DCOH, a leading Northern Territory property developer, has signed a
milestone franchise agreement with Marriott International to transform
The Smith Hotel Darwin into Courtyard by Marriott Darwin.

The strategic conversion marks Marriott’s debut in Australia’s Northern Territory.
And it represents the first Marriott-branded hotel to be managed by third-party
operator Trilogy Hotels, following the establishment of their multi-property
partnership with DCOH in October 2024.

DCOH, is a family-run enterprise and one of the region’s largest privately
owned construction, property, and hospitality providers.

“When it comes to unlocking the full potential of our key CBD assets under Trilogy, the Darwin community deserves the very best, and that means bringing an outstanding global brand like Marriott to the Darwin marketplace.

As a proud Northern Territory hotel owner, we’re eager to highlight what makes Darwin a unique and special destination as part of the hotel’s transformation,”

DCOH Managing Director, Shane Dignan.

Read more on LinkedIn

The 186-room hotel located in Darwin City, is at the epicentre of the entertainment
and cultural districts with easy access to the Darwin Entertainment Centre, the
Darwin Convention Centre, Mitchell Street’s nightlife and dining scene such as the
new Cinema Collective venues, The Esplanade, and the Museum of Modern Art.

“Gaining a presence in Darwin has been a high strategic priority for Marriott for some time, as we seek to expand our footprint across Australia. Our first hotel in Darwin is therefore an important milestone for our business and an exciting advancement for our  largest global brand, Courtyard by Marriott,”

said Richard
Crawford, Vice President of Hotel Development for Australia, New Zealand and the
Pacific.

The city hotel features an outdoor pool, gym, and the vibrant D Bar and Restaurant,
which serves Australian and Asian inspired cuisine.

Scott Boyes, CEO of Trilogy Hotels, shared his excitement for the partnership:

“We are thrilled to be bringing Marriott to Darwin, and in a big way, to a proudly locally owned hotel. Trilogy will work closely with Marriott to maximise the unique opportunities this market holds.”

“It’s great to see this huge signal of investor confidence in Darwin’s thriving hospitality scene. Bringing another global name like Marriott to the Territory is a sign of growth to come, meaning new opportunities and experiences for locals and visitors alike,” shared Cathy Simmonds, Hospitality NT, CEO.

Courtyard by Marriott Darwin will open in the first quarter of 2025 at 81 Smith Street,
Darwin, Northern Territory.

In this Room 45 of A Room With A View, Hotel Sales Legend Nicholas Kent drops by with some really good advice and a story to tell.

There are a number of icons mentioned in this podcast and Nic tells a great story.

Be sure to listen on Spotify or wherever you podcast.

Trilogy Hotels enters Northern Territory with 3 hotel deal

Building on its strong growth, Independent Hotel Management company, Trilogy Hotels, has set its sights on the Darwin market, announcing today a significant partnership with the notable local family-run DCOH Group. This important deal will see Trilogy take charge of 417 rooms across three hotels. These include Novotel Darwin CBD, Frontier Hotel Darwin and The Smith Hotel Darwin.

Trilogy plans to drive and enhance DCOH’s three hotel assets in line with the market’s expected strong rebound while leveraging its teams’ extensive expertise and proven track record in the local market.

→ Read more in the press release: Trilogy enters NT with major deal

TimeOut Sydney has recognised Pullman Sydney Penrith as a top-ranked property in its list of Best 28 Hotels in Sydney.

Pullman Sydney Penrith is the only hotel outside the city centre to feature in the list.

As manager of the Hotel, Trilogy Hotels is very proud of Pullman. We congratulate the Hotel team on the fantastic achievement and Panthers for their vision in building an exceptional property.

TimeOut Best Hotels in Sydney

Discover Pullman Sydney Penrith

OUR FIRST YEAR

Yesterday (3 October) marked a significant milestone as we celebrated Trilogy Hotels‘ 1st birthday!

