Marriott to debut first Canberra hotel this month

Marriott International has signed an agreement with Iconic Hotels to open its first-ever hotel in Canberra.

Midnight Hotel, part of Geocon’s $200 million residential and commercial development in Braddon, central Canberra, will open this month as an Autograph Collection hotel.

Midnight Hotel will be the second hotel for the brand to open in Australia, following the recently renovated Pier One Sydney Harbour.

Part of the 199-room hotel is an existing central garden atrium landscaped by Australian urban design architects Oculus. Plans for Midnight Hotel also include an artistic and purposeful design envisioned by Aussie architect firm Fender Katsalidis.

Advocating for the original through art, each guest room will feature a bespoke commissioned piece of artwork by international artist and architectural designer Thomas Bucich.

The hotel will also include facilities such as a restaurant, bar, indoor swimming pool, wellness centre, conference and event spaces and a guest lounge.

Richard Crawford, senior director of hotel development across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific at Marriott International, said: “This deal marks a significant milestone for us, since it will be our first in the capital of Australia.

“We look forward to working closely with Iconic Hotels to bring this hotel to this market.”

Midnight Hotel is Iconic’s first premium hotel in the market, and the first hotel within the group’s brand portfolio to sign with a hotel partner.

Nick Georgalis, founder and managing director of Geocon, Iconic Hotels’ parent company, said: “Canberra is in a period of unprecedented growth, with demonstrated year-on-year increase in domestic and international travel to our city.

“Our collaboration with Marriott International through Iconic Hotels perfectly aligns with this growth and enables us to cater for increased hospitality demands on a global scale, as well as promote Canberra on an international stage.”