Singapore’s wealthy Jaleel family has made a strategic move into Brisbane’s hotel market with the acquisition of the George Williams Hotel for about $34 million according to The Australian Financial Review. The purchase, made through High Street Holdings, the investment arm of JD Properties, marks another milestone in the family’s expanding Australian hospitality portfolio as they position for growth ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
David Marriott, partner at High Street Holdings, expressed strong confidence in Brisbane’s potential for long-term growth. “Across Australia, Brisbane probably has the most potential for rate and occupancy growth in the medium to long term,” Marriott said. He added that the momentum surrounding the Olympics is expected to bring sustained demand to the city’s hotel sector.
The newly acquired 102-room, four-star property, now rebranded as George Hotel Brisbane, sits prominently on the corner of George and Turbot Streets in the CBD. The property recently underwent a $1.2 million refresh and includes upgraded guestroom floors, meeting spaces, on-site parking, and a leased restaurant. High Street Holdings plans a further refurbishment while maintaining its appeal to the mid-scale travel market.
The acquisition adds to the group’s growing Australian portfolio, which already includes The Miller Hotel in North Sydney, Rydges Perth Kings Square, and Kennigo Hotel Brisbane. Collectively, these assets form part of High Street Holdings’ $150 million investment in the country’s hospitality sector.
Founded nearly 50 years ago by Mohamed Abdul Jaleel, the Jaleel Family Trust manages a wide-ranging portfolio of hotels and properties across Asia, including At Inn Hotel Nagoya in Japan, The Great Madras and The Daulat in Singapore, and MIDF Tower in Malaysia, currently being converted into a hotel.
CBRE Hotels’ Wayne Bunz, who brokered the sale with colleague Hayley Manvell, said the rapid sale, completed just eight days into the campaign, reflected the strong demand and limited supply in Brisbane’s hotel market. “The strongest thing about Brisbane is we have very limited new supply. We’ve got the Olympics coming, and demand is far outstripping supply,” Bunz said.
Industry analysts have noted similar optimism across the broader hospitality sector. In fact, JLL reported that hotel investment in Australia surged 56% in 2025, highlighting growing investor confidence driven by tourism recovery and strong domestic demand.
Between 2021 and 2024, investment property purchases in Queensland surged 47% following Brisbane’s Olympic hosting announcement, underscoring a broader confidence in the state’s real estate outlook.
High Street Holdings’ expansion mirrors this optimism, reinforcing its strategy of targeting key growth markets in Australia’s major cities. As preparations ramp up for the 2032 Olympics, Brisbane continues to emerge as one of the most compelling destinations for long-term investors in the Asia-Pacific hospitality sector.
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