Hotel & HospitalityLindsay SaundersThu 28 May 26
Marriott Joins $60m Lindeman Island Resort Resurrection
The Singapore-based group undertaking a $60-million renovation of the former Lindeman Island resort has signed an hotel brand for the project.
Marriott International is to enter Queensland’s Whitsundays after signing an agreement to bring the Le Méridien brand to Lindeman as part of the major resort revival.
Well Smart Group is behind the resurrection of the resort, closed since 2012.
The project, to be known as Le Méridien Lindeman Island Resort & Spa, is expected to reopen in September 2027 following the redevelopment of the 70ha island site.
Lindeman in the Whitsunday Passage on the Great Barrier Reef is about a 20-minute boat transfer from Hamilton Island Airport.
Plans for the redeveloped resort include 200 guest rooms and nine suites, alongside two restaurants, a lobby lounge and bar, conference facilities, a resort pool, fitness centre and Explore Spa by Le Méridien.
The resort will also include tennis courts, a kids club and a recreational activities centre with water sports, an archery range and indoor golf facilities.
The project will become just the second Le Méridien-branded property in Australia, joining Le Méridien Melbourne, and will be operated by La Vie Hotels & Resorts.
Marriott International vice-president hotel development for Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Richard Crawford said the project was the company’s first property in the Whitsundays.
“While the Whitsunday Islands has been a much-loved destination for Australian travellers since the 1980s, visitation from international markets has been inhibited by a limited offering of international branded resorts,” Crawford said.
He said the redevelopment and partnership with La Vie Hotels & Resorts was a “landmark advancement” for Marriott in Queensland.
Well Smart Group director Jack Jia said securing the Le Méridien brand was a “defining moment” for the island redevelopment.
“This is a destination with a proud history ... we are confident Lindeman Island will reclaim its place as one of Australia’s most iconic resort experiences,” Jia said.
La Vie Hotels & Resorts chief executive Jerry Xu said the partnership with Marriott International would connect the resort to a global audience of travellers.
“The Marriott Bonvoy platform gives Lindeman Island immediate access to a global audience of hundreds of millions of loyal travellers, and Le Méridien’s creative, design-led identity is a natural match for the extraordinary natural beauty we are restoring here,” Xu said.
Lindeman Island has changed hands several times over the past decade after the closure of the former Club Med resort following Cyclone Yasi in 2011.
Chinese-backed White Horse Group acquired the island in 2012 and later unveiled plans for a $580-million luxury tourism redevelopment featuring multiple resorts, villas, marina facilities and an upgraded airstrip.
Despite receiving state support and planning approvals, the long-delayed project stalled amid financing, environmental and market challenges, with the island remaining dormant for years.
White Horse eventually listed the island for sale in 2022 before Singapore-based Well Smart Group acquired it in 2023 for about $10 million.
