Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Steven Ciobo MP and ACT Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay MLA, opened Mantra’s newest hotel on Monday (Oct 16).
The former office tower has been transformed into a 176-room hotel. Mantra MacArthur Hotel is the only new hotel to open in Canberra in 2017.
The property is operated by Mantra Group and owned by Canberra developer HTI Group.
Mantra Group Chief Executive Officer Bob East said the property provides a much-needed new hotel offering to support the growth of international and domestic tourism in Canberra.
“New hotels in key precincts play a critical role in promoting a vibrant visitor economy while meeting the needs of growing visitor numbers to Canberra, attracting first-time and returning domestic and international travellers,” said East.
The opening of Mantra MacArthur Hotel now sees Mantra Group operating just under 500 rooms across four hotels in Canberra.
HTI Group Director Adam Howarth said feedback on the $19 million retrofit has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Northbourne Avenue’s regeneration has been largely the product of major knockdown-rebuild projects but, instead of sending the 10-storey building to landfill or concrete recyclers, we’ve transformed it into a full-service hotel in what looks like a brand new building.
“The former building is barely recognisable and, while the main precast facade elements of the original office building were retained, the remainder was stripped back to a bare shell to allow us to create a modern hotel,” said Howarth.
Designed by AMC Architecture, the hotel has a modern industrial design and features 136 hotel rooms and 40 suites, as well as the new Podilato restaurant and bar serving Mediterranean-style cuisine, a fully equipped gym, conference and meeting spaces, car parking, an internet lounge and 24-hour reception.
The new hotel is located close to the central business district, the Australian National University and has a light rail stop, which seamlessly connects the hotel with the city, directly outside the hotel.
Mantra MacArthur Hotel is located at 219 Northbourne Avenue, Turner.