Minor Hotels has signed an agreement to open Anantara Perth Hotel, introducing its flagship luxury brand to Australia for the first time. The 150-room property will anchor the AUD $3.8 billion Burswood Point masterplanned development on the Swan River waterfront, with an anticipated opening in 2032.
The announcement marks a significant strategic milestone for the Bangkok-headquartered group. In Australia, Anantara Perth will complement Minor Hotels’ existing network of more than 60 properties operating under its Oaks Hotels, Resorts & Suites and Avani Hotels & Resorts brands – but for the first time places the group’s premium luxury tier in the Australian market.
The Burswood Point precinct, where the hotel will take shape, is a mixed-use development combining tourism, entertainment and residential components along the river’s edge, close to Perth’s CBD. The project is being developed by Golden Sedayu, a partnership between Perth’s Golden Group and Indonesia-based Agung Sedayu.
The hotel will feature 150 contemporary guest rooms and suites, two destination restaurants, a swimming pool, a fully equipped fitness centre and an Anantara Spa, introducing Perth to the brand’s award-winning approach to wellness. Design plans call for contemporary architecture incorporating sustainable practices.
Dillip Rajakarier, Group CEO of Minor International, framed the signing as a deliberate move into a market demonstrating sustained strength. “Perth is experiencing rapid development across its urban and tourism landscape, creating the ideal environment for a property of this standard,” he said. “Anantara Perth represents our commitment to expanding world-class luxury experiences into new markets.”
The market data supports that confidence. Perth is one of only a small number of Australian markets to have outperformed pre-pandemic rates across all three key performance indicators – occupancy, average daily rate and RevPAR. Brisbane and Perth have both recorded strong RevPAR growth driven by continued strong average daily rate performance.
International visitor arrivals to Australia are forecast to surpass pre-pandemic numbers by 2026, reaching a record 10 million. By 2029, international arrivals are projected to grow to 11.8 million, a 41% increase compared to 2024 figures. For a brand like Anantara, which draws heavily from high-spending Asian markets, Perth’s position as a western gateway to Australia is a material advantage.
Minor International has grown to operate more than 560 properties globally, targeting over 870 properties by 2027. The group’s aggressive pipeline reflects a wider shift in its operating model. Minor Hotels is targeting more than 150 new management agreements, which would grow its share of the overall operating model mix from 19% in 2023 to 38% by 2026 – reducing the capital intensity of its expansion while accelerating brand reach.
Minor Hotels reported record financial results for 2025, with a 32% increase in core profits reaching THB 6.84 billion (approximately USD 217 million). That performance underpins the confidence with which the group is now moving into new segments and territories.
The workforce implications of this signing will not be felt overnight. With the 2032 opening still six years away, Minor Hotels Australasia has a meaningful runway to build the talent pipeline required to deliver an Anantara-standard property. The brand’s service model – rooted in immersive, destination-connected experiences and high-touch personalised hospitality – demands a workforce profile that differs materially from the group’s existing Oaks and Avani operations.
For HR leaders watching Major Hotels’ Australasian trajectory, the Burswood signing signals the need to begin recruiting for luxury service capabilities well in advance of opening. Anantara’s global properties are known for culturally fluent, experiential service, which requires staff who combine operational precision with the softer skills of guest engagement. Finding, developing and retaining that talent in a market where hospitality labour shortages remain an ongoing challenge will be among the most consequential preparation tasks ahead.
The luxury hotel will join Minor Hotels’ portfolio of over 60 properties under its select Oaks Hotels, Resorts and Suites and premium Avani Hotels and Resorts brands in Australia, meaning the internal mobility infrastructure – career pathways, training frameworks, leadership pipelines – already exists to begin building toward the new property’s requirements.
Anantara Perth will join a global portfolio of more than 50 Anantara properties known for immersive, culturally connected guest experiences, each operating with a distinctive service ethos that the brand has cultivated across Asia, the Indian Ocean, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Replicating that ethos in a new market requires more than recruitment – it requires a deliberate workforce localisation strategy.
Perth’s rise as a genuine luxury hospitality destination is the broader story behind this signing. The city has moved beyond its historical profile as a resources-driven corporate market into a multi-dimensional destination attracting both leisure and business travellers. The Burswood Point development – when complete – will sit alongside the existing Crown Perth complex as an anchor for that evolution. Anantara’s arrival, even six years from now, represents a signal from one of the world’s most experienced luxury operators that the city’s trajectory is credible and compelling.
