Mercure Hotel Canberra | |
---|---|
General information | |
Coordinates | 35°16′33″S149°08′34″E / 35.27583°S 149.14278°E |
Opening | 1927 |
Owner | Schwartz Family Company |
Management | Accor Hotels |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 2 |
Design and construction | |
Architect | Burcham Clamp and Finch |
Developer | Federal Capital Commission |
Other information | |
Number of rooms | 127 |
Number of restaurants | 1 |
Parking | Available, complementary |
Website | |
http://www.mercurecanberra.com.au/ |
Mercure Hotel Canberra, historically known as the Hotel Ainslie and Olims is a historic, four star hotel located in the inner Canberra suburb of Braddon, Australian Capital Territory. It is the closest major hotel to the Australian War Memorial and is located on Limestone Avenue. The Hotel Ainslie has been listed on the Australian Institute of Architects' Register of Significant Twentieth Century Architecture since 1984 due to its significance as a rare late example of English Arts and Crafts architecture [1] and was previously listed in the now defunct Register of the National Estate. [2] It is listed on the ACT Heritage Register. [3]
The building now occupied by the hotel was built between 1926-27 as one of eight hostels designed to provide accommodation for public servants in preparation of relocating the Parliament from Melbourne to the new national capital. [4] Following the adverse impact of the Great Depression in 1932, a liquor license was granted to building lessee Ernest Spendlove. [5] The building was renovated and shortly thereafter re-opened as a public hotel.
Spendlove sold the hotel in 1950 to Rex Investments, a division of the LJ Hooker, and the name was changed to the Hotel Ainslie Rex. [6] [7] Another change of ownership saw the hotel renamed "Olims" in 1989, a name which remains in common use locally. Prior to the sale, an 87-room extension was completed in 1987 and the bar and restaurant areas were remodeled. [8] The hotel began market itself as a function centre, opening conference rooms. The beer garden was built in a distinctively more modern architectural style, disrupting the building's façade facing Limestone Avenue. [4]
In 2011, the hotel was rebranded by operator Accor Hotels as Mercure Canberra and underwent a $8 million refurbishment, hoping to draw more International guests. [9] A proposal which would have seen an extra 125 rooms added to the hotel encountered strong opposition from the National Trust of Australia due to the impact of the proposal on the building's aesthetics and heritage significance. The proposal was subsequently scaled back. [10]
The Canberra Craft Beer Festival has been held annually at the hotel since 2008. [11] Mercure Canberra participates in Room for Hope, a program which allows guests to donate $1 in addition to the room rate to charitable causes. [12]
Mount Ainslie is a hill with an elevation of 843 metres (2,766 ft) AHD that is located in the northeastern suburbs of Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Mount Ainslie lies within part of the Canberra Nature Park.
Civic is the city centre or central business district of Canberra. "Civic" is a common name for the district, but it is also called Civic Centre, City Centre, Canberra City and Canberra, and its official division name is City.
Yarralumla is a large inner south suburb of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Located approximately 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) south-west of the city, Yarralumla extends along the south-west bank of Lake Burley Griffin from Scrivener Dam to Commonwealth Avenue.
Reid is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. With a population of 1,636 at the 2016 census, located directly next to Civic, Reid is one of the oldest suburbs in Canberra. It is named after George Reid, the fourth prime minister of Australia.
Braddon is an inner north suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia located adjacent to the Canberra CBD.
Accor S.A. is a French multinational hospitality company that owns, manages and franchises hotels, resorts and vacation properties. It is the largest hospitality company in Europe, and the sixth largest worldwide
The Hotel Canberra, also known as Hyatt Hotel Canberra, is a major hotel in the Australian national capital, Canberra. It is located in the suburb of Yarralumla, near Lake Burley Griffin and Parliament House. It was built to house politicians when the Federal Parliament moved to Canberra from Melbourne in 1927. It was constructed by the contractor John Howie between 1922-1925. Originally opened in 1924 as Hostel No. 1, in 1927 it became known as the Hotel Canberra.
Government-owned housing in Canberra and the Australian Capital Territory has a history stemming from the decision to build the National Capital in the bush. In the early years Canberra's housing was entirely government-built and even after private development took over there has been a number of government houses included in almost every new suburb. Typical Canberra public housing is built on a limited number of plans repeated through an area of a suburb, with two or three bedrooms and constructed in unfinished brick veneer. They typically range in size from around 80 m2 to 130 m2. The term Govie is a colloquialism used to describe the typical Canberran government built house.
Ainslie is a leafy suburb of Canberra, Australia in the North Canberra district.
All Saints Church is an Australian Anglican church in the Canberra suburb of Ainslie. The church is in the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn.
The Cameron Offices are a series of former government offices commissioned by the National Capital Development Commission and designed by John Andrews in the Brutalist structuralism style of architecture. The offices were constructed between 1970 and 1976 and partially demolished during 2007–08. They are located in the Belconnen Town Centre, in the district of Belconnen, located in Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
John Smith Murdoch was an architect who practised in Australia from the 1880s until 1930. Employed by the newly-formed Commonwealth Public Works Department in 1904, he rose to become chief architect, from 1919-1929, and was responsible for designing many government buildings, most notably the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra, the home of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988.
Novotel is a French midscale hotel brand owned by Accor. Created in 1967 in France, the company grew into what became the Accor group in 1983, and Novotel remained a pillar brand of Accor's multi-brand strategy. Novotel manages 559 hotels in 65 countries (2021).
Corroboree Park is in Ainslie, ACT, Canberra, Australia. It is shaped like a semicircle, and is associated with the Aboriginal use of the area prior to European settlement in Canberra. The park was created around 1925 around the 'Corroboree Tree' located in the park. It is in a heritage registered area, and is also a registered heritage park.
Old Perth Fire Station is located at 25 Murray Street, at its intersection with Irwin Street, Perth, Western Australia
The Jenolan Caves House is a large, heritage-listed hotel, built in stages between 1879 and 1926. It is located in the remote Jenolan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve, Blue Mountains National Park, on the western edge of the Blue Mountains UNESCO World Heritage Area, in New South Wales, Australia.
The Norfolk Hotel is a 4-star hotel in the seaside resort of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Designed in 1865 by architect Horatio Nelson Goulty, it replaced an earlier building called the Norfolk Inn and is one of several large Victorian hotels along the seafront. The French Renaissance Revival-style building, recalling E.M. Barry's major London hotels, is "tall, to make a show": the development of the passenger lift a few years earlier allowed larger hotels to be built. It is a Grade II listed building.
The Hotel Kurrajong is a heritage-listed hotel located in the Canberra suburb of Barton, Australian Capital Territory, close to Parliament House and national institutions within the Parliamentary Triangle precinct. The Hotel has a strong association with Australia's political history, most notably as the residence of Prime Minister Ben Chifley throughout his parliamentary career, including his term in office from 1945-1949. In 1951, Chifley suffered a fatal heart attack in room 205 at the Hotel Kurrajong.
Jo&Joe is a French hotel brand specialized in economic stays and owned by Accor. Launched in 2016, the brand aims to develop a new leisure concept for Millennials. Jo&Joe manages 2 hotels in France (2019).
The Gagudju Crocodile Hotel, also known as Kakadu Crocodile Hotel or just the Croc Hotel is a 3.5 star hotel located in Jabiru, Northern Territory, within Australia's Kakadu National Park. Owned by the Indigenous clans of the Gaagudju people, it was the first major tourism development in the National Park and is notable for its unique design in the shape of a crocodile. Since 2014, the hotel has been operated by the Accor group under the Mecure brand.