No new deal for Todd facility as contract nears expiry

It comes months after the government was seemingly caught off guard by the venue’s decision to start taking bookings again for the one-time resort, leaving government bureaucrats scrambling to extend the contract in the nick of time.A government spokesman confirmed that, after reaching a deal in October to continue operating the quarantine facility for a further four months, there had been no arrangements made beyond March 31, 2022.“The Northern Territory government is exploring options for the provision of quarantine facilities after this time, should this be required as part of broader pandemic response,” the spokesman said.Dozens of people are currently staying in the facility, most of whom are from remote Aboriginal communities and identified as close contacts of positive cases that have required – or requested – a space to isolate. The Mercure on Todd St, a subsidiary of Alice Springs Resort Enterprises (ASRE), has leased the premises to the NT government to operate as one of its two Territory quarantine facilities since late-2020. Prior to this time, the Mercure operated as a 139-room resort servicing thousands of domestic and international tourists each year.In October 2021, ASRE signalled its readiness to take back the facility from November 1 in anticipation of an influx of tourists, even posting a graphic on its listing page on multiple booking websites advertising plans to reopen in 2022. The graphic remains online.At the time ASRE started taking bookings, there was a view the quarantine facility may no longer be needed after March 2022 following Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s announcement that double-vaxxed new arrivals to the Territory would be permitted to quarantine from home.But in a sign the company may not be planning to take back the resort in the immediate future, booking websites are now only allowing travel enthusiasts to secure a room at the Mercure from July 1, 2022.

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January 06, 2022 at 11:30PM
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It comes months after the government was seemingly caught off guard by the venue’s decision to start taking bookings again for the one-time resort, leaving government bureaucrats scrambling to extend the contract in the nick of time.A government spokesman confirmed that, after reaching a deal in October to continue operating the quarantine facility for a further four months, there had been no arrangements made beyond March 31, 2022.“The Northern Territory government is exploring options for the provision of quarantine facilities after this time, should this be required as part of broader pandemic response,” the spokesman said.Dozens of people are currently staying in the facility, most of whom are from remote Aboriginal communities and identified as close contacts of positive cases that have required – or requested – a space to isolate. The Mercure on Todd St, a subsidiary of Alice Springs Resort Enterprises (ASRE), has leased the premises to the NT government to operate as one of its two Territory quarantine facilities since late-2020. Prior to this time, the Mercure operated as a 139-room resort servicing thousands of domestic and international tourists each year.In October 2021, ASRE signalled its readiness to take back the facility from November 1 in anticipation of an influx of tourists, even posting a graphic on its listing page on multiple booking websites advertising plans to reopen in 2022. The graphic remains online.At the time ASRE started taking bookings, there was a view the quarantine facility may no longer be needed after March 2022 following Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s announcement that double-vaxxed new arrivals to the Territory would be permitted to quarantine from home.But in a sign the company may not be planning to take back the resort in the immediate future, booking websites are now only allowing travel enthusiasts to secure a room at the Mercure from July 1, 2022.