Melbourne’s newest Holiday Inn Express at 589-599 Little Collins Street has officially thrown open its doors, with construction on the $88 million development by Pro-invest Hotels recently completed by Hickory just in time for the return of local and international travellers.
Located in the Melbourne CBD, the 33-level building designed by Reid Campbell consists of a seven-level podium with two street frontages, containing three retail and five commercial tenancies.
Above the podium sits a sleek 24-level tower that is set back from the four boundaries, containing 312 thoughtfully designed guest rooms.
In addition to the hotel rooms, the building features a restaurant on the second level in the Great Room, which has an open function room, high ceilings, and timber acoustic panelling.
Sitting on just a 1,254-square-metre site, the construction of the development was streamlined through the use of Hickory’s innovative prefabricated SYNC Bathroom Pods.
The pods were integrated throughout every guest room in the hotel, which eliminated the need for on-site finishing trades.
Hickory managing director George Abraham said: “Our SYNC pods are made in our purpose-built manufacturing facility in Laverton.
“The whole pod is built on an assembly line, and simply installed and connected once they arrive on site.
“This is where the real advantage of our SYNC technology comes in.
“Because the bathroom pods are integrated into the project built up-front, the pods can simply slot in the slab recess – leaving a flush finish between the bathroom and adjoining floor.”
Through the use of Hickory’s modular SYNC bathroom pods, the construction firm was able to reduce waste, increase safety and provide workarounds for the small city site.