Manly Pacific hotel: redefining luxury hospitality on Sydney's northern beaches

Buoyed by its position on one of Australia’s best-known beaches, the owners of the Manly Pacific hotel sought a renovation that would appeal to the growing volume of domestic travellers. They had commenced a refurbishment of the rooms, but works were cut short by Covid lockdowns and labour and material shortages.

The hotel occupies a 1980s building that had had extension works in the 1990s and progressive minor renovations. But on the whole it was dated.

By May 2022, following Australia’s 2019 bushfires, torrential rain and lockdowns, Australians were ready for an open-for-business summer for the first time in three years. Most of the rooms of the Manly Pacific had been renovated, but the hotel still needed attention. It neither matched the owners’ aspirations nor its amazing location.

Manly Pacific engaged JLL’s project delivery and design teams to complete the refurbishment, which was to take place while the hotel remained operational.

The revised design theme was ‘ode to the ocean’ , which required an entire repositioning of the hotel. It would become a ‘lifestyle hotel’, embracing its beachside location with ocean themed artwork and décor, new guest rooms, a wellness centre, and rooftop pool area with ocean views through Manly’s towering Norfolk Pine trees. A transformed food and beverage offering would also be accessible to guests and day visitors alike.

Initially hired to project manage the conference floor upgrade, JLL’s scope quickly expanded to include documenting the design of the ocean concept created by interior design firm Coco Republic’s. Documenting the design is a process of compiling information about a product or service, including the intended audience and implementation details to keep all parties on the same page. Our new scope also included overseeing construction of the hotel’s signature bar North 55, refurbishing the rooftop pool, and overseeing a refresh of the hotel’s façade.

Because of the urgency to capture the rebound in domestic tourism, we started construction in May 2022 on the areas that had a completed design, while concurrently documenting the areas that were still being added to the project.

The construction phase required constant coordination to schedule construction works that would be disruptive to guests. Manly Pacific was eager for the works to be completed by December – including its signature bar and pool – to make the most of an expected influx of tourists. This added an additional layer of complexity to the project, but it was delivered as required by JLL’s expert team.

The hotel engaged food and beverage specialist design firm Lucetti Krelle to conceptualise its new bar, North 55. The design of the bar included arched reliefs, timber veneers, paved autumnal marble and tiles – all elements requiring skilled labour to install.

We sought to contract the best tradespeople to turn the designs into tangible spaces. Given the labour and supply chain shortages at the time, we had our work cut out, but were able to dig deep into our network to meet the brief within the timeframe.

In collaboration with Manly Pacific and all the other stakeholders involved in the transformation of the hotel, we completed a vastly improved destination in time for summer 2022. The refurbished pool opened, the bar was completed and the Infinity Suite, the hotel’s flagship residence, opened in the days before Christmas 2022.

The 213-room hotel gives Manly a luxurious seaside getaway that is harmonious to its surroundings. It allows pets to stay, offers complimentary meditation for guests, and the rooftop wellness level has an infrared sauna and lap pool. The hotel also offers specific work-from-hotel packages, all of which speak to the changing expectations of visitors.