Marriott continues Australian focus

Mariot International is promising to shake up Melbourne’s hospitality scene, with the planned debut of its funky W Hotels brand in the Victorian capital in 2020. To be constructed as part of a mixed use development in Collins Street, the property will comprise 294 rooms and suites, along with 1,200 square metres of event and meeting space. It will be the second W Hotel in Australia after the forthcoming W Brisbane, which is also under development in Queensland and is earmarked for opening next year. W Hotels Worldwide global brand leader Anthony Ingham said “Melbourne, with its vibrant music, emerging fashion and bold street art, is a destination made for the W brand. Located in the epicentre of the city, W Melbourne will embody the city’s creative spirit while showcasing the brand’s bold and energetic take on luxury,” he said. The new W Brisbane and Melbourne properties aren’t, however, the first time the brand has attempted to launch here, with the Ovolo Hotel in Sydney’s Woolloomoloo also originally operating as the W Sydney in the early 2000s before switching to the Taj Blue in 2006 and then becoming the Ovolo in 2014.