Geelong’s first new hotel in 20 years is also its largest

For 37 years, if they’d made the short trip to Port Phillip Heads near Point Lonsdale, Geelong residents would have seen the familiar sight of the Spirit of Tasmania chugging her way towards Port Melbourne. But that all changed in October last year.

Citing traffic congestion and delays, the cruise company packed its bags and moved to Corio Quay, Geelong, to the ire of Melbourne-based passengers and celebration of Geelong’s residents. The move is expected to inject $1.65 million annually into Victoria’s second capital and the surrounding Bellarine Peninsula, with restaurateurs, vintners and hoteliers hoping travellers will stick around to explore a rejuvenated Geelong.

This summer GMHBA Stadium in Geelong’s Kardinia Park will stake its claim as Australia’s best regional stadium when it reopens after extensive redevelopment. The city also raised the curtain on the new Geelong Arts Centre in August, ground zero for festivals as well as comedy and tribute shows.

The Arts Centre backs onto Little Malop Street, which channels Melbourne’s laneways thanks to an assortment of wine bars, taquerias, breweries and coffee roasters, including The Arborist, a restaurant best described as a glass treehouse. Around the corner from these is the Geelong Quarter, a new $200 million mixed-use development that launched in September with Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong as its main tenant.

Less than 10 minutes’ drive to the Spirit of Tasmania’s terminal, the city’s first new hotel in almost 20 years makes an ideal base to explore the Bellarine before or after cruising. The hotel is also Geelong’s largest, featuring 180 Nordic-inspired rooms including suites with views overlooking the bay, a heated indoor pool, gym and meeting spaces.

Owners IHG Hotels & Resorts hope the airy lobby bar on the first floor will lure locals away from Little Malop Street for a drink and a bite. At in-house restaurant Maestro, chef and meat master Adrian Richardson plays to his strengths leading a protein-forward menu that brings together surf and turf produce from the region.

Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong aren’t the only ones capitalising on the cruising boom. This month, Quest opened its second hotel in Geelong, the 87-room Geelong Central, while Mt Duneed Estate has unveiled eight new luxury pods overlooking its vineyards on the city’s outskirts. Meanwhile, IHG Hotels & Resorts announced it will bring its luxury hotel label, Crowne Plaza, to Geelong by 2026, in time to open alongside the new Geelong Convention & Exhibition Centre.

See holidayinn.com/geelong