The $120 million hotel changing the face of this regional city

If there are boxes that need to be ticked for a regional industrial port city to transform into a polished coastal destination, then one of those must surely be hotels.

Geelong, 75 kilometres south-west of Melbourne, has been undergoing a gradual but deliberate metamorphosis in that direction. But it has lacked top-tier stays.

With the opening of the $120 million Crowne Plaza Geelong on Western Beach Road, the city takes another confident step forward.

Now welcoming guests, the 200-room hotel is Crowne Plaza’s first property in regional Victoria and sits directly on the waterfront, overlooking Corio Bay. For a city that has spent two decades reshaping its foreshore into a vibrant promenade of parks, public art and revived swimming enclosures, the arrival of a premium international hotel brand feels symbolic.

“Geelong is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia,” says the hotel’s general manager, John Dickson. “To really set it apart from another regional town, this hotel will be a game-changer as far as bringing national and international visitors to the region.”

The hotel occupies a prime position along Geelong’s five-kilometre waterfront stretch, roughly midway between Rippleside and Eastern Beach. It’s part of the new Woods Bagot-designed Nyaal Banyul convention centre precinct, developed and owned by Plenary Group. Both worked closely with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners on the project.

The wider facilities are scheduled to open fully later this year. “We’re right on the waterfront. There’s nothing obstructing in front of the hotel, just the park,” Dickson says. “Half of our rooms have direct views over Corio Bay.”

It is a coveted aspect. “It’s the only north-facing beach in Victoria that gets that incredible sunrise,” he adds.

Inside, the design leans into that coastal setting. Guest rooms and suites feature warm textures, muted coastal tones and contemporary detailing intended to create what the hotel describes as a calm, welcoming arrival experience. Rooms offer either city outlooks or expansive water views.

The connection to place extends beyond palette and outlook. A significant commissioned artwork by Geelong-based artist Kate Robertson has been installed throughout the hotel. Drawing on native flora planted across the gardens of the wider precinct, her photographic works appear in guest rooms and corridors, subtly weaving the surrounding landscape into the interior experience.

“There’s been a lot of work done in consultation with Traditional Owners,” Dickson says of the broader development. The precinct’s Aboriginal name, Nyaal Banyul, means “look to the hills”, a reference to the You Yangs, visible from the waterfront, and the project incorporates Indigenous design narratives and artwork throughout.

Inside the hotel, Aboriginal prints feature in corridors and rooms, and a large-scale mural on the exterior depicts 14 people from the region in a life-cycle story. “There are some very interesting elements to the building and its heritage and its design,” Dickson says.

The hotel’s food and drink offerings are designed for the pleasure of being by the water.

The ground-floor Verde on Smythe cafe and one level up, Sociali Trattoria & Bar are crowned by The Skyline Bar on level 10. “It’s one of our unique selling points,” Dickson says. The 90-seat cocktail lounge pairs panoramic bay views with seasonal small plates, local wines, craft beers and small-batch regional gins.

From the Crowne Plaza, it is a short stroll to Eastern Beach, the Geelong Botanic Gardens and the city’s revitalised arts precinct, including recent upgrades to the Geelong Arts Centre and gallery. Further afield lie the wineries and farm gates of the Bellarine Peninsula and the start of the Great Ocean Road.

“The thing that I’ve noticed since being here is that Geelong people are very passionate about Geelong,” Dickson says. “They promote the region.”

That civic confidence is increasingly justified. New dining, retail and mixed-use developments continue to reshape the waterfront, while cultural programming and summer sporting events draw visitors year-round.

Geelong is also the mainland port for the Spirit of Tasmania ferries, with the first of the line’s new, larger ships scheduled to come online in October.

For travellers who may once have driven straight through, Crowne Plaza Geelong makes a compelling case to pause and perhaps reconsider Geelong not as a gateway, but as a destination in its own right.

See ihg.com