Outrigger Little Hastings Street
Positioned in heart of the UNESCO-designated Noosa Biosphere, Outrigger Little Hastings Street stands as an outstanding example of how urban design can co-exist with the natural ecology without foregoing five-star facilities.
Opening three weeks ahead of schedule in July 2010, the stunning new Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort & Spa Noosa brings to the region the first internationally managed hotel in over 20 years and a welcome boost to Noosa’s conferencing scene.
Hawaii’s Outrigger Hotels & Resorts chain had long held a desire to operate a resort in Noosa and when the popular chain that owns or operates resorts and hotels in some of the world’s most idyllic locations throughout the Pacific and Asia, was selected to manage the resort by developers, Leighton Properties and Macquarie Group of Companies in 2008, their goal became a reality.
Set on 20ha of hilltop land formerly housing and banana plantation beside Noosa National Park, more than half of the site was gifted back by the developers to the Sunshine Coast Regional Council for conservation with guests enjoying their stays alongside resident koalas and birdlife. Over 36,000 trees were planted as part of the re-vegetation program to create natural wildlife corridors into Noosa National Park.
Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort & Spa comprises 197-suites, villas and penthouses together with full resort facilities, conferencing and function areas catering for up to 500 delegates cocktail-style.
Designed by internationally renowned architect John Mainwaring, the resort’s contemporary architecture blends seamlessly into its bushland surrounds and features natural colour palettes and building materials inspired by its location. Environmentally sustainable design principles ensure the resort’s minimal impact on the local environment whilst paying homage to Noosa’s natural beauty.
The resort’s buildings follow the natural contours of Noosa Hill offering views through the canopies and village laneway down to Laguna Bay. Barely visible from Noosa’s Main beach, yet it is only a two-minute stroll down to the buzzing dining and retail precinct of Hastings St.
Cutting a striking pose against a leafy green backdrop, the resort’s design, inspired by a Scandinavian village, features all the five-star facilities one would expect. The resort was recently awarded an official five-star status from peak industry body AAA Tourism together with a Green Star rating.
The luxe, self-contained suites, villas and penthouses leave guests wanting for nothing. The open-plan suites contain a range of energy efficient appliances. Room interiors feature unique design elements such as raked plied timber ceilings offset by sandstone floors, indigenous art and attractive furnishings. The extensive use of glass and louvre panels minimises air-conditioning use, while also drawing the eye out to the national park.
Other resort features include the 11-room Stephanies Ocean Spa, 144-seat restaurant and bar (View on Little Hastings), a resort pool and bar, lap pool, gym and sauna, games room, a private lookout over Laguna Bay up to Double Island Point and boardwalks linking Outrigger directly into Noosa National Park.
The resort has received numerous design and landscaping awards, with some of the eco-friendly features comprising rainwater collection systems, sustainable building design and materials, gas and solar powered hot water systems, gas heated pools. Harvested rainwater is plumbed back into toilets and used to service the extensive landscaping.
Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort & Spa, is the third and final stage of the $350 million Viridian Village residential and resort precinct developed by Leighton Properties and Macquarie Group of companies.
As the first internationally-managed five-star resort to be developed in the Hastings St precinct in over 20 years, the project required a high level of architectural quality along with operational functionality in the face of somewhat challenging terrain. Construction of the resort and spa was completed in June 2010 and it welcomed its first guests in July.
Accommodation buildings are strategically ‘feathered’ around a central village spine whilst the common resort and spa facilities form part of a hotel core providing vehicular and pedestrian connectivity to resort facilities.
For Bob Borger of Leighton Properties, who has been involved with the Viridian Village project as development director for over 12 years, bringing the third and final stage of the project to completion has been a true labour of love. Bob looks back on the history of the now critically acclaimed and multi-award winning development fondly.
“The Viridian Village project first started in 1999 and after a drawn out assessment period, the green light was finally given in June 2001 and we started to build what is now one of the most awarded and respected residential and resort precincts in Queensland – and one which is held in very high esteem by the local council, the community and our peers,” Bob said.