What an incredible and amazing journey it has been! We’re thrilled to share our immense gratitude with our LinkedIn community.

The independent hotel management model we’ve embraced has truly been a game-changer for the industry we love. We’ve created an environment where everyone plays to their strengths by utilising focus, independence and aligning interests.

This approach now yields tangible results for our stakeholders, with our performance metrics validating everything we hoped would happen operating hotels under the third party model.

The industry’s endorsement of third-party/independent management in Australia is revolutionising hotel performance. This shift demonstrates the maturation of the Australian hotel market, bringing it in line with other sophisticated global hotel markets.

One year on we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to:

• Our amazing hotel owners, for entrusting us with their exceptional hotel assets and collaborating with us to achieve optimal outcomes.
• Our Trilogy and hotel teams, for embracing our vision and entrusting us with their careers. You are the best in the business and the heart of our Trilogy Tribe.
• Our guests and customers, whose loyalty fuels our passion for hospitality.
• The outstanding hotel brands we partner with – your support and partnership are invaluable.
• The broader Australian hotel industry and our business partners for your unwavering support. Our industry is truly special, filled with remarkable individuals who have been so generous to us.
• Our Independent Management Company colleagues, thank you for continuing to promote the value and possibilities of our model.
• Our families and friends, for encouraging us to be bold and pursue our dreams. Your belief in us surpasses our own.

As we reflect on our first year, we’re immensely proud of what has been achieved and deeply grateful for the support we’ve received. The future holds so many incredible possibilities, and we’re excited to continue playing our part for our owners, guests, teams, brand partners and communities in which we operate.

Thank you all for the role you have played and continue to play in where we have come from and where we are going. There are indeed very exciting times ahead.

Our sincere thanks to: Jerry Schwartz, Howard Kemball, Peter Grant, Brian Fletcher, Mathew Luszczynski CA, Matt Leavey, Frank Huang, Wade Huang, Shane Dignan, Steve Brunker, Trilogy Hotels, Adrian Williams, Matthew Tripolone, Matt Barbelli, Steven McArthur, James Gregory Wilkinson, Jeremy de Silva, Ken Hall, David Thompson, Steven Ananin, Darryl McAllister, Danesh Bamji, Sam Davies, Ben Murphy, Michelle Taylor, Lukas Wilfling, Michael Thomas MBA, Rory Douglas, Charles Young, Tom Marsic, Dave Ross, Ross Beardsell, Gus Moors, Michael Simpson, Wayne Bunz, Karen Wales, Neil Scanlan, Vasso Zographou, Ruwan Peiris, Dean Dransfield, Richard Crawford, Tristan Cooper. #HotelManagement #HotelsChangeLives

Scott was recently profiled in HM Magazine regarding the state of Independent Hotel Management in Australia and New Zealand.

SYDNEY, Australia (July 16, 2024) – Independent hotel management company Trilogy Hotels continues to rapidly grow its pioneering portfolio of investment-grade hotel assets, announcing its latest agreements to manage Holiday Inn Sydney Airport and Courtyard by Marriott, Sydney-North Ryde, with both properties soon to be rebranded as premium Crowne Plazas.

With the independent operating model evolving from the traditional management approach, hoteliers Frank and Wade Huang of Star Millennium Pty Ltd have appointed Trilogy Hotels as hotel managers, adopting the predominant management model in the US and Europe. Trilogy Hotels will run the day-to-day operations of both hotels and drive the operational and bottom-line profit performance. IHG Hotels & Resorts under a franchise agreement will provide exceptional branding and distribution capabilities. 

Media Release_ Trilogy Hotels announces new signings with the openings of Crowne Plaza Sydney Airport and Crowne Plaza Macquarie Park

Read more on HM

July 2024

Trilogy is proud to be appointed operators of two prominent hotels, Holiday Sydney Airport. The hotel will rebrand to Crowne Plaza Sydney Airport in Q4 2024.

