More venues to beef up product offerings as Business Events Australia reveals confirmed and projected openings in the coming year.
- Queen’s Wharf Brisbane
Brisbane, Queensland, continues to reinvent itself as one of the premier destinations for the meetings and incentives industry, confirming an April 2024 opening of its AUD3.6 billion (USD2.4 billion) Queen’s Wharf Brisbane.
The development is due to commence a staged opening from April 2024, bringing to life the world-class integrated resort development that will transform the city of Brisbane/Meeanjin in the lead up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The precinct will, in due course, house four luxury hotels, including The Star Grand (opening April 2024), a Dorsett hotel and Australia’s first six-star Rosewood hotel, collectively offering more than 1,000 premium hotel rooms.
Once fully operational, among the hotels will be 50 new restaurants, cafés and bars including fine dining restaurants, ventures by celebrated Australian chefs, and pop-up culinary activations. A new pedestrian bridge to South Bank will allow for easy access to the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, and the elevated Sky Deck will offer sensational 360-degree views of the river and city.
- The Star Grand
As part of the AUD3.6 million Queen’s Wharf Brisbane development, a brand new five-star riverfront hotel, The Star Grand, will comprise 340 luxury rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows across two crescent-shaped towers, with an extravagant entry featuring a breathtaking glass oculus ascending 35 metres (115 feet).
Bespoke botanical artwork celebrates Brisbane’s subtropical surrounds, and opulent marble finishings mimic the ripples of the Brisbane River. Hotel guests will have exclusive access to three stunning pools on the resort’s Leisure Deck, an open-air oasis which delivers two football fields of public space, plus The Star Brisbane’s striking showpiece Sky Deck, a 250-metre rooftop runway of restaurants and bars floating above the Brisbane River. Business events can be held in Brisbane’s largest hotel ballroom – the Event Centre at The Star Brisbane – which has the capacity to host 2,000 guests.
- New theatre at Queensland Performing Arts Centre
Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) in Brisbane/Meeanjin will soon welcome a new AUD175 million theatre at the Queensland Cultural Centre. The state-of-the-art 1500-seat theatre will make QPAC the largest performing arts centre in Australia.
Drawing inspiration from the Brisbane River as an important meeting place for telling stories, the concept design respects the Heritage-listed Queensland Cultural Centre while creating a new place with its own identity.
Key design features include a unique rippled glass façade, transparent foyer spaces, a single balcony auditorium delivering enhanced audience sight line and significant First Nations artwork in the external entry forecourt. QPAC has a range of spaces available for exclusive use for business events including a rooftop function room and terrace, several theatres, lounges, a fine dining restaurant and a concert hall.
- Marriott Adelaide
Adelaide/Tarntanya will see the opening of South Australia’s first Marriott Hotel in 2024. The five-star, AUD200 million property is part of a redevelopment of the iconic Adelaide General Post Office (GPO) building, which is set to celebrate its 152nd anniversary on the hotel’s scheduled opening date of 6 May 2024.
Located in the heart of Adelaide’s city on the corner of King William and Flinders Streets, the hotel will be housed in a new 15-storey tower, which will be seamlessly integrated with the city’s historic GPO building. All 285 guestrooms will boast sweeping views of the city skyline and Victoria Square, and the hotel will offer 726 sqm of conference space, a 330-sqm ballroom, an indoor swimming pool and two dining venues. The hotel joins four other Marriott branded hotels in Australia: Brisbane/Meeanjin, Melbourne/Narrm and Sydney/Warrane.
- New Collection property in Surry Hills by TFE Hotels
TFE Hotels will open a new, yet-to-be-named Collection property in Sydney/Warrane in 2024. Located in the vibrant boutique dining and shopping precinct of inner-city Surry Hills near Sydney’s city centre, the 102-room hotel will boast an impressive rooftop infinity pool surrounded by lush greenery with views of the city.
