Construction is underway on the first hotel development at Melbourne Airport in almost 20 years, creating 450 construction jobs.
The first sod was turned by Victorian Tourism Minister, Martin Pakula, along with representatives from Melbourne Airport, Accor Hotels and construction contractor Built.
Designed by local architects Fender Katsalidis with interiors by Woods Bagot, the hotel will be 10 storeys tall with 464 rooms and support 120 hospitality jobs.
It is the first hotel development to begin construction since 2002. Since that time, passenger numbers at Melbourne Airport have more than doubled from 15 million to 37 million in 2018/19.
The new accommodation aims to help meet visitor demand, which is forecast to continue growing.
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“Our visitor economy is growing at a rapid rate and Melbourne Airport is the gateway for so many of our domestic and international guests,” Pakula said.
“It’s great to get a start on this project which will add to the ever-improving experience of the hundreds of thousands of people who use the airport for business and pleasure each week.”
The hotel will be the cornerstone of the airport’s Hive precinct, which will also include a childcare centre, civic spaces, public artworks and offices ranging from 1000 to 10,000 square metres.
Accor Group, which operates the Novotel and Ibis brands, will operate the Melbourne Airport hotel complex and incorporate a gym, pool, café, bar, restaurant and conference rooms.
“Air travel to and from Melbourne is booming with forecasts predicting the airport will service almost 70 million people a year by 2038 – that’s why developments like this new Novotel-Ibis Styles hotel are so important,” said Melbourne Airport chief of property Linc Horton.