Luxurious apartments with hotel-like amenities challenge the ‘great Australian dream’

More Australians than ever before are starting to live in apartments. In the 2021 Census, apartments made up 16% of his nearly 11 million private homes. Apartments account for almost a third of the growth in private housing since 2016.

Dr. Louise Dorignon, RMIT Urban Researcher recently published research She explored trends in Melbourne hotel-like apartments. She said this was in response to Australia’s perception that apartments are inferior to suburban homes.

Developers had to distinguish between new construction and poor-quality, high-density buildings, such as those with combustible cladding issues, Dorignon said.

“The rise of home hotels to the status of desirable housing products casts a shadow over traditional Australian great dreams of rural, unsociable, high-maintenance and mobility-restricted.” said her research.

A study by Dorignon found that residents such as downsizers, urban professionals, and increasingly young families enjoyed hotel-like features because they found them stimulating and international.

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“Many attendees thought it was reminiscent of their experiences in New York and Hong Kong,” she said.

But while the trend is promising, these apartments are affordable, as Australian cities needed better-designed high-density living to limit unsustainable suburban sprawl. A two-bedroom unit can cost upwards of $1 million and annual corporate dues can be upwards of $10,000.

Residents can also be disappointed by the feeling of lifelessness and unfulfilled promises when moving into an apartment, Dorignon said.

Rhodes said his main problem was that he felt there was a lack of green space despite being close to parks.

Still, he said he would be happy to live permanently in a hotel-style apartment, especially given that he wants to live in the heart of the city.

“In a hotel, the environment can feel a little cramped, but since your apartment is your own, there really isn’t such a problem,” he said.

Samantha Surfield, 48, left the suburbs after her two adult children moved and last year moved into a luxury downtown apartment to be closer to work. She said she loves the amenities, the location, and the lifestyle the social community offers.

“I was an empty nest, and suddenly I had this new life,” said Surfield.

Adrian Pozzo, chief executive of Cbus Properties, a luxury development above Melbourne’s Spring Street and the former David Jones Building in Sydney’s CBD, said it was “natural” for the new apartments to mimic a hotel. ‘, he said.

Pozzo says having a 24/7 concierge staff, often with a hotel background, fostered a sense of comfort and security.

“Even if you want to leave the house, when you come back, you know the apartment is still intact,” said Pozzo, who moved into the apartment five years ago.

“Ten or 15 years ago people might never have dreamed of buying an apartment, but now it’s not just a stepping stone to something else,” he said. . “People are thinking, ‘This is my home, and it could last 20, 30, 40 years from now,'” he said.

Yarra Wang Tower’s sales administrator Sherrill Wong said it “makes sense” to bring the hotel experience to the apartment development. In her building, apartments are locked digitally rather than with physical keys, and tasks like cleaning and dog walking are at her service as a butler.

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“The feeling of being cared for and having that feeling in your own home is another step,” she said.

“A lot of people probably think they don’t need this, they just want something simple… [but] There is a market out there that craves for something like this. ”

Blake Schulze, national director of residential marketing for real estate group Colliers, said high-end hotel-like amenities are one of the main determinants of apartment buyers. said wealth was returning to cities, especially in the development of luxury apartments.

“This is the level of service provided to help residents and simplify their lives,” said Schulze.

“I think this is a trend that will continue. There is strong demand for these developments and there is a huge shortage of new supply.”

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