Vicinity Centres unveiled new details about the upcoming hotel offer at its Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne, revealing a 250 room capacity, two restaurants, as well as a wellness retreat and day spa.

The 12 storey hotel, which will cost $130 million and open to guests on Friday 1 November, will be connected to Chadstone Shopping Centre and provide the centre’s domestic and international visitors a place to stay.

“Demonstrating our commitment to continually evolve Chadstone, the hotel will capitalise upon and enhance Chadstone’s proven international and domestic appeal which sees 24 million people visit us each year, including more than half a million international visitors,” Chadstone Director Fiona Mackenzie said. 

“Hotel Chadstone will offer visitors and guests luxurious and exceptional experiences.”

Melbourne’s tourism industry has seen significant growth in the last few years, attracting approximately 90 million visitors and $30 billion in the year to March 2019, according to Victorian Minister for tourism Martin Pakula. 

Chadstone Shopping Centre is located 17kms from Melbourne’s CBD, and has traditionally attracted international visitors through its doors with its luxury fashion offering, as well as a free tourist shuttle bus service that ferries visitors directly to the centre from the city.

The centre also houses a tourist lounge and facilitates group tours of the centre, which features exclusive offers for tour-goers in participation with its tenant retailers, such as monogramming specials, makeovers, product experiences and masterclasses. 

IBISWorld senior industry analyst Kim Do said these international visitors have become a significant market for many Australian retailers in the past few years.

“The trends in Australian tourism have amplified the disparity in the performance of the various segments in the retail market,” Do previously told Inside Retail.

“For example, despite weak growth for mid-market retailers, luxury retailers have performed exceptionally well in recent years, as they are able to take advantage of expenditure by tourists, which make up approximately 30 per cent of the luxury retailing industry.

“There is an opportunity for retailers to capitalise on this.”

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