ONYX Hospitality Group continues expanding its presence across the Asia-Pacific region with the signing of its first property in Australia. The international hotel company has been appointed by Singapore-based Ascendas Hospitality Trust (A-HTRUST) to manage a brand new serviced apartment complex in the Melbourne city centre under its Shama brand.
Shama Luxe Aurora Melbourne Central will be a 252-unit property located within the 92-storey mixed use Aurora Melbourne Central development. The serviced apartments will be located on levels 10 to 32, with a dedicated street level entrance, lobby and elevators, as well as facilities including a restaurant, executive lounge, swimming pool and fitness centre. Construction of the property is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2019.
Peter Henley, President & Chief Executive, ONYX Hospitality Group, said: “We are thrilled to announce our first property in Australia, and at being offered the opportunity to manage the serviced apartments component of this iconic Melbourne development under our fast-growing Shama brand. We look forward to a successful and long term partnership with A-HTRUST as we work towards bringing the Shama brand to life in the Australian market.”
Mr Tan Juay Hiang, Chief Executive Officer of A-HTRUST, said: “We are very pleased to work with ONYX, which has a strong track record in the operation of hotels and serviced apartments across Asia. This partnership with ONYX will help further diversify the group of operators we work with, and enlarge the pool of knowledge and expertise we can draw from.”
ONYX Hospitality Group has a portfolio of 10 operating Shama properties in China, Hong Kong and Thailand, with eight additional Shama properties under development in locations such as China and Malaysia. An award winning brand, Shama has been named Best Serviced Apartment Operator of Asia by the AHF Asia Hotel Awards in 2016, 2015, 2013 and 2012.
In total, ONYX has a full portfolio of 41 properties in seven countries and territories under the Amari, OZO, Shama and Oriental Residence brands, and another 25 properties in the development pipeline. The rapidly-expanding group will also be marking its entry to new markets such as Vietnam and Malaysia with new hotel openings in the coming year.
Ascendas Hospitality Trust (A-HTRUST) was listed in July 2012 as a stapled group comprising Ascendas Hospitality Real Estate Investment Trust (A-HREIT) and Ascendas Hospitality Business Trust (A-HBT), established with the principal investment strategy of investing, directly or indirectly, in a diversified portfolio of income-producing real estate used predominantly for hospitality purposes located across Asia, Australia and New Zealand, as well as real estate related assets in connection with the foregoing.
The A-HTRUST asset portfolio comprises 11 hotels with over 4,000 rooms geographically diversified across key cities in Australia, China, Japan and Singapore; and located close to central business districts, business precincts, suburban centres, transportation nodes as well as iconic tourist landmarks.
