Ahead of the Curve – More Luxury Hotels Planned for Melbourne
16 October 2018
Last week, in yet another show of optimism in the local Melbourne hotel market, British accommodation giant IHG announced a new 252-room upscale Voco hotel would open in a new skyscraper being developed by the Brady Group in July 2020.
Voco Melbourne Central will form part of the the under-construction 380 Melbourne skyscraper at 380 Lonsdale Street, a $500 million project featuring two towers rising 52 and 68 levels and more than 700 apartments.
Voco, a new upmarket boutique brand, is the second Melbourne hotel announced by IHG in the space of a week, after it said it would open a 164-room Holiday Inn in Ringwood in the city’s eastern suburbs in 2020.
Alongside these two projects, IHG will open a dual-branded 453-room Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn as part of the $200 million redevelopment of The Walk Arcade in the CBD in 2022.
Also in the works is a 150-room Holiday Inn in Coburg in the northern suburbs, and Holiday Inn Express hotels on Southbank and Little Collins Street being developed by IHG franchise partner Pro-invest Group.
The Melbourne tourism market continues to have a strong outlook, driven by favourable fundamentals.
Trade Relations to Warm as Government Delegation Attends China Import Expo
Australia’s new Trade Minister Simon Birmingham, senior state politicians and the country’s major exporters are scheduled to be in Shanghai next month for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature import expo in the latest sign of a thaw in diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Canberra.
About 150 Australian companies are expected to attend the China International Import Expo (CIIE), a huge trade fair that China is promoting as a major step forward in its efforts to open up the world’s second-largest economy at a time when it is under siege from Washington.
About 3650 companies from more than 130 countries are expected to attend, according to Chinese officials. The endorsement of Mr Xi, who is expected to give a speech at the event’s opening, means local officials and the country’s media have thrown their weight behind the expo, which will have a total booth area of more than 270,000 square metres.
Australia Post, Metcash, Blackmores, Swisse, Meat & Livestock Australia, Qantas Freight, Treasury Wine Estates, A2 Milk, Freedom Foods and Tourism Australia are among the Australian companies with a presence. Many of Australia’s big importers are sending senior executives to China for the expo. Victoria will be strongly represented with about 50 companies that have offices in the state attending.
During a visit to Shanghai in May, Mr Ciobo said Australia was the first country to be invited to the CIIE and that it delivered on Mr Xi’s commitment to open the Chinese economy to the world. He also met with Shanghai’s mayor, who encouraged Australian companies to take part in the event.
By Lee Xie (Senior Project Manager)
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