Sydney’s Ivy nightclub may be replaced with international hotel

The iconic Sydney nightclub and party venue, The Ivy, may be knocked down and turned into a snazzy international hotel, new reports have revealed.

According to News Corp, Justin Hemmes, owner of Merivale, the parent business that owns The Ivy and several other Sydney hospitality hotspots, said he has “incredible” plans to transform the eight storey site into a 55-storey global hotel.

Hemmes added it has always been his long term dream to build a hotel on this piece of Sydney land on the lower end of George St, ever since he bought the site for $22 million in 2004. The site now is apparently worth about $65 million.

Read the statement from Merivale on the plans for Ivy below:

We can confirm that Merivale is currently exploring ideas for the long-term future of the ivy precinct, with a number of options being considered including a new hotel, hospitality and lifestyle complex.

However, if the project proceeds, it is still many years away and discussions to date have only been preliminary. No final plans have been decided nor time-lines set, and there are certainly no immediate plans to commence redevelopment of the site.

When ivy launched in 2007, it was arguably Australia’s most ambitious hospitality transformations. Eleven years on, ivy continues to be enormously successful and sets the benchmark for Sydney hospitality with its diverse portfolio of bars, hatted restaurants, event spaces and entertainment experiences, including international attraction ‘Thursday nights at ivy’, Sunday party institution ‘Marco Polo’ and dance juggernaut ‘Ministry of Sound Club Australia’.

Ivy continues to operate “business as usual” and we look forward to welcoming guests for years to come.

Per News Corp, Hemmes said The Ivy was only ever meant to be a “holding site” for his future hotel, and that he only created an eight storey venue so it would be easier to knock down.

“It is just a fantastic site. It’s got so much potential,” he said, per News Corp.

“There are so many options available to us and it’s something I want to do properly so we’ll be taking our time.”

Hemmes admitted the project could take many years to complete, with design plans “under way”, albeit still in the very early draft stages. “Beyond that, all options are being considered,” he said.

“The (Ivy) proved to be more successful than I thought so this has come later than I expected,” he added.

According to News Corp, recent developments such as the revamp of Wynyard Station have convinced Hemmes to get the ball rolling on his hotel.

“The Wynyard station redevelopment in particular will make a big difference to that site,” Hemmes told News Corp.

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george st justin hemmes merivale sydney the ivy