Some might say that TFE Hotels CEO, Antony Ritch, has had a baptism of fire, with the global pandemic and bushfires taking centre stage since he joined the hotel company in Feb 2019. But Ritch maintains that success in hospitality continues to be 100% underpinned by a genuine passion to look after people, understanding the individual needs of guests and by creating liveable spaces through thoughtful hotel design.
It’s this overarching notion that put TFE Hotels on a path to create a flagship brand for the international Adina family. To strengthen and grow their market position in an increasingly competitive marketplace, Ritch said TFE was focused on elevating the customer experience with a new premium offering.
Enter A by Adina. An elevated apartment hotel experience that launched onto the Australian market late last month with the opening of A by Adina Canberra. A by Adina Sydney is set to open in quick succession next month.
“Different stays shouldn’t need a different hotel each time,” says Ritch. “So, our A by Adinas bring to life the idea of ‘hotel living’ by embracing the duality of a premium hotel stay with the familiarity that comes from an elevated away-from-home experience.”
Design, space, and personalised service all have their role to play.
“Guests can expect thoughtful contemporary Australian design, the quiet confidence of intuitive service that make every day a bit more special, details in the detail and, above all, the freedom to stay their own way,” Ritch added.
DETAILED SIMPLICITY: A BY ADINA CANBERRA
A by Adina Canberra, which opened last month, is the centrepiece of Capital Property Group’s eagerly anticipated AUD$300m mixed-use precinct in the nation’s capital – aptly named Constitution Place – and raises the first flag for A by Adina. Guaranteed to win the public vote for comfort, accessibility and detailed simplicity, the 130-key Bates Smart-designed property sets a remarkable precedent in providing a ‘hotel living’ experience on the doorstep of Canberra’s famed Parliamentary Triangle, Lake Burley Griffin and a buzzing line-up of ‘must experience’ cultural landmarks.
What’s truly remarkable, according to Director of Marketing, Katia Giurtalis, is this new premium hotel experience delivers guests the ultimate freedom to arrange rooms into something that feels right for them. “Think rooms intuitively designed to change according to guests’ personality and style of travel,” she said.
The hotel, positioned on the illustrious Vernon Circle side of Canberra’s arts and cultural hub, London Circuit, is described by General Manager, Jelena Bojanic, as “contemporary Australian design at its best. The real beauty about this hotel – aside from location – is the fact that its rooms set a new benchmark when it comes to exceptional use of space, including sliding panels that enable one-bedroom apartments to be opened into expansive spaces or enclosed into rooms within rooms for privacy.
“All apartments are artfully designed – whether studio, one or two-bedrooms. They share the same premium standard and simplicity of design, with floor to ceiling windows, stunning entry corridors punctuated by rendered concrete, and inclusion of walk-through robes instead of standard hotel closets,” says Bojanic.
A LANDMARK FOR SYDNEY: A BY ADINA SYDNEY
According to Hotel General Manager and Brand Experience Manager, Amanda Cottome, A by Adina Sydney – designed by JPW Architects, with interiors by Carr Design Group – is set to raise the bar on hotel check-ins with the introduction of Australia’s first sky lobby, perched atop the prestigious 2 Hunter Street address. Guests have the option to then enjoy the piano and lounge bar on the mezzanine above the co-located lobby along with a swimming pool and fully equipped gym with knockout views, within the four-storey ‘golden crown’ enveloped in the city skyline. What’s more, the hotel’s lower-ground entry foyer has its own surprise in store as the home of a new laneway restaurant concept, boasting indoor and outdoor dining.
“TFE has partnered with some of the best bar and restaurant operators in the country – Vince Lombardo, Stefano Cantino and Andrea Gualdi of ‘Maybe Sammy’ fame and Maurice Terzini from Bondi Icebergs – to develop the dining and bar concepts for level 22 and the laneway,” Cottome said.
“You enter the hotel from the noise of the city through a sandstone colonnade flanked by a calming water feature, arriving at a peaceful and reflective lift lobby to take you to the crown.
“To me, it feels like you’re submerging into a quiet, calm space, taking you out of the hustle and bustle – a bit like a sensory cleanse – before you get into the lift and go up to the sky lobby for our ‘arrival’ moment,” she added.
In a first for TFE Hotels, A by Adina heroes an integrated control system that seamlessly readies any one of its 194 apartments (82 studio, 104 one-bedroom and eight two-bedroom apartments) the moment guests commence check in. A bit like a high-tech butler, it goes to work and prepares the room by switching on the air conditioner and setting a comfortable room temperature, before closing the blinds and setting all the lights,” Amanda explained.