CROWN PERTH

It was only September when Crown Perth officially entered the world, superseding the older Burswood Entertainment Complex, but what a few months it’s been.

The casino floor was substantially expanded, and the opening of a plethora of restaurants and bars as part of the Crown complex has heralded a change in the hospitality landscape of Perth itself – The West Australian reporter Jennifer Susanto-Lee described it as “going gangbusters”. With the addition of the future development of the six-star Crown Towers hotel, Crown’s total investment in Perth will exceed $2.2 billion. Even the driveway got a makeover.

Some familiar names from Crown Melbourne have joined the stable of venues in Perth including Rockpool, Nobu, Bistro Guillaume, The Merrywell and Cotta. All of the existing restaurants at the complex were given a design overhaul. Two new bars joined the selection, as well — cocktail bar Fusion and Groove Lounge & Bar.

It’s not just its sibling and The Star that Crown Perth hopes to outshine – James Packer wants Crown Perth to compete globally. Crown has applied to install 500 additional gaming machines and 130 additional gaming tables. Subject to official approval, these will be rolled out over the next five years.

Andrew Hill is Crown’s Chief Operating Officer – Hotels and Entertainment. This means being the head of all the food and beverage outlets there. He was Director of Catering at Crown Perth and is a member of the Tourism Council of Western Australia. Next issue we talk to Andrew about the not-so-quiet revolution going on in the West.