SOUTHBANK: Melbourne’s inner city, already set to benefit from the $1.7 billion Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation Project in 2028, will receive another boost to tourism with the announcement that diversified property developer Time & Place, along with joint venture partners MaxCap Group, and Australia’s TFE Hotels, will open a $150m boutique hotel in Southbank in September 2025.
The deal has seen the joint venture partnership, alongside construction and property specialist Hickory, create a unique hotel brand – the Hannah St. Hotel. This new hotel not only aligns with its neighbourhood concept for The Queensbridge Building precinct but delivers an experience that is authentic to Melbourne.
The 188-room boutique hotel, which will be operated by TFE Hotels and will sit under the Collection by TFE Hotels brand, joining the likes of The Calile in Brisbane; a 102-room boutique Collection property currently under construction in Sydney’s Surry Hills; and the $340-million dual hotel project slated for Melbourne’s Docklands in 2026.
L-R: The Queensbridge pool on Level 9 is exclusively available for hotel guests and residents. The Hannah St. Hotel focuses on wellbeing with guests able to access a gym, lap pool, sauna, and wellness room. Download images here.
Hannah St. Hotel – which sits at the nexus joining Melbourne CBD, the Yarra River, South Melbourne, and the Arts Precinct – sits across 10 levels and will feature a neighbourhood bar, restaurant, and rooftop bar/events space. All of this is set to complement The Queensbridge Building which will deliver 367 residential apartments and will feature a series of resident exclusive lush gardens, private rooftop terraces, lap pool, wellness studio, gym, sauna, steam rooms, co-working spaces, providore in the foyer and private dining room to Southbank when it’s completed.
Construction is already underway on the project with completion on track for Q3 2025.
According to Time & Place Director, Tim Price, The Queensbridge Building – references a bygone era of brass, steel, and stone, emulating the postcode’s industrial era. And, in a strong show of strength for Victoria’s creative set, the development’s striking facade was designed in collaboration with Elenberg Fraser, with interiors by the renowned Flack Studios.
“As developers, we want to facilitate the development of legacy projects that invite art, design and culture to influence one another,” Tim said. We envisage the hotel will become ingrained in the cultural fabric of the suburb and form a part of the transformation, coming to life as a ‘neighbourhood hotel’ for locals and visitors alike.”
An artist’s impression of the hotel lobby. Directly aligning with the surrounding Arts Precinct, Hannah St. Hotel is set to exemplify an experience and culture that is quintessentially Melbourne. Download images here.
“As we set out to bring this landmark hotel to The Queensbridge Building, we are looking to bring international influences to Southbank through design and experiences. We anticipate that our hotel will be regarded as the place to stay for anyone in the arts visiting the city.”
“Operating under the Collection by TFE Hotels’ brand was a natural choice for the project, not only are our brand values aligned but TFE Hotels is the perfect operator to bring to a suburb rich in arts and culture as it transitions to a premier lifestyle destination.”
When it comes to their Collection brand, TFE Hotels’ Chief Executive Officer, Antony Ritch, says TFE is 100% focused on partnerships with legacy makers, like Time & Place, who make a wholehearted commitment to the neighbourhood.
“Collection by TFE Hotels really are one-of-a-kind experiences and they take inspiration from local culture and from their surroundings,” he said. “These have a unique model of close owner collaboration, and we are incredibly fortunate to have partnered with Time & Place and MaxCap on a building that will not only become a place maker for Melbourne’s newest lifestyle destination but provide such incredible amenities for the community.”
“What I love about this project is that Hannah St. Hotel will deliver an experience in a neighbourhood that is transforming, thanks to an investment in Australia’s largest cultural infrastructure project, into a truly world-class art precinct,” Ritch said. “Southbank is connected to the best of Melbourne. It has a lot of energy and a real focus on arts, sports, and the outdoors (with 18,000 square metre of additional public gardens set to be delivered) which beautifully complements those iconic Melbourne experiences – shopping, laneways, food, and culture – that we all love so much.”
“And, importantly for us, Hannah St. Hotel is being delivered by Melbourne developers with a long-term commitment to the area.”
Tim Price agrees. “This is a neighbourhood hotel. A building with roots in the community and a place where you’re welcomed in to enjoy the hospitality whether you’re staying short term or you’re a permanent resident. We aren’t developing and leaving, we’ll be in this building long after its doors have opened,” he said.
An onsite ‘Experience Director’ will engage with building residents to create one-off experiences whilst a lap pool for training, large scale gym and a work club complete with sound-proof pod casting rooms which are all easily accessed by hotel guests. Time & Place and Hickory also realised the potential of the Kings Way Overpass urban parklands early on and partnered with Australian Indigenous Artist, Reko Rennie prior to commencing construction on site to activate their own ‘Underpark’ with a temporary basketball court.
Ends.
