IHG teams up with Martyn Barnes for voco Yarra Valley hotel
Entrepreneur Martyn Barnes has signed an agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) to bring its new hotel brand, voco, to Victoria’s Yarra Valley.
The 170-room new-build hotel, to be known as voco Yarra Valley, will open in 2021 and marks the second signing for the brand in Australia.
The hotel will feature touches such as an on-site gin distillery, a lavender farm, mirrored maze, an amphitheatre cut from natural ground and a provedore.
The voco brand was launched by IHG in June of this year with the rebranding of the Gold Coast’s Watermark Hotel & Spa.
Abhijay Sandilya, IHG’s Senior Director of Development – Australasia, said the signing is a further step forward for the company which currently has 48 hotels operating under four brands in Australasia.
“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,” Sandilya said.
“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.”
The hotel will try and offer guests a different kind of experience, said Martyn Barnes, Managing Director at Barnes Capital.
“As one of Australia’s premier wine regions, the last thing people want when they arrive in Yarra Valley is a vanilla experience,” he said.
“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.”
“I’m excited to work with IHG to open voco Yarra Valley, building on our partnership that will also see us opening Holiday Inn Melbourne Coburg in 2020.
“Watch this space, because we have more to come.”