Canberra to get a new 250 room hotel

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Melbourne-based property investment firm SB&G Hotel Group is planning a new 250-room hotel in Canberra.

The hotel will be pitched at the middle of the market and it will open in 2021.

The proposed $50 million development will be located next to the group’s Crowne Plaza Hotel on Glebe Park.

It will also be near the planned $307 million redevelopment to transform the Casino Canberra precinct.

The new hotel will be managed by the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which manages the Crowne Plaza, under the Holiday Inn Express brand.

The new hotel will be strategically important for the SB&G Hotel Group.

Having two IHG-managed hotels housed on the same site would allow it to broaden its offering and target the corporate market. It would also allow the company to focus on the growing number of tourists coming to the national capital.

Managing Director of SB&G Hotel Group, Paul Salter said the new hotel would bring a differentiated offering to the Canberra market.

“While the Canberra market has been strong over recent years, the majority of hotel supply that is planned is upscale, with the midscale market remaining under-serviced,” Mr Salter told RiotAct,

IHG’s Managing Director – Australia and Japan, Leanne Harwood, said plans for the new were focused on offering fast service in a simple format.

“With faster check-in and breakfast for everyone, Holiday Inn Express gives guests a simple, engaging place to recharge and get a little work done. We think it’s a great fit for Canberra’s savvy traveller,” Ms Harwood told Riot Act.

The company behind the casino, Aquis, wants to wants to turn the current Casino Canberra and surrounding area into a leisure and nightlife precinct.

However, the project has been hit by delays holding up the process of getting government approvals for a new, expanded casino, six-star luxury villas, a five-star hotel, seven new restaurants, day spa and resort pool, luxury retail shopping mall and nightclub and bars.

Leon Gettler - 27th July 2018