Veriu expands to Melbourne, acquires Punthill Hotel Group

Having successfully established a Sydney network of bespoke hotels and suites, Veriu is set to expand interstate with the acquisition of 13 hotels under the well-known Punthill Apartment Hotel brand.

The hotels will join the group in early February and continue to operate under the Punthill brand, yet still offer the unique personalised service that Veriu prides itself on.

The 13-strong portfolio includes eight suburban and four CBD apartment hotels in Melbourne plus one in Brisbane, offering 777 apartments in total across the group.

Veriu Director Alex Thorpe said there was great synergy between the two brands: “The Punthill founders started on a similar journey to ours some 30 years ago.

Their entrepreneurial spirit and hard work have created an incredible portfolio of hotels with a talented team of passionate people.

We see a lot of similarities between Veriu and Punthill with their well-located suburban and city fringe hotels, where guests are encouraged to explore the local areas away from the well-worn tourist haunts,”

Veriu directors Alex Thorpe and Rhys Williams said they will consider rebranding certain hotels under the Veriu brand in the next six to 12 months.

“The Punthill brand has a strong presence in Melbourne. Veriu is equally on the rise with 2 Sydney hotels currently in the top 10 of 181 hotels on TripAdvisor in Sydney.

“We will be considering what opportunities exist for both brands in Melbourne and Sydney but the important part is the best of both groups will be integrated for guests in both cities.”

“The guests, both corporate and leisure, of the Punthill and Veriu Groups will now be able to move around 17 hotels in the largest gateway cities in Australia.

“This will expand to 21 hotels within the next 18 months with a new hotel in Melbourne and 3 new Veriu hotels in Sydney. Guests will be given all the benefits that both groups offer but in significantly more locations.”

Thorpe and Williams also see future potential for the proudly Melbourne brand in Sydney as well as well as opportunities to move the Veriu brand into Melbourne within the next year.

Veriu Hotels & Suites are now established in key inner Sydney precincts including Camperdown, Randwick, Broadway and most recently near Central railway station.

All Veriu guests enjoy a free welcome drink on check-in, free WiFi, access to complimentary commuter bikes and the ‘Veriu Connect’ offering which allows guests to visit each of the Veriu hotels in the network and receive local expert information.

Guests of Punthill Apartment Hotels can enjoy similar benefits, in addition to rate discounts, exemption from booking fees and guaranteed best rate of the day when booking direct.