A property developer has signed a deal with the family-run business of US President Donald Trump to build a tower on the Gold Coast.

The proposed 91-storey, six-star hotel will be 335m high, which is taller than any skyscraper in the country.

Altus chief executive David Young said the building would be a landmark property for Surfers Paradise which would aim to be built before the 2032 Olympics, though it is still in the concept phase.

'Trump International Hotel & Tower, Gold Coast is our first official project in Australia,' Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, said.

The proposal for 3 Trickett St is far from a done deal, with the Gold Coast City Council confirming that a development application had yet to be received.

Acting Gold Coast mayor Mark Hammell said in a statement that the Gold Coast welcomed investment in the city, as it displayed confidence and helped drive jobs.

'A formal development application will be required, and we look forward to considering the application once it is received,' he said.

A Change.org petition opposing the project, however, had amassed more than 20,000 names in just a few hours since the project was announced on Monday.

The developer said the tower would follow the same Trump template used for properties currently being built in Jeddah and Saudi Arabia.

'It will feature a 285-room luxury hotel bearing the trademark Trump logo, anchoring the 91-storey development,' a statement on the project reads.

'The project will also include 272 luxury residential apartments, a three-level podium with an exclusive Beach Club, and over 3400 sqm of premium commercial, retail, and dining space, revitalizing the central Surfers Paradise precinct.'

Mr Hammell is acting mayor while Tom Tate is overseas. 

A Gold Coast Council spokesperson said Mr Tate had attended a meeting with the Trump Organization in the US on February 13.