What’s in a name: Hannah St. Hotel cannot be shortened.
Developer: Time & Place
Joint Venture Partners: MaxCap Group and Hickory Group
Architect: Elenberg Fraser
Interior Designer: Flack Studios
Operator: TFE Hotels
Brand: Collection by TFE Hotels
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jodi Clark – TFE Hotels (Director of Communications)
+61 499 900 658 / [email protected]
WHO ARE TFE HOTELS?
TFE Hotels (TOGA Far East Hotels) is Australia’s International Hotel Group – headquartered in Sydney and operating in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Singapore, and Switzerland. TFE has a portfolio of seven hotel brands – A by Adina, Adina Hotels, Vibe Hotels, Quincy Hotels, Travelodge Hotels, Rendezvous Hotels and Collection by TFE Hotels which includes The Calile Hotel, The Hotel Britomart, Hotel Kurrajong and The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins, with more in the development pipeline. https://www.tfehotels.com/
TFE Hotels acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands we conduct business upon and pays our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We respect the Country itself, including its trees, animals, spirits, waters, skies, stars, and special sites.
ABOUT COLLECTION BY TFE
The Collection represents beautiful hotels hallmarked by authenticity and provenance, each designed with individual character and charm. With a collection of properties that encompass striking design and attention to the individual such as The Calile Hotel Brisbane, Auckland’s The Hotel Britomart, Melbourne’s The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins and Hotel Kurrajong Canberra. https://collectionbytfehotels.com/
ABOUT TIME & PLACE
Time & Place is a next generation, design-focused developer which has been in operation for 8 years. Established in Melbourne in early 2015 and expanding Into Sydney later that year, Time & Place is known for holistic, considered projects that respond to the needs of the surrounding environment and its inhabitants. Involved in 23 projects totalling $4.1bn and with a rapidly growing pipeline, Time & Place’s work spans residential, commercial, and industrial projects. Having recently acquired sites in Melbourne’s Glen Iris, Southbank and Sydney’s Alexandria, the team has been working diligently to expand into new typologies. Time & Place has also established several successful partnerships, entering into a joint venture with retail giant Woolworths on a site in Glen Iris, collaborating with Hickory on The Queensbridge Building and a mixed-use precinct in Alexandria, and creating the MaxCap Industrial Opportunity Fund (MIOF) in conjunction with MaxCap Group.
HANNAH ST. HOTEL
Hanna is a little street with an unexpectedly long history. Named after Patrick Hanna – an engineer, shipbuilder, and early immigrant from Glasgow who operated a punt across the Yarra – who arrived in Melbourne in 1853. Hanna would have witnessed the extreme transformation of Melbourne that occurred with the discovery of gold. In the 1860s, Melbourne became one of the wealthiest and most populated cities in the British Empire. Hanna ’s punt connected inhabitants from the emerging township of Emerald Hill (South Melbourne) to the bustling docks, warehouses, and marketplaces on the north side of the river. Eventually, this course of travellers entering the city would become the grand avenue known today as Kings Way. What is left of Patrick Hanna is this remnant – a little street that at a forgotten point in time adopted an extra ‘ H’.
ABOUT MAXCAP GROUP
MaxCap Group is one of Australia’s leading Commercial Real Estate investment managers and is an established investment manager for domestic and global institutions with current Funds Under Management and Advice of circa $7.0bn, having invested more than $16bn across more than 650 transactions since inception in 2007.
MaxCap’s Direct Investment team has established an enviable record of success in originating and managing high-yielding investments, particularly in the mid-market joint venture development space. The team is currently managing a diversified portfolio with a total end value of over $5bn, underpinned by partnerships with Australia’s leading private real estate developers.
MELBOURNE: Local developer and hotel owner Capital Alliance, in partnership with Australia’s International Hotel Group, TFE Hotels, has announced a first-of-its-kind mixed-use development in Melbourne Docklands, featuring two world class local hotel brands.
Capital Alliance’s two-tower project was designed locally by SJB and will serve as a place maker for Melbourne. The $340M project will feature the largest rooftop infinity pool in Australia and the first purpose-built Collection by TFE Hotels and A by Adina properties in Melbourne.
A 1000-pax capacity event conference centre, located on a sky bridge that connects the two accommodation towers, rounds out the offering. With spectacular 360-degree views of the city, the centre will add another dimension to Melbourne’s high-end conferencing options.
SJB Founding Director, Michael Bialek, said Capital Alliance’s latest Docklands project, which is set to open in 2026, would become an architectural landmark on the Melbourne skyline.
“Our design inspiration was drawn from natural elements such as sculpted landscape forms and the proximity to the Yarra River,” he said. “We have also blurred the division between inside and outside to maximise daylight and those all-important city skyline and uninterrupted water views.”
