MANTRA LAUNCHES FIVE STAR PEPPERS FOR ORACLE

MANTRA Group’s popular Peppers brand will drive the Gold Coast’s latest five-star hotel following a management rights deal with Niecon.

Announcing the Coast’s first five star offering in more than a decade, Peppers Broadbeach will be the face of Niecon’s $850 million twin residential tower Oracle, which comprises 505 residences.

Mantra Group CEO Bob East, says the towers will be branded as Peppers Broadbeach and become the cornerstone of the Group's five-star offering on the Gold Coast.

The hotel will be launched in three stages with an initial opening in October and will deliver more than 100 jobs.

East would not disclose the value of the management deal given that Peppers is a private company, but says the group is ‘delighted’ to bring the Peppers brand into the heart of Broadbeach.

“Our customers are telling us they want Peppers experiences in city locations, it’s still Peppers but it’s a different flavour,” he says, on the cusp of celebrating Peppers 26th anniversary.

“It will be the largest property in the Peppers portfolio and it represents the first foray into the metropolitan hotel sector. We are delighted, we love Broadbeach and love the Gold Coast. There is everything here with the convention centre, shopping, retail and restaurants. It’s really becoming a considerable hub for the Gold Coast."

Unique services include iPad check-in and custom surfboard and retro scooter hire badged with Peppers logos.

"As one of the Gold Coast's largest employers, it is very fitting that our next phase of growth and renewal begins in such an exciting development in Broadbeach,” says East.

"The architectural design of the hotel reflects a distinct fusion of city sophistication and coastal relaxation, with both towers featuring an extensive use of life spaces including Zen gardens, tai chi lawns, private cinemas, guest lounges, teppanyaki barbeques, steam rooms, saunas and lap, plunge and resort pools.”

Niecon Developments chief operating officer Mark Johnson, says Oracle is a significant landmark and a ‘labour of love’ that has transformed the urban heart of Broadbeach into a world class leisure and dining precinct.

“Peppers has obviously seen the Gold Coast as a place that is ready for the Peppers brand and it complements what Niecon Developments has been providing and presenting to the marketplace over the last four to five years. The mix is a natural fit.”

Oracle is 80 per cent sold, with 507 settlements due in August and October. Johnson would not be drawn into the state of Niecon’s debt facility with its lender, despite concerns over a drop in valuations.

“There are no issues with our banking syndicate,” he says.

Peppers Broadbeach will be the first five-star hotel on the Gold Coast since the opening of Palazzo Versace in 2000.