Photo: Alamy
Australia is set to get its first Trump Tower after plans moved forward for a 1.5 billion Australian dollar development in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, local media reported Monday.
The proposed 91-story Trump International Hotel & Tower Gold Coast would become the tallest building in Australia, surpassing Melbourne’s Australia 108 skyscraper, which currently holds the title.
According to a statement on the Trump Hotels website, the project will include a hotel, private residences and luxury amenities.
“Rising 91 stories above Surfers Paradise, Trump International Hotel & Tower, Gold Coast will introduce the first Trump-branded hotel in Australia, alongside 272 exclusive residences, a private Beach Club, and premier retail and dining,” the statement read.
“Set to become Australia’s tallest tower, this landmark address redefines beachfront sophistication with world-class amenities, iconic design, and uninterrupted Gold Coast views,” it added.
David Young, chief executive of developer Altus Property Group, said in a statement that the tower is expected to be completed before the end of the decade. He said Altus and the Trump Organization signed the development agreement at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Feb. 14.
The tower is planned for 3 Trickett Street in Surfers Paradise. Construction is expected to begin this year, with Altus estimating at least 500 jobs during the building phase and a similar number of ongoing positions once the project is finished.
“Importantly, the building is Australian-owned and Australian-built. It is an Altus subsidiary, Altus Resorts Pty Ltd, that makes the decisions on the fit-out, within the Trump design requirements. It will be an Australian, not American, project,” Young said.
“It won’t have a Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton brand above the front door, but it will say ‘Trump’. And that means it is a no-expense-spared, highest possible quality building – the best in the world,” he said.
Young said the concept dates back nearly two decades and that he first discussed the idea in 2007 during a phone call with Ivanka Trump.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the construction site has remained vacant for more than a decade. The land was sold in 2019 by Chinese developer Forise for 56 million Australian dollars to a consortium of investors.
