Melbourne's Windsor Hotel is set to close in March next year, as the developer who bought it more than a decade ago prepares to build a controversial tower that will overlook Parliament House.
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Staff at the hotel said on Tuesday that March 6 was to be its final night, and the venue's website was not taking bookings after early March. Groups hoping to book functions at the hotel after March have also been turned away.
Adi Halim is a director of Hotel Windsor Holdings, which paid $36 million for the property in 2005. He said that the long-promised renovation of the hotel and the addition of a 27-storey tower behind it was expected to begin with "preliminary works" next year.
But Mr Halim said that "no precise date has been fixed" for the hotel's closure. "Some recently-engaged staff have been employed on shorter contracts until various dates in March," Mr Halim said.
Last month, Mr Halim said local builder Built and Japan's Obayashi would build the hotel tower, which was designed by architects Denton Corker Marshall several years ago.
But the contracts with the builders have not yet been signed. Mr Halim said it was expected to be signed off next year.
Melbourne City Council has recently issued a hoarding permit for the hotel's Spring Street frontage.
Plans for the tower behind the hotel created a firestorm for the Brumby government in its final year in office, after it was controversially approved by then planning minister Justin Madden.
The approval came after the details of a plan to run a sham consultation process – that would have culminated in Mr Madden rejecting the proposed tower – was accidentally emailed to the media.