A fact not lost on TFE Hotels, who has built a reputation for delivering one-of-a-kind hotels that draw inspiration from local culture and surrounds. The 200-key, yet-to-be-named Collection hotel will join the ranks of other purpose-built Collection by TFE Hotels properties – including The Calile in Brisbane, Auckland’s The Hotel Britomart and the new Surry Hills collection property currently under development in Sydney – in delivering personalised service and bespoke hospitality experiences.
Complementing this offering, the 105-key premium A by Adina hotel – the first of the brand to launch in Victoria following the opening of flagship hotels in Sydney and Canberra in 2021 – will deliver a perfectly suited balance between a hotel and a private city apartment.
This project is the fourth mixed-use hotel development for Capital Alliance who have invested close to a decade in Docklands and the surrounding precinct, with multiple other developments completed.
Capital Alliance CEO, Mohan Du, said that after eight years of developing in the Docklands, he was on to his last parcel site in the Docklands precinct.
“As the saying goes, you save the best for last and these one-of-a-kind hotels will be uniquely different to other accommodation offerings in Melbourne,” he said. “I know when we welcome guests and the public in 2026, we’ll be able to proudly showcase the legacy we’ve left behind with tremendous pride.”
Mohan said Capital Alliance was doubling down their exposure to hotels because he believed there will be continued demand for purpose-built hotel offerings.
“Our partnership with TFE was born and galvanised during the uncertainty of the pandemic. It may sound cliche to say, but there are two things we’re certain of, developing a hotel is incredibly challenging and we have unparalleled confidence in our ability to deliver a world class establishment alongside TFE.”
Guests can expect to see Capital Alliance’s signature statements throughout the building and a level of quality that is stamped across their entire portfolio of properties.
TFE Hotels Group COO, Chris Sedgwick, said Melbourne was one of the world’s great cities and he was excited about its future.
“Each of our one-of-a-kind Collection hotels has a distinct story and, together with A by Adina’s brand premise around hotel living, offer guest experiences that are unique to their neighbourhood.” he said. “It’s therefore incredibly important to TFE and our brands that, when we are looking for opportunities to partner, we seek out legacy makers, who have a passion and a genuine connection to the places they operate in – we believe we’ve found that in Mo and Capital Alliance.”
“We love that Mo had a vision for Melbourne’s burgeoning Docklands area and that he and the Capital Alliance team have spent the last decade investing in and realising that vision,” he said. “And we’re thrilled to partner with them on this next phase of development.”
Chris said when it came to TFE’s hotel development pipeline, the Sydney-based hotel management company was immensely proud to work with partners, like Capital Alliance, in creating showpiece properties where hotel guests were fully immersed in the local neighbourhood.
“For us, that journey starts with today’s announcement, and we are very much looking forward to breaking ground early next year.”
The site is located on 28-38 Pearl River Road, Docklands and will also feature a day spa, retail shopping, and restaurant offerings.
MORE ABOUT THE HOTEL:
Developer/Owner: Capital Alliance
Operator: TFE Hotels
Architects/Interiors: SJB
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Stacey Pinchbeck – Capital Alliance PR Representative
0412 362 555 /stacey@flourishpr.com
Jodi Clark – TFE Hotels (Director of Communications)
+61 499 900 658 / [email protected]
RENDERS:
High Res renders are available for download here.
WHAT’S IN A NAME:
The correct brand names for the as-yet-to-be-named hotels are A by Adina and Collection by TFE Hotels. A by Adina cannot be shortened. Collection by TFE Hotels can be shortened to ‘Collection’ after first use. Please use TFE Hotels not TOGA Far East.
CAPITAL ALLIANCE:
Founded in 2012, Capital Alliance is a Melbourne-based property development and investment company with diversified holdings across property, hospitality, and IT. With a specialty in State significant urban renewal mixed-use projects, Capital Alliance have delivered $1.48bn in assets to date and have a future pipeline of a further $1.5bn to be delivered within the next 10 years.
CEO Mohan Du takes property development to a new level through forward thinking design and placemaking whilst being globally inspired and internationally connected. In the last twelve (12) months, Capital Alliance have delivered and opened Marriott International’s first purpose-built 5-star Marriott hotel in 26 years, together with Australia’s first AC Hotel by Marriott, bringing more culture to the Melbourne landscape –during a global pandemic.
For more information on Capital Alliance visit: https://www.capitalalliance.com.au/
WHO ARE TFE HOTELS?
TFE Hotels (TOGA Far East Hotels) is Australia’s International Hotel Group – headquartered in Sydney and operating in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Singapore… and opening in Switzerland in 2023. TFE has a portfolio of seven hotel brands – A by Adina, Adina Hotels, Vibe Hotels, Quincy Hotels, Travelodge Hotels, Rendezvous Hotels and Collection by TFE Hotels which includes The Calile Hotel, The Hotel Britomart, Hotel Kurrajong and The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins, with more in the development pipeline.
