New Pullman to breathe life into Launceston’s ‘old’ hotel scene

Red Panda acquired the 5400 sq m site at 10-16 Wellington Street for $7 million in December 2021.

Due to open in the first half of 2027, the 11-storey hotel will be the second-tallest building in Launceston and will include a rooftop bar with views over the city and River Tamar. It will be first Pullman – one of Accor’s luxury brands – to open in Tasmania.

The latest data from tourism research specialist STR shows there is a strong business case for additional accommodation offerings in Launceston, one of Australia’s oldest cities and one of its largest regional hubs, boasting a population of more than 90,000.

Year-to-March, Launceston hotels achieved an occupancy rate of 84 per cent, just below that of Hobart (85 per cent) but higher than all the mainland capital cities.

Accor, Australia’s biggest hotel group, will operate the new Pullman under a hotel management agreement.

Accor Pacific chief operating officer Adrian Williams said the international brand recognition of Pullman would help attract tourists and conferences to Launceston.

“With nature and food-based tourism being such powerful drivers of travel, Launceston and Tasmania has so much to offer domestic and international travellers,” Mr Williams said.

The fully approved hotel is part of a mixed-use development called Reunion which includes 13 apartments, a brewery, distillery, restaurants and cafes. It’s one of the few new hotels (approval was granted in April) proceeding to construction in Launceston.

A 145-room luxury CBD hotel known as The Gorge looks set to finally go ahead following a Supreme Court decision last month and after years of planning appeals and legal challenges.

Earlier this year, Singapore’s Fragrance Group lodged fresh plans for a slimmed down hotel with fewer rooms on Cimitere Street after a battle with resident groups and local councillors.

Red Panda director Andrew McCullagh told The Australian Financial Review he was “gobsmacked” at the performance of the Launceston hotel market and the lack of new hotels that have opened in the region.

“There’s no five-star hotels in Launceston and a lot of the existing hotels are old,” Mr McCullagh said.

In a further coup for Red Panda, the luxury apartments that form part of the mixed-use project will be branded as Pullman residences, an approach that is gaining traction on the mainland. (Examples includes developer Riverlee’s Seafarers project in Melbourne, where apartments will be branded under the 1 Hotel brand).

This means apartment owners and tenants will have access to all the hotel amenities, and the cache that comes with the Pullman brand.

Red Panda, which specialises in repurposing historic buildings, will retain both the 1930s TAFE building, which closed in 2020, and a second 1950s building on the site, whilst building a new tower above.

“Preserving Launceston’s heritage was our foremost consideration,” Mr McCullagh said.

“With Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery and Royal Park as neighbours, we will build a natural linkage to other recent developments and the Seaport precinct where guests can take river cruises,” he said.