Guests can expect a distinct design-led hotel featuring curved brickwork, stone pathways and the Collection brand’s signature bespoke service and attention to the individual. The hotel is part of Australian property developer TOGA Group’s AUD2 million mixed-use Surry Hills Village project, a curated precinct which will span 1.2 hectares, incorporating an expansive new public park and up to 12,000 sqm of retail and commercial space.
The property will be Australia’s fourth Collection hotel, alongside Hotel Kurrajong in Canberra, The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins in Melbourne/Narrm, and The Calile Hotel in Brisbane/Meeanjin which was recently named in the inaugural World’s 50 Best Hotels.
- Sydney Fish Market expansion
The iconic Sydney Fish Market is undergoing a major transformation by way of a AUD750 million reimagination of the current site and surrounding bays precinct. The new Sydney Fish Market is set to open in late 2024 and claims to be Sydney/Warrane’s ‘most significant harbourside building since the Sydney Opera House’.
The facility on Sydney’s Blackwattle Bay in Pyrmont will be a purpose-built, operational fish market as well as a major culinary attraction. The design will feature a distinctive wave-shaped and scale-patterned roof that pays homage to the fishing industry, whilst simultaneously collecting rainwater for use. The amphitheatre staircases and the foreshore promenade wrap over the working wharf, allowing visitors an authentic glimpse into the Market’s operations.
Sydney Fish Market plans to activate the world-class site through an ongoing calendar of events, engaging and educational activations, and vibrant tourism experiences.
- Levantine Hill Estate
The Yarra Valley near Melbourne/Narrm will soon be home to a new 33-room boutique winery hotel. Levantine Hill Estate’s new accommodation will complement the existing cellar door and wine production facility, which opened in 2021 and doubles as an expansive function space for up to 500 guests. The environmentally sensitive hotel is being designed by leading Australian architect Karl Fender of Fender Katsalidis, who created the winery and events space. The design pays homage to the Yarra Valley region, with rooms featuring expansive circular spa baths and private balconies with mountain and valley views. The hotel will be located a short walk from the existing buildings and connected by the Village Green, a helicopter landing area located within a landscaped network of pathways and sculptures. Plans for a second 47-room lodge are also in development, providing further multipurpose spaces and rounding out the masterplan for the award-winning winery estate which is 60 minutes from Melbourne’s city centre by road or 20 minutes via helicopter.
- 1 Hotels & Homes Melbourne
Sustainable luxury hotel brand 1 Hotels is set to open its first Australian property in Melbourne/Narrm in 2024. Part of the Seafarers project at Flinders Wharf in Docklands, 1 Hotels & Homes Melbourne will feature 277 guest rooms and 114 hotel-branded residences, alongside several dining options, a 1,000-seat function centre, wellness spa and a stunning lobby bar with river views.
The property’s biophilic design places nature at the forefront, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the beauty of their surroundings. The sustainable design will include recycled and reclaimed timber from the site’s heritage wharf along with nearby rail bridges and wharfs. The distinctly Melbournian vibe is inspired by Victoria’s iconic natural landscapes including the Dandenong Ranges, the Great Otway National Park and the Yarra River. 1 Hotel Melbourne will also showcase a global art programme by DarkLab, a subsidiary of the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania, and a team of acclaimed curators.
- The Lodge Wadjemup on Rottnest Island
A site on Rottnest Island off the coast of Perth/Boorloo in Western Australia is undergoing an AUD40 million transformation that is set to reopen in 2024 as The Lodge Wadjemup. Located between the Thomson Bay settlement and the Island’s picturesque salt lakes, the hotel will offer 109 guest rooms, a relaxed restaurant to be named ‘Sunset Bar & Dining’, ‘The Kwoka Room’ event space and a swimming pool.
A celebration of the Island’s heritage and culture will be layered through all aspects of the development, with cultural immersion opportunities facilitated through place naming, food and beverage, in-room experiences, interiors, and artworks, as well as landscape design that reflects the six seasons of the Noongar calendar.
A dedicated outdoor space known as ‘The Gathering Ground’ will acknowledge the important cultural history of the Island and will be available to accommodate both public and private events, including ceremonies and culture sharing with the Noongar community.