Upmarket Crowne Plaza Parramatta slated for Sydney’s ‘second CBD’
An upmarket Crowne Plaza Hotel forms the centrepiece of a revised proposal for a $750 million project in the heart of Parramatta in recognition of how fast the hub is growing to establish its status as Sydney’s second CBD.
The updated proposal by developer Urban Property Group is a direct response to the rapid growth in business activity in the area, along with events at nearby Parramatta Stadium, creating demand for corporate and leisure accommodation.
British hotelier IHG Hotels & Resorts has been tapped to operate the 217-room Crowne Plaza Parramatta at the centre of a two-tower project opposite Parramatta train station. It will feature a direct link from the hotel to the station as well as an all-day restaurant, lobby bar and rooftop infinity pool.
Matt Tripolone, Australasia and Pacific managing director at IHG Hotels & Resorts, said the hospitality giant had chosen its premium Crowne Plaza brand for Parramatta as the best fit for an increasingly corporate and events-driven hub. The venue will also be IHG’s third Crowne Plaza in Sydney.
The busy events calendar at Parramatta Stadium and the area’s proximity to Olympic Park meant the hotel had to have global appeal as well, he told The Australian Financial Review.
“It needed to be a brand that was approachable, that people understood … the price point’s quite affordable – it needs to be that in Parramatta,” Tripolone said.
“When you add up all of those elements, Crowne Plaza is a brand that actually does all that.”
Western Sydney was one of Australia’s most dynamic growth corridors, underpinned by record levels of infrastructure investment, a flourishing business and government sector, and the arrival of Western Sydney International Airport in 2026, Tripolone said.
In the latest proposal, the hotel sits in the podium, connecting the two towers. Guest rooms will be located on the lower floors of the 37-level East tower.
The proposal also comprises 703 mostly build-to-rent apartments as well as affordable housing and units dedicated to people with disabilities. There will also be 684 square metres of retail floor space.
Urban Property acquired the 2811 square metre block between Argyle and Fitzwilliam streets from Transport NSW in 2022. Its original plan was to develop residential and commercial office space across two towers, including 316 apartments, with a small portion of space dedicated to retail.
However, Urban Property’s chief executive, Patrick Elias, said the company had changed its mind on what it thought was best suited to the site and location.
“We’ve reimagined the project as a hotel and build-to-rent precinct to tap into the huge demand for quality housing and short-stay accommodation in Parramatta,” he told the Financial Review. “When you have a hotel, there are a lot more synergies with the amenity that the residents might use.
“We see that as a much better fit rather than having a commercial [space] on top or below a residential tower.”
Parramatta is fast becoming Sydney’s second CBD and Urban Property wanted to invest in that transformation, Elias said. It was also the developer-builder’s first collaboration with a hotel brand.
“We’re pretty excited about being part of a global brand such as IHG,” Elias said. “They give us scale to have a bit of brand muscle and global reach, and we’re happy to bring our local, build expertise and execute something that’s a world-class brand.”
Urban Property is also tapping into NSW’s state-significant development process to fast-track the project, as it had with its initial plans for the site.
A development application for the Parramatta project has been lodged and, if approved, construction could commence next year with completion then expected in late 2029.
IHG Hotels & Resorts announced in May that it had a pipeline of InterContinental properties opening in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, and was reintroducing its Regent brand after a two-decade absence within the next five years.
