As Crown Resorts gets ever closer to opening up its new high-roller casino in Sydney, Star Entertainment gets more and more competitive. The Star’s exclusivity agreement in the city will be coming to an end in 2019, and the operator wants to ensure that the venue will be able to compete with the new Barangaroo Casino when it opens.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, The Star is currently planning a $500 million hotel and is in talk with the Ritz-Carlton. Several years ago, the company decided to exit the Australian market and has only just returned in 2015. The hotel chain has signed deal to build hotels in Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne with the developer Far East Consortium. Now, Star Entertainment wants to bring Ritz-Carlton back to Sydney.

Ritz-Carlton decided to re-enter the market because it saw an opportunity to appeal to wealthy tourists that are visiting from China. While the operator has found suitable sites in three other major cities, it is still unsure about an ideal location in Sydney – and, The Star hopes to offer up a viable solution. It seems like a perfect fit. Both Ritz-Carlton and The Star want to attract high rollers visitors from Asia.

So, they could work together to build an impressive venue that will meet these needs. They are currently negotiating a deal, but it is too soon to tell whether or not they will be working together. "We are in discussions with The Ritz-Carlton to progress branding of the proposed hotel tower," says a spokesperson for The Star.

"We will have a Ritz-Carlton as part of the Queen's Wharf Brisbane project and look forward to the prospect of a Ritz-Carlton in Sydney." The Star aims to have its new hotel tower completed in 2018, a year before Barangaroo Casino opens. So, the casino operator will have to work quickly to find a hotel operator to partner with.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.