Accor to Open First Australian SO/ Melbourne in 2023
Main Photo: The SO/ Melbourne, due to open 2023 – imagined
Date: March 2020
Location: Flagstaff Gardens, Northern end of the CBD, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Name: SO/Melbourne
No. of Keys: 288
Seller: TBA
Buyer: SO/Melbourne is being developed by MIT Group Holdings Pty Ltd, the property arm of private tertiary educational institute, Melbourne Institute of Technology. The project is part of a multi-million dollar mixed-use urban regeneration project across two towers and a podium comprising a luxury lifestyle hotel, commercial workspace and a high-end ground floor retail space. An existing heritage building will be retained and incorporated into the lower level design to reflect the diverse history of the site.
Melbourne will become home to Australia’s first SO/ hotel after Accor confirmed the brand’s ongoing expansion in Australasia via a new-build in the Victorian capital.
Overlooking Flagstaff Gardens, the 288-room SO/Melbourne will be situated close to Queen Victoria Markets and Marvel Stadium and will be well-served by existing public transport links including train and tram. The hotel will follow a familiar narrative for new hotels to be developed in the city, adopting a mixed-use operational model and offering commercial office space, ground-floor retail and a co-working centre.
Highly avant-garde in its design, the hotel will feature numerous elements of artistic flair in line with the city’s social flair. Accor has confirmed one of the world’s most celebrated fashion designers will be recruited to bring the SO/ Melbourne scene to life via their own artistic talents, similar to SO/ Auckland, which showcases the creative nous of colourful designer WORLD across its guest and public spaces.
SO/Melbourne will occupy floors 11 to 34 within the urban regeneration development by MIT Group Holdings.
Guest facilities will include a signature SO/ Club Lounge, speciality restaurant and bar as part of a sky deck, all-day dining and outdoor terrace, lobby lounge and café, a ballroom and a variety of meeting spaces. A SO/SPA and SO/FIT wellness and fitness centre will also feature, along with a swimming pool. The co-working centre will feature across the lower levels 1-10, with commercial offices on the upper levels.
Accor Chief Operating Officer Pacific, Simon McGrath, said guests today were looking for travel experiences that excite the senses and help them feel connected to their destination.
“SO/Melbourne will bring a bold and playful energy to Melbourne, blending the brand’s vibrant luxury services with the heart and soul of the destination.
“This flagship hotel will be the place to be seen to socialise, appealing to chic travellers and Melbourne’s savvy early adopters who are renowned for having their finger on the pulse.”
THPT Comment: SO/Melbourne will be the brand’s ninth in the global collection and second in Australasia, the first being in Auckland, New Zealand.
First Seen: Hotel Management Australia
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