Melbourne property developer, Beulah, says it has shortlisted a global hotel brand known for branded residences to take charge of a towering new mixed-use development under construction in Melbourne’s Southbank precinct.
While confidentiality clauses prevent the name of the brand being revealed until contracts are signed, Beulah management say the company fielded “an overwhelming number of submissions” in its search for an operator for a 220-room hotel component of the new development.
Since the start, the AUD$2 billion project at the corner of Southbank Boulevard and Power Street has been backed by the City of Melbourne’s ‘Future Melbourne’ Committee and will comprise a pair of twisted towers that will be recognised as Australia’s tallest.
The hotel’s rooms will sit within nine upper levels and be supported by a Sky Lobby on Level 57 with express links to the building’s auditorium, wellness hub and function rooms.
Beulah says the property will become both a vertical village and mini-metropolis with a strong emphasis on placemaking. Aside from the hotel, the towers and podium levels will include four separate residential zones, multiple dining options, commercial offices, conference and entertainment centre, childcare facilities, health and wellness precinct, retail spaces and a public botanic garden on top of the 365-metre high tower.
The company’s Executive Director, Adelene Teh, said the shortlisted hotel brand is an established leader in fields including sustainability, design, wellness, exemplary service, technology and innovation.
“Our vision for Southbank by Beulah is to create nothing less than a landmark destination which will redefine our city’s retail, hospitality, commercial and residential landscape,” she said.
“It will also be a key destination for local Melbournians to enjoy [and] to use as a place to go after work, for a special occasion or for an event. Traditionally, and unlike global counterparts, hotels in Melbourne have not attracted locals. We are wanting to reverse this by creating spaces that locals want to go whilst at the same time, providing a destination for tourists wanting to experience Melbourne.
“The hotel represents a beautiful urban sanctuary within that vision, appealing to both the global explorer and the experience seeker. Designed by world class architects and integrated within the wider community, our dream is for the hotel to become the top destination when visiting Melbourne,” Teh added.
Developers say the project will become Australia’s tallest garden, with greenery wrapping all four sides of both buildings. Once complete, the vertical garden will attract birdlife, produce oxygen, filter dust and pollution and provide growing patches for vegetables through its biophilic design.