Palazzo Versace branding taken from luxury hotel, now named Imperial Hotel Gold Coast

Gold Coast’s Palazzo Versace is no more, with the hotel’s luxury branding unceremoniously removed from its front entrance on Monday morning. Here’s what it means for its prices

Gold Coast’s Palazzo Versace is no more, with the hotel’s luxury branding unceremoniously removed from its front entrance on Monday morning.

The last remnants of the brand visible from Seaworld Dr were the mammoth plaster Medusa head above the lobby and a trio of tired Palazzo Versace flags flapping in the breeze.

New signage is to be erected at the entrance Tuesday morning.

Where it once traded on the exclusivity and excess that oozed from the global brand, the hotel now shares a name with scores of venues across Australia – joining the ranks of others bearing the Imperial Hotel name in locations such as Beenleigh, Murwillumbah, Coonabarabran, Bowral and Eumundi.

The hotel formerly known as Palazzo Versace has removed the luxury brand from its front entrance.

Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast as it was. Picture: Adam Head

Branding of the Italian fashion house has also been taken from the hotel’s social media pages, garnering a mixed response from fans.

“Missing Palazzo Versace already,” wrote Liezel Summers.

Glen Williams said: “The name ‘Imperial Hotel’ evokes an image of a country pub in some random country town somewhere; how boring!”

Meanwhile Carla Ferguson quipped that it “just won’t be the same … hope you guys are going to drastically drop your prices now”.

Snoop Dogg is among the celebs who have stayed at Palazzo Versace. Photo from Instagram.

General manager Richard Clarke said the Imperial Hotel would “continue to operate as a five-star hotel” – but that prices had been reduced.

“You will notice there are some really good deals, not so much because of the branding but because we recognise the cost of living crisis out there and we want to make sure that we’re available for everyone to experience the luxury hotel,” he said.

Mr Clarke said the hotel would launch new menus next week, with slightly lower prices than before, but still focused on a five-star experience.

“We’re keeping the Versace plates, cutlery and furniture – essentially the hotel is going to feel very similar to what it does today,” he said.

“There’s mixed emotions here today, it really is the end of an era after 23 years of being Palazzo Versace.

“But we’ve been working tremendously hard on rebranding and we’re excited to see that work in action as of tomorrow.”

The hotel formerly known as Palazzo Versace has removed the luxury brand from its front entrance.

Eight months after an $114m deal to buy the property fell over, talk is rife among the property’s wealthy apartment owners, who say they’ve seen groups of potential buyers from Dubai come through with sales agents.

One resident said he’d also seen representatives from Giannarelli Group, which is developing neighbouring Mariner’s Cove, inspect the hotel.

But Dion Giannarelli said he didn’t know the hotel was for sale.

“We just go in there for coffee meetings or lunch sometimes,” he said.

With the Versace branding agreement running out on Monday with no prospect of renewal, the expensive and laborious task of removing the fashion company’s works has begun – including the stripping of thousands of Medusa tiles embedded in the walls and floors of every room.

The exercise will extend to two custom-built Rolls-Royce Phantoms, which are valued over $1m each.

Palazzo Versace Hotel – Holiday makers and locals enjoying the Gold Coast Broadwater and Broadwater Parklands Wednesday 3rd January 2023 Picture David Clark

Both cars feature the iconic Medusa head logo embroidered into the leather seats and stained into the bespoke timber dashboard.

The Islander Hotel Accommodation Unit Trust, which owns the property, still holds the business name Palazzo Versace and the web domain palazzoversace.com.au.

Originally published as Palazzo Versace branding taken from luxury hotel, now named Imperial Hotel Gold Coast