A render of Beckon’s new development at Uluru.
Two major American-owned private equity players are battling it out for Australia’s tourism dollar, targeting big-spending tourists headed to Uluru.
Colorado-based Beckons, owned by KSL Capital Partners, has announced plans to build a second ultra-luxury lodge in the shadow of Uluru with the nine-suite ultra premium property expected to open by early 2028.
Rival tourism business, Journey Beyond which is owned by New York based Crestview Partners, owns five resorts and hotels around Uluru and added to its Northern Territory hospitality ownership snapping up the iconic Kakadu Crocodile Hotel earlier this year.
At Uluru, Beckons’ up-market retreat announced on Wednesday is the first new build for the portfolio since the brand’s launch in March with plans already approved following ecological, heritage and sacred sites assessments and consultation with Traditional Custodians.
The new lodge, its name and rack rates are yet to be announced, will be set near the existing Beckons-owned Longitude 131 which Beckons acquired when its parent KSL bought Baillie Lodges in 2018.
Render of Beckons planned resort at Uluru.
Apart from Longitude 131, Beckons also owns New Zealand’s Huka Lodge, Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island, and Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island. It has not been shy about trumpeting its plans for further expansion around the world.
To be set low in the dune landscape adjacent to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, the lodge will have views of Uluru from every guest suite as well as the restaurant, bar, lounge and private plunge pools.
Billed as the closest luxury accommodation to Uluru, the new retreat will be set a short distance from Longitude 131° with the new development to be more intimate in scale, immersed in the dune landscape.
Beckons chief executive Michael Crawford said the new ultra-luxury property was a natural next step for the portfolio. “One of the world’s most powerful and spiritually significant landscapes, Uluru-Kata Tjuta is an extraordinary place to deepen our presence in Australia and grow our global footprint,” he said.
Render of Beckons planned resort at Uluru.
Designed by Australia-based JAWS Architects, the property will feature eight desert suites and one multi-room Desert Pavilion each open to private plunge pools and outdoor daybeds set with luxury swags for stargazing.
First Nations art and culture will be central to the guest experience with each suite to feature a unique commissioned work.
Each suite at Beckons new development will have views of Uluru.
Earlier this year Journey Beyond purchased five Voyages resorts at Uluru.
It has also bought the 110-room Kakadu Crocodile Hotel operations in the Northern Territory, bringing the Australian tourism icon officially into the group’s portfolio.
The hotel is shaped to represent Kakadu’s most famous resident, the saltwater crocodile, and is in the township of Jabiru, within the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park.