Melbourne’s first Shangri-La expected to open its doors in 2026

The long-awaited opening of Shangri-La in the CBD is one step closer, with the site’s developer, S P Setia, planning for the hotel to be fitted out and operational by 2026.

It is understood that the fit-out will take place this year and, once complete, the 61-storey five-star hotel at 308 Exhibition St will feature around 500 rooms along with a range of entertainment and dining venues.

The building neighbours a 59-level residential tower called Sapphire by The Gardens, with the two towers connected by an arching bridge.

Both towers were completed in September 2022 and were built by Multiplex. However, due to economic impacts brought on by the pandemic, the hotel’s fit-out has been delayed until now.

The director of Setia (Melbourne) Development Co Pty Ltd, See Hunt Soon, spoke with finance media outlet The Edge Malaysia in November last year, outlining the company’s plans for the site and the challenges they have faced in completing the project.

He confirmed that Setia was currently in the fit-out stage and would soon deliver Melbourne’s first and highly anticipated Shangri-La Hotel.

“We are actually at the tail end of finalising the fit-out with the contractor,” he said. “It has taken a while because when COVID-19 hit, we couldn’t do much, and when the borders reopened, the price of everything went up.”

“We had to go back to the drawing board and review the design with Shangri-La. We’ve spent the last six to nine months navigating this, and I think we are there now.”

The hotel component was not part of the initial plans for Sapphire by the Gardens, but the developer saw an opportunity to bring in the five-star luxury hotel brand to open the third Shangri-La Hotel in Australia.

However, during the planning phase, the developer determined that having two residential towers could make for too dense a development and that a luxury hotel would be a better option.

Once complete, the Shangri-La will also feature a grand ballroom with a 2500-person capacity, function rooms and event spaces, a health club, spa and wellness centre, as well as skybridge restaurants and bars. •