Iconic Daintree location snapped up by KSL Capital
Baillie Lodges has delivered on its expansion plan through the investment of KSL Capital Partners, signing Silky Oaks Lodge in Tropical North Queensland to its portfolio of luxury lodges.
Set among the World Heritage-listed wilderness of the Daintree National Park, Silky Oaks Lodge offers guests a stylish rainforest escape, with experiences including river-snorkelling, driving safaris, Indigenous guided walks, the lodge’s own Healing Waters Spa and access to Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef.
Silky Oaks Lodge will join Baillie Lodges’ collection in April 2019, just weeks after Founders James and Hayley Baillie revealed KSL had acquired a majority stake in their business under a joint venture, which would see the US company invest in new assets in Australia.
There’s definitely a couple of other properties that are already under consideration, and in fact, there will be some news very early in the new year for some … additions to the portfolio, which is really exciting.
Founder James Baillie (LATTE 21 December 2018).
KSL will invest in property enhancements and product developments at Silky Oaks Lodge in the coming months, aligning it with the trademark Baillie Lodges’ guest experience.
Already a member of the Luxury Lodges of Australia collection, Silky Oaks Lodge was considered a perfect fit with the existing Baillie Lodges properties, offering guests a broader range of multi-lodge itineraries and leveraging Baillie Lodges’ distribution network and operations expertise.
“We see great benefits in Silky Oaks Lodge joining Baillie Lodges where there are so many synergies, including our relationship with the travel trade; opportunities for staff, supplier and cost efficiencies; and above all, an enriched experience for our guests,” Baillie said.
“It’s very special for me to reignite my involvement in Silky Oaks Lodge, having joined the iconic property as General Manager when it was first acquired by P&O Resorts and then leading its continued development – alongside the likes of Lizard and Bedarra Islands – in my former role as Managing Director of P&O Australian Resorts.”
