New luxury Hobart hotels building boom

New Luxury Hobart Hotels – and recycling the old

 

New luxury Hobart hotels seem to be popping up on the skyline every time I drive through the city.

 

Sadly they are tending to be very same same, boxes of conformity.

I regret the loss of charm and character that used to distinguish Hobart accommodation.

 

Thankfully the really hight hi-rise has been resisted. But here are still sufficient multi-storey to have obliterated the softer colonial skyline that once defined Hobart.

 

Why has there been a need for new luxury Hobart hotels?

 

Part of the reason is that, pre-Covid, the demand for overseas’ student accommodation had been so high that many of the older hotel stock had been converted to student accommodation.

 

 

Aged hotel conversions – a growing trend

 

The repurposing of older hotels is evident in many cities.

 

A former Perth hotel will be used as accommodation for rough sleepers.

The WA Department of Communities acquired the former hotel in the Perth CBD and the accommodation will be run by a community housing operator.

The former Murray Hotel was purchased for $5.15 million. Community housing organisations were invited to tender to provide supported accommodation services.

30 rooms were made available primarily for singles, but also up to three couples. Case management and other support services were incorporated with the accommodation.

“…. this accommodation will provide intensive wrap-around supports to help people who are sleeping rough” housing minister John Carey said. “It will support and assist them to access appropriate, longer-term housing.”

The $34.5 million Housing First initiative is part of WA’s homelessness strategy 2020-30 which seeks to end chronic homelessness.

WA is becoming known for its support of rough sleepers having previously awarded $16.2 million to provide accommodation in metropolitan Perth and Bunbury.

The 100-bed Boorloo Bidee Mia facility in Perth operates at 92 per cent occupancy.

It is built to support rough sleepers and transition them into stable, long-term accommodation.

 

 

Restoring, recycling, repurposing The Woodbridge

 

The Woodbridge Tasmania is an exemplar of restoring, recycling and repurposing.

If you would like to read about its restoration, please contact us here.