Hotel’s $8 million revamp helps overlooked Queensland town into spotlight

When your neighbour is a showstopper like the Great Barrier Reef, it can be hard to get noticed. But Airlie Beach on the Queensland coast has started to find its own spotlight, morphing from being just a gateway to the Whitsunday Islands to a destination in its own right.

As Tourism Whitsundays says, “Airlie’s accommodation, food and dining options, nightlife and activities have significantly improved in the last decade.”

Newer hotels in the area include Mirage Whitsundays and Yangaro, a boutique luxury resort at Flametree, while Club Wyndham and Coral Sea Resort recently underwent renovation.

Mantra Club Croc is the latest to be refurbished, unveiling an $8 million facelift with the design brief of boutique, seaside elegance.

It’s the latest chapter for a much-loved property that has been in operation at Airlie since 1987. After being known as the Airlie Beach Hotel for 30 years it was taken over by Mantra Group in 2017, which spent $5 million remodelling and rebranded it as Mantra Club Croc.

The leafy property is popular for its large lagoon pool, gym, and extensive complimentary parking for cars, trailers, caravans and boats, with proximity to Coral Sea Marina.

But keeping pace with the wider changes in Airlie Beach, seven years later, the 160 guest rooms in the Queenslander-style property have been redone, with upgrades to other areas of the resort to come, targeting reception and the poolside restaurant and bar.