Maroochydore’s long-running ambition to step confidently onto the global tourism stage has taken a decisive leap forward, with Sunshine Coast Council approving the $150 million Crowne Plaza development in the heart of the Ocean Street precinct.
Construction of the landmark hotel is scheduled to begin in April 2026, following last Friday’s green light on the Development Application, with doors set to open in 2028. For a region that has long punched above its weight on lifestyle but below it on hotel inventory, the approval marks a watershed moment.
Felix Capital Director Michael Maroun did not hide his satisfaction with the pace and support shown by the council throughout the approval process.
“This is an incredible announcement for Maroochydore and the Sunshine Coast. Crowne Plaza will provide much needed leisure and business tourism accommodation as well as community entertainment facilities for the region when it opens in 2028,” Maroun said.
The 180-room Crowne Plaza Maroochydore will be no modest regional outpost. Plans reveal more than 900 square metres of premium, flexible meeting and event space, anchored by a 600 sqm ballroom designed to attract national conferences, corporate retreats and large-scale social functions. Leisure facilities will include a 30-metre pool and spa, a gym, a sauna, and two levels of secure basement parking.
Food and beverage have been positioned as a central pillar rather than an afterthought. The hotel will feature an all-day dining restaurant, a 160-seat signature restaurant, an outdoor pool bar and lounge, and a dedicated lobby bar aimed at drawing both guests and locals into the precinct from morning to night.
Sitting above the hotel will be the exclusive AER Residence, comprising 24 luxury two- and three-bedroom apartments spread across four levels. Designed by the multi-award-winning architectural and interior firm DBI, the residences range in size from 110 to 280 square metres.
Sales momentum is already stirring. Maroun confirmed that Ray White Maroochydore’s Niall Molloy has been appointed as the selling agent, with enquiries flowing in since the Development Application was first announced in August.
“These apartments have been designed by multi award winning architectural and interior design firm, DBI and each unit is designed to include a seamless layout with sizes varying from 110m2 to 280m2.
We have engaged Niall Molloy from Ray White Maroochydore as our apartment sales agent on this project. Niall and his team have already fielded some enquiry following the Development Application announcement in August this year and we expect that will continue as we ramp up the marketing campaign,” Maroun added.
Apartments will be priced from $1.85 million—ambitious by local standards, but increasingly aligned with the Sunshine Coast’s accelerating status as a premium lifestyle and investment destination.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli framed the project as both an economic necessity and a strategic investment.
“This is the second hotel to be approved under the Sunshine Coast Council’s Accommodation Hotel Incentive Measures, and it reaffirms our commitment to address a major shortfall in hotel rooms.
The Sunshine Coast requires more than 2,400 additional hotel rooms, or around 10 new hotels, to support our tourism industry into the future.
Council took a bold step to create incentives, and it is having an impact. Crowne Plaza ticks every box in terms of providing important tourism infrastructure to boost our region’s appeal as a year-round destination and we look forward to construction commencing in April next year,” Mayor Natoli said.
Behind the numbers lies a more profound strategic shift. The Sunshine Coast has long attracted visitors—but too often lost high-yield business, conference and international leisure travellers to Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The arrival of an internationally recognised brand such as Crowne Plaza under the IHG Hotels & Resorts banner materially changes that equation.
For Maroochydore, the development is also a statement of confidence in its evolving CBD, reinforcing Ocean Street as both a commercial and hospitality spine for the region. For Queensland’s broader visitor economy, it is another signal that the Sunshine Coast is transitioning from laid-back holiday town to serious tourism powerhouse, without losing the laid-back charm that made it desirable in the first place.
Construction is expected to commence in April 2026, with completion targeted for 2028. By then, Maroochydore will not only look different on the skyline but also read very differently on the global tourism ledger.
by Yves Thomas – (c) 2025
Read Time: 4 minutes.
About the Writer
Something quietly magnetic about Yves Thomas is the poised calm of someone who’s seen the world from both sides of the reception desk. A graduate of Bangkok University International, Yves earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Tourism and Hospitality Management and stepped straight into the beating heart of Thailand’s travel industry.
She worked with some of the country’s finest destination management companies, mastering the art of making other people’s holidays unforgettable.
In time, the call of the open road grew louder than boardroom meetings. Yves packed her bags, swapped conference calls for compass points, and set off to rediscover the joy of travel on her own terms. Somewhere between Chiang Mai and Copenhagen, she began to write small reflections that soon became her travel blog, a journal full of warmth and insight.
Now calling Hua Hin home, Yves has joined Global Travel Media to share those reflections with a broader audience not as a publicist, but as a storyteller with a traveller’s soul and a professional’s eye for detail.
