Opening a new hotel is surely like having a business baby. It's a whole lotta hard work just to get to day one. After the Wednesday night launch party at the venue, QT Newcastle general manager Michael Stamboulidis was back on the job at 5.30am on Thursday, preparing for the first wave of paying guests and making sure staff were in tune, and everything was running smoothly.
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Stamboulidis is a believer. He put in a word with his bosses three years ago to get a chance to manage the QT Newcastle. He officially took on the post in August 2021, nearly 10 months before the doors opened.
As he noted in his Wednesday night launch speech, "With expansion of airport and upgrade of hospitality facilities ... the newcastle revitalisation is well underway, with market confidence paving the way for a brighter future ahead".
Callum Kennedy, QT's group general manager for resorts and hotels, was at the QT Newcastle hotel this week. He echoed the belief in Newcastle's future.
"We [QT] are at home in any city and community. We own and operate the Rydges in Newcastle, we understand the market as well. The market is a growing market, lots of economic drivers. It's ahead of its time in regeneration."
The hotel building, on the site of the David Jones retail business, is owned by Iris Capital, the developer of the entire East End project. The opening of the hotel completes stage one of their East End project, featuring three smart residential towers and commercial developments in the David Jones complex and on the ground floor of the towers.
Iris Capital CEO Sam Arnaout spoke briefly at the launch, making no secret he was a fan of the QT brand. "The experience ... is very much what the Newcastle area deserves, a QT brand. We are very lucky to have you guys here."
On a hardhat tour of the QT in March, Stamboulidis made it clear this was the beginning of the story.
"There are three more blocks coming in the East End [project]," he said as we walked through an unfinished sampling of the hotel's 104 rooms. "There will be 2000 residences added. Potentially, 4000 residents when they are built, which means more people brought in to the centre of the city."
Perhaps Marty Adnum, founder of Out of the Square Media in Newcastle, and the first official paying guest who was checking into the hotel on Thursday afternoon, put the occasion into the best perspective.
Adnum and his wife Rachelle were staying the night, and had plans to visit the Rooftop bar, which opens daily at 4pm, and had booked dinner at Jana, the upmarket bar and grill on the ground floor of the hotel.
Adnum had booked seven rooms in total, treating members of his Out of the Square media business, to a night at the hotel, too.
QT Newcastle
- 185 Hunter St, 104 guest rooms, room service, valet parking, dogs welcome.
- Rooftop bar open from 4pm daily, Japanese bar snacks and extensive drinks menu.
- Jana restaurant open for dinner Tuesday-Sunday, lunch on Thursday-Friday, focused on modern seafood and quality meat dishes from the grill, with extensive wine list of local and world selections.
- Scott's Cafe open daily breakfast and lunch, serving Little Marionette coffee and a small menu.
"I'm mad passionate about Newcastle," he says. "If you can give back, all the better. We've evolved as a city.
"Stuff like the QT and Kingsley, i believe in doing it sympathetically as well. I think that's a big difference. We've always been anti-development in Newcastle, but we shouldn't be anti-progress.
"What these guys are doing is sympathetic. And I think it's pretty important."
In what is the equivalent of a love letter to leading Newcastle food, produce, goods and merchandise producers, the QT reminds it customers at every step, they have a local focus. For example, it says in the bottom corner of the one-page menu for Scott's, its ground floor cafe, "QT aims to be as sustainable and local as possible."
That makes the people of Newcastle and QT partners in the future.
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