MARRIOTT: New Adelaide hotel scheduled to open mid 2024
UPDATE:
Marriott has not abandoned their plans for a Westin hotel in Adelaide. They have just switched location and launch, according to reader Flo, who drew my attention to this article in The Hotel Conversation published in December 2023, Marriott along with Freemasons South Australia and Northern Territory and Pelligra Group to redevelop the Freemason Building on North Terrace, with a multi-storey Weston brand hotel in their backyard, ready for opening in late 2026.
The hotel is planning to have a total of 236 rooms (including 14 suites) occupying 19 floors in the 33-storey Keystone Adelaide Tower. The North Terrace location is much more desireable than the GPO site as it straddles the prime retail district of Rundle Mall, and the cultural and heritage precinct of North Terrace.
PREVIOUSLY:
As regular readers will know, I frequent Adelaide, the capital city of the state of South Australia, to visit friends and family. Because of that, I try to keep up to date on hotel openings in the city. Over the last few years, IHG has opened an Indigo, a Crown Plaza and a Holiday Inn Express. Accor has also opened a Sofitel, so the hotel scene is hotting up. Now it’s the Marriott Adleiade’s turn.
The first Marriot hotel development in Adelaide at the ex-GPO is scheduled to open in the not-too-distant future. Back in 2018 it was announced that a Westin branded hotel would open on the site in 2022. Well, given the pandemic and all, that didn’t happen.
Content of this Post:
Westin to Marriott
It appears that Marriott has changed their minds about which of their many brands to apply to the hotel. On returning to my hotel – the much-in-need-of-renovation Intercontinental, I noticed that the GPO site now has a building on it with the Marriot brand plastered on its uppermost floor.
Opening mid-2024
The hotel is scheduled to open in mid-2024. Although the Marriott site lists the hotel, no booking dates are available.
The Adelaide Marriot will be the fourth for the brand in Australia and will join Marriotts in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
The hotel is well located on the edge of Victoria Square, so it is close to other hotels, such as The Hilton up the road on Victoria Square, Accor’s Peppers Adelaide in Waymouth Street and the IHG Hotel Indigo Markets. Adjacent to a significant concentration of business buildings in the CBD it is, however a long way to the cultural hub of North Terrace.
Hotel Features
The hotel is planning two dining venues, one offering all-day dining plus a lobby bar and lounge. The hotel will have the usual leisure facilities such as gym, an 18 metre indoor pool, business centre and M Club lounge.
Meeting and event spaces will extend over 535 square metres and include a 300 sqm ballroom.
2PAXfly Takeout
Marriott has recently become very active in Australia. It already has 30 properties in the country with the opening of the very long delayed, but spectacular W Sydney in 2023 and the Le Meridian in Melbourne. Marriot intends to remain active in Australia with projects totalling over 20 hotels in its pipeline.
Hotel branding by any of the major conglomerates is complex and confusing. You tell me the difference between a JW Marriott and a Marriott or a Westin! Some like the Moxy and W brands are easier to understand, weighing in at different pricepoints and targeting different demographics. But there are still lots and lots of contradictions. For example the aging Adelaide Intercontinental – meant to be the top luxury brand end of the market is often cheaper to stay at than the mid-level Indigo brand.
You could get yourself seriously confused trying to tease out the brand values and realities of all these myriad hotel brands. Life is too short!
Still, I look forward to the opening of the Adelaide Marriot. I’ll be eager to see what it’s like.
They still are planning for a Westin as well
https://www.thehotelconversation.com.au/tags/westin-adelaide-pelligra-group
Hi Flo, Thanks for your the information. I was not aware of that. I will update the article accordingly.