OVOLO Hotels is expanding in Australia with the purchase of three hotels Down Under – Blue Sydney, Hotel 1888 in Sydney and Oaks on Lonsdale in Melbourne.
Girish Jhunjhnuwala, founder and CEO of Ovolo Hotels, said: “2014 marks a significant milestone for Ovolo Hotels by acquiring three hotels outside Hong Kong. The purchase is part of an aggressive brand expansion strategy across Australia. They presented a unique opportunity for us to reinforce our presence in the Australian hotel market.”
Blue Sydney, formerly W Sydney, is located on the Wharf at Woolloomooloo Sydney with 100 rooms including 36 loft suites offering views of the Sydney Harbour foreshore. Ovolo will formally take over the hotel on October 31 and begin a gradual renovation of the property. The hotel was purchased in June.
Ovolo acquired Hotel 1888 in Sydney in May and Oaks on Lonsdale Serviced Apartments Melbourne in March, and will continue to work with the current hotel operators.
Hotel 1888 was converted from a wool warehouse originally built in 1888 and is the world’s first ‘Instagram hotel’, featuring 90 guestrooms and a good location on the CBD fringe of Pyrmont.
The 4.5-star Oaks on Lonsdale property sits on the Paris end of the Melbourne CBD in the heart of the city’s live theatre precinct. It offers 148 guest rooms in one- or two-bedroom configurations now, but will be transformed into an all-suite lifestyle hotel property in future.
A timeframe for the rebranding of these properties to the Ovolo brand has not been set yet.
Ovolo Hotels first entered the Australian market in 2012 with the opening of the 42-suite Ovolo Melbourne (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 20, 2012).
“Sydney and Melbourne continue to be the top destinations for hotel investors and for foreign capital into Australia. Through the Group’s expansion plan in the country and later in the Asia-Pacific region, we hope to inspire design-conscious living offering high-tech touches that have become a hallmark of the brand.”
