Panthers Group appoints Trilogy Hotels to run Pullman Sydney Penrith

Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher at the Marcel bar and bistro in the recently completed Pullman Sydney Panthers hotel. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

The Panthers Group’s $110m five-star hotel, the Pullman Sydney Penrith, will be operated by a new American-style independent hotel management company.

Panthers, one of Australia’s largest entertainment groups with more than 125,000 members across five licensed premises, has appointed Trilogy Hotels, an independent management company founded in Australia by high profile lawyer Tony Ryan last year.

Since its launch, Trilogy has won the rights to manage nearly 1200 hotel rooms across four hotels, principally owned by Jerry Schwartz, one of Australia’s largest private hotel owners.

Trilogy is on target to have another 1200 rooms under its management by the end of the year, said Mr Ryan, a lawyer who helped deliver Accor’s $US940m takeover of Mantra Group in 2018.

In a statement, Panthers chief executive Brian Fletcher said the deal with Trilogy Hotels would help the club maximise the potential of its newly built 153-room Penrith hotel, the first luxury hotel built in Western Sydney.

“With Trilogy Hotels we are poised to elevate our offerings, enhance operational efficiency, and drive sustainable growth in the dynamic hospitality industry,” Mr Fletcher said.

The Pullman Sydney Penrith.

Pullman Sydney Penrith and Western Sydney Conference Centre has appointed Michael Thomas as general manager of the hotel.

Mr Thomas has previously worked for the Peninsula Group, Shangri La, Banyan Tree, Hilton and Accor.

Mr Ryan said under the Trilogy Hotel management model the group was incentivised for higher profitability.

“We give direction to the general manager, we have full control of the asset on behalf of the owner. The predominant fee is based on the profitability of the hotel,” he said. “And with smaller properties we can drive savings. (But) we are not chasing motels in regional areas such as Wagga.”

He said Trilogy, which was formed to look after investment grade assets, would target hotels which were sold with vacant possession.

From left: Trilogy Hotels Founders Grant Alchin, Tony Ryan and Scott Boyes.

In February 2024, Trilogy Hotels announced a major deal with the Schwartz Family Company securing the management of the Mercure Sydney, Ibis Sydney World Square, Mercure Canberra and Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains. Dr Schwartz has acquired another Blue Mountains property, buying the Leura Gardens Resort for $25m last week.

Trinity manages the hotel operations and drives the operational and profit performance while providing access to operational systems, training and team development. “This is the preferred operating model in the US and is rapidly growing globally,” Mr Ryan said.

Trilogy Hotels acknowledged that under a franchise agreement hotel brands such as Marriott, Accor, or Hilton for example, can provide strong globally established branding, distribution and loyalty programs.

On behalf of the owner, Trilogy manages the hotel operations and drives the performance.

“In Australia and New Zealand, the industry has relied heavily on the traditional hotel management agreement model where hotel owners engage with a particular hotel brand for both their distribution and operating capability,” said Trilogy chief executive Scott Boyes.

“In the US and Europe the independent management model, with brand support under a franchise agreement is the predominant model preferred by hotel owners and hotel brands alike,” Mr Boyes said.

“We are expanding that model further and tailoring it for the Australian and New Zealand market to help hotel owners feel more connected with their investment, while partnering with and utilising the exceptional distribution capability of a global hotel brand.”