Cunningham Pier in Geelong could become the setting for a 200-room hotel under an A$1.75 billion waterfront proposal from Gurner Group and Costa Property Group. The scheme would combine hospitality, housing, offices and public space on the historic pier in Corio Bay.
The latest vision, known as The Pier, has been designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. It remains a proposal, with the announcement presenting the intended development rather than an approved hotel opening or construction programme.
A hotel within a wider waterfront precinct
The proposed hotel forms part of a scheme that includes approximately 280 residences and a landmark 34-storey tower. SOM’s plans also include 12 waterfront villas with individual yacht berths, giving the project several different residential and hospitality components.
The wider development brief includes 5,050 square metres of office accommodation and more than 10,500 square metres of public realm linked to retail and hospitality. That mix would make the hotel one part of a destination intended to attract local residents as well as overnight visitors.
For a future hotel operator, the surrounding restaurants, public waterfront and commercial uses would be as significant as the room count. They could create reasons to visit outside the overnight accommodation business, although the eventual operating model has not been announced.
SOM’s design prioritises public access
The architect describes an elevated promenade lined by rounded buildings and stepped terraces. New structures would be positioned alongside the retained historic pier, rather than treating the site only as a platform for the tower.
An aquatic plaza is planned where the pier meets the city, with floating platforms extending recreation onto the water. SOM also identifies the creation of marine habitats as part of the design intent.
The architect was selected through a nine-month international competition involving several major design practices.
A new chapter for Geelong’s visitor economy
The proposal arrives alongside investment in Geelong’s waterfront and events infrastructure. City mayor Stretch Kontelj has linked its potential to the opening of the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, while the developers frame the precinct as a means of drawing visitors and supporting local businesses.
For hospitality, the relevant question is how a substantial waterfront hotel would fit with that wider destination offer. A mixed-use precinct can combine demand from leisure visitors, local dining and business activity, but those sources of demand still need to support a viable operation.
Other Australian hospitality projects illustrate the range of activity under way. WINC Wire has covered Oakwood Epping Melbourne’s forthcoming opening and Worldwide Hotels’ acquisition of Holiday Inn West Perth. Cunningham Pier is at a different stage: its concept and development mix have been unveiled, with approvals, delivery timing and the hotel’s operator still to be established publicly.
Featured image: Architectural rendering of the proposed Cunningham Pier redevelopment. Image: Gurner Group/SOM.
