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 Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Awarded Management
Contracts for its Tenth Resort in the Australia
and for its Third Resort in New Zealand
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HONOLULU, OAHU, HAWAII - December 6, 2004 - Outrigger Hotels & Resorts has been awarded the management rights for its tenth resort in the Australian state of Queensland, and for its third resort in New Zealand. Both properties join the company's growing portfolio of accommodations within the Pacific, which now include 53 properties across the Pacific with more than 12,000 rooms in Hawaii, Australia, Micronesia, Fiji, Tahiti and New Zealand.

Outrigger Port Douglas Beach Club Resort

The first of Outrigger Hotels & Resorts' newest projects is the Outrigger Port Douglas Beach Club Resort. Construction of the US$39 million upscale boutique resort will begin in December 2004, with its opening scheduled for October 2005. The hotel will be Outrigger's fourth property within the popular tourist town of Port Douglas, located in Tropical North Queensland.  To be built on a prime land parcel fronting the town's prestigious Garrick Street, the property will look out toward world-famous Four Mile Beach. 

The Outrigger Port Douglas Beach Club Resort will be comprised of four low-rise buildings with a central complex reminiscent of an open-air Mediterranean villa. This deluxe boutique property will include a total inventory of 100 units. Guests will access their luxurious accommodations by traveling along a granite cobblestone driveway flanked by dense plantings of tropical vegetation and mature coconut palms. Additional amenities will include secluded tropical grounds and water features accessed by private swim-up pool decks.

According to Bill Henderson, Vice President of Business Development for Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, "The addition of the Port Douglas Beach Club to our three existing small boutique resorts in the area will further contribute to Outrigger's commanding presence in Port Douglas, with a total complex of more than 200 deluxe boutique rooms. Along with Outrigger's other existing resorts in Coolangatta, Surfers Paradise, Mooloolaba, Cairns and Palm Cove, we have become a major force in deluxe resort lodging in the state of Queensland, with more than 1100 rooms."

This is the second resort agreement Outrigger has signed with The Beach Club Group, a Melbourne-based consortium. Their first project was the highly successful Outrigger Beach Club & Spa at Palm Cove, completed in December 2003 and just a 40-minutes' drive south of Port Douglas.

Dave Lawrence, Managing Director for Outrigger's Oceania operations based in Australia, said he was delighted to be working again with The Beach Club consortium and architect Leigh Ratcliffe. 

"Leigh Ratcliffe's architectural works feature strongly in North Queensland and are very distinct, which is one of the requisites Outrigger looks for when taking on new management contracts," Lawrence said. "Already our Palm Cove resort is outstripping all occupancy forecasts, and we are confident of seeing these same results at the Outrigger Port Douglas Beach Club Resort when it opens, as there is a clear demand in the market for such quality developments."

Outrigger Terraces Resort, Lake Taupo

Shortly after revealing it had landed the rights to its twelfth Australia property, Outrigger announced another property would be joining its portfolio - this one in New Zealand. 

In February 2005, Outrigger Hotels & Resorts will assume management of the historic Terraces Hotel, near the world-renowned hot springs district of Taupo on New Zealand's North Island. At that time, the property will be re-branded the Outrigger Terraces Resort, Lake Taupo.

Built in the late 1880s, and opened in 1889, The Terraces Hotel is an area landmark. It was built over a three-year period using solely New Zealand native timbers and was named for the black silica terraces that once surrounded the property. It is now one of only two hotels in the region remaining from this early era.

Henderson indicated, "Outrigger is particularly fortunate to have an opportunity to work with the hotel's owners, who have recently celebrated a complete and culturally sensitive restoration of the original 115-year old hotel. With its great history and 'sense of place,' the Terraces Hotel provides the Outrigger team with an opportunity to welcome this historic and cultural icon to our growing family in New Zealand." 

This celebrated property is known as a great gathering place for Taupo locals and out-of-town visitors, and for weddings and other special occasions. It combines old-fashioned hospitality with attractive accommodations and a range of amenities. The hotel ultimately will offer 100 deluxe accommodations. Twenty of these rooms, including two suites, are in the original heritage building, while the owners plan to begin construction in early 2005 on a deluxe new wing that will bring eighty new rooms to the hotel. 

