Ringwood hotels: The Sebel opens on Maroondah Hwy, ditches planned ground floor deli

Bali, Fiji, the Gold Coast, Ringwood? Don’t laugh, a surge in multistorey hotels has this suburb marked as a “holiday destination”.

The Sebel Ringwood general manager Edmond Power outside the hotel in November 2020. Picture: Kiel Egging.

Ringwood residents aren’t buying into claims their suburb could be a holiday destination as more multistorey hotels are planned for the area.

The response comes as the second major hotel in the growing Ringwood activity centre, the $30 million, seven-storey Sebel Ringwood, has quietly opened and started taking guests.

It joins the Sage Hotel at Eastland which opened in 2017, while two other hotels are planned by Holiday Inn and AC Marriott on Maroondah Highway.

A fifth hotel with 80 serviced apartments across 14 storeys by Quest is also under consideration by Maroondah Council.

Readers on Maroondah Leader’s Facebook page came out in force with their views on the suburb’s hotel boom, with 78 per cent, or 111 of 141 respondents, appearing unimpressed.

Bronwyn Bravo wrote: “I don’t like Ringwood anymore, it’s turning into the city.”

Kylie Michelle wrote: “What l am wondering is why people would want to come and stay in Ringwood, while Pat Guillemaud wrote: “Ringwood is not a tourist destination unless you like concrete jungles.”

Julie Gordon was strongly against the 14-storey Quest development and wrote: “Why don’t the council do more for our homeless instead of getting money from developers.”

The Sebel Ringwood, located on the corner of Maroondah Highway and Wantirna Rd, was originally set to open on February 22, but was delayed to ensure COVID-19 requirements were in place.

A public launch event was moved to March 13 but also didn’t eventuate.

However, a spokeswoman for The Sebel through its PR agency, AMPR, said the hotel had opened and had been hosting guests since mid-March.

The spokeswoman said the public launch event was planned in the coming weeks.

The Sebel Ringwood boasts 103 rooms and apartments.

General manager Edmond Power told Leader in November the hotel would be a premium accommodation offering for “independent, sophisticated people who are well travelled”, and guests would be able enjoy charcuterie boards and wine in their rooms.

The hotel has since scrapped its planned delicatessen at its downstairs restaurant, The Orchard, which is open to the public for breakfast.