‘Mini Freo’ vision for Albany waterfront as landowner Paul Lionetti gives first walk-through of Hilton hotel

Albany property developer Paul Lionetti has revealed his vision for a “mini Fremantle” at the Albany waterfront marina as the Advertiser was given an exclusive first walk-through of the Hilton Garden Inn yesterday. The first of the Hilton Garden Inn range in Australia, the $24 million five-storey hotel is under construction and scheduled to be completed in June. In October, Mr Lionetti flagged plans for a significant extension to the 108-room hotel. He had initially planned to wait to measure stage one occupancy rates before making a decision on stage two. But he has now decided to forge ahead with planning for stage two, which would add a six-storey extension featuring a 1000-person function room and 600sqm rooftop bar. The ground floor of the six-storey extension would house a large licensed dining area, key to his vision of a “mini Fremantle”. “We will have a dumpling bar and a fish and chips restaurant that will be run by Due South,” Mr Lionetti said. “This will add a new dimension. It will create, with that whole area and Due South, a mini Fremantle. “I want to create that atmosphere and a hub, as such, on the foreshore.” Mr Lionetti said the construction of the project was behind schedule, but Hilton had already received corporate booking interest for October. “We probably expected too much and COVID has certainly played a part in it, but it’s been slow,” he said. “It’s probably overrun five months and it should have only overrun two or three. “I was hoping for early May but I’m now thinking June 1. “The quality of the work and how it’s coming up is fantastic.”