COLLECTION BY TFE HOTELS:
Collection by TFE Hotels represent beautiful hotels hallmarked by authenticity and provenance, each designed with individual character and charm. With a collection of properties that encompass striking design and attention to the individual such as The Calile Hotel Brisbane, The Hotel Britomart in Auckland, Melbourne’s The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins, and Hotel Kurrajong Canberra.
A BY ADINA:
While every A by Adina location has been thoughtfully chosen to blend seamlessly within its surroundings, there’s always a contemporary Australian twist at the heart of every stay. Here, architectural finishes meet thoughtfully designed interiors. Team members are known as Curators, treating each guest visit as another opportunity to surprise and delight.
1 March 2019
Exhausted after a business trip that had seen her lap the country in just three short weeks, Stephanie was looking for a great night’s sleep after a busy day of conferencing. What she found instead was an empty ring box hidden in her room with a special code word – she’d just won the grand prize in The Savoy on Little Collins’ and Fairfax & Roberts’ “Princess and the Pear” competition, an exquisite $10,000 pink sapphire and diamond encrusted ring.
“I was tired after a big few weeks at work and a long day, and something caught my eye on the bed as I entered my room,” she said. “I instantly remembered the competition and raced downstairs to tell Carol Douglas, the hotel’s General Manager.”
In Stephanie’s haste to claim her pear-shaped prize, she nearly locked herself out of the hotel room.
“I was so excited, I left the room without the ring box and the code word and had to race back up to grab it,” she said. “And I’m glad I did as the ring is even more stunning in real life.”
TFE Hotels’ Chief Revenue Officer, Shaizeen Contractor, said the Princess and the Pear competition was created in partnership with one of the country’s oldest jewellers, Fairfax & Robert, to mark the spectacular relaunch of The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins following a multi-million-dollar refurbishment.
“The Savoy on Little Collins has a new name and a new look that pays tribute to the Art Deco era of the original Hotel Alexander built on the site in 1928,” Shaizeen said. “With Princess and the Pear, we were inspired by the glamour of those days and by the fairy-tale story of Princess and the Pea and wanted to do something special for our guests.”
The property’s ‘find a ring’ competition, attracted entries from around the country, and saw hotel guests wax lyrical about why they deserved to win the bespoke Fairfax & Roberts’ ring.
For Stephanie, her entry was written at midnight, as she was finalising her travel bookings and she spontaneously decided to enter the competition.
“I put an entry in and, honestly, that was the last I thought about it until I arrived,” she said. “I’ve been lusting after a pink diamond or a pink sapphire for ages, so you could say I’m tickled pink to win.”
“I can’t wait to tell my sister, but I think she’ll hate me for it.”
Stephanie now has ten thousand extra reasons to book another stay when next in Melbourne, but she needs no encouragement.
“I always try and stay at The Savoy on Little Collins when I’m in town for business,” Stephanie said. “I love the hotel and I love the architecture – it’s just a beautiful atmosphere after a stressful day in the office.”
Ends.
Download word document
Download ‘Tickled Pink’ images
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jodi Clark
Director of Communications – TFE Hotels
61 499 900 658 / [email protected]
NOTE TO EDITORS:
THE WINNING ENTRY
“Pink sapphires reflect the light of the heart. They’re calming, allowing release of tension. And they sparkle too. A wonderful metaphor for The Savoy – a haven on business trips.”
ABOUT FAIRFAX & ROBERTS
Fairfax & Roberts is Australia’s oldest established jeweller. Since 1858, Fairfax & Roberts has been creating luxury jewellery that has been loved and worn for many generations. In-house designers and artisans source the world’s finest gems to create jewellery that epitomises elegance and beauty – inspired by our heritage and informed by contemporary trends.
Fairfaxandroberts.com.au
ABOUT THE SAVOY HOTEL ON LITTLE COLLINS MELBOURNE
The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins is part of Collection by TFE Hotels and offers a sophisticated address in the heart of cosmopolitan Melbourne. The hotel has recently unveiled a contemporary design that pays tribute to the Art Deco era of the original Hotel Alexander built on site in 1928.
Savoyhotelmelbourne.com
ABOUT COLLECTION BY TFE HOTELS
TFE Hotels Collection is a portfolio of unique and beautiful discovery hotels with a sense of story, place and purpose. These are hotels hallmarked by authenticity and provenance, captivating in their individual character and charm. Engaging teams deliver signature dining offerings, promising memorable experiences. With Collection properties, from the moment you step inside, you will be captivated by the place’s charm and inspired by its stories. Each hotel lives and breathes its location, offering experiences tailored to the guest, allowing them to immerse themselves in the destination. They offer stylish restaurants and sophisticated cocktail lounges, well-equipped gyms, attentive concierges and spacious guest rooms.