Produced in partnership with Hamilton Island
This is a long read! You can jump to a section further down: Meet Hamilton Island’s newest hotel | Pool and restaurant transformations | Revamping the Reef View Hotel and technology upgrades at the Hamilton Island Conference Centre | qualia’s new offerings | Renewed experiences | Off-island experiences get a boost | Making the island your own | Looking ahead with Hamilton Island’s new owner
I first visited Hamilton Island in 2022 and to say I was quite taken with its beauty – and that of the broader Whitsundays – was something of an understatement. The lush greenery, the calm sea with the Great Barrier Reef just beneath and the surrounding, mostly uninhabited, islands create an extraordinary scene laid out before you more or less wherever you turn.
Four years later, I’m back on Hamilton Island, it’s just as beautiful, but I’m surprised by how much has changed.
In its Oatley family ownership era – from 2003 to earlier this year – around $430 million was invested in improving the Hamilton Island experience. Over the years, this included building the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, as well as Hamilton Island Golf Club on the neighbouring Dent Island, the luxury pavilion-style resort qualia and, more recently, the Beach Pavilion, a beachfront event venue that opened just before the pandemic.
Since my last visit, the continued investment in the island is evident in big and little ways.
Meet Hamilton Island’s newest hotel
The hero development of the last few years is the debut of The Sundays, a 59-room hotel at the end of Catseye Beach, which transformed what was Palm Terrace and Outrigger into Hamilton Island’s third luxury property and the first at the high end for visitors with children.
A nicely done conversion, The Sundays is open to exclusive-use buyouts from event groups while also offering room blocks of up to 15 rooms for up to 30 guests on a non-exclusive basis. Corporate guests staying at The Sundays have access to The Sundays Pool and a la carte breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant, Catseye Pool Club.
For groups taking over the hotel, The Sundays’ hatted 106-seat restaurant, Catseye Pool Club, helmed by the acclaimed Josh and Julie Niland, is a drawcard and can be used exclusively by the group. Otherwise, small event groups can book into the restaurant’s dining space for lunch or dinner.
Pool and restaurant transformations
There are many other improvements – large and small – that have been made to the island since my 2022 visit.
The central resort pool has had several upgrades, including removing a hedge to deliver uninterrupted beach views, which make it an even better setting for cocktails or dinners for a variety of group sizes, all the way up to dinners for 700. Cool event features that can be added to poolside events include synchronised swimmers or water cannons that create an airborne liquid surface on which to project company logos.
Nearby, Sails restaurant has undergone a significant renovation, which extended to the smaller pool that sits alongside it. Previously more ornamental, the pool has had a dramatic overhaul which has improved both its form and function – a new swim-up pool bar has been added as well as a shallow section with sun lounges in the water.
Sails can be used exclusively by a group of around 260 or a new private dining alcove added during the renovation can be used by smaller groups. The restaurant is great for a la carte breakfast or as a casual arrival lunch spot, as enjoyed by our famil group. The array of tasty, shared plates hit the spot, as did the open, bright, beachy vibe of the refreshed venue. New kiosk options at the back of Sails include Hi Yo for frozen yoghurt and a panini bar.
On the other side of the resort pool, the Southeast Asian-flavoured coca chu has also had a revamp, with the restaurant brightened up and now open for lunch as well as dinner. It’s a popular option for smaller groups to have semiprivate dinners of up to 40, suiting pre-event meetings by executive teams and the like.
Another new addition to the island is The Palms, a new outdoor space down by the marina, serving food and drinks out of a food truck and offering up a big screen for delegates wanting to watch sports during their leisure time. Like much of the island, live music is also a feature here.
Revamping the Reef View Hotel and technology upgrades at the Hamilton Island Conference Centre
There have also been upgrades at Hamilton Island’s largest hotel, the Reef View Hotel, and at the island’s convention centre which can seat 1,000 in theatre and do dinners for 700.
The Reef View has had a variety of refurbishments, from a repainted exterior to the renovation of its bar and lounge. Chief amongst the most recent renovations is new flooring in all of the guest rooms and the addition of screen doors in each room, allowing guests to let in fresh air from their balconies day and night without risking a visit from any of the island’s many glorious but mischievous cockatoos.
At the convention centre, the island’s AV and event styling partner, AVPartners, have installed an even larger LED screen in the venue in April. Measuring 18m wide by 4m high, the screen can also be reconfigured to have a cutout arch to frame the permanent band stage, which can also be extended out and then removed to reveal a dance floor. The production company is also installing kinetic motors in the roof of the convention centre, allowing installations hung from the ceiling to move through the space – AVPartners is initially using these to deploy illuminated clouds and neon tubes.
