YOTEL today announced its first hotel in Australia: YOTEL Melbourne, slated to 
open in 2022. The hotel has been signed under a management agreement with 
Cornerstone Partners Group, an integrated hospitality asset owner and developer 
with offices in Malaysia, Taiwan and Australia.

The 244-room property will be located on 63-69 City Road in Southbank – within 
walking distance of Melbourne's CBD, the Arts Precinct, Federation Square and 
the Melbourne Cricket Ground – to name a few.

YOTEL Melbourne will be a flagship property for YOTEL in Australia, featuring 
the brand's latest generation of cabins (YOTEL speak for rooms) all equipped 
with a SmartBed[TM] as well as YOTEL's signature KOMYUNITI spaces designed to 
allow guests to seamlessly switch between work and play, with areas for 
co-working, informal meetings, relaxing and socialising, serving up everything 
from flat whites by UK specialty roaster Workshop Coffee to signature cocktails 
on the outdoor terrace. The property will also feature a 24/7 gym and viewing 
deck with restaurant and bar. 

"Over the past two years, we have been actively searching for the right 
locations and partners to roll out our brands in Australia, a key market for 
our global expansion and a key feeder market for our hotels in the US, 
Singapore and the UK. With solid market fundamentals and global appeal, 
Melbourne is the perfect gateway to launch our first property in the country. 
Moreover, we are delighted to enter the market with Cornerstone Partners Group, 
an international leader in hospitality and real estate investments," said 
Hubert Viriot, CEO of YOTEL.

YOTEL took the hotel industry by storm in Europe, the U.S. and Singapore thanks 
to its cleverly designed cabins popular with both corporate and leisure 
travellers who appreciate quality, technology, comfort and a sense of 
community, but don't need the fuss or price of a traditional luxury hotel. The 
Company now intends to replicate its success in Australia with a fresh take on 
the national hotel sector. 

"Australia is a very sophisticated hotel market with strong stakeholders; 
however, we believe the affordable luxury segment has been underserved and 
that's what YOTEL intends to solve. YOTEL Melbourne will serve as a launching 
pad for our brand across the country, following a similar strategy as what we 
did in the USA, where we first opened a property in New York in 2011 and now 
have 10 hotels under management with extensive operational synergies and strong 
distribution channels. We are already exploring development opportunities in 
Sydney, Brisbane and Perth and we are confident we will soon have a robust 
hotel pipeline in place, targeting both our international customer base as well 
as the domestic market," continued Viriot.

The group is planning to bring all three of its brands to the region - YOTEL 
(the city centre concept), YOTELAIR (located at airports and busy transport 
hubs) and YOTELPAD (designed around the long stay guest).  

YOTEL Melbourne will be owned and developed by Cornerstone Partners Group and 
architecturally designed by CHT Architects. 

"Our group is focused on finding gaps in the hospitality markets across Asia 
Pacific. In Australia, we believe there is an avenue for disruptive brands such 
as YOTEL, which offer something completely new to the market. We were also 
impressed by YOTEL's global development pipeline, focused on key gateway 
markets, which fits perfectly with our strategy, therefore it was only natural 
to join forces on our first project in Australia in Melbourne, one of the 
country's most cosmopolitan and urbanised cities," said Jason Chong, CEO, 
Cornerstone Partners Group. 

Source: YOTEL