Albany waterfront hotel a legacy for Paul Lionetti’s two great loves — his family and his city

Standing with his grandchildren, Albany businessman Paul Lionetti cut the ribbon on Australia’s first Hilton Garden Inn on Tuesday, officially opening a hotel that will leave a legacy for his two great loves — his family and his city. Situated at the Albany Waterfront Marina, the new hotel stands five storeys tall, featuring 108-rooms and panoramic views of Princess Royal Harbour and Albany’s CBD. There is a bar, a restaurant, a 24-hour gym, shop and a 160sqm modern conference room. In what was an emotional day for Mr Lionetti — after a 2 1/2-year build — he said he was “absolutely ecstatic” to finally open the doors. “This is my beloved Albany and there is no way that I would’ve spent a cent in any other place in the world,” he said. Mr Lionetti said he hoped the hotel would drive new business people and weekend visitors to the south coast. “It’s for people that just want to have a lovely weekend away, are happy to pay a few extra dollars and get away from Perth, from the tar and cement,” he said. “They just want that more classy accommodation, to have a nice bottle of wine, sit around and see the water-view.” The entrepreneur has amassed a significant property portfolio in Albany including on York Street and Stirling Terrace, as well as his waterfront bar and restaurant, Due South. He now owns the city’s first hotel since the demolition of the Esplanade Hotel in 2007. “I came from Italy with nothing,” he said. “I had a suitcase half-full of nothing and half-full of dreams, and it has been my whole life’s dream to achieve these things because Mum and Dad came over here with nothing. “I just love creating. We have so many opportunities and I could invest everywhere else but I love Albany. “I want this to be a legacy for my kids. I want it to be a future for my kids. “I am a very simple person. I love my family, I love my kids and I love the business and I love Albany more than anything.” Mr Lionetti bought the land for the hotel for $1.5 million from the State Government in May 2016, with the project originally earmarked at $24 million when work began in June 2019. The final project cost reached $27 million. It has been a rough road to opening day for Mr Lionetti who has steered the ship through the storms of the COVID-19 pandemic and collapse of WA builder Pindan Group in May. When the builder collapsed and sub-contractors were left looking for answers, Mr Lionetti intervened. “With the circumstances, it has been challenging but not insurmountable,” he said. “Once Pindan went broke, we just took over the project, organised all the subcontractors, they were all happy to keep going, they trusted me that I would pay them and they’ve been fantastic.” In February, Mr Lionetti revealed his vision to create a “mini-Fremantle” on the Albany Waterfront Marina through the second stage of his vision. At the time, he said the second stage could include a six-storey extension to the hotel with a 1000-person function space and a ground-floor licensed dining area. But speaking at Tuesday’s opening, Mr Lionetti would not be drawn on any future plans. “We will leave that as an intriguing question. Not too much too early,” he said. “We want to do a lot of things but let’s wait and see for six months how we track.”