Having been light on new developments since the period after the 2000 Sydney Olympics, cranes are now dotting the skyline, working on major projects, including the 35-storey, 600-room Sofitel at the International Convention Centre at Darling Harbour and the proposed Crown Resort at Barangaroo South.

Many leading hotel owners and operators have been in Sydney for the HotelsWorld 2015 conference and there is a general consensus that the Australian hotel, tourism and resort market can expect a growth spurt.

The latest data shows that revenue per available room rate, RevPar, has increased about 3.4 per cent, while sales volumes have reached $2.5 billion, thanks to the recent deals for the Westin and Hilton hotels in Sydney.

CBRE and JLL agents say the Australian hotel investment market has witnessed an extraordinary first half this year as transaction volume reaches about $1.9 billion, a 150 per cent increase over the same period last year.

JLL hotels and hospitality group chief executive, Australasia, Craig Collins said sales volume so far this year had almost reached the record $2.5 billion for 2014.

CBRE Hotels Pacific regional director Ken Smith said the accommodation sector was forecast to continue to benefit from growth in international and domestic visitor demand because of a lower Australian dollar, tourism initiatives and the hotel development pipeline.

One of the more active hotel managers, developers and operators, the Minor Hotel Group, is set to roll out new brands and hotels under the Oaks banner to expand its footprint across Australia.

Minor Hotel Group chief executive Dillip Rajakarier, who was in Sydney for the HotelsWorld 2015 conference during the week, said Australia was moving into the spotlight in terms of hotel investment.

"There are three characteristics of Australia that make investing here attractive: being the stable economy, strong underlying fundamentals of the hotel industry and the low dollar, which attracts overseas visitors," Mr Rajakarier said.

"In the near term, we are looking at rolling out more Oaks hotel, the new Avani brand, which we are developing in Perth, and the Anantara resorts."

Minor has a presence in many regional areas as well capital cities.

It is also set to make its Northern Territory debut with the acquisition of Elan Soho Suites, its first property in the territory's capital, Darwin, in a deal worth $57.1 million. It will rebranded as Oaks Elan Darwin.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the world's largest hotel groups, also announced at the HotelsWorld 2015 conference plans to increase its commitment to Australasia (Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands).

Kicking off its growth plans in Australia is the redesign of the flagship five-star Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel in Sydney. The first phase is the meeting and conference rooms, which are due to be unveiled in late August. This will be followed by the redesign of the 364 rooms.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Asia Pacific, president Thorsten Kirschke said the expansion plans would include the Radisson Red brand, an art, design and high tech-inspired hotel.

"The tourism outlook is positive, especially in Australia where the forecast is for continued growth and where demand for rooms is projected to outstrip supply over the next three years," Mr Kirschke said.

"To better position ourselves to seize the opportunities, we are growing our team to include a dedicated Australasia hotel development function based in Sydney and also introducing our full portfolio of brands."