Punthill Essendon North: An ‘elevated’ residential feel

2023 kicked off with a bang for boutique apartment hotel operator the Veriu Group, with the opening of Punthill Essendon North.

Their newest accommodation offering is located north of Melbourne CBD and presents a mix of modern studio and one-bedroom apartments, designed to attract solo and group travellers for business or leisure.

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Veriu Group CEO Zed Sanjana told AccomNews: “We’re extremely pleased to have added Punthill Essendon North to our existing portfolio.

“The hotel is specifically situated to take advantage of this significant corporate catchment area, which has been somewhat underserviced in terms of quality corporate accommodation. We believe that modern business travellers are increasingly looking for more unique and localised accommodation experiences within these types of corporate hubs.”

Built in partnership with EVR Group, this state-of-the-art property offers 40 fully self-catering apartments. The combination of comfortable apartments, comprehensive conference and meeting facilities, a gym and guest laundry, perfectly accommodates current business travellers who want convenience but also experience the comforts of home.

The unveiling of Punthill Essendon North closely followed the December 2022 opening of the Group’s first Victorian property, Veriu Queen Victoria Market and it increased the Group’s collection of properties under the trusted Punthill Apartment Hotels brand to 13, which also boosts the Groups portfolio to over 1,260 rooms and apartments under the combined Veriu Hotels & Suites and Punthill Apartment Hotels brands.

It’s true the last few months have been extremely busy ones, Mr Sanjana admitted, and there will be yet another new Veriu property opening in April – Veriu Collingwood. The Group also expects to open three more hotels in 2023.

Confirming the rapid growth of the brand, Mr Sanjana said a further six sites are currently under construction across Australia.

This Group has identified an opportunity to become one of Australia’s largest apartment hotel operators, while still maintaining a unique and localised feel at each of its properties and is well on its way to achieving this.

He said: “Our network expansion is focused on bringing good quality new accommodation options to CBD, suburban and regional markets, in locations underpinned by the business travel segments.”

Mr Sanjana proudly believes Punthill Essendon North is now the premium accommodation choice for both corporate and leisure guests in this location. However, it was a four-and-a-half-year journey from the handshake deal to the opening of Punthill Essendon North which Mr Sanjana describes as “challenging”.

He told us: “We began a relationship with the developer in 2018 and really liked their plan for the property.

“But due to COVID, some difficult times were endured by the stakeholders, the brand, and the whole project team but everyone remained both committed to the vision and flexible with both time and ideas. Now I am delighted that despite a couple of false starts we were able to pull this exceptional property together in such uncertain times.”

How would he describe the finished property?

“It’s very distinct and stylish, and very comfortable,” he said.

“I especially love the design of the apartments because they are certainly not ‘cookie cutter’. Due to council requirements for the building each apartment is bespoke and interesting with each window offering unique views,” he said.

“I must say I am also impressed by the surprisingly efficient design of the kitchen, which provides more workspace and storage than usual, and more cooking appliances than guests would normally expect to find in a short-stay apartment. This means guests can make themselves at home, they can truly self-cater, and they are happy to stay longer.”

“Many of our guests do want extended stays, with five nights being a typical booking and we designed the spacious light-filled apartments to appeal to those guests. I describe our accommodation as having an “elevated’ residential feel”.

“We chose to work with our preferred supplier Furn-Niche, an experienced industry fit-out specialist who we have previously used on other projects. Part of the design brief was to ensure our guests feel at home, but we also wanted them to have the added conveniences they would normally expect in a hotel.”

The accommodation provides guests with an excellent night’s sleep in stylish apartments with comfortable beds and hotel-style amenities. The interior design of the apartments is simple and stylish with clean lines, and neutral tones of grey and brown complemented by warm pops of colour and classy wooden finishes.

The living space is well thought out with plenty of areas to work, relax and cook, it really has everything needed for an easy extended stay.

And the response from both guests and staff since opening?

“It’s been outstanding,” Mr Sanjana said. “We have received very positive feedback from guests and from the major companies that use our accommodation for corporate travel.

Our bookings have been significant and consistent. Generally, people seem to be very excited by the addition of this brand-new product with a high-class finish in a location with an undersupplied accommodation market.

“We are also very lucky to have retained a very stable staff team since opening.”

Mandy Clarke

Mandy has over 17 years of accommodation and tourism industry writing experience and is Editor of AccomNews & Resort News, Publisher of SchoolNews & Director of Multimedia Pty Ltd. She is a retired registered nurse with a 25-year NHS career that followed a few unforgettable years in hotel housekeeping.