The next chapter in hotel’s history begins in Perth
From an old office block to Perth’s newest five-star hotel, the InterContinental Perth City Centre opened its doors after a $70 million investment rebuild.
The 16-storey building on the corner of King and Hay streets was an office in the 1970s before being converted into a Rydges Hotel in the 1990s.
A two-year rebuild kicked off in 2015, with the tower stripped back and completely redesigned. Only the distinctive bubble-shaped windows and the walls were retained.
The 240-room is Australia’s sixth InterContinental, and most of the hotel’s interior and exterior designs were done by local architects Woods Bagot.
The hotel features a penthouse suite, four restaurants and bars, as well as a cafe, lounge and terrace spaces.
Western Australia culture is on display throughout the hotel, with more than 300 specially-commission artworks by acclaimed local artists, and regional produce featured in the restaurants and bars.
Locally sourced natural timbers and stones reflect the natural WA landscape.
Among the building’s knock-out features are a new gold ribbon façade and suspended sculpture of 76 hand-blown glass leaves.
With the InterContinental’s completion, more than 1,800 hotel rooms have been built in Perth since 2012.
The Tourism Council of WA released its Perth Hotel Development Report in June, revealing that the stock of new hotels rooms in Perth has increased by 24 per cent since 2012, with 13 new hotels.
By the end of 2018 a further seven new hotels will add 1,421 rooms or another 22 per cent.
Among the hotels under construction are the Ritz-Carlton at Elizabeth Quay, the Westin in the city and Hilton hotels in Perth and Fremantle.
“This has the potential to broaden the state’s economy beyond resources to tourism and keep WA growing,” says the Property Council’s executive director in WA, Lino Iacomella.
“But we need a strategy to guide this – including a revamped major events program and renewed push to sell WA as a tourist destination,” he adds.
“We need a lot more people living in the city centre and we need a broader range of industries to occupy commercial spaces and a better overall CBD retail offering.”