Property profile: AC Hotels brings Spanish soul to Southbank

Australia’s extremely 1st AC Lodges by Marriott was launched to the sector in May well with the opening of AC Lodge by Marriott Melbourne Southbank.

The 14th brand to enter Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio in Australia, AC by Marriott is a style and design-led life style brand that originated in Spain in 2011 by a joint enterprise with renowned Spanish hotelier Antonio Catalan.

The 205-space Southbank hotel is located around the South Wharf precinct – an spot which is currently going through a main urban renewal job – and is owned by Melbourne-primarily based combined-use actual estate developer and investment corporation Money Alliance.

AC Hotel by Marriott Melbourne Southbank Typical Supervisor, Harry Singh, reported the hotel gains from being the sole participant in this district.

“We’ve got the finest of both equally worlds,” Singh instructed HM.

“We’ve acquired proximity (a three-minute-stroll) to the Conference Centre, and we are 900 meters absent from the South Melbourne market place. The following lodge from listed here is in South Yarra, so we really want to individual this area.”

Contemporary minimalism

Created by DKO Architecture, the property features open up and clutter-free of charge layouts with sleek desks and open up closets, reflecting the industrial warehouse design of South Melbourne.

Present day typical finishes are utilized all over which includes natural stone tiling, textured timber, metal facts, layers of material and brass accents.

Doing work in collaboration with DKO, Singh mentioned the workforce has brought to lifetime the core factors of the AC design and style philosophy – a hotel that has been thoughtfully designed for the life style traveller.

“Every detail of the practical experience is meticulously more than-thought to build a seamless keep,” Singh mentioned.

“The style method to just about every house is optimum convenience and utility as a result of to present day decor, with open up layouts providing functional magnificence without having distraction.

“The way of life traveller is wanting for all those really intuitive design and style spaces, and pretty intuitive provider as nicely. The brand declaring is, ‘We give every little thing they need and very little they don’t.’”

Intuitive service

Among the the concepts formulated to foresee guests each need to have is ‘Borrow Me’, which lets attendees to borrow an merchandise that they may possibly have neglected to pack such as a charger or cufflinks.  

“We’ve acquired all the fundamental principles that you are inclined to forget, but then we’ve also labored on a whole lot of the other exciting points that you would love to have when you go to a hotel,” Singh advised HM.

“You can borrow nearly anything as from ties to cufflinks to a handbag or guitar. You can even borrow a peloton bicycle – we can established it up in the home.”

The hotel also provides more than a dozen bicycles that guests can borrow to do community trails.

Considering outside the house the box

The property’s foodstuff and beverage giving is run by Peter Rowland Group (PRG) – which is also guiding retailer David Jones’ legendary Foodstuff Halls. It includes a Spanish-influenced dining practical experience, Sorolla, a freestanding bar, Triana Bar, which offers sights of the town skyline, and pool bar, Bar de Buceo, which also provides drinks and light, alfresco fashion dining.

“The F&B supplying is very distinctive. It’s not your common club sandwiches. We want to shell out homage to our Spanish roots, so there is a lot of that Spanish impact,” Singh said.

AC by Marriott is a extremely ‘gin-centric’ brand name and is doing work carefully with local distillery Patient Wolf to structure its personal gin, which is obtainable all over the lodge and served in a customized glass by sculptural glass artist Adam Walmon.

“We’ve got these airline style carts – with cabinets of gin, all mixtures of tonics, garnishes and glassware – that go all-around the hotel every evening at 6pm providing a complimentary drink,” Singh stated.

Wellness is one more vital section of the resort featuring, with leisure facilities like an outside infinity pool spanning the width of the creating and a 24-hour health and fitness centre with the most recent health technology. There are also silent areas for attendees to mediate and physical exercise.

“We’ve acquired this stunning balcony where you can choose a yoga mat to exercise outside when the climate is wonderful,” Singh explained.

The house has a wide range of meeting and function areas with floor-to-ceiling home windows and collaborative areas such as the brand’s signature AC Lounge – a modern co-functioning place by working day that transforms into a social hub featuring European-fashion tapas by evening.

This write-up was posted in the June edition of HM Magazine. Browse extra listed here.