Mayfair Hotel opens 170 luxurious rooms in the heart of the Adelaide CBD

THE opening of the luxurious Mayfair Hotel on the corner of King William and Hindley streets in the city is the latest in a hotel-building boom.

TODAY’S opening of the luxurious Mayfair Hotel on the corner of King William and Hindley streets in the city is the latest in a hotel building boom linked to the Riverbank redevelopment.

After more than two years of major upgrade works and $55 million of investment, the hotel opened its doors to its first guests today as the city prepares for an influx of interstate and international visitors.

The 170 room hotel in the heritage-listed former Colonial Mutual Life building is complemented by a ‘jewel box’ addition and includes two restaurants, an exclusive Hennessy Lounge and a rooftop champagne terrace.

Hotel general manager Aaron Oh said the 5-star accommodation offered something new in the Adelaide hotel market.

“I think with development of the Riverbank precinct and the upgrades of the Casino, upgrades of the Convention Centre, I think our product has come in at the opportune time - to match what the Government has invested in and is pushing for in the city,” he said.

“On Hindley St with all the new bars popping up and Peel St and Leigh St - this little zone is turning into a really good place for eateries, great restaurants and great bars.”

Other recently opened accommodation venues include the 311 room Ibis Adelaide, 117 serviced apartments at Quest on Franklin, 100 serviced apartments at Quest King William St South and 24 suites at the art themed The Watson at Walkerville.

The openings come amid a surge in hotel occupancy rates linked to the return of AFL to the city and the increased vibrancy associated with the Riverbank redevelopment — hotel occupancy rates in June were up 6.6 per cent on the previous year.

The Rolling Stones concert at the Oval saw major city hotels such as the InterContinental Adelaide — where the Stones stayed — at close to capacity, while the Tour Down Under, Mad March events including the Fringe Festival plus cricket events at the Oval are all filling hotel rooms across the city.

Completion of the first stage of the $350 million Convention Centre expansion is expected to further increase demand from large conferences and events.

Tourism Minister Leon Bignell noted the number of hotel rooms in Adelaide increased by more than 25 per cent since August 2010 to now top 8000.

“The Government’s decision to redevelop the Adelaide Oval and the Riverbank precinct, as well as our ongoing investment in major events, conventions and festivals, is the main reason why new hotels are being developed,” he said

“We’ve established a $6 million Major Events Bid Fund to secure more big events for South Australia, and a $2 million fund to help the redeveloped Adelaide Convention Centre bid for more conventions and conferences.”

Oliver Totani, 29, of Kensington Park, said the Mayfair should act as a catalyst for the reactivation of under-utilised heritage buildings across the city.

“There is nothing more impressive than a character filled heritage building renovated with modern aesthetics providing the 21st century experience,” he said.

“Adelaide is now finally starting to take shape from a dining and night-life point of view, we have reactivated the laneways, we have a thriving restaurant and hospitality environment driven by locally based business owners and entrepreneurs and now we have a hotel to bring this all together and be proud of.”