A new luxury hotel is set to be developed in Canberra’s CBD, following Geocon’s acquisition of the Garema Centre site at 70 Bunda Street.
“The Chief Minister recently announced the ACT Government was trying to attract high-end hotels to the city, to help accommodate record numbers of international visitors coming to the national capital,” Geocon Managing Director, Nick Georgalis, said.
“Anyone who travels regularly to Canberra knows there are times when you can’t find a hotel room because there just isn’t enough supply, particularly for the luxury market.
“The need for more visitor accommodation in Canberra is further evidenced by the fact that there are almost 5000 hotel-comparable room nights available monthly in Canberra on Airbnb,” he said.
Geocon owns and operates the Abode Group of hotels and Garema Place will be one of the first of the new deluxe offerings the Group will bring to Canberra, and will deliver an international-standard luxury experience.
“The Garema Centre site is in the very heart of the city, with close proximity to world-class shopping in the Canberra Centre and some of Canberra’s best restaurants, bars and attractions, and 300 metres from the light rail stop,” he said.
“A brand-new luxury hotel experience at Garema Place will embrace its potential for vibrancy and activation at all hours of the day and night, and boost the surrounding businesses by attracting guests and visitors.
“We have commissioned world-renowned Fender Katsalidis Architects to bring to life our vision of a sculptural icon that will define the heart of the city, and, we will introduce a bold, new hotel brand to Canberra that will reflect the city’s status as Australia’s national capital,” Georgalis said.
Work is expected to start on the project in 2019 with the first guests arriving in 2020.