The Darling of The Star

JESSICA OWERS

With big investment came big changes for one of the Gold Coast’s most iconic destinations. 2018 was the year The Star raised the stature game in southeast Queensland.

If the Gold Coast is known for anything, it’s a fetching skyline that first rose out of the beaches in the 1960s. Fifty years later, the famous vista is still evolving, and one of its latest additions, opened in March 2018, is the curvy, elegant The Darling. Taking pride of place at the front of Broadbeach Island, on the grounds of The Star Gold Coast, this high-end suite hotel is the region’s newest standard in luxury accommodation.

The Darling is the second of its namesake for The Star Entertainment Group, following its Sydney counterpart, which boasts the same opulence. There are 56 suites hugging the smooth north-to-south curves of the hotel, offering sweeping views from Surfers Paradise to Coolangatta, and west to the lush tropical mountains of the hinterland. With gilded, glamorous, bespoke fittings throughout, and attention to the finest of details, The Darling’s target audience is certainly the business end of town – celebrity and both business and leisure travellers.

Geoff Hogg is the managing director of The Star’s Queensland operation. He says The Darling was designed with its clientele in mind.

“The Darling was designed to feel like an oasis”

“We often take our unique lifestyle for granted but people come to the Gold Coast from places where they don’t have 300 sunny days a year, or even fresh air,” he says. “For us, from a design point-of-view, it was important guests would stay here and gain a greater understanding and an appreciation of the Gold Coast.”

That meant spacious balconies in each of The Darling’s suites, and floor to ceiling glass that brought the views inside. “The Darling was designed to feel like an oasis, away from the buzz and excitement of an integrated resort,” Hogg says. “But likewise, if you want all that, it’s just down the lift.”

THE DARLING OF THE STAR

With next-level lodgings came the need for a restaurant that takes dining to new heights, and positioned 19 floors above the glittering Gold Coast is Nineteen At The Star. This crisp, sophisticated and modern rooftop restaurant is a collaboration between The Star and two of the city’s most local identities – CEO of Queensland’s largest outdoor event and festival company Billy Cross, who handles the bar on the northern end of Nineteen, and acclaimed restaurateur Simon Gloftis.

At 38, Gloftis is young and driven. He has helmed a number of Gold Coast success stories, including the brilliant The Fish House in Burleigh Heads, and Hellenika in Nobby Beach (recently expanded into Brisbane). He loves the food game, values good product, and is first a citizen of the Gold Coast. His association with Nineteen At The Star was a seamless meld from high-street restaurateur to high-end hotel.

“Jumping on board with The Star was one of those opportunities where I thought to myself, it’s time to decide what I really want to do,” Gloftis says. “In hospitality, to have The Star’s financial backing is immeasurable. Putting your own money into something these days is a killer, and you can see that on the streets. Restaurants are popping up all over the place, and then disappearing the next day. Nineteen at The Star is something you don’t often get the opportunity to create, but The Star have put everything behind it because they saw huge potential in creating something completely unique for the Gold Coast.”

Nineteen at The Star’s kitchen bustles with excitement and theatrics as dishes are skilfully orchestrated, led by executive chef Kelvin Andrews. The dining room is awash with azure velvets and gold finishes. Plenty of glass for plenty of view. There is a private dining room upstairs, and the menu is elegant but simple – rock lobster bolognese, Murray cod and marbled Wagyu.

“Kelvin has worked for me at other venues,” Gloftis says. “He gets it. He understands my eccentricities. I’m produce driven, and I don’t care about sauces and smears on plates. We do tricks, but they’re not novelties. They’ve got to be for a reason, and Kelvin gets that.”

Gloftis says his role at Nineteen at The Star is presence and overall direction. There is no doubt the restaurant has hung its hat on him, and smart and likeable as he is, he is also a deft businessman.

SIMON GLOFTIS & BILLY CROSS AT NINETEEN AT THE STAR

“I don’t profess to know everything, but I’ve been here a long time,” he says. “I can see trends come and go, and I try to steer away from them and do things that are going to be beneficial for the Gold Coast, but also things that are going to last. Matt Bekier (CEO of The Star Entertainment Group) has a really good understanding of what the Gold Coast needs. Sure, we needed the grassroots stuff to form the foundations of localised restaurants, but we also needed a bit of stature for the city, and The Star is doing that really well.”

Within the next few years, The Star will invest an additional $2 billion raising the stature of the Gold Coast. There’s a new hotel and apartment tower on the way (the entry to Australia of the internationally acclaimed Dorsett hotel brand), and alongside the opening of The Darling, The Star Grand remains a 596-room staple of Gold Coast accommodation.

With a proud history dating back to 1985, The Star is bringing a whole new level of sophistication, service and style to showcase the very best of the Gold Coast.