Marking the end of the action-packed State of Origin 2024 season, the New South Wales Blues prevailed against the Queensland Maroons last Wednesday. This year, the team’s training camp was relocated to the Blue Mountains, courtesy of a newly created high-performance training haven and the warm hospitality of the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains, driven by the resort’s independent hotel operators, Trilogy Hotels and its owner-entrepreneur Dr. Jerry Schwartz.
With the assistance of Trilogy Hotels CEO Scott Boyes, Dr. Schwartz transformed the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains into a premier and secluded elite training retreat, with a generous $600,000 investment injected towards building the facility and the nearby field.
Boyes’ 15-year friendship with the Blues coach Michael Maguire, combined with his expertise in this hospitality space, was the catalyst in moving the NSW team out West to the Blue Mountains, having formerly trained in Coogee.
“Late last year, Michael Maguire called and asked for advice on his plan to shake things up and move the team out of Sydney to somewhere more private for team bonding. The Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains came top of mind and seemed fitting for the ‘Blues’. I knew that Dr Jerry Schwartz would be the right person to help make this vision happen,” says Scott Boyes, CEO of Trilogy Hotels.
Since May this year, the Blues have been stationed at the resort on camp weeks, immersing themselves in rigorous training and team-building activities, enjoying the fresh air and privacy of the Blue Mountains. The resort offers six restaurants and bars, a golf course, a sauna, a pool and an ice-skating rink, offering players a unique blend of field and gym sessions and recreational time.
To accommodate the Blues’ exclusive stay, Trilogy Hotels worked closely with Dr. Schwartz to go above and beyond, building a private gym fitted with top-of-the-line equipment, to keep the players at peak performance at all times. Players enjoyed the on-site golf course and were placed in interconnecting rooms, further fuelling the much-needed bonding aspect of their stay. In addition, at times, families joined, making it truly their home away from home.
But it wasn’t merely the facilities but the people behind them. From playing the Blues’ theme song throughout the hotel to the organised guards of honour upon the team’s arrival. With peak performance the top priority, the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains Head Chef Emilo Llaussas crafted a bespoke high-protein menu and schedule for the players, complete with supplement stations to ensure nutrition was up to the standards required for a winning team.
“We owe a huge thank you to Scott, Jerry, the Fairmont team and the entire Blue Mountains community for supporting us in the way that they did – they really went above and beyond, we couldn’t have done this without them,” said NSW Coach Michael Maguire. “The combination of intense training and moments of respite and relaxation has been key to our preparation. I wanted to unite all the players, whether it was in the gym, on the field or sitting around the dinner table, I wanted them to use every available moment to bond and build trust on and off the field.”
With no expense spared, the Blues also had access to a significantly upgraded field at Blue Mountains Grammar School, which had been transformed from what appeared to be a “goat track” to a premier training ground following the investment from Dr. Schwartz.
Despite facing multiple setbacks from scheduling to bad weather, the “field of dreams” built at the school was a remarkable achievement. United with the common goal to win, everyone came together, along with the local community and never gave up, and as a result, the field exceeded all expectations. “The players said it was the best field they had ever played on, and it has now become a cherished gift from Dr. Schwartz to the Blue Mountains Grammar School,” said Boyes. Following the Blues’ epic triumph, the field has now been appropriately adorned with the writing, ‘2024 State of Origin Winners, The Blue’s Field of Dreams’.
The enhancements to the resort and adjacent field were not just a commercial venture alone but rather a project born out of a genuine love for sport, community and a commitment to the team’s success.
This remarkable achievement marks the beginning of a new venture as Trilogy Hotels and Dr. Jerry Schwartz plan to create the ultimate all-inclusive training destination, for the country’s elite athletes and sporting teams, with plans now underway to build a new rugby field next to the Fairmont Resort. “Pending council approval we are eager to get it underway as soon as possible, we are ready to start construction, and grass grown before next winter,” says Dr. Schwartz. There are also plans to expand current gym facilities to include a recovery wing, with elements such as ice baths.
Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains and Trilogy Hotels are pioneering sports hospitality by integrating comprehensive training facilities within a luxury resort setting. This innovative new model allows sports teams to benefit from top-notch training environments while enjoying the amenities and serene surroundings of a premier nature-based hotel.
“We look forward to building a beacon for elite sports teams for years to come. Just over an hour and a half from Sydney, teams can privately train with exceptional facilities, under a canopy of stars, surrounded by the purest air, and without distraction,” said Boyes.
Schwartz Family Company, the largest privately owned hotel group in Australia, appointed Trilogy Hotels earlier this year to independently manage and operate four of their hotels. This new independent management model has allowed the company to make more agile decisions and implement innovative strategies, with the elite sports training facility at the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains just the beginning.
