Adelaide makes like Lego, stacks up hotel

By Hannah Edensor

Pop up hotels could very well be the next big thing.

According to news.com.au, a new $32 million Adelaide city hotel will be packed and stacked like a Lego tower in less than two weeks.

Design company Intro will build “a level a day”, with large segments of the 16-storey hotel premade overseas in China.

Intro’s director Nigel Howden said the use of the modular construction would be a big “game changer” in the hotel industry, according to news.com.au.

“It’s certainly a new way of building in Adelaide … there’s been a couple of schemes on the east coast using this building technology, but nothing like this hotel,” he said.

“We can build a hotel within 12 to 13 days — a level a day. Building in the city centre is hard but if you can do it in two weeks it’s a game changer.”

Plans are currently sitting in the hands of the Development Assessment Commission, writes news.com.au, but are expected to be approved within weeks.

The site of the proposed hotel is 13 West Tce, almost across from the new Royal Adelaide Hospital on North Tce, and owned by Damian Lester.

The hotel will boast 244 rooms with three larger suites, a ground floor café, bar and restaurant space and mezzanine level with conference rooms and a gym.

Howden said the hotel would cater for the new hospital and the rise in occupancy during Adelaide’s festival season.

“We’ve taken in to account what demographic would use this hotel because of its proximity to the new hospital,” he said, according to news.com.au.

An artist’s impression of the proposed Lester Hotel on West Tce. Source: Supplied

State Government figures show Adelaide’s occupancy rates in hotels from January to March, 2015, rose to just shy of 80%, up from 76% in 2013.

Tourism Minister Leon Bignell was reported by news.com.au saying the new hotel would jumpstart the mega-dollar tourism industry in Adelaide.

“Three new hotels have opened and at least four more have been announced to be built in the next two to three years,” Mr Bignell said.

“This sort of investment doesn’t happen by accident.”

“We have certainly attracted (visitor’s) attention with Lonely Planet, The New York Times and London’s Sunday Times all rating Adelaide as one of the best places in the world to visit.”

Construction is expected to start within the next six months and developers hope it will be open by March 2016.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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