IHG will give its stunning Kirkton Park property in the NSW wine region a refresh and rebrand it as voco™ Kirkton Park Hunter Valley, making it the fourth signing in Australia since IHG launched the upscale voco™ brand globally in June.
With 70 voguishly appointed rooms, the property was one of the first Hunter Valley Hotels established in the prestigious wine region. In June 2017 IHG took over management of the hotel under the banner of Kirkton Park Hunter Valley and has since built a reputation for being one of the wine region’s most desirable destinations.
As part of the rebrand, voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley will make several aesthetic upgrades with the distinctive and luxurious voco™ brand hallmarks: ‘Come on in’, ‘Me time’, and ‘voco life’. The boutique hotel will once again join forces with luxury interior designer, Greg Natale, to bring the interior design concept to life in a new and inventive way that celebrates its location and surroundings.
Located in the heart of Pokolbin and just minutes away from the region’s most popular wineries, the Australian colonial heritage property is complemented by 70 acres of rural surroundings including manicured gardens, a wholesome vegetable garden and picturesque walking trails.
Guests will be treated to the ultimate upscale voco experience that celebrates the individuality of the hotel, stunning location and local people, with each stay tailored to deliver a unique and memorable experience. Once checked in, elements of the voco™ hotels will be on offer, including tennis courts, billiards room, indoor heated pool, sauna and spa, and gymnasium. Guests will also be able to enjoy access to the welcome lounge; open-fire library; 24-hour reception and room service; and on-site restaurants and bars, adding to the vibrant voco™ experience.
The newest of voco hotels will have a genuine, sustainable and paddock-to-plate focused mindset, embracing local surroundings. Mirroring IHG’s global focus on sustainability, the hotel will make upgrades to the owned vegetable garden, minimise food waste with on-property animals, install a panel Solar Farm 100 KW system, serve filtered water to conferencing guests, consciously reduce plastic usage and install sustainable in-room amenities and shower concepts. Guests will also be able to collect their own eggs, help the staff feed the on-site farm animals and learn about the vegetables from the chef.
Launched in June this year, the voco brand will strengthen IHG’s offer in the $40 billion upscale segment, which is expected to grow by a further $20 billion by 2025. This distinctive brand will offer owners the ability to drive higher returns by delivering a compelling guest experience and leveraging IHG’s powerful systems. Including best-in-class revenue management and technology capabilities and IHG® Rewards Club, one of the world’s largest hotel loyalty programmes.
IHG currently has 48 hotels operating under four brands in Australasia, including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, with another 27 in the pipeline, including voco, EVEN Hotels and Hotel Indigo.*
*Numbers correct as at end 30 September 2018