“I’m so proud of how quickly we can transform the conference centre from a conference to a gala dinner, thanks to our experienced teams, extensive pre-planning and pre-rigging, permanently installed production equipment and features such as our rolling star drape system,” AVPartners’ Hamilton Island partner, Mitch Tucker, told micenet.
“We can completely change the room from conference mode to gala dinner mode in a matter of a few hours.
“For conference organisers with tight schedules, it allows them to maximise the use of the venue without compromising on production value.
“Most importantly, it wows the guests as it’s pretty hard to believe the space can look that different so quickly.”
AVPartners is also gradually installing more LED screens in meeting venues across the island, which, due to their brightness, allow presentations and the stunning Whitsundays views to sit side by side, rather than having to block out the view to see a presentation properly.
qualia’s new offerings
At qualia, Hamilton Island’s most luxurious resort, things have also shifted somewhat. With the Oatley family selling the island earlier this year, their former lodgings at qualia, known as The Residence, is now available to guests. Spanning 400m2 and with its own 25m lap pool, The Residence offers three bedrooms, two generous outdoor terraces and an indoor dining space for 10, which can be used to host small group dinners. During our famil, we were lucky enough to have a look around – it’s often booked out – the enormous, tranquil floorplan.
Renewed experiences
Aside from Hamilton Island’s infrastructure, experiences on and around the island are also changing.
“We’re so lucky that we have so many loyal repeat clients,” explains Hamilton Island’s business development manager, Adam Rose, who tells me that anywhere between 20 to 30 per cent of the 90 to 110 business events held on Hamilton Island each year are returning clients.
“That means that we always need to change up our offering every year.
“We’re always looking for creative new ways that we can work with our teams to wow our valued repeat clients with new dinner venues, exciting team building activities and unique food and beverage offerings,” he says.
One of the ways the Hamilton Island business events team does this is through their Signature Dinners offering, which deliver statement-making, all-inclusive dinner experiences.
Planners who have held events on Hamilton Island in the past will likely be familiar with the likes of the Water’s Edge Extravaganza, during which waiters emerged from the ocean with the food. Signature Dinners on offer now include a street party, a food festival around the pool and dinner on a working dock. Rose says there’s another Signature Dinner in the works called Elements of the Isles which will include fire performers and drummers.
When I ask Rose about the most extraordinary things that have been done on the island for business events, the Marina Village Street Party Signature Dinner is amongst the accomplishments he mentions. The surprise of it is partly what makes it so out of the ordinary, he says.
“We kick off the evening by asking delegates to gather outside the Conference Centre, where they think they’re heading back into the same room they sat in all day,” says Rose.
“Instead, we surprise them with a truck coming around the corner with a live DJ on the back, party music pumping and our conventions team handing out glow sticks to set the mood.
“From there, everyone joins a street parade down to Front Street on the marina, which is exclusively closed for the event. Guests can wander between themed food stations, from Brat Haus serving crackling pork knuckle to Smoke Stack’s pulled pork rolls and mac and cheese and Calle’s birria beef tacos with charred corn.
“It’s one of our signature events and always a standout that we can tailor to any theme.
“Over the years we’ve welcomed incredible entertainment to perform at the street party, including Furnace & the Fundamentals and, most recently, a surprise performance by Jimmy Barnes at a corporate event.”
Other remarkable event feats include the island’s first drone show, a recent occurrence, a client bringing a Ferris wheel onto the island to use a set piece for the street party and a Red Bull stunt plane doing aerial acrobatics over Catseye Beach, which required some coordination with the island’s airport.
Off-island experiences get a boost
New experience operators are also joining Hamilton Island’s portfolio of activities for the corporate event market that makes up the lion’s share of the destination’s event business.
Ocean Rafting set up shop on the island last year, after acquiring Hamilton Island Watersports, bringing more capacity to an iconic off-island activity for business events groups: trips to Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, one of the Whitsundays most famous landmarks.
Our famil group did Ocean Rafting’s Half Day Dash to Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet and for me it was one of the highlights of our Hamilton Island experience. The speedy ride out to Whitehaven Beach – regularly tapped as one of the world’s most beautiful beaches – is an adventure in itself, bouncing through the swell on a reasonably windy morning, with those of us sitting on the edges of the sturdy inflatable vessel being occasionally doused in brief waves of the ocean slapping up against the side of the boat. Seated at the very front, I was in the most thrill-seeking of spots.
We spent about 90 minutes enjoying the silica white sands of Whitehaven Beach, and the protected waters on its shoreline – even in June it was warm enough to swim – before heading off to Hill Inlet.
