ALBURY’S first five-star hotel, offering butler service, is to open next autumn after a $500,000 makeover of a former Dean Street bank.
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The 1928 building, most recently a Bonds clothing outlet, will offer two luxury suites with nightly rates ranging from $500 to $700.
The development is the brainchild of Kevin and Ririn Yaxley who opened top-end accommodation house Circa 1936 in an old bank in Sanger Street, Corowa in 2015.
The NSW government is providing $150,000 towards the project with Tourism Minister Adam Marshall lauding the attractiveness of the Albury hotel which will be known as Circa 1928.
“This will just really put Albury on the map for a whole group of tourists,” he said.
“This isn’t just about bringing people from across the southern border into NSW, this is about really stamping this region as a major destination for international tourists as well.
“You need quality facilities, like the one that Circa’s building, to actually draw those people out, particularly the Chinese market.”
The Yaxleys have been seeking potential accommodation sites in Albury-Wodonga for the past three years and opted for the old bank because of its architecture and location.
“We always said we would have the best building in town and we’ve got the best building in Corowa and now we believe we’ve got one of the best buildings in Albury,” Mr Yaxley said.
The two suites, each measuring 60 to 70 square metres, will be created on the first floor, where Commonwealth Bank staff once had offices.
Big ticket items include the installation of a lift and fire system.
Asked if there was demand for such ritzy accommodation in Albury, Mr Yaxley was unequivocal.
“Absolutely without a doubt,” he replied.
“They get butler service, a great big suite, club lounge, mini-bar – all the things you expect in the penthouse suite of a five-star hotel.”
Mr Yaxley said those wanting to indulge for a special occasion, such as a wedding anniversary, were a target market.
In addition to the suites, the ground floor will feature a day spa, tea lounge and shop selling spa-related goods, art and home decor.
Circa 1928 will also complement Circa 1929, the Yaxleys’ day spa and lounge in a former Commonwealth Bank branch in Wagga.
Mrs Yaxley said help from government agency Destination NSW would bolster the marketing of the businesses.
Work on the Dean Street site will begin next month and is due to be finish next April or May.
