Accor’s SO/ Hotels and Resorts brand will make its debut in Australia with a new property in Melbourne slated to open in 2023.
The new hotel, SO/Melbourne, will be positioned on the upper levels between Level 11 and Level 34 of a mixed-use development, which also includes 20,000 sqm of office and co-working space, located on the corner of William and Franklin Streets in the city’s central business district.
Overlooking Flagstaff Gardens and the Queen Victoria Market, the new hotel will also be close to key commercial, retail and leisure attractions nearby.
The hotel will feature 288 guestrooms and suites, some of which will be equipped with outdoor terraces.
Other on-site facilities will include a club lounge and private meeting room, a specialty restaurant and bar with sky deck, an all-day dining eatery with outdoor terrace, a lobby lounge and café, and a ballroom.
Recreation options will include a SO/Spa and SO/Fit wellness and fitness centre, as well as a swimming pool.
Accor describes the SO/ Hotels and Resorts brand as “highly creative and fashion-led” and adds that “daring and exuberant design is at the heart of the SO brand”.
According to the hotel group, SO/Melbourne will be designed by a “celebrated fashion designer” like all other SO/ properties around the world. It also reveals that the new hotel will be designed by the design and architecture firm Elenberg Fraser, while Bangkok-based P49 Deesign & Associates will be responsible for the interiors.
What’s more, the hotel group added that the walls and interiors of the hotel will feature sky gardens and lush landscapes.
Simon McGrath, chief operating officer Pacific, Accor, said: “The demand for quality luxury hotels is at an all-time high, so the timing is right to introduce Australia to the audacious and fashionable SO/ Hotel brand.
“SO/Melbourne will bring a bold and playful energy to Melbourne, blending the brand’s vibrant luxury services with the heart and soul of the destination. This flagship hotel will be the place to be seen to socialise, appealing to chic travellers and Melbourne’s savvy early adopters who are renowned for having their finger on the pulse.
“Guests today are looking for travel experiences that excite the senses and they want to stay in places where they feel connected to the heart of their destination. We look forward to opening this exciting flagship hotel in 2023,” added McGrath.
Currently, the hotel brand’s global portfolio includes two properties in Thailand, namely SO/Bangkok & SO/Hua Hin, as well as SO/Mauritius, SO/Singapore, SO/Berlin Das Stue, SO/Vienna, SO/St. Petersburg and SO/Auckland.
It will continue to open new hotels in other locations worldwide, including Kuala Lumpur (2020), Samui (2020), Dubai (2020), Cuba (2020), Mexico (2021), Paris (2021) and Jakarta (2021).
