Australia is getting another colourful voco hotel.
Australian entrepreneur Martyn Barnes’ new Yarra Valley property has signed an agreement with IHG to brand the hotel as voco.
voco Yarra Valley will be the first globally-branded, upscale hotel in Victoria’s famed Yarra Valley wine growing area. Opening in 2021, the 170-room new-build hotel will feature an on-site gin distillery, a lavender farm, mirrored maze, a local produce store and a natural amphitheatre.
The building’s design will be ‘quirky’, reaching six storeys tall at one and tapering off to one storey on the other side. There will also be 20 cabins off to the side providing an intimate Yarra Valley experience.
IHG’s Senior Director of Development, Australasia, Abhijay Sadilya said the voco brand is unique and helps continue IHG’s expansion plans.
“IHG launched voco in June with the first signing for the brand in Australia, and we are so pleased to see the brand momentum continue here with the second signing. voco delivers a guest experience that stands out, with touches of charm and memorable, distinctive and dependable hallmarks, so we can’t think of a better partner for this new hotel than Martyn Barnes.
“The signing of voco Yarra Valley continues IHG’s ambition to take our brands into regional markets, including suburban micro-markets close to Australian capital cities,” Sandilya said.
Entrepreneur Martyn Barnes also values Yarra Valley for its uniqueness.
“As one of Australia’s premier wine regions, the last thing people want when they arrive in Yarra Valley is a vanilla experience. That’s why voco is the perfect fit, giving business and leisure guests a great, globally-branded, upscale hotel that guests can depend on, but that’s different enough to be fun,” Barnes said.
Earlier in the year, Watermark Hotel and Spa Gold Coast announced it would become Australia's first voco hotel.
