An eye-catching, design-led Holiday Inn & Suites is coming to Ballarat, heralding an exciting chapter for IHG Hotels & Resorts’ expansion into regional Victoria and a new partnership with hotel owners Forte Group.
Holiday Inn & Suites Ballarat Goldfields is set to be one of the most striking hotels in regional Australia and a coveted MICE destination, boasting a highly visible location from the Western Freeway which links Ballarat to Melbourne CBD.
Designed by the award-winning Hachem Architecture, the 110-room hotel is expected to open in 2024.
The property will offer 400 square metres of flexible meeting space, including a large ballroom with stunning rural views, as well as an intimately designed 90-seat restaurant and bar, a day spa, gymnasium and outdoor pool.
Abhijay Sandilya, vice president of development for Australasia and Japan at IHG, said: “Holiday Inn has made its mark as one of Australasia’s fasted growing hotel brands, and we are thrilled to be adding this state-of-the-art designed property to the Holiday Inn family.
“What’s particularly exciting about this property is that it will truly be a destination in its own right, with a range of facilities and amenities, including a spa, pool, conference centre, restaurant, bar, that will give it a resort-like feel.
“This will help drive mid-week occupancy particularly from corporate and business travellers, and it will also be a popular destination for weddings.
“Plus, we know that locals and regional holiday seekers are without a doubt going to be enamoured with the hotel and we can’t wait for construction to start and doors to open.”
William Tan from Forte Group said: “We are very proud to be working with IHG Hotels & Resorts to bring our vision for this property to life.
“The hotel’s location, just out of the centre of Ballarat, will be highly accessible, which will provide leisure guests convenience to central Ballarat and further afield.
“Ballarat is one of Australia’s fastest-growing regional cities and the third-largest city in Victoria.
“With [the] strength of IHG Hotels & Resorts network, loyalty and distribution systems, we are excited to be bringing travellers a premium, design-led hotel in one of the country’s most iconic locations.”
The signing of Holiday Inn & Suites Ballarat Goldfields comes hot on the heels of Holiday Inn Werribee’s opening just last week, which features 150 rooms and several versatile meeting spaces.
This new-build hotel is the first of the next-generation Holiday Inns, featuring innovative design, an open lobby and a reimagined food and beverage offering.
