Construction has started on the Vibe Hotel Melbourne, set to open in late 2019 comprising a preserved 145-year-old building on the site of the former Fletcher Jones showroom and a new 24-storey glass fronted tower.
To rise on the corner of Melbourne’s Queen and Flinders Streets, Vibe Hotel Melbourne will feature 206 rooms as well as “contemporary communal areas”. Its upper levels will take in views of the Yarra River to Port Phillip Bay, while its dual frontage provides city views to the north and south-east.
The original two-storey building on the Queen Street site was built in 1873 in the Renaissance Revival architectural style and was called the Cobden Building, first serving as offices for the maritime trade. In 1955, clothing manufacturer and retailer Fletcher Jones bought the building, which became a fixture for Melbourne shoppers. At its peak the company ran 55 stores, using the building as its main city showroom until the company’s collapse in 2012. It was then occupied by streetwear brand Culture Kings.
Since launching in Sydney in 2003, Vibe Hotels has now grown to nine locations: Melbourne, Sydney, Rushcutters Bay Sydney, North Sydney, Gold Coast, Darwin Waterfront, Canberra and Marysville (Victoria).
In addition to Vibe Hotel Melbourne, two more Vibe Hotels are under construction in 2018 – Argyle Street in Hobart and Sydney’s Darling Harbour.
TFE Hotels’ CEO Rachel Argaman said: “We are about to unveil a multi-million-dollar refurbishment at Vibe Hotel Gold Coast with a coast-meets-hinterlands design scheme and we are completely transforming Vibe Hotel Sydney in Goulburn Street, Sydney, adding a new dining offering, Storehouse Sydney Central.”
