth Convention Centre is planned to be the five-star showpiece of the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, currently under construction in the heart of the city's CBD.

With 138 luxury apartments extending over five levels, this property will also offer a large restaurant, 15-metre lap-pool, gymnasium, spa and sauna. There will also be undercover security parking for Medina guests and conference delegates. There will be three column-free meeting rooms with the advantage of natural light and direct access to outside areas.

The Medina Executive Barrack Plaza will open in May. The 4.5-star property will have 100 serviced apartments, many with views down Barrack Street towards the Swan River. The Medina incorporates the restored facade of the Historic Railway Hotel. There will be two meeting rooms, which can be joined to accommodate up to 100 delegates.

In historic Fremantle, the Esplanade Fremantle increased its room count by 41, bringing the total to 300 guestrooms and suites, most with their own private balcony. Other facilities include two outdoor heated swimming pools, three outdoor spas, a fitness centre and sauna, two restaurants and a lobby bar. A new 450-bay multi-storey car park opened in October 2003.

Maritime Heritage Revisited

Given the popularity of Fremantle as a cosmopolitan destination, packed full of coffee shops, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, it's little wonder that it is also extremely popular with meetings organisers. The recently opened 1000-seat Esplanade Convention Centre has already become Fremantle's premier focus for major conferences.

The Esplanade's Southern Cross Gala Ballroom seats 1000 people theatre-style or 600 for banquets, while the adjoining Esplanade Manor, built around the 1904 Trades Hall Building, evokes Fremantle's maritime heritage and is a compelling choice for events. In all, there are four main conference and meeting venues and 12 rooms.

Joondalup Resort, a 20-minute drive north of Perth's CBD and 30 minutes from the airport, has the distinction of a magnificent 27-hole championship golf course. With 70 guestrooms and suites, many overlooking the lagoon-style swimming pool, Joondalup is also very popular with the meetings market.

There are 11 conference and function rooms with the largest being the Grand Ballroom for 200 people theatre-style or 180 for banquets. The Lakeview Terrace function room, a permanent marquee-style function venue which has been recently refurbished, can now cater for up to 350 guests.

Rural Pursuits

Recently, Golf Australia magazine ranked Joondalup's Quarry-Dunes championship layout, designed by Robert Trent Jones, as the country's number one resort golf course.

The Quay West brand has moved into Western Australia's acclaimed Margaret River wine region with the opening of the Quay West Resort Bunker Bay. The five-star resort is located on the shores of Bunker Bay, protected by the Cape Naturaliste promontory.

Set in 14 hectares of landscaped grounds and natural bushland, the absolute-beachfront resort has 150 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom villas. All feature self-contained kitchens or kitchenettes, Jarrah timber floors, limestone feature walls, and cathedral ceilings.

There are two column-free conference rooms and three breakout or boardrooms. The largest room can hold 160 people theatre-style or 150 for banquets. To maintain the ambience of the Resort's natural surroundings, cars are not admitted within the property. Instead they are valet parked and guests use electric buggies to get around villas and facilities.

Peppers Caves House at Margaret River will the latest addition to the Peppers Retreats and Resorts portfolio. It is currently in the midst of an extensive upgrading and refurbishment program and will be relaunched as Peppers Caves House in late 2004. The property will offer 64 guestrooms and suites and a new restaurant and bar, all decorated to reflect the warmth and character of the original 1930s Art Deco-style building and its regional location.