IHG Hotels and Resorts will continue the growth of the Holiday Inn brand across regional Australia, today announcing the signing of a newbuild development in the historic Victorian city of Ballarat.
Holiday Inn and Suites Ballarat Goldfields, earmarked to open in 2024, will consist of a 110 room hotel and will sit in line with the latest incarnation of the brand’s guest experience including its bright and modern ‘Open Lobby’, which debuted in Australia last week in the Melbourne suburb of Werribee.
Designed by Hachem Architecture – the same firm behind W Melbourne – the new Holiday Inn will be a partnership with the Forte Group and will aim to be a hallmark of the region visible from the main freeway linking the city with Melbourne.
Positioned as a major MICE destination for the city, the hotel will offer 400sqm of flexible meeting space including a large ballroom and 90-seat restaurant and bar. Guest facilities will also include a day spa, fitness centre and outdoor swimming pool.
Once the scene for gold miners, fortune seekers and the 1854 Eureka Stockade, Ballarat has evolved in more recent years into a centre of excellence in technology and investment, with several major financial institutions setting up major corporate bases in the city. The aforementioned gold rush continues to be celebrated by the city, with many popular tourist attractions centred around the period.
IHG’s newly promoted Managing Director Japan, Abhijay Sandilya, was a central figure in the new signing and said he was thrilled to be adding this state-of-the-art property to the Holiday Inn family.
“What’s particularly exciting about this property is that it will truly be a destination in its own right, with a range of facilities and amenities, including a spa, pool, conference centre, restaurant, bar, that will give it a resort-like feel,” Sandilya said.
“This will help drive mid-week occupancy particularly from corporate and business travellers, and it will also be a popular destination for weddings. Plus, we know that locals and regional holiday seekers are without a doubt going to be enamoured with the hotel and we can’t wait for construction to start and doors to open.”
The new signing continues Holiday Inn’s gradual expansion into regional destinations, with Ballarat joining a pipeline which includes forthcoming regional locations in Geelong and Wagga Wagga along with several suburban locations in metropolitan Melbourne.