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This last year has been a challenge, to say the least. The Covid nightmare is not over and in a still uncertain scenario for leisure and business overseas trips, the domestic tourism has gained a special spotlight in Australia.
After being affected by the pandemic, the event industry is slowly recovering Down Under. I personally don’t believe that the city centers of the main Aussie cities will be neglected by event planners. The reason is quite simple: the most interesting and convenient places are located there. And quite often, they are hosted in unique spaces provided by luxury hotels.
What makes a hotel suitable for events in the post-Covid era? While visiting three luxury properties that embody what could be the next trends – two in Sydney and one in Brisbane – I spoke with three of their managers who shared with me a clear point of view of what events should look like in this period.
My first visit takes place at The Old Clare Hotel, in Chippendale district (https://www.theoldclarehotel.com.au/).
The building is located in a residential district, surrounded by scores of galleries, restaurants and shops. It’s remarkable what the founding director of Unlisted Collection Loh Lik Peng and his architectural team did on the old Carlton & United Breweries building and the iconic corner hotel alongside it. Those who, like me, fall for the charm of industrial establishments converted into hospitality venues, will appreciate this “Wunderkammer” or a real multilevel-daze, opened in 2015 after a two-year building period and three years of planning. The sensitive restoration has retained significant historical elements, while also adding a new “sleeve” to join two buildings together: Old Clare Hotel has been connected with the former Carlton & United Brewery via the passageway between Carlton and Kensington streets we refer to as ‘The Linkway’. The 62 rooms and suites are divided into heritage and contemporary loft styles with a luxurious, semi-industrial feel and a mix of soaring ceilings, vintage furniture, and bespoke designer joinery. Distinctive elements are exposed brick, bare concrete, and heritage timber paneling interacting with each other and showcasing the heritage aspects of the buildings. The artworks in the buildings have been curated by The Sherman Centre for Culture and Ideas and can be admired both in the corridors and in the rooms. A little curiosity: Peng is a chairs collector and some of his unusual pieces can be spotted all around in the public spaces of the hotel and the rooms.
The hotel gives the opportunity to enjoy a long weekend stay, thanks to “All-weekenders” offer for guests who book directly with the hotel, where they can check in as early as 1pm on the Friday and check out up to 8pm on the Sunday. Additionally, it now offers guests who book directly with the hotel a full 24 hours in the room to relax (1pm check in, and 1pm check out). General Manager, Timo Bures highlights: “Trips away are precious in the current situation, so it’s all about making the most out of staycations and weekend getaways. At Old Clare Hotel we feel that there is no better way to do that than offering more quality time to your stay. A great weekend away too often ends with a rushed Sunday morning: a quick breakfast, packing bags and a call from reception reminding us of check out time and then the almost inevitable purgatory of storing bags or waiting at the airport. It makes a huge difference to your weekend if you have an 8pm check out. Stay in, try the new all-day breakfast at The Clare, have a drink on The Rooftop or explore Sydney, you have time to do it all”.
Ovolo Woolloomooloo is the brand’s flagship Australian hotel, located in Sydney’s idyllic harbourside suburb of Woolloomooloo. Nestled in the heart of the popular wharf precinct, a short walk to the city’s central business district, the hotel is surrounded by a wide selection of much-loved dining and nightlife options, including the hotel’s very own 100% plant-based, Alibi Bar & Kitchen – the first of its kind in Australia.
The vast majority of the hotel’s 100 rooms come with picturesque Sydney Harbour views, which is soothing for the soul.
The playful personality of the hotel reflects that of Ovolo’s Founder & CEO, Girish Jhunjhnuwala, especially his love for ’80s music and great contemporary art.
Each of the 100 guest rooms and suites at Ovolo Woolloomooloo are generously sized and designed with effortless living in mind. The Ovolo model is to create a home-away-from-home for guests with absolute comfort the key to every room, suiting the needs of business travelers or couples looking for a romantic overnight stay.
For a truly exclusive wedding or conference event, the entire venue including all event rooms, the Alibi Bar & Kitchen, and all hotel suites and rooms are available to book.
“Our hotel is ready for the “new normal” with all the necessary safety precautions and complying with the government’s rules and regulations. Events play a crucial role for us and our venue can offer a unique and exciting place that can make meetings, special occasions or just a business lunch memorable”, explains to me Natalie. “I strongly believe that event organizers have to rely on hotels like ours, especially during and after this pandemic. It’s not just a matter of equipped rooms and unique spaces. Hotels can offer either multifunctional rooms that can rapidly change their capacity in case the attendees number has to be adjusted either safety procedures that have proven to be effective against Covid and can allow what I like to call “responsible events”.
In Brisbane, I have spent a weekend at the six-storey The Fantauzzo – Art SeriesHotel (https://www.artserieshotels.com.au/fantauzzo/), which reveals its presence beneath the iconic Story Bridge and it appears as a blend of architecture, nature and art. The hotel, as its name suggests, has been inspired by acclaimed Australian painter Vincent Fantauzzo and I would define it as a hymn to creativity and contemporary luxury.
Overlooking Brisbane’s newest hub, the recently revitalized Howard Smith Wharves, The Fantauzzo includes 166 suites with view of the hill illuminated during the night, the wharf or both of them. It also features a rooftop pool, bar, gym and several function rooms. Original artworks and giclée prints are displayed on every level and once there I felt like I was walking through a real art gallery.
Why event organizers should prefer this remarkable hotel among others? First of all, because of its location by the wharf. Originally constructed in the 1930s, the Howard Smith Wharves were a project initiated by the Queensland Government to provide locals with relief work during the depression. Largely abandoned since the 1960s, these spaces are now heritage listed, a rare surviving example of early infrastructure buildings in the city, with their offices and sheds and wharfage still intact.
Reopened in late 2018, the Howard Smith Wharves project is part of a large-scale vision to transform Brisbane into a lifestyle destination. Here you can sample locally-brewed schooners at a craft brewery or enjoy a locally roasted coffee, dine at elegant and cozy restaurants with acclaimed chefs at their helm.
Emily Pearl, Director of Sales and Marketing, explains to me the importance of being part of a new urban project and what this means in particular during these times. “Our hotel stands out in the Brisbane hospitality landscape not only because we can provide to our guests exclusive spaces, art works and something that it is not easy to come across during our daily life, but also because we can offer visitors coming from different part of Australia, an extended event and function space that includes the wharves themselves. In other words, hotels like ours have become a real hub that partners with different businesses active in the events area. I strongly believe that after being isolated in 2020, Australians will appreciate a hotel that can offer connections, networking opportunities and, event organizers will pick out hotels that are conveniently located in a setting where different options can be offered. Some businesses around us work often together and we work with them”.
