Novotel Melbourne South Wharf Hotel Opens for Business

06 April 2018 | Melbourne, Australia

Hotel operator Accor has opened the AU$150 million (US$115 million) Novotel Melbourne South Wharf Hotel, one of several Melbourne hotel properties that will add to the city’s hotel stock in the next few years.

Located adjacent to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), the 347-room, four-star hotel is owned by Action Hotels Group, a London-listed investment company founded and chaired by Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah, heir to the Kuwaiti throne.

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The 26-story hotel features golden panels on its exterior, and was designed by Woods Bagot and NH Architecture. It is the fourth collaboration between Accor Hotels and Action Hotels in Australia.

Woods Bagot principal Andy Gentry told The Urban Developer that he is confident the new supply of hotel accommodation in Melbourne will be matched by tourism demand.

“The number of international visitors to Melbourne continues to grow,” Gentry said.

“The best hotels are all about the finer details, and it’s great to be working with world-class operators to provide a supreme guest experience.”

The opening of the Novotel Melbourne South Wharf comes as the MCEC undergoes a major expansion – with the aim to increase its revenue 70 percent.

The AU$200 million (US$153 million) expansion will make the MCEC the largest convention and exhibition space in Australia, with an increased total size of over 70,000 square meters.

Given the soon-to-be-completed expansion to the MCEC at this iconic location, the brand wanted to appeal to a new generation of guests, NH Architecture director Hamish Lyon said.

“The design seeks to celebrate and connect people with the precinct and Melbourne in general, he added. “The building is conceived as two laminated wafers: a golden, city-orientated, east-facing blade and a glazed west-facing blade, reflecting Port Philip Bay’s dark waters. The tower aspires to be a slender, elegant and singular addition to Melbourne’s growing skyline.”

Melbourne has experienced a resurgence in the investment in new-build hotels under way, with more than 50 active hotel projects underway, which will have a large effect on the market as supply comes online.

For more on this story, go to The Urban Developer.