The Met Hotel Toowoomba offering short term accommodation to ease rental market pressure

Accommodation was always on the cards at The Met Hotel, and after a six-month renovation their rooms are being used to help ease the pressure of Toowoomba’s rental market.

Offering accommodation was always part of the plan for the renovated Met Hotel, but now the rooms are helping to alleviate Toowoomba’s rental crisis.

Owners Kosta and Jasmine Theodosis have spent the past six months renovating the rooms of the historic venue, and while they had originally planned on offering accommodation to holiday-makers and tradies, Toowoomba’s rental crisis saw them make rooms available as short-term accommodation for renters struggling to find a place to call home.

Toowoomba's Met Hotel is now offering short term accommodation for people struggling to find a rental. Photo: Theresa Hall

“We had a lot of inquiries from people wanting short-term stays because of this current rental situation, a lot of people are unable to get a rental so we decided to offer weekly rates for up to three months,” Mrs Theodosis said.

“The short-term accommodation launched about four weeks ago and the response has been positive.

“One the first day I posted about it in a Facebook community group I received 15 inquiries, and since then we’ve had people come and stay for a few weeks before they were able to find more stable housing.

“There’s a need for this in the community, and so far it’s been good.”

Kosta and Jasmine Theodosis launched The Met Hotel after extensive renovations of the former Metropole Hotel in March 2020. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The Real Estate Institute of Queensland’s Residential Vacancy Report found that in the September 2021 quarter Toowoomba’s rental vacancy rate dropped to 0.5 per cent, while rent has risen at an annual pace of 8.3 per cent, according to CoreLogic.

After taking on The Met Hotel in October 2019, and opening in March 2020, Mr Theodosis said they had always intended on renovating the accommodation rooms of the historic hotel, which has served as the site of various public houses since 1864.

Toowoomba's Met Hotel is now offering short term accommodation for people struggling to find a rental. Photo: Theresa Hall

“The accommodation was a big part of the reason why we took it on in the first place, but it’s taken us until now to open after Covid interruptions and things like that,” he said.

“It was quite a big job to get the rooms renovated, but we’re so happy with the way it’s come up.

“We’re really happy that we can offer this short-term accommodation for those who need it. We’ve heard from people applying for multiple properties a day and just can’t find somewhere to live.”

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