The Ritz-Carlton brand is in talks with The Star Sydney to manage its proposed new hotel tower.

The 200m 360-room project reached early planning stages with the state government over the weekend.

The hotel, if approved, will be a 5-star tower with an expected completion date of 2019.

At the time of publication, Spice was unable to contact The Star for further confirmation, but several news reports are basing the prediction on the fact that Ritz-Carlton is the 5-star brand that will go into the Queen’s Wharf development in Brisbane, also owned by The Star Entertainment Group Limited.

The Star is currently investing $1 billion in upgrades to its Pyrmont casino in advance of the opening of James Packer’s Barangaroo.