More than 1,500 rooms across eight new hotels will open in Melbourne alone in the next two years as Accor signals its commitment to driving tourism to the Victorian capital.
Together, the eight hotels mark an investment of around AUD$700 million by a variety of owners, investors and developers, creating more than 600 jobs both in construction and ongoing operation. The line-up comes ahead of the opening next month of Mövenpick Hotel Melbourne on Spencer – the brand’s second location to open in Australia this year following its debut in Hobart earlier this year.
Predicting a V-shaped recovery, Accor Pacific CEO Simon McGrath said the strong line-up of hotels coming to Melbourne would further boost the city’s appeal through the quality of accommodation available.
Following the Mövenpick, Accor will open the Mercure Doncaster and a combined Novotel and Ibis Styles in 2022, before a huge year in 2023 which will see the arrival of SO/ Melbourne, 25hours Melbourne, Peppers Richmond and Mercure La Trobe.
“People love to visit Melbourne for its world-leading events calendar – for its sport, arts and culture,” McGrath said.
“Sporting events such as the Australian Open, the AFL and Formula One are also tourism events, attracting thousands into the city. Even without international travel, events can contribute to the city making a serious tourism comeback.
“Travellers, whether they are leisure or corporate, want hotels that offer authentic style and outstanding guest service,” McGrath added.
“We are no longer travelling, consuming or working the way we did before the health crisis, and people want experiences, authenticity, meaning and emotion. We are investing and growing our exciting new hotel portfolio in city centres and in leisure locations. We expect these hotels to contribute significantly to the revival of the travel sector in the next two years, until corporate, conference and international travel returns to pre-pandemic levels.”
Accor also recently opened the Hotel Chadstone in 2019 as part of the growth of its boutique luxury brand, MGallery.