Construction on Peppers Southbank, a new $60 million hotel in Melbourne’s vibrant arts and entertainment district, is now underway following a ground-breaking ceremony late last week.

Operated by Mantra Group, the 162-room hotel will be the Group’s eleventh property in Melbourne’s CBD.

Mantra Group Regional General Manager Doug Flavell said Peppers Southbank will cater to the strong demand for quality short-term accommodation in Melbourne’s inner-ring.

“This property is in response to a growing need in the market for high-quality hotels in Melbourne,” said Mr Flavell.

“Melbourne hotels have experienced substantial uplift in demand in recent years and this strong performance is set to continue with further domestic and international visitation uplift forecasted for the Melbourne market.

”We’re confident Peppers Southbank will provide a market-leading hotel offering, well positioned to become the region’s premier corporate and leisure hotel.

“The hotel’s location couldn’t be more perfect for both business and leisure guests with Melbourne’s central business district, Crown Casino, the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, and the city’s finest shopping and dining precincts all within walking distance.”

To ensure this vision comes to life and the reality lives up to expectation, local advisory firm Point Polaris have been appointed project managers.

Onsite for the sod turning ceremony, Point Polaris Director Andrew Hogan spoke of the project’s quality and the developer’s commitment to delivering a world-class building.

“Point Polaris is in total alignment with Peppers’ commitment to quality.  It is great to deliver quality developments that showcase Melbourne on a global stage,” said Mr Hogan.

“Hotels are a significant asset class that will perform incredibly well as Melbourne’s tourism sector continues to develop.

“We are seeing growth in hotels and a shift from the residential sector to hotels. We are even converting residential permits to hotel projects – the hotel development sector is very strong.”

Set to open its doors in early 2019, Peppers Southbank is prominently located on the corner of Clarendon and Haig Streets and will feature 162 full-service hotel rooms across 32 levels, along with a range of amenities including a restaurant and bar, meeting room and gymnasium.

The sustainable building will achieve a 5-star energy rating, with the windows designed to meet higher-than-average solar heat gain co-efficient levels, achieving a 6-star NATHERS energy rating.