Zenith Hotels: Western Sydney

Sydney-based hospitality group, Zenith Hotels, sought the strategic advice of Helm for the redevelopment of a newly acquired under-utilised pub and hotel in a burgeoning development zone in the harbour city’s western suburbs.

As one of the largest freehold pub and hotel sites in Australia (7.7 hectares / 77,000 square metres / 19 acres), The Vineyard was in desperate need of refurbishment to align with the changing needs of its fast-growing surrounds. With a lacklustre hospitality offering, a motel-style accommodation offering (with a rent-by-the-hour reputation), and vast amounts of under-utilised land, opportunity was ripe.

Helm firstly conducted thorough research into the market opportunity and potential for the site, delving into the area’s fast-moving demographic changes, as well as understanding local area behavioural shifts in needs and wants towards hospitality, entertainment, convenience and community offerings. By analysing population data and trends, conducting mystery shopper site visits to other pubs / hospitality precincts / hotels in the area, researching broader area property development plans and appetite, and engaging with key local government bodies, Helm gained a deep-level view on the market potential, including identifying target audiences and their specific needs and wants. Crucially, Helm uncovered key emotional drivers behind the region’s rapid growth, ensuring that any concept developed forged strong emotional bonds with target audiences.

This research culminated in a business case, outlining what sort of hotel and hospitality product would best succeed in the area, and marrying this up with prior brand strategy work with the owners and management company (Zenith Hotels) to ensure connection, consistency, longevity and success.

With a solid business case to-hand, Helm then set-out to craft a place vision for the overall precinct. Drawing references from other world-leading hotel and hospitality precincts, and delving into the region’s own unique history and plethora of significant historical references, an overarching brand positioning and narrative for the property and precinct was established, supported by connected but differentiated sub-precincts. This saw Helm provide product and experience recommendations across each unique sub-precinct, crafting distinct yet seamless zones for casual indoor / outdoor drinking and dining, formal indoor drinking and dining, daytime cafe and kitchen garden / farm, afternoon / evening food trucks and live entertainment, sporting entertainment, interactive (and iconic) children’s play areas, nature and history preservation zones, retail outlets, and hotel and function offerings. Guest journey mapping and having an innate understanding of differing multi-generational family needs and wants also informed the overall customer experience and placemaking strategies.

Guided by the business case, vision and concept, Helm next married this information up with local area references (nature-based, historical, and cultural) to create a comprehensive brand strategy that celebrated place. This saw Helm develop sub-precinct naming options and branding identity guardrails (covering iconography, fonts and logo design), and affirm the brand positioning and narrative which would in-turn inform key messages for communication across each and every touchpoint.

Helm’s work explored strategy-aligned recommendations on precinct zoning and architectural layouts, sight and view lines, building materials, colour palettes, interior design, product and experience inclusions (across food and beverage, entertainment, and leisure), staff uniforms, signage and wayfinding, owned digital channels, collateral and merchandise, and more. This work in turn formed the brief for architects and designers, as well as council’s DA.

Phase 1 of the Windsor Road precinct is now live, with other phases to be rolled-out in future.