Australia will soon have its first Trump Tower after plans for the $1.5 billion Australian dollar project are set to go ahead, local outlets reported on Monday.
Once built, the 91-storey Trump Tower in the Surfers Paradise resort on Gold Coast, Queensland, will become Australia’s tallest tower — a title currently held by the Australia 108 skyscraper in Melbourne.
“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,” a statement on the Trump Hotels website 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,” the statement concluded.
In a Monday morning statement, David Young, CEO of development company Altus Property Group said that the upcoming building will become Australia’s tallest before the end of the decade, and revealed that Altus and the Trump organization signed the construction deal at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on February 14.
The Trump International Hotel & Tower Gold Coast development is going to be Australia’s tallest building before the end of the decade. (Altus Property Group)
The building will be located at 3 Trickett Street in Surfers Paradise. Construction will begin this year, for which Altus will employ at least 500 people during construction and at least a similar amount once it is completed.
“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 in the statement.
“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 emphasized.
Young explained that the project has been in the making for nearly two decades, and he first floated the idea in 2007 in a phone call to President Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump.
“Trump hotels and resorts are the best, and that’s what I wanted to build,” he stressed.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that the construction site has been vacant for more than a decade. Chinese developer Forise sold the site in 2019 for $56 million to a consortium of investors.
A Gold Coast Council spokesperson reportedly confirmed to ABC that Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate met with the Trump Organization on February 13. The site has existing council approval for an 89-storey tower. Deputy Mayor Mark Hammel explained to the outlet Altus would need to submit a new formal development application for the Trump Tower.
“We welcome investment in the city. It shows confidence in our city and ultimately creates jobs,” Hammel said.
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