Formule 1 to expand at Sydney airport
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29 January 2010: A 13.7% increase in room sales at Formule 1 Sydney Airport for January 2010 (compared to January 2009) has justified the $7 million investment in new accommodation at the Formule 1 Sydney Airport.
The Formule 1 Sydney Airport has added a new wing of 70 rooms, which has increased the size of the hotel to 200 rooms.
The new year period has attracted significant international patronage, with strong support from the UK, Ireland, Eastern Europe and New Zealand.
The hotel is now the largest Formule 1 outside Europe, and features the latest Formule 1 concept for rooms and public areas.
A revival in Sydney’s tourism as well as growth in business travel and low-cost air carriers are cited as the major reasons for the growth in business.
Accor Vice President Australia, Simon McGrath, said that budget air travel between major Australian cities had really taken off in the last few years and the group’s Formule 1 hotels at airport locations had been stand-out performers in a difficult year.
“This is the perfect time to increase the availability of quality accommodation in the airport precinct,”said Mr McGrath.
“In the five years since it opened, the Formule 1 at Sydney Airport has seen an increase in bookings from business travellers seeking affordable airport accommodation and is now attracting an even greater percentage of international guests, in addition to the strong demand from regional travellers.”
The Chairman of Sydney Airport, Max Moore-Wilton, who was one of the officials at the opening of the Formule 1 in 2005, said he was pleased that passengers now had even more economy accommodation available.
“When Formule 1 opened in 2005,Sydney Airport handled around 26 million passengers each year. Last year, the airport had more than 33 million passengers through its terminals. As well as being the principal gateway for international visitors to Australia, Sydney Airport and the surrounding area is increasingly a commercial and business hub in its own right,” Mr Moore-Wilton said.
Project Director and investor, Phillip Wolanski, said he was confident the new investment at Sydney Airport would pay dividends both in the short and long term.
“The Formule 1 brand is one of the strongest budget brands in the world and with Sydney Airport attracting new carriers and new services all the time, we believe that there is great potential for growing our business,” he said.
Now boasting 200 rooms in total (up from its previous 130), Formule 1 Sydney is also one of the first properties outside Europe to feature the new international F1 room standards, which come with cleaner lines, larger desk space, a flat-screen TV, wireless internet connection and a new bed configuration that does away with the traditional bunk set-up. This room is squarely aimed at the business traveller who needs a convenient base for those early-morning flights or late meetings. The public areas of the hotel have also been given a make-over including the addition of a new licensed bar service, which is a first for the brand in Australia.
With its David Forbes-designed interiors, fully soundproofed rooms and the best quality inner spring mattresses, F1 Sydney Airport promises a great night’s sleep at an unbeatable rate, just a short stroll from the domestic terminals. A complimentary shuttle takes guests to the International terminal.
Formule 1 Sydney Airport is the first hotel in the precinct to feature an arrivals and departures monitor in reception to ensure guests always get to their flights on time.
Formule 1 Sydney Airport is part of a network of over 380 hotels globally and 20 in Australia. Formule 1 hotels are located in Australia’s most important airports including in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
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