October 10, 2012
It’s rare these days for a new motel to be built from scratch anywhere in Australia; the cost is usually prohibitive.
That’s why last week’s opening of the new Room Motels Kingaroy in Youngman Street is big news.
Even bigger news is that it is the first in a new chain of motels being developed by Brisbane-based company Room Motels.
The company’s second motel is under construction at Moura and a third is planned for Temora, in southern NSW.
So why choose Kingaroy as the place to start?
Room Motels Managing Director Allen Buckley said he saw Kingaroy as having a big future.
“It’s part of the scenic drive route, and more travellers will be coming through when they finish the roadwork on the Blackbutt Range,” he said.
Room Motels has developed a cost-effective way of building motels. Separate modules are erected side-by-side.
“We’re trying for a more modern feel,” Mr Buckley said.
“There have been very few motels built in the past 20 years because the cost is off the planet.”
The motel has 28 rooms, each fully insulated, air-conditioned, fire-proofed and sound rated.
The modules were built off-site and then brought to Kingaroy for installation and landscaping. They are designed to be low-maintenance and low-cost, with 12-volt lighting.
Each room is equipped with its own kitchen and modern bathroom, as well as all the usual motel inclusions such as wi-fi.
“I have tried to to make them like little houses; they have a real residential feel,” Mr Buckley said.
The car parking spaces are covered with a cantilevered awning, providing more space for drivers to manoeuvre in front of the rooms.
Two rooms have wheelchair access and modified bathroom facilities. And, unusually, there are two pet-friendly rooms where people can stay with their pets. There are also corporate rooms for business travellers.
