Belmo Group moves to North Queensland with Aquarius on the Beach, Townsville | News

Belmo Group has acquired Aquarius on the Beach, the beach hotel at 75 The Strand, Townsville, and will take over the business from 1 July 2026. The acquisition marks the group’s first move into North Queensland and brings one of the city’s best-known waterfront addresses into the Belmo Hotels portfolio.
It is a conscious step towards a new region. Belmo’s portfolio spans both the contemporary and the long-standing, and Aquarius sits naturally within that; a mature, consistently performing hotel whose value lies as much in its reputation and long-term relationships with business and leisure guests as in its waterfront location.

Rising 13 floors directly above The Strand, Townsville’s two-kilometre beach promenade, the hotel has one of the most enviable waterfront locations: every room faces the ocean, with Magnetic Island on the horizon and the Great Barrier Reef beyond. The property features 156 rooms in beach view and executive categories, in addition to a swimming pool, beachfront lawns and a boardroom for meetings and small events. Cafes, restaurants and the rock pools of The Strand are on your doorstep.

With the acquisition complete, Belmo will assume responsibility for operations, revenue management, distribution, sales and marketing and the guest experience, while maintaining the local status and sense of place that the property has built on Townsville’s waterfront.
“Townsville is a city on the move and Aquarius has a position on the waterfront that cannot be replicated. But what really sets the city apart is the business behind it; strong customer relationships built over many years. Our job is to protect those relationships and the experience that guests come back for, while improving the commercial performance of the hotel.”
— David Assef, CEO, Belmo Group

Townsville is North Queensland’s largest city and a regional hub anchored by defence, James Cook University, the Port of Townsville and a growing pipeline of investment in energy and critical minerals – imperatives that extend far beyond the traditional tourist season. These same drivers underpin Aquarius’s strength as a business hotel and the loyal, repeat clientele that comes with it, while its position as a gateway to Magnetic Island and the Great Barrier Reef attracts steady year-round leisure and visiting friends-and-family trips.
The acquisition expands Belmo’s portfolio to more than 25 properties and more than 2,000 keys across Queensland and New South Wales, including corporate and leisure hotels, resorts and residential and commercial assets, and extends the group’s reach into North Queensland for the first time.