This is a 25 per cent increase in stock to approximately 26,000 total rooms for the city.
“Melbourne and Victoria now boast an unrivalled inventory of new and reimagined hotels that have fast become the envy of all other states and territories,” said Dougal Hollis, general manager of Accommodation Australia’s Victoria branch.
“The unparalleled addition of circa 9,000 post-pandemic rooms represents a 25 per cent increase in hotel stocks and reflects significant investor confidence in the many and varied key demand drivers that drive business into Victoria.”
Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) has its sights set on driving demand for this new and growing accommodation pipeline.
MCB chief executive, Julia Swanson, said the bureau had secured 100 events to be delivered between now and December 2024, which translates to 196,000 delegates and 200,000 room nights expected to be filled this year.
“That’s enough to fill the city seven times over…and we are adding more events to the calendar every week,” said Swanson.
“Right now we are managing up to $3 billion worth of international event leads that have the potential to contribute 1.8 million room nights for the hotel and accommodation sector out to 2030.”
Accommodation Australia’s current report says the major CBD hotels expected to open this year include a dual branded Holiday Inn/Hotel Indigo with 453 rooms on Bourke Street and Australia’s first 1Hotel, a $450 million mixed-use sustainable development across the Yarra from Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) with 277 rooms and a 1,000-pax event space.
Although it was due to open this year, the $640 million Shangri-La Melbourne – a 62-level hotel of 500 rooms with a separate tower containing 325 apartments on Exhibition Street – has been delayed until mid-2025 “due to unforeseen events”.
The report also lists a further 1,477 rooms in new city hotels that have been approved or are under construction. The brands include Voco by IHG in South Melbourne (171 rooms); Melbourne Place on Russell Street (190 rooms); SO/ by Accor on William Street (210 rooms); Collection by TFE plus A by Adina in Docklands (210 rooms); and Marriott Executive Apartments (176 rooms) at 424 St Kilda Road. Further in the future a 210-room Four Seasons is due to open close to MCEC by 2028.
The report also details metropolitan hotels outside the CBD and suggests there’s more than 2,900 rooms in inner suburban and outer growth corridors, “proposed”, “approved” or “under construction” – among them are international brands from Accor, IHG and Marriott. Regional Victoria has not missed out with nine new hotels totalling 1,055 rooms, including five-star developments with meetings and event space for Geelong, Ballarat and the Yarra Valley.
