New luxury hotel in Sydney to open in 2020

Friday, May 17, 2019

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the popular British accommodation groups will open its fifth “voco” hotel in Australia in Sydney’s Chinatown with newcomer developer Linzhu Australia.

The 301-room hotel, voco Sydney Central, will open at 430 Pitt Street by 2020 with the Sydney light rail at its doorstep. The Latin word “voco” means “to invite”.

The property was originally slated as a Holiday Inn – also owned by IHG – but Linzhu decided the south side of the CBD needed “quality accommodation options for business and leisure travellers” and changed direction towards the more upscale voco brand.

This follows IHG’s last voco launch in October last year, a 252-room tower in Melbourne Central.

Linzhu Australia Chairman Jinwen Lin said that after attending the voco launch event in Sydney, he immediately fell in love with the brand. They are delighted to be able to add upscale, indulgent room features and facilities to the property for our guests for the complete voco experience.

The “voco experience” will offer premium beds, superior showers, innovative lighting and user-friendly technology. Guests will enjoy a swift check-in and a welcome local treat as well as all-day design-led sociable bars and lounges.

The brand has been rapidly growing since it launched in June last year. Aside from Sydney and Melbourne Central, the three other Australian vocos are on the Gold Coast, in the Yarra Valley and the Hunter Valley.

The initial plans of Linzhu for the site at Pitt Street debuted in 2015. While the plans have changed since, its sloping roof featuring unique “green waterfalls” or a series of hanging plants for the tower remains.

IHG has 49 hotels operating under four brands in the Australasian region and has another 29 openings planned. The shortage of hotel rooms particularly in Sydney has encouraged a slew of hotel developments, although there could be a potential oversupply in Melbourne.

The latest update from hotel data analyst STR shows while supply of hotel rooms in Melbourne has risen 4 per cent in the year to April, demand has remained relatively unchanged while occupancy has dropped 3.7 percentage points to 77.5 per cent.

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