IHG turbo-charges voco brand growth in Australia and NZ
Trifecta of new properties set to open over four-week period
This month IHG Hotels & Resorts will open three new properties in Melbourne, Auckland and Brisbane taking the number of voco-branded hotels in the region to five since 2019.
Opening soon, voco Melbourne Central will carry the tag of being Australia’s first new-build voco property Hotel.
Located on Lonsdale Street and part of Melbourne’s iconic new ‘380 Melbourne’ skyscraper, voco Melbourne Central’s open public spaces have taken on a very ‘green’ aspect, a hallmark of voco’s ‘tread lightly’ philosophy.
The hotel’s pledge for greener stays will also see every one of the 252 guestrooms feature windows that open, reducing the reliance on air-conditioning and a reduction in energy.
Opening May 22, voco Auckland City Centre heralds the voco brand’s first foray into New Zealand. Set in the heart of Auckland and boasting the highest rooftop bar in the city with Bar Albert, voco Auckland City Centre has been positioned as one of the most exciting hotels to open in the country this year with features including an all-day trattoria, Mozzarella & Co., offering wood-fired pizzas, pastas, and Italian cocktails, as well as take-away and a la carte breakfast menus.
In Brisbane, offering what IHG describes as promising to bring a refreshingly different stay experience for the Queensland capital, the 194-room voco Brisbane City Centre features a rooftop pool with sweeping Brisbane River views and over 1,200sqm of function space.
All the hotel’s guestrooms will feature premium bedding, smart in-room technology, and, staying true to voco’s green promise, sustainable bulk-sized amenities stationed in all guest bathrooms. At the heart of the hotel is a socially-oriented lobby dining space, Kraft & Co., which will serve up craft brews, local wines, and cocktails seven days a week.
voco’s sustainability hallmarks across all its properties include high-quality bedding incorporating over 150 recycled plastic bottles. To date, the initiative has equated to over half a million bottles that have been recycled to make voco bedding across the hotels.
Guests can expect these hallmarks to be implemented in all the new Pacific openings.
Since opening the world’s first voco Hotel in Australia in 2018, voco Gold Coast and the voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley in 2019, the hotels’ bright yellow brand with its quirky service style has opened its doors in 31 locations in the UK, France, Austria, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Greater China.
Mike Parker-Brown is a UK-trained and qualified journalist and an award-winning travel communicator with more than 30 years experience.
Since 2002, Mike has worked as a freelance writer and PR consultant providing his services to major organisations in Australia and internationally in the tourism, aviation, hospitality, recruitment and export marketing sectors.
