Two new hotels, run by different groups, are set to open over the next few months in Australia’s two biggest cities, underscoring a hotel renaissance in Australia as supply moves to catch up with demand.
In Melbourne, international hospitality company Next Story Group has acquired a new-build hotel at 167 City Road in Southbank, Melbourne’s vibrant waterfront hub.
The soft opening of the 16-storey, 162-room property is scheduled for 1 September 2019. After a complete fit-out, the hotel will deliver a guest experience reflecting the Group’s upper midscale LinQ Hotels brand from 1 November 2019.
In Sydney, international hotelier IHG has signed its fifth voco in Australia since the brand’s global launch in June of 2018, partnering with Linzhu Australia Pty Ltd to open voco Sydney Central by 2020.
Melbourne’s LinQ property will be the Next Story Group’s first hotel under its LinQ Hotels brand, which offers unconventional independent hospitality for the next generation of travellers. It delivers a hassle-free experience and offers a great base to explore the destination.
Representing the Group’s three core brands, the LinQ Hotel Melbourne Southbank will complement the Next Hotel Melbourne at 80 Collins Street, which is slated to open in Q2 2020 and the Sage Hotel Melbourne, Ringwood, which has been in operations for over a year.
Next Story Group said the acquisition further reinforced the importance of Australia as the key market where most of its hotel portfolio is located. It also aligns with Next Story Group’s expansion plans, which focus on strategic growth in Australia, South East Asia and South Asia.
Chief executive of Next Hotels & Resorts, Darren Edmonstone, said the new hotel’s location in the heart of Melbourne’s Southbank precinct, was superb.
Render of amazing voco Sydney Central with its ‘green waterfalls’
“Coupled with the unique value proposition of our LinQ Hotels brand, we are confident that our new property will be able to deliver strong trading performance,” he said.
In Sydney, voco Sydney Central will be located on 430 Pitt Street, an enviable location in the heart of Sydney CBD. Part of Linzhu Australia’s mixed-use development on the site, the property boasts a stunning 17-storey tower with a sloping roof featuring unique “green waterfalls”. It’s set to open “by 2020” – presumably meaning later this year.
The property was originally slated as a Holiday Inn in 2017; however as the growing precinct continued to develop and a need grew for quality accommodation options for business and leisure travellers in Sydney CBD, it became clear that the hotel was taking shape as an upscale hotel with a very distinctive character.
Chairman of Linzhu Australia, Jinwen Lin, said that after attending the voco launch event in Sydney, he immediately fell in love with the brand.
“I realised that voco was a perfect fit for the property in Sydney Central. We look forward to adding another memorable and distinctive property to the voco portfolio.”
LinQ Hotel Melbourne Southbank
IHG’s senior director of development – Australasia, Abhijay Sandilya, added: “voco celebrates the individuality of the hotel, stunning location and local people, with each stay tailored to deliver a unique and memorable experience to Sydneysiders, Australians and guests from all around the world.
“The signing continues the rapid growth of the voco brand since it launched in June 2018, complementing voco Gold Coast, voco Yarra Valley, voco Kirkton Park and voco Melbourne Central.”
Edited by Peter Needham
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