For nearly two decades, Gold Coast developer David Young has been pursuing what they describe as a “definitive tourism property” for Surfers Paradise. The vision now has a name, and a global brand attached: Trump International Hotel & Tower Gold Coast.
In a statement released by Young, the proposed 91-storey tower is positioned as a national milestone, with a claimed height of 340 metres that would make it Australia’s tallest building “before the end of the decade”. Young says the project would exceed Melbourne’s Australia 108 by 15 metres, and would set a new benchmark for luxury resort accommodation in the country.
The proposal is being framed as a “6-star resort in the sky”, pitched as both a tourism anchor and a confidence signal for Queensland as the state looks ahead to the Brisbane Olympics in 2032. The development is expected to cost “a shade under AUD1.5 billion”, with Young stating it will employ at least 500 people during construction, and “at least another 500” once complete.
It is also important to note the project’s approvals status. Young says the project has the approval of the Trump Organisation. However, it has not been approved by council, and it would still require Development Application (DA) approval from council before the project would receive the green light.
The tower’s most obvious calling card is the name above the door. Young says Altus is not pursuing a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton flag, but instead the Trump brand, arguing it represents “no-expense-spared” quality and “the best in the world”. The statement also attempts to head off a common public perception about Trump properties, rejecting the “gaudy gold-plated” stereotype as dated footage from the 1980s and 1990s. Young says the modern Trump offering is “high-end design and fit outs”, intended to feel “quality” and “boutique”.
According to the statement, Young’s relationship with the Trump world began with a cold call in 2007. Young says they tracked down a phone number for Ivanka Trump and pitched the concept directly: a Trump resort on Surfers Paradise Beach. Young frames the years since as a cycle of setbacks and restarts, citing the Global Financial Crisis as a major disruption when lenders pulled back from property finance, followed by the Trump family’s “rebuild mode” and Donald J Trump’s run for the White House. Young says the deal was revived again when they returned to property developing during COVID.
Young also outlines how the project is structured and controlled. While the development carries a Trump flag, Young says it is “Australian-owned and Australian-built”, with decisions on the fit-out made by an Altus subsidiary, Altus Resorts Pty Ltd, “within the Trump design requirements”. Young says Altus employees are energised by what the tower could mean for Queensland tourism and the Australian economy.
In terms of product, the tower is described as a three-part mix. Young says one third of the building will be a “6-star resort-hotel”, overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Surfers Paradise Beach. Another third is residential, with 270 apartments “likely to start at $5 million”, while penthouse pricing is “not yet determined”. The first five floors are pitched as a luxury retail and events base, including event facilities, a beach club and pool on the fifth storey, Michelin-starred restaurants, and “lavish bars”, alongside services such as 24/7 butlers, valet, town car service, beach cabanas and a Trump concierge.
The statement places particular emphasis on the project’s financing. Young says the development is funded entirely by private investors from Singapore, Hong Kong, the UAE and the United States, using a mix of debt and equity in the form of convertible notes. The pitch is that “patient capital” reduces pressure to rush into presales, potentially allowing apartments to be marketed closer to 2032 if demand strengthens in the lead-up to the Olympics. Young also argues the project could have a less visible but meaningful downstream effect by introducing offshore private capital networks to Australian developers, particularly those outside major cities who face tighter lending terms from banks.
Young says the “final agreement” was signed with the Trump Organisation at Mar-a-Lago on Valentine’s Day (Florida time), and that the project is now “deeply into” design, engineering, construction and fit-out, with the intention to start construction this year at 3 Trickett Street, Surfers.
The developer led statement is highly optimistic, it will remain to be seen if the tower’s comparative height and broader economic value are acheived in the final project . What is clear is the ambition: a tower designed to compete not just locally, but on a national stage, with branding, scale and price points set to match.
For Surfers Paradise, where the skyline is already part of the destination’s identity, a 340-metre Trump-branded tower would be an unmistakable addition if it proceeds. The next step, however, sits outside the developers hands: the project still requires council’s DA approval before it can genuinely move from pitch to reality.