It was only when we reached the viewing platforms at Hill Inlet towards the end of a guided walk through the national park that I realised we were overlooking one of the most iconic views of the Whitsundays, with the green-blue of the ocean seeping into the incredible, luminous white of the sands over a great expanse of land and water. Walking down onto the beach towards our boat that had motored around to meet us, the splendour of the land and seascape was almost overwhelming – it was one of those moments where the beauty of Australia seems almost unbelieve, except that it is right there in front of me and all around me.
Another recent addition to the range of seafaring vessels operating out of Hamilton Island is MY Rascal, a 35m luxury yacht that can be hired as a private charter for event groups of up to 60. Our famil group took a sunset cruise on the yacht, which relocated to Hamilton Island this year, and the luxurious finishes of the vessel left an impression on us all.
Making the island your own
All of the new elements and upgrades for Hamilton Island sit alongside an already exceptionally varied offering for an island with a single owner.
Its multiple accommodation options sit alongside several restaurants and a multitude of outdoor event spaces, which are a standout features for bringing an event to the island.
There are other surprising little add-ons for events that can make the island feel as though it belongs to a visiting group.
Hamilton Island has its own signage company, which can create flags and buggy decals for events. The business events team for the island has negotiated daily rates with the operator of the digital signage at the airport to offer groups daily rates to create a branded welcome for their delegates. And AVPartners offers mobile digital signage around the island for use by groups.
Looking ahead with Hamilton Island’s new owner
Perhaps the biggest news recently for Hamilton Island is its new owner – US private equity giant Blackstone. Taking over the island earlier this year, its newly appointed management team are getting stuck into understanding the island, before making concrete future plans for investment and upgrades.
A much-experienced and familiar talent of Australia’s hotel scene, Renae Trimble – 17 years with Accor, plus time with Marriott International and Rydges – is Hamilton Island’s new chief operating officer. She filled micenet in on where to from here for the island under Blackstone.
“Hamilton Island is a highly successful business with extraordinary foundations and a world-class reputation,” says Trimble.
“We see significant opportunities to build on those strengths by evolving the experiences we offer, creating even greater value for our customers and ensuring Hamilton Island continues to evolve alongside the needs of tomorrow’s traveller.
“Our immediate focus is listening and learning. We’re spending time with our team, customers and industry partners to develop a deep understanding of what Hamilton Island already does exceptionally well and where there are opportunities to enhance the experience.
“One of our key priorities is understanding the customer of the future and how their expectations continue to evolve.
“From there, we’ll look at how we can create a more connected customer journey, enhance our digital experience, recognise returning guests more effectively, develop new partnerships and experiences and make it easier to do business with Hamilton Island.”
Trimble flags evolving wellness and food and beverage experiences, “thoughtful investment in the experiences that matter most” and raising Hamilton Island’s profile in international markets as elements of the vision for the island.
As for future investment, “we’re in an active planning phase and investment is certainly part of the conversation,” she says.
“We’re evaluating opportunities across event technology and hybrid capability, which corporate planners increasingly expect as standard; experiential food and beverage, where guest expectations continue to evolve; sustainability credentials, which are increasingly influencing destination selection for business events; and digital innovation, including AI, to create more seamless and personalised customer experiences.
“Any future investment will be guided by what keeps Hamilton Island competitive as a premium, experience-rich destination for both leisure and business events while building on the extraordinary foundations that have made Hamilton Island so successful.”
Trimble is unequivocal about the importance of business events to Hamilton Island.
“Business events will remain a core pillar of Hamilton Island’s strategy under our new ownership, and we see significant opportunity to grow our share of the market as Australia’s business events sector continues to expand,” she says.
“A high percentage of incentive buyers are actively seeking destinations they haven’t used before, while many are choosing shorter-haul options. Both trends play directly to Hamilton Island’s strengths across domestic and international markets.
“Business events is absolutely an area where we’ll be looking to capture a greater share of that growth.
“Hamilton Island is uniquely positioned to do that. As a fully integrated destination operated by a single owner, we bring together accommodation, conference facilities, dining, transport and world-class experiences in one location.
“Delegates can step off a plane and be at their hotel, in a meeting room or enjoying dinner within minutes of landing.
“Combined with iconic experiences such as the Great Barrier Reef, Whitehaven Beach and exceptional dining, it’s a compelling proposition for conferences, incentive programs and executive retreats that very few destinations can match,” says Trimble.
“Our new ownership brings global hospitality expertise and a long-term investment horizon, supporting continued investment in our product, digital capabilities and customer experience to make it even easier to do business with us.”
Thinking about planning an event on Hamilton Island? Click here.
