The third-generation family-owned hotel was built in 1872 and is located at the bottom of the peninsula in Sorrento, a traditional summer mecca about 90 minutes’ drive from Melbourne.
The hotel completed major construction works last December, adding about 40 rooms, and it has now commenced further developments that will introduce a new conference room for up to 120, nine more accommodation rooms and an all-weather rooftop bar.
Conference manager Samantha Greenhill told micenet the new additions were demand driven by a boost in the corporate market this year, mostly from Melbourne, but also from interstate and international businesses.
“We have seen an increase in the corporate market since we opened just before Christmas and our sweet spot currently is 25 boardroom style and 30 cabaret,” she said
However, the new conference room maybe introduce a new sweet spot, with capacity for 120 theatre-style or 54 seated at rectangular tables. With a total of 59 rooms available on completion of this second collection of works, Greenhill said buyouts for residential conferences would be possible.
Apart from new corporate clients exploring a sea change event rather than four walls in a city high rise, Greenhill said Hotel Sorrento had a loyal client base, some of whom have been back a dozen times. The hotel also hosts a number of AFL clubs that spend two or three days meeting on the coast.
Sorrento is a summer holiday playground for Melbourne and with the redevelopment of Hotel Sorrento plus its revamped neighbour, the InterContinental Sorrento, the town that was the site of Victoria’s first settlement in 1803 is now even more popular, particularly with leisure guests who book it out from mid-December to February.
The new rooftop bar, which will have a roof and heating to extend its usefulness into the winter months will be available for up to 200 conference guests from this December. The extra accommodation and conference room are expected to be available in 2025.
