One of Australia’s best-known wine regions will have its first globally-branded upscale hotel come 2021, with entrepreneur Martyn Barnes badging his Yarra Valley property as voco, a new upscale brand by the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).
The 170-room new-build voco Yarra Valley will boast touches not typical of hotels including an on-site gin distillery, lavender farm, mirrored maze, amphitheatre cut from natural ground, and provedore that serves and sells local Yarra Valley produce.
The property will also feature 20 cabins that offer a more intimate Yarra Valley experience.
It is said the building will sport a quirky, eye-catching design, rising to six storeys at one end and tapering to one storey at the opposite end.
Other features include conference and meeting facilities, a gym, bars, an on-site family restaurant and kids’ entertainment facilities.
Abhijay Sandilya, IHG’s senior director of development – Australasia, said this will be the brand’s second signing since its launch in June.
“The signing of voco Yarra Valley continues IHG’s ambition to take our brands into regional markets, including suburban micro-markets close to Australian capital cities,” he added.
The hotel is situated at the gateway to the Yarra Valley of Maroondah Highway, less than an hour’s drive from Melbourne’s CBD, with prominent visibility to motorists and parking facilities to welcome road trippers from the capital. Lilydale is the closest train station, and Coldstream & Lilydale airports are nearby.
Victoria’s Yarra Valley is known as one of Australia’s premier wine regions, famous for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, as well as for bringing big-name artists like Robbie Williams, Stevie Nicks and John Farnham to perform at Rochford Wines’ annual Day on the Green concert series.
Beyond wineries, Yarra Valley offers walking trails at Dandenong Ranges National Park, the Tarrawarra Museum of Art, the Healesville Sanctuary animal attraction, as well as skydiving and hot air ballooning. It’s also the first stop en-route to Mount Buller, Melbourne’s most popular ski field.
