Business event planners will have even more options to choose from in Australia with a raft of new hotels and venues opening next year.
“A new era of infrastructure development is underway in Australia and next year we will welcome new accommodation and event spaces that give international event planners even more options for their business events,” says Penny Lion, executive general manager of events at Tourism Australia. “With such a range of venues combined with our welcoming people, expertise in event delivery as well as great international aviation access, there’s really nothing like Australia for business events.”
10 new openings
- Adelaide Oval Hotel, Adelaide is set to become the first stadium in Australia to feature an integrated hotel with their boutique 138-room property due for completion in September 2020. Adelaide Oval is an award-winning function venue offering 25 event spaces, catering for up to 3,000 guests for a cocktail style event. Additionally, groups of up to 14 guests can also partake in a two hour climb Adelaide Oval’s unique roofline for views of Adelaide Hills and the coast with RoofClimb.
- As part of the greater redevelopment of Adelaide’s Festival Plaza and the riverbank (pictured above), Adelaide Casino is also undergoing an AUD 330 million redevelopment which will see a new six-star, 123 room hotel with event spaces holding up to 800 guests for a cocktail style event added to the precinct. Adelaide Festival Plaza is set to become a world class destination and entertainment precinct offering a national wine centre, botanic garden, casino, festival centre, convention centre, oval, zoo, railway station, panoramic views of the River Torrens and public spaces.
- For the first time in South Australia, luxury brand Sofitel is set to open a new 257 room hotel. The new build will feature a restaurant, four bars, health and fitness centre and lounge. The five star property is being built on Currie Street, a short 14 minute walk from Adelaide’s city centre and is scheduled to open in November next year.
- From mid-2020, the Port of Brisbane will welcome some of the world’s largest cruise ships following an AUD 158 million upgrade to the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal making it Queensland’s first dedicated mega-cruise ship terminal. For incentive groups, it will add another option for those looking to cruise north from Brisbane to the Whitsunday Islands, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.
- A major Gold Coast infrastructure project, The Jewel, is set to considerably add to the city’s event and accommodation offering. The AUD 1 billion complex will feature a five-star hotel, bars, dining options and conference facilities. A 700 sqm/7,534 sq. ft ballroom will cater for up to 800 guests for cocktail style events. The complex will also include a 633 sqm/6,813 sq. ft business centre with five meeting rooms of varying sizes.
- An AUD 45 million hotel development, Crowne Plaza, is set to open in Hobart’s city centre in March next year. The 235 room hotel will feature a range of meetings facilities including a ballroom and 24 hour business centre as well as a restaurant, bar and fitness centre. The new build hotel is located above the multi-purpose ICON Complex, providing easy access to shops and restaurants and is a short 10 minute walk to Hobart’s iconic waterfront.
- The Tasman Hotel will be one of the newest luxury hotels to be introduced into Hobart’s city centre in September next year. The hotel, located in Parliament Square just a six-minute walk from Hobart’s city centre, will feature 128 rooms and suites with carefully restored features and Georgian and Art-Deco design elements throughout. The development will also offer a range of dining experiences inclusive of an upscale restaurant, lobby lounge and whisky bar.
- Marriott International is set to open its first W Hotel in Melbourne as part of the AUD 1 billion mixed-use luxury development, Collins Arch, located a 10 minutes’ walk from Melbourne’s city centre. W Melbourne will offer 294 rooms, including 40 suites and the brand’s signature ‘Extreme Wow Suite’, gym, restaurant and bar. Scheduled to open in June next year, W Melbourne will include 851 sqm/9,160 sq. ft of event space including a ballroom with the capacity to hold up to 130 guests seated or 300 guests for a cocktail style event.
- Hilton is set to introduce a new hotel development into Melbourne’s city centre next April. The hotel will feature 244 guest rooms including 10 suites, a restaurant, bar and five event spaces. The hotel will be within easy access of Melbourne’s restaurants, bars, Melbourne Aquarium, arcades and art filled laneways.
- Crowne Plaza Sydney Darling Harbour, Sydney is set to return to Sydney’s city centre in early 2020 with a 160-room hotel featuring the hotel’s new flagship design focused on public and flexible spaces. The new property will include a lounge bar, an 80-seat restaurant.
