HotelsClare BurnettTue 14 Jul 26
Pelligra, IHG Launch Revamped Crowne Plaza Carlton Hotel
A luxury hotel has opened after a renovation transformed a property used as Covid-era quarantine accommodation in Melbourne’s inner north.
The Crowne Plaza Carlton hotel at 701 Swanston Street is a partnership between IHG Hotels & Resorts and Pelligra Group.
An “elevated urban retreat” 2km from the CBD, the four-star property was officially launched this week after opening to guests earlier in the year.
The revamped 107-key asset includes a ground-floor restaurant, Fico Carlton, named in honour of the suburb’s Italian heritage.
The hotel has more than 270sq m of meeting and event space, and plans are under way for a rooftop bar.
First announced in 2020, the property underwent a full refurbishment to bring it up to Crowne Plaza standard that included an upgrade to the building’s exterior.
The partnership between Pelligra Group and IHG was announced that year when Pelligra acquired the five-storey property, which had operated as Rydges on Swanston, for around $35 million.
According to the original statement, the hotel was due to reopen in 2021.
During its times as a Rydges, the hotel was used as a quarantine zone for returning travellers during the epidemic.
It was at the centre of Melbourne’s second Covid outbreak, which prompted increasingly stricter quarantine measures.
IHG Hotels & Resorts Australasia & Pacific managing director Matt Tripolone said the revamped asset reflected the company’s confidence in the strength and future of the Australian market.
Pelligra Group founder Ross Pelligra said that Carlton had been undergoing an “exciting” urban renewal.
“We’re seeing it evolve into one of Melbourne’s premier lifestyle destinations, combining a vibrant food scene with world-class education and an internationally renowned medical and research hub,” he said.
Meanwhile, plans to redevelop the Imperial Hotel at South Yarra have been approved.
The hotel at 518-522 Chapel Street, 6km south of the CBD, has been closed since 2024 after it was sold with vacant possession.
Plans were subsequently submitted by Australian Venue Co—which has also submitted plans to redevelop a 165-year-old Richmond pub—for a four-storey addition.
The $13.5-million project includes the demolition of the existing building, a Victorian-era corner hotel. There are no heritage controls in place on the subject site.
Australian Venue Co. will add two bistro floors and two terrace levels to the redeveloped site.
