A 180-room Holiday Inn & Suites will open in Ryrie Street in early September, with the Business Events Geelong team given a sneak peak of the modern four-star property.
The 14-storey hotel has three meeting rooms with the latest AV, which, when combined, cater for 100 people theatre-style. The hotel also features a sky lobby, pool, gym, restaurant, bar and cafe and ground floor retail.
Geelong’s second new hotel is an 87-room Quest Geelong Central, which is due to open in Gheringhap Street by October. There’s a mix of premium self-contained apartments in studio, one, two and three bedroom configurations. Quest expects its rooftop gymnasium and conference facilities will further appeal to the business events market.
Meanwhile an announcement is expected later this month on the name of the successful builder for the almost $300 million 1,000-seat Geelong Convention & Exhibition Centre. The chosen operator for the connected 200-room upscale hotel is also expected to be declared soon, with the shortlist now pared down to a choice between two.
The 3,700m2 convention centre is expected to be ready in time for the Commonwealth Games and will be operated by the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Geelong’s population is set to grow by 100,000 over the next 15 years as Melbourne’s western growth corridor extends towards Victoria’s second city.
The Commonwealth Games will add to the housing stock in Geelong, with the athletes’ village leaving an accommodation legacy. In addition, the relocation of the Spirit of Tasmania departure point from Port Melbourne to Geelong is already generating overnight accommodation for local hotels and, in turn, for the Great Ocean Road experience, which is also growing with the return of international visitors.
