Hotel X Brisbane Fortitude Valley has officially opened as the world’s first hotel in IHG Hotels & Resorts’ Vignette Collection.
The opening coincided with the brand’s European debut, following a multi-property deal with JJW in Portugal and Austria.
The collection, which was launched in August, is designed to give owners of premium independent hotels the opportunity to retain their distinctive identity, while benefitting from IHG’s global scale, expertise and loyalty program.
As one of Brisbane’s newest 5-star hotels, Hotel X’s appealing aesthetic and luxurious flourishes make it a perfect fit for the collection, according to IHG.
“With its distinctive design and premium facilities, Hotel X celebrates this iconic Brisbane neighbourhood through ultra-cool art, Avant-Garde lighting and showstopping design,” Daniel Moran, the hotel’s general manager said.
“When the hotel opened nearly 1 year ago, we felt that it had such a distinctive blend of luxury and extravagant interior design with an ‘X’ factor that could not quite be defined.
“We are already a proud member of the IHG family, and to add the Vignette Collection signage to the door today as the very first hotel in the collection feels like a special moment for all involved.”
Hotel X features 146 rooms and suites, three meeting spaces– including an open terrace overlooking Brunswick Street–, a rooftop swimming pool, a Mediterranean rooftop bar and restaurant, and Bisou Bisou, its phenomenally cool bistro dishing up French delicacies.
According to Will Yell, IHG’s vice president of luxury and upscale conversion and affiliate brands, the forced pause in travel has given people an opportunity to re-evaluate their travel priorities.
“We expect travel choices to be more considered with luxury guests seeking more customised experiences and personal enrichment with community engagement and sustainability at the heart,” Yell said.
“Luxury meets purpose at Vignette Collection hotels and an integral part of creating an authentic guest experience is the opportunity to engage with the local community in a positive way.”
The hotel has partnered with a local school to support and empower the next generation who wish to pursue careers in hospitality, from providing immersive on-the-job learning, from behind the scenes to experiencing hospitality through the eyes of a guest.
Collection properties will also have their own complimentary rituals that add something special for guests; at Hotel X, it will be Friday night cocktails and DJ from 3 pm.
Meanwhile, the collection has also signed on three hotels in Europe in partnership with JJW Hotels & Resorts, also including a new property for IHG’s voco hotels brand overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Portugal’s Algarve.
Under the franchise agreements, Grand Hotel Wien in Vienna, Austria, Dona Filipa Hotel and Penina Resort and Golf, both located in Algarve, Portugal, will join the Vignette Collection.
Earlier this month IHG also launched franchise sales for the collection in the US.
