Veriu Group has commenced construction on a 90-apartment Punthill property in the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine which is slated to open late next year.
At a sod-turning ceremony held on Wednesday April 26, Veriu Group Co-Founder Alex Thorpe, CEO Zed Sanjana and SMA Projects Developer, Martin Strode, were joined by local state and federal MPs, Sarah Connolly and Dr Daniel Mulino, and Brimbank City Councillors Sam David and Thomas O’Reilly.
Located adjacent to Sunshine Station, which is currently undergoing a major redevelopment as part of the Sunshine Precinct Masterplan, the hotel will support the transformation of the station into a transport ‘superhub’ connecting Melbourne Airport with both the CBD and regional Victoria.
“Strategically we’ve always sought to grow the Punthill portfolio by opening in locations supported by major sources of corporate room night demand,” said Veriu Group CEO Zed Sanjana.
“While Sunshine has historically been undersupplied in terms of quality extended stay accommodation, its existing transportation links with Melbourne’s CBD, the Suburban Rail Loop and the regional rail network, are set to be strengthened even further once the Melbourne Airport Rail service is up and running.
“That’s going to put Sunshine right at the epicentre of the city’s thriving western region, offering enhanced prospects for employment, investment and overall liveability. At the same time, the State Government’s significant investment in infrastructure and amenities in Melbourne’s west is also expected to deliver an increase in tourism.”
Sanjana believes the area will ultimately become “one of Melbourne’s busiest precincts outside the CBD” and said the hotel will be ideally positioned to provide quality, self-contained accommodation to domestic and international travellers.
Punthill Sunshine will feature a mix of fully self-contained modern studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, each with a fully equipped kitchen, desk and fast, high-quality internet, as well as access to conference and meeting facilities, on-site parking, gym and laundry.
SMA Projects’ Martin Strode believes the property will attract further quality development into the Sunshine Precinct.
“The new hotel will be a welcome addition to Sunshine and pave the way for other brands and businesses to follow suit,” he said.
“We’re excited to be working on this project with the Veriu Group – and for the opportunity to bring our shared vision for the property to life. High calibre project partners are more important than ever, given the unprecedented property and construction challenges the sector is currently facing, which is why we’ve also partnered with Balmain and Co as the appointed builder, and we’re delivering the project with the benefit of IPEX to protect the stakeholders’ project funds.”
Veriu Group recently opened a 40-key Punthill property in Essendon North and is set to launch its 14th Victorian property – its second Veriu-branded property – Veriu Collingwood, this May. The 95-room hotel will bring its property count to 21.