The hotel also includes two restaurants, conference and meeting facilities, two bars and an underground wine cellar, and is adjacent to the Taupo Hot Springs Spa, which is available for guest use. In addition, the 2005 redevelopment also will bring new recreational facilities to the hotel's grounds, including tennis courts, a fitness facility, sauna, and a swimming pool. As it has done since it first opened, the hotel utilizes the clean, natural thermal hot waters of the area for heating. The water is pumped from underground springs and is distributed around the complex at a constant 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Co-owner and director of the Terraces Hotel, Johnathan Irvine, said a number of different management groups were considered before Outrigger was selected as a business partner. "We chose the Outrigger team because of their long-established reputation for providing culturally sensitive quality accommodation and their proactive approach to growing their market share," he said. "Their international connections also provide a sound complement to a truly Pacific-based company."

"The Terrace Hotel is such a prestigious resort. We're really looking forward to promoting it through our international sales network," Outrigger's Lawrence said. "The Terrace hotel is sure to appeal to a broad range of international markets given the property's historic standing and Taupo's outstanding reputation for its nature and adventure-based activities, not to mention its world-famous hot springs."

Taupo is located in the center of New Zealand's North Island, and is serviced by daily flights from Auckland and the capital, Wellington. In addition to thermal hot spas, there are a range of attractions and activities in the surrounding region including golf, fly-fishing, skiing, kayaking, hiking, white water rafting and swimming.

This latest announcement comes just a few months after Outrigger secured its second resort in New Zealand, the five-star Outrigger at Clearwater, which joins its flagship New Zealand property, Outrigger at the Beacon in Queenstown.

Outrigger's Pacific Outlook

Hawaii-based Outrigger Hotels & Resorts established its Australian headquarters on the Gold Coast in 1998 with the specific intent of developing a network of quality holiday destinations in and around the Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific region. At that time, it set an ambitious goal to have 20 properties open or under development in the area by 2005. According to Outrigger's Bill Henderson, that goal will be met and surpassed in the New Year.

"Currently, Outrigger has 12 properties open or under construction in Australia, three in New Zealand, one in Fiji, and another on Huahine Island in French Polynesia," Henderson said. "Several other projects are in various degrees of negotiations and we look forward to announcing additional resort projects in Australia and the Pacific region in the near future."

Henderson added, "Our initial success in operating upscale beachfront properties in Queensland, one of Australia's major resort destinations, has served as a catalyst for further development in Australia. And while we've enjoyed great success in Queensland, our long-range plans for the country have always included expanding our operations to full-service hotels in gateway cities such as Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. We also continue to pursue other opportunities in New Zealand and throughout the Pacific region, which means 2005 is sure to be a busy one for our Oceania division."

About Outrigger Hotels & Resorts
Outrigger Hotels & Resorts is a family-owned and operated company deeply committed to providing authentic island hospitality in premiere destinations throughout the Pacific. Each Outrigger property embraces the local culture to create a true sense of place for guests. Outrigger Hotels & Resorts and OHANA Hotels & Resorts are divisions of Outrigger Enterprises, Inc., Hawaii's largest locally owned hospitality-company and one of the fastest-growing hotel companies in the Pacific managing 53 properties with more than 12,000 rooms in Hawaii, Australia, Micronesia, Fiji, Tahiti and New Zealand. 

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Contact:
Nancy Daniels, APR
Public Relations Manager
Outrigger Hotels & Resorts/OHANA Hotels & Resorts
2375 Kuhio Avenue
Honolulu HI 96815-2992
Ph: 808-921-6839
Fx: 808-921-6941
Em: [email protected]
Also See: Outrigger to Manage the US$25.4 million Outrigger Beach Club at Palm Cove; Designed by Melbourne-based architect Leigh Ratcliffe / Feb 2002
The Ray Group Appoints Outrigger to Operate the Planned US$41 Resort at Kingscliff in Northern New South Wales / Sept 2002
Ray Group Appoints Outrigger Hotels & Resorts to Manage New Luxury Resort at Port Douglas in the Australian State of Queensland / December 2001 


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