Melbourne a launching pad for Hong Kong hotel brand

Designed by renowned London architects Conran & Partners and offering 80 hotel rooms and 57 studio and one-bedroom apartments, Lanson Place Parliament Gardens will be only the ninth Lanson Place hotel globally, and the first to open outside Asia.

The brand, which offers serviced residences and hotels in a “home living” setting, was launched in 1995 by listed Hong Kong developer Wing Tai Holdings after it opened its first Lanson Place hotel at Hong Kong’s ritzy Causeway Bay (a property it renovated last year).

There are two more Lanson Place properties in Hong Kong, as well as hotels in Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Shenzhen and – most recently – Manila.

While its expansion into Melbourne was purely “opportunistic” – Woodlink’s mainland Chinese owner was a fan of the group’s Hong Kong hotels – Lanson Place CEO Michael Hobson said it could be the springboard for more hotel projects in the Victorian capital and elsewhere in Australia.

“Woodlink came to us with the opportunity, and we grabbed it,” Mr Hobson told The Australian Financial Review.

“Once we get the Melbourne hotel open, other potential owners and developers will get to know us.

“We’d like to do more in Melbourne – elsewhere in the city – as well as in other major cities like Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.”

While Melbourne has added thousands of hotel rooms in the past few years, including new serviced apartment offerings from Harry Triguboff’s Meriton Suites, Veriu, Quest and Singapore’s Oakwood, Mr Hobson said Melbourne’s “fantastic” calendar of sporting and arts events created strong demand drivers.

“There’s talk about Melbourne being oversupplied, but we don’t think that’s the case,” he said.

Instead, he said Melbourne’s events calendar would attract great leisure business “where we can get higher than average room rates” supported by strong corporate demand.

The imminent opening of the hotel creates a new chapter for the former Salvation Army Printing Works building, which dates back to 1901 when it was built by the Christian group in the Romanesque architectural style.

Situated next door to Melbourne’s oldest synagogue (the East Melbourne Synagogue was built in 1877), the Salvos building printed its War Cry magazine until 1981. When the printing press shut down, the Salvos sold their premises to private owners. In 2000, it was bought by music and sports promoter Ralph Carr,

In 2011, Mr Carr sold the building for $9.7 million to Woodlink, a company directed by Fang Yu and Xiaodan Zhu.

Woodlink originally lodged plans for a development featuring a 27-level residential tower with 66 apartments. This was later scaled back to a 14-level hotel.

“Our investment in Lanson Place Parliament Gardens reflects our unwavering commitment to preserving the city’s architectural heritage while introducing a new standard of extended stay and hotel accommodation. We are confident that this landmark project will be the first of many in Australia,” Mr Zhu said.

Mr Hobson said the hotel’s East Melbourne location overlooking parkland and close to the CBD was “first class”, while the restored heritage building with its high ceilings and artworks created a “very interesting entry point” and – with its restaurant and bar – was a very attractive place to meet, dine and have a drink.

“We have a very conscientious owner who has not skimped on anything and has lovingly restored the heritage building,” he said.

Alongside its spacious accommodation – the average room size is bigger than 35sq m – the hotel’s guest amenities include a gym, swimming pool and spa, laundry and dry cleaning services.