“Employing a collaborative approach with council we continued to work with them directly in order to allay any fears and assure them that their constituents would benefit from the outcome socially, economically and environmentally.”
The end result shows that the vision has been exceptionally achieved with a development that heralds a new era in environmentally sustainable resort design within the natural beauty and ecology of the Noosa Biosphere Reserve.
From a resort operation viewpoint, this eco-resort ticks all of the environmental boxes and creates a synergy with the eco-tourism market. It is the sort of eco-development that makes Noosa different from other regions.
Senior hotel industry figure, Alexander Chapman was appointed general manager to oversee the resort’s opening that drew applicants from around the world vying for the sought after position. Mr Chapman has over 20 years’ industry experience, and has worked in senior management, sales and marketing roles for international hotel brands including InterContinental Hotel Group, Accor Asia Pacific and Ramada throughout the South Pacific.
He moved to the sub-tropical paradise of Noosa from Canberra where he held the position of general manager at Saville Park Suites that was later re-branded to Mantra on Northbourne.
Outrigger Hotels & Resorts’ regional general manager Australia, Grant James said, “The company’s decision to appoint Alex was based on his extensive experience overseeing hotel openings in Australia and abroad, together with a proven track record in revenue management, yield growth and his excellent leadership qualities.”
“He also possesses a great depth and understanding of the strata-titled hotel industry and stakeholder relations and we were naturally delighted to bring a person of his professional calibre into the fold as we enter an exciting new growth phase in Australia,” Mr James added.
Supporting Alex is an experienced executive team selected for their high service standards, attention to staff training and mentoring and national and international hotel experience.
Outrigger Little Hastings Street caters for up to 500 delegates cocktail style, plus a further 87 in a purpose-built theatrette ideal for product launches together with a private hilltop lookout suitable for smaller cocktail functions. The resort drew an impressive number of pre-opening conference bookings and leads prior to opening, which in itself confirms the increasing demand for ’greener’ venues and newer large-scale conferencing options in Noosa.
And in what was considered to be a major show of confidence, Outrigger will be the official host venue for the 2010 Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference being held from 25-27 October. The conference will attract world authorities and keynote speakers on sustainable tourism including senior representatives from UNESCO and the UNWTO.
Taking advantage of the Sunshine Coast’s superb year-round weather, the resort also features an open-air terrace serviced by the adjoining View on Little Hastings restaurant and bar. The range of spacious break out areas offer the perfect backdrop for delegates to mingle between sessions and take in the spectacular beauty the region has to offer.
Supporting the conferencing facilities is a dedicated meetings team skilled in theming, AV and multi-media technology. Innovative ranges of day delegate packages have been created in conjunction with the local and regional attractions to ensure delegates and their spouses experience the best Noosa has to offer.
The culinary centrepiece of Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort & Spa is View on Little Hastings. Bringing a dynamic new element to Noosa’s famed dining scene, View on Little Hastings’s menu is best described as Australian Asian fusion focusing heavily on seasonal, locally farmed produce.
The friendly restaurant team is headed by one of Australia’s true masters of fusion cuisine, executive chef, Olivier Maokhamphieu. A 30-year veteran, Olivier draws from his French Vietnamese parentage to present a diverse and appealing a-la-carte menu to entice the most discerning of diners. Clasically-trained in Paris, Olivier has worked alongside some of France’s most respected chefs and in many exotic locations including Tunisia, Algeria and Thailand.
View presents inspiring dishes showcasing the best of the Sunshine Coast’s regional foods with seafood plucked daily from the trawlers, and local dairy and farm produce bursting with flavour and colour thanks to the Sunshine Coast’s warm climate and rich volcanic soils.
Comforting aromas of freshly baked pastries and breads mingle with aromatic spices and marinades synonymous with fusion cuisine and Olivier’s international training.
View contains casual al fresco and formal dining areas and a bar offering a beautiful backdrop for sunset drinks with friends. It has a diverse wine selection and a tempting cocktail menu that includes the resort’s signature cocktail – the Outrigger Mai Tai.
