Accor introduces the Pullman brand in Tasmania

Accor has signed a hotel management agreement with Red Panda Property to manage a five-star hotel in the heart of the city of Launceston in Tasmania, Australia.

Pullman Launceston will be Accor’s first Pullman hotel in Tasmania and sixth hotel in Launceston overall.

Designed by DKO, Pullman Launceston will convert a heritage-listed education building into a 139-room hotel, restaurants, bars and events venues.

The project is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027.

Located on a hill on Wellington Street, the hotel tower will be the second tallest building in Launceston, overlooking the city and the adjacent Tamar River. At the top of the hotel there will be a rooftop bar offering local products and wines from the Tamar Valley.

In 2021, Launceston was named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, one of only 36 cities worldwide. In close proximity to Royal Park and the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, there are also plans to build a natural link with other recent developments and the seaport area where guests can take river cruises.

Red Panda Property owner and director Andrew McCullagh said the project would significantly improve Launceston’s tourism infrastructure while delivering economic and cultural benefits to the local community.

He said: “Preserving Launceston’s heritage was our main consideration, and our plans to revitalize the area will allow visitors to enjoy a rich combination of history and modernity in one precinct.”

“With nature and food tourism being such powerful drivers of travel, Launceston and Tasmania have so much to offer domestic and international travellers… and with Launceston attracting new direct air services, we believe the arrival of the Pullman can further boost the state’s tourism sector,” says Adrian Williams, COO, PM&E, Accor Pacific.