First images of the first Marriott to be built in Australia in two decades
Melbourne developer Capital Alliance has unveiled the first images of the first Marriott to be built in Australia in 20 years.
Marriott Docklands, part of the $250 million mixed-use The Docklands project by local company Capital Alliance, will feature 200 rooms with clean timber flooring, beds sitting atop frames, a small table for dining but no desks and exposed joinery replacing closets.
Gone are the staples of older five-star hotel rooms: carpet, heavily branded decor and clunky furniture such as closets, chests of drawers and writing desks.
Set to open in 2020, Marriott Docklands will features a 28 metre wet edge resort-style rooftop infinity pool and adjoining bar, a ground-level bar, a restaurant and a laneway cafe.
DKO Architecture are designing the building that will comprise 100 one to three-bedroom apartments above a rectangular hotel podium, which sprouts into two curved petal-shaped towers of 17 levels each.
Marriott International senior director development for the Australia-Pacific region Richard Crawford said the new five-star hotel reflected the evolving needs of guests who used hotel rooms differently than in the past and had high expectations of hotel luxury based on sophisticated Asian, European and American hotel experiences.
“We’ve reinvented the hotel room as we’ve found that hotel guests don’t use desks in hotel rooms, preferring to lounge on beds or sofas or work in well-designed communal spaces with a relaxed atmosphere,” Crawford said.
“They also don’t want their clothes and possessions hidden away in storage.”
“Our guests do have a strong appreciation of great design and want to stay in high-end hotels that are luxurious while also reflecting the unique character of their location."
In a nod to Melbourne’s status as Australia’s fashion capital, the Marriott Docklands’ rooms will have the retail-influenced feature of wall racks that showcase guests’ fashion purchases or spring racing outfits rather than confining them to closets.
The Docklands will sit atop the newly renamed and revamped District Docklands shopping centre, featuring retailers such as H&M and a soon-to-be-completed cinema complex.
Capital Alliance founder and chief executive Mohan Du said The Docklands development would appeal to a broad demographic of business and leisure travellers of all ages while the much larger than average residential apartments were already tempting downsizers and young families to the convenience of apartment living.
“The city’s newest five-star hotel will enliven Docklands with its shared facilities for guests and residents that blur the lines between hotel and residential living, reflecting similar trends in mixed-use development that have reshaped the industry in New York and London,” Du said.
Construction on The Docklands project is expected to begin this year and the opening of the hotel in late 2020.