Australia’s first 1 Hotel to open at Melbourne’s Northbank
Australia’s first 1 Hotel will open on the banks of Melbourne’s Yarra River in 2022.
1 Hotel, a subsidiary of US-based giant SH Hotels and Resorts, which in turn is affiliated with the Starwood Hotel Group, will manage 280 suites within the Seafarers tower – part of Clement Lee’s $450 million Northbank development at 731-739 Flinders Street, Docklands.
1 Hotels already operate in New York at Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park and in Miami at South Beach.
Northbank will include a 1000-seat function space, wellness centre, high-end dining options and a 3500 square metre public park.
It will also include 140 high-end apartments within a 20-storey structure.
Mr Lee’s development company, Riverlee, paid $28.5 million in 2015 for the 1.3 hectare site earmarked to become Northbank.
The holding included some heritage protected elements: a goods shed, which Riverlee has repurposed into a hospitality space, a wharf which has been refurbished and a crane which has been restored.
“1 Hotel was a clear choice for the Seafarers precinct, with both companies sharing similar values in regards to sustainability, urban renewal and design”, Riverlee development director David Lee told thehotelconversation.com.au in this item.
“It’s the hotel’s commitment to celebrating the history of the site, once the site of Melbourne’s busiest port, that will contribute to delivering a truly bespoke hotel experience,” Mr Lee added.
Elsewhere on the banks of the Yarra River in Flinders Street, another offshore hotelier, the Marriott International controlled St Regis, recently committed to part of the Flinders Bank complex, being proposed by Century Group Australia.
The Quincy Hotel brand is also coming to Melbourne – recently agreeing to operate an as-yet-unbuilt 30-storey building, with 241-suites, at 33 King Street.
Hyatt Centric will also enter the Australian market after pre-committing to an as-yet-unbuilt 30-storey tower, with 278-rooms, at 27 Downie Street, in the Melbourne CBD, a site Little Projects bought for about $30 million in mid-2017.
Hyatt Centric has also pre-leased a 12-storey inn with 153 suites, proposed to replace the former Peter Rowland Catering site at 2-10 River Street, South Yarra – a property developer Alfasi Property Group bought for $18.5 million in late 2017.
In October, InterContinental Group announced its intention to occupy a 16-level complex at 301 Maroondah Highway, Ringwood, as a 164-room hotel for its Holiday Inn and Suites division.
