The new 5-star hotel at Darling Harbour will boost Sydney’s luxury hotel room capacity and the city’s status as an international tourist destination, CEO of the Tourism & Transport Forum Margy Osmond said today.

This follows the celebration of the start of construction on the hotel, which is being developed by Lend Lease. The hotel will be owned by Dr Jerry Schwartz and upon completion in 2017, will be operated by AccorHotels under the luxury Sofitel Brand.

“It is fantastic to see construction begin on Sydney’s newest, and soon-to-be largest, 5-star hotel,” Ms Osmond said.

“This is the first 5-star hotel built in Sydney since the 2000 Olympics, a fair indication that Sydney has been and truly got its mojo back!

“When completed, the new hotel will add a further 215,000 annual room nights to the Sydney market and provide a boost to the city’s international visitor appeal.

“TTF has been a long-time supporter of the redevelopment of Darling Harbour, and this new hotel is a will help ensure the precinct is a world-class destination to live, play and do business.

“Tourism is a key contributor to the national economy, responsible for almost a million Australian jobs and more than $93 billion of GDP, but we need to invest in tourism infrastructure to facilitate the industry’s future growth.

“The NSW Government, Lend Lease, Dr Jerry Schwartz and AccorHotels should be congratulated for their significant investment in this important piece of tourism infrastructure,” she said.