Fit out on time and on budget
Resort Interiors International, a company that specialises in the hotel fit-out and refurbishment of hotels and resorts was selected to complete the FF&E fit out for the Outrigger Noosa Spa & Resort in Hastings Street.
The areas that RII looked at include; reception/foyer, outdoor pool areas, conference rooms, restaurant/entertainment areas and recreational areas. This spectacular venture incorporates 197 luxurious one- and two-bedroom suites, along with lavish two and three bedroom villas with sweeping ocean and rain forest views.
The scope of works carried out included input on the FF&E design, overall project management, manufacturing, procurement, delivery to site and installation. The items varied from custom made upholstery, joinery, solid timber furniture, metal furniture and custom designed banquet seating and screens. The premium facilities include the recreational centrepiece of the resort pool, the bar, along with the day spa, lap pool, restaurant, bar, gym, games room, theatrette, with conference/wedding facilities for 350 people.
RII worked with a local aboriginal artist whose artwork and themes were central to the whole feel of the resort, which occupies a prime location just off the fashion and dinning mecca of Hastings St, with views of the turquoise waters of Laguna Bay alongside the lush canopies of Noosa National Park and 500m to the beach.
Ongoing meetings were held between RII, the client, the architect, the developer and the resort operator Outrigger. There was extensive communication back and forth in regards to the design approach and the overall feel of the spaces. The design used a neutral pallet with earthy tones and a splash of colour that, when combined, gave an extremely relaxed, comfortable and warm feel to all the common areas. The outdoor furniture is modern and blends perfectly with the surrounding buildings, pools and natures environment.
Such a location required an environmentally sustainably design brief to incorporate an exquisite feel that was both eco-friendly warm and yet sophisticated for all to enjoy.
The furniture was not only designed to suit the surrounds, it also was built with strength and durability that a resort of this calibre requires. The metalwork on all the rattan seating was chosen in the tubular profile that gives a significant strength factor to this furniture. All fabrics are commercial in grade. The outdoor fabrics and foams are weather proof and UV resistant.
The installation was undertaken in a very professional manner. All furniture was bought in, unpacked and put in their correct places over a 48 hour period. The rubbish was removed.
Packaging that could be recycled, was disposed of accordingly. Finally all the installed furniture was checked for defects and the completed installation was signed off by all parties.
The warranties and care and maintenance manuals were left with the operator. And importantly, it was delivered on time and in budget.
The positive experience.
When you hear the words Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort & Spa Noosa, certain words come to mind. Style, class, quality, elegance would be the most prominent.
So when 139 resort rooms needed to reflect this, only one name was trusted to ensure the substance met the hype. Furniture Packages Australia had the enviable opportunity to meet the design concept, manufacture, supply and fit out all resort rooms.
“From conceptual stages to the delivery the company delivered our promises on time and on budget. The company played a seamless role of working with the joint venture partners Leighton Constructions, Macquarie Bank, Architect JMA and Matrix to help deliver Noosa’s newest five-star resort,” said Tony Brown of Furniture Packages (Australia) P/L
“The company worked tirelessly with architect John Mainwaring and his team to develop the furniture from their concept and their design intent.
“We focused their resources and skills on manufacturing and developing a distinctive design that has the style and functionality for a five-star resort. The art was to ensure that the furniture had the comfort and the quality that was expected in Noosa. This was achieved through a series of prototype phases and rigorous scrutiny to ensure every detail of design and functionality was incorporated in the FF&E manufacture. A key difference that ensures consistency is the company’s Australian manufacturing base and their capacity to control the international manufacturing components, an important factor when quality counts,” Mr Brown added.
“Our experience and formal qualifications to project manage was critical to ensuring the Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort & Spa Noosa project was a complete turnkey package, from concept to completion. Continuing the support for general manager Alexander Chapman and his team after sign off is a major point of difference with us,” he said.
The success of the Noosa experience, as demonstrated by the Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort & Spa Noosa is no small part to the entire project team and their ability to work together on major works. “Their service etiquette and willingness to work with Outrigger to meet our needs as a hotel operator were outstanding and integral in achieving lavishly appointed rooms,” said Grant James, Outrigger regional General Manager.
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