Hospitality company Accor has been selected as the operator for a AU$50 million APH Holding boutique hotel development in Melbourne’s inner east suburb of Hawthorn.
The 7-level Novotel Melbourne Hawthorn, which is expected to open in the first quarter of 2024, will feature 87 rooms and suites, a private health club, meeting rooms, premium food and beverage offerings, as well as a whiskey and cigar lounge.
APH Holding CEO, Johnson Zhang, CFO Yoyo Zhang and Accor Pacific CEO, Sarah Derry, VPO, Adrian Williams, and VP of Development, Brett Forer, attended a signing ceremony at APH Holding’s Forest Hill office on Wednesday.
“We are very excited to be bringing a Novotel to Hawthorn with our partners APH Holding,” Derry said.
“The hotel will provide great experiences for guests, who will love the local neighbourhood of Hawthorn and are looking for a relaxing experience with incredible service. The hotel, restaurant and health club will fast become a must-visit destination for residents of Melbourne and hotel guests alike.”
Johnson Zhang described Accor as the perfect partner for what he said will be an “iconic” development.
“We have chosen the world-renowned Novotel brand as it was the first hotel brand which started Accor in the 1960s and continues to go from strength to strength,” he said.
“This is exactly what APH Holding’s vision is set on; safety, sustainability and stability and finding ways to create long-lasting partnerships to write a legacy all of us can be proud of.
“Our interaction with the local community tells us this is exactly what the Hawthorn local market has been demanding and we are confident the market will love Novotel Melbourne Hawthorn when it opens. Novotel Melbourne Hawthorn will deliver a distinctive and personable hotel offering for the Hawthorn community, a location that is ready for a hotel of this calibre.”
Zhang said Novotel Melbourne Hawthorn, which is scheduled for completion in late 2023, kicks off a prosperous pipeline for APH, which is set to grow to over 2000 hotel keys over the next decade.
“With local and international travel already roaring back into action, we are proud to be delivering a range of sophisticated hotels that will service this demand,” he said.