Wow factor the jewel in Hawkesbury Crowne
Refurbishment complete: Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley reveals a multi-million dollar guest room makeover
The wow factor has arrived at the beautiful heritage town of Windsor northwest of Sydney with the Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley completing their multi-million dollar guest room refurbishment.
The marvellous makeover in the last of the property’s 105 guest rooms is complete following an almost two-year plan to totally renovate the property.
The final stage was completed in late April and the property’s Marketing Manager, Jason Piper, says guests have been stunned by the fresh new designs, lux finishes and attention to detail.
“The response has been tremendous,” Mr Piper said, “and guests are really stunned by the transformation. The rooms have taken the hotel to a whole new level and we’re going through a repositioning phase now to market the new product.
“We did a post on our Facebook page to mark the completion of the refurbishment and the amount of traction it gained was absolutely fantastic.
“We had so many people wanting to come and experience the new rooms and the response has been great from couples and families. Weddings are a huge piece of business for us and couples getting married are really excited to be staying in these wonderful new rooms.”
The new room designs came from Stack Studio with the construction performed by the Reward Group.
“All the rooms have been completely remodelled,” Mr Piper said. “It’s a complete refurbishment, not just a touch-up or a refresh.
“The rooms were the last piece in the puzzle to really improve the guest experience. Before the refurbishment it was always a case of guests saying that the property, staff and location was outstanding but the rooms were looking tired. The changes have been stunning with features such as stone and wood floating vanities in the bathrooms, LED illuminated mirrors, walk-in showers with frameless screens and new wood-look flooring.
“One of the main standout features in the rooms is the open plan wardrobes. Aside from their practicality, they look incredible and really open up the floor plan.
“The aim was to make the rooms as spacious and as lux as possible so having that open plan wardrobe was an important design feature that is probably a little left field.
“One of the main things that the owners and design team wanted to communicate across to Reward Group, who completed the construction, was this idea of an ‘Instagrammable heritage escape’. When you walk into the rooms there is now a real ‘wow factor.’”
Mr Piper said because the majority of renovation work took place during COVID in 2020 this actually worked in our favour without any major disruptions for visitors.
Hotel General Manager Stephen Wills said: “The feedback from guests who have already stayed in our new rooms has been amazing. The light, fresh style and openness of each room is really the most notable change admired by those staying with us, along with the new bathrooms of course.”
The refurbishments to the first 75 of the resort and spa’s guestrooms were unveiled in February displaying the accommodation re-imagined with light-filled and modern interiors.
Known for its iconic river, colonial heritage and picturesque countryside, the Hawkesbury has become one of Sydney’s most idyllic destinations for businesses, families and romantics alike.
The new guest rooms pay homage to the area’s historic roots, with elegant archways and smooth natural timber finishes, with the accompaniment of in room Staycast technology, eco low consumption LED lighting, ergonomic open plan wardrobes and a sense of fresh, uninterrupted space.
Andres Coll, Senior Associate from design company Stack, said: “From the beginning, we knew that acknowledging and engaging the heritage aspect of the building was important – it shows character, class and history, three things we did not want to lose in this refurbishment.
“At the same time we agreed each room must embody a getaway from the city environment that feels lighter, modern and ‘Instagrammable’ the moment you walk inside. The use of natural materials, soft colour palates and long LED lighting really helped us achieve this, along with the sophistication of the in-room technology and its ergonomic layout.
Hotel guests have an array of choice when selecting their accommodation at Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley. From the well-presented Standard Queen Room with Smart TV, modern ensuite, queen bed and open wardrobe all the way up to an extravagant Deluxe Balcony Suite with king sized bed, contemporary bath and views to the Blue Mountains, there is no shortage of comfort or class.
Offering eight room types, the resort provides couples, families and groups with a wide variety of accommodation options to suit their needs.
The premium finished guest rooms include the option of twin queen configurations ideal for corporate accommodation.
While the room refurbishment has taken centre stage, a number of other projects including the refurbishment of Villa Thalgo Day Spa and the hotel’s public guest bathrooms have also been undertaken. All this adds to the new look and feel of what now might be considered an unparalleled destination experience in the Hawkesbury Valley.
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Grantlee Kieza OAM has won three Queensland Media Awards, two Australian Sports Commission Awards and has been a finalist for the Walkley and News Awards and for the Harry Gordon Award for Australian sports journalist of the year. In 2019 he received the Medal of the Order of Australia for his writing. You can find more of his work in our AccomNews & Resort News print magazines.
He has written 22 acclaimed books, including bestsellers Hudson Fysh, The Kelly Hunters, Lawson, Banks, Macquarie, Banjo, Mrs Kelly, Monash, Sons of the Southern Cross and Bert Hinkler.
