More Than A Makeover
With Quest Townsville On Eyre
A new chapter is unfolding at Quest Townsville on Eyre, where a significant refurbishment has delivered a fresh guest experience while creating an unexpected opportunity to give back to the community beyond its doors.
The transformation follows a change in ownership in October 2024, when Ben O’Sullivan, Alison Rayner and Gary Bass took over the Townsville property.
From the outset, the trio shared a vision to invest in the apartment hotel, elevate the experience for guests and create contemporary spaces suited to the needs of those travelling to the city. The resulting refurbishment has touched guest rooms throughout the property, introducing new bedding and luxury mattresses, blackout curtains and custom-designed furniture.
Every decision was made with comfort and functionality in mind, breathing new life into the accommodation while maintaining the sense of home that is central to the apartment hotel experience. It is a philosophy that aligns closely with the wider Quest brand, which has grown to more than 160 metropolitan, regional and suburban locations across Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, with properties operated by local owners under its franchise model.
Yet some of the most meaningful work involved in the Townsville refurbishment happened away from the newly finished rooms.
Replacing furniture and furnishings across a property of this scale created a question: what should happen to everything being removed? Rather than simply sending usable pieces to landfill, the team began looking throughout Townsville for people and organisations that could give them a second life.
What followed was a considerable community effort, with furniture and furnishings distributed among local charities, organisations, businesses and individuals in need. The initiative simultaneously reduced unnecessary waste and transformed a practical part of the refurbishment process into an opportunity to support the community.
That drive to give back extends well beyond the renovation.
Quest Townsville on Eyre has continued to build connections with organisations and initiatives including Hotels for Trees, Foodbank Queensland, the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Appeal and Wounded Heroes Australia. Its relationship with Wounded Heroes Australia has also found its way directly into the guest experience.
The property now stocks the organisation’s award-winning coffee, allowing visitors to support an important cause through something as simple as their morning cup. Revenue generated through the coffee supports Wounded Heroes Australia’s crisis services for veterans and their families across Townsville and the surrounding region; creating another avenue for the hotel and its guests to contribute to the community.
At Quest, investment ripples outwards; from keeping useful furnishings out of landfill to supporting local charities and initiatives, the business model is built on an ambition to create moments that matter for guests, clients and the community alike.