From January 1, 2025, Trilogy will manage the Crowne Plaza Sydney Macquarie Park.  (This hotel is currently trading as Courtyard by Marriott – North Ryde).

Thank you to hotel owners Frank and Wade Huang of Star Millennium Pty Ltd for trusting us and sharing our vision.

Read more on HM

Hotel investors continue to embrace independent management, with three new signings for Trilogy Hotels in the Western Sydney.

The Huang Family doubles its hotel portfolio with Trilogy Hotels to four hotels, following the addition of Novotel Sydney Parramatta and Mercure Sydney Parramatta.

Schwartz Family Company signs its fifth hotel with Trilogy Hotels, recently acquiring Leura Gardens Resort.

This marks an exciting milestone for Trilogy Hotels with ten assets now under management.

Trilogy announces three new signings in Sydney’s West.

The Panthers Group’s $110m five-star hotel, the Pullman Sydney Penrith, will be
operated by a new American-style independent hotel management company.

Panthers, one of Australia’s largest entertainment groups with more than 125,000
members across five licensed premises, has appointed Trilogy Hotels, an
independent management company founded in Australia by high profile lawyer
Tony Ryan last year.

Since its launch, Trilogy has won the rights to manage nearly 1200 hotel rooms
across four hotels, principally owned by Jerry Schwartz, one of Australia’s largest
private hotel owners.

Trilogy is on target to have another 1200 rooms under its management by the end
of the year, said Mr Ryan, a lawyer who helped deliver Accor’s $US940m takeover
of Mantra Group in 2018.

In a statement, Panthers chief executive Brian Fletcher said the deal with Trilogy
Hotels would help the club maximise the potential of its newly built 153-room
Penrith hotel, the first luxury hotel built in Western Sydney.

“With Trilogy Hotels we are poised to elevate our offerings, enhance operational
efficiency, and drive sustainable growth in the dynamic hospitality industry,” Mr
Fletcher said.

Pullman Sydney Penrith and Western Sydney Conference Centre has appointed
Michael Thomas as general manager of the hotel.

Mr Thomas has previously worked for the Peninsula Group, Shangri La, Banyan
Tree, Hilton and Accor.

Mr Ryan said under the Trilogy Hotel management model the group was
incentivised for higher profitability.

“We give direction to the general manager, we have full control of the asset on
behalf of the owner. The predominant fee is based on the profitability of the hotel,”
he said. “And with smaller properties we can drive savings. (But) we are not chasing
motels in regional areas such as Wagga.”

He said Trilogy, which was formed to look after investment grade assets, would
target hotels which were sold with vacant possession.

In February 2024, Trilogy Hotels announced a major deal with the Schwartz Family
Company securing the management of the Mercure Sydney, Ibis Sydney World
Square, Mercure Canberra and Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains. Dr Schwartz has
acquired another Blue Mountains property, buying the Leura Gardens Resort for
$25m last week.

Trinity manages the hotel operations and drives the operational and profit
performance while providing access to operational systems, training and team
development. “This is the preferred operating model in the US and is rapidly
growing globally,” Mr Ryan said.

Trilogy Hotels acknowledged that under a franchise agreement hotel brands such as
Marriott, Accor, or Hilton for example, can provide strong globally established
branding, distribution and loyalty programs.

On behalf of the owner, Trilogy manages the hotel operations and drives the
performance.

“In Australia and New Zealand, the industry has relied heavily on the traditional
hotel management agreement model where hotel owners engage with a particular
hotel brand for both their distribution and operating capability,” said Trilogy chief
executive Scott Boyes.

“In the US and Europe the independent management model, with brand support
under a franchise agreement is the predominant model preferred by hotel owners
and hotel brands alike,” Mr Boyes said.

“We are expanding that model further and tailoring it for the Australian and New
Zealand market to help hotel owners feel more connected with their investment,
while partnering with and utilising the exceptional distribution capability of a global
hotel brand.”