Nestled in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef – one of the seven wonders of the natural world – InterContinental® Hayman Island Resort opens today. Located on a pristine 400-hectare private island in The Whitsunday Islands, the luxury resort features 166 rooms, suites and villas across three distinct wings, and is accessible by luxury catamaran, helicopter or seaplane.
Managed by one of the world’s leading hotel companies, InterContinental Hotels Group® (IHG), Hayman Island has undergone a $135 million refurbishment, ensuring the highest standards of luxury and service delivered to guests visiting one of the world’s most desirable destinations. Joining over 200 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts worldwide, the celebrated resort is the first of four InterContinental Resorts to open in 2019 and will be followed by ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa, InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort and InterContinental Phuket Resort.
Leanne Harwood, Managing Director, Australasia and Japan, IHG® said: “We are tremendously proud to welcome our first guests to Hayman Island. InterContinental has been a pioneer in luxury travel for over 70 years and Hayman Island has become pivotal in our expansion plans for Australasia as we continue to open and operate in the most highly sought-after destinations in the world.”
Greg Shaw, CEO, Mulpha Australia Limited, added: “Hayman Island is an iconic Australian resort destination in the heart of the world-famous Great Barrier Reef. The resort created a new benchmark for the Australian market upon opening and our investment of $135 million to reposition and relaunch Hayman will create a new standard for luxury resort travel in the region.”
Envisioned by a harmonious group of leaders from the design and architectural world including DBI Designs, DAARC and KY Design, the 166-room private resort offers instant immersion for guests into island life as they arrive via either luxury catamaran, helicopter or seaplane. Three distinct wings of guest rooms, suites and villas hug the pristine coastline of the island: the Pool Wing, the Beach Wing and the Lagoon Wing, each boasting breath-taking views of the Coral Sea.
A new addition to the accommodation offering on island is the exquisite Three Bedroom Hayman Beach House, fronting Hayman® Beach and offering 400sqm of luxurious privacy. Each of the three encompassing suites has their own plunge pool, master ensuite and over-sized bathtub with the social spaces offering luxury island living with open plan dining and living room, alfresco entertaining, private sun loungers and unobstructed beach access.
Mark Eletr, General Manager of InterContinental Hayman Island Resort said, “Today marks a special day for our team who have worked tirelessly on the transformation of this sensational island resort. Designed to be discreetly private, welcoming to families as well as couples, with a meaningful connection to its surrounds, InterContinental Hayman Island Resort is the embodiment of a luxury resort experience reimagined for the modern traveller.”
Introducing the Restaurant & Bars Experience
As one of the most significant changes to the resort, InterContinental Hayman Island Resort has introduced five distinct restaurants and bars, each an exquisite destination in their own right inspired by local flavours and global know-how. Pacific is where guests will begin their days exploring the breakfast stations and seeking inspiration from the esteemed chefs. As the sun sets over the coral sea, Bar Fifty in the heart of the resort transports guests back to an era of globetrotters in the 1950s serving classic cocktails with a Hayman twist. Guests are encouraged to explore the flavours roaming across the resort, from the fresh pool-side flavours of the sea offered at AQUA, the roaring Italian inspired pizza ovens of Amici Trattori to the bold and zesty pan-Asian cuisine at Bam Bam.
An era of Immersive Luxury
As the closest private island to the Great Barrier Reef, offering a meaningful connection to the surrounds has been at the heart of the resort’s activities. From diving excursions to one of the seven wonders of the world to guided tropical hikes across the island, guests are encouraged to explore at their own pace. Guests can swim with turtles in the kaleidoscopic azure seas surrounding the island or experience the magic from the air via helicopter or seaplane offering breathtaking views of the Whitsundays.
For the smaller explorers, The Planet Trekkers kids club, known to regular globetrotters with IHG®, delivers an equally immersive experience for children. Activities have been created to spark curiosity in the island’s surrounds with insight-filled learning sessions about the Great Barrier Reef, coral planting adventures and junior meditation classes for the whole family.
Sensory moments are to be found at Hayman ® Spa, offering meditation and energy healing practices, as well as signature treatments conceptualised with emphasis on their transformative capabilities. In partnership with Australian brand Sodashi, Hayman® Spa will invite guests to travel deeper into relaxation and their connection to their surroundings with one-of-a-kind, Marine Treatments, uniquely inspired by the Whitsundays, using Australian sourced, quality marine ingredients such as Australian Green Clay and Kelp.
Exclusive access of the island is also available for world-class weddings, meetings, incentives and events. From whole island buy-outs to smaller curated moments available for 10 to 320 guests, the island is an idyllic location to celebrate and inspire. A collection of 15 spectacular indoor and outdoor locations are unrivalled with memorable moments curated on private beaches, in canopied gardens, aboard private yachts and within tranquil lagoons.
Conserving the Surrounds
Hayman Island’s journey has been intrinsically linked to its exquisite surrounds and the safeguarding and protection of these is at the forefront of IHG®’s reimagined resort. Guests will be taken on a journey of education when it comes to the island’s neighbouring reef ecosystems and will be exclusively supplied with reef-safe sunscreen. Guests will also receive a complimentary, reusable water bottle upon check-in reinforcing the ban on single-use plastics and will be encouraged to refill this during their stay from the multiple still filtered water stations placed conveniently across the resort. A unique glass-to-sand crusher will recycle glass bottles for use in the island’s gardens, while state-of-the-art in-room technology will conserve and maximise energy.