Art Series Hotel Group | Media & Press Releases

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Art Series is proud to offer the latest in luxury and sophisticated living with the release of its spectacular penthouses, located atop The Olsen, South Yarra and The Cullen, Prahran in Melbourne, Australia.

Brimming with original artworks, Art Series penthouses combine the practicality of a modern home with the facilities of a cutting-edge world-class five-star hotel.

Located on the 14th floor of The Olsen, Art Series flagship hotel, The John Olsen Penthouse lets you indulge in every creature comfort.

At around $4,000 per night, the penthouse offers 160 square meters of tranquil and contemporary living space, it is the ideal private sanctuary for a unique event or even photo shoot location.

The John Olsen Penthouse features 180 degree city views, 33 square meters of balcony, eight-person spa pool, two bedrooms with signature Art Series King-size bedding, walk in robes, gas fireplace, three 42” HD flat screen TVs, full gourmet kitchen and dining table for 10. The John Olsen Penthouse will delight and transport guests to an unparalleled world .

The Penthouse also features original John Olsen artworks including the drawing Fruit of Life created by Olsen during a dinner party with the owners, a nude drawing with fig leaf to obscure the more intimate details!

Sarah Henderson, General Manager, The Olsen Says;

“Dr John Olsen is an absolute gentleman and incredible Australian. His vibrant, lyrical and free artworks engage and elate our guests. The Olsen hotel reflects the man himself, happy, sophisticated, refined, generous and inspiring.”

Recently nominated in the 2010 Hot List by Condé Nast Traveler US, The Cullen was the first Art Series Hotel to open its doors. Vibrant, daring and unique, The Cullen offers two urban and edgy penthouses, Lady Luck and Growler, starting from $600 per night. The hotel feeds off its colourful surrounds of Commercial Road and Prahran.

Located on the sixth floor, the penthouses offer over 50 square meters of living, Art Series signature King-size bedding, dining room, spacious entertainers’ balcony with Melbourne CBD views and original Adam Cullen artworks.

Josh Obrien, General Manager, The Cullen Says;

“Adam Cullen is an absolute wild cat. His provocative and sometimes shocking subject matter confront, excite and challenge. The hotel exudes the energy and vibrancy of Adam’s work – and the alternative neighbourhood surrounding the hotel completes the experience.”

The Cullen and The Olsen hotels offer wireless and broadband internet access, contemporary art channels, art tours of the hotels, Smart cars and Kronan bicycle hire; to provide a complete art-inspired experience for guests.

Background Information:

Art Series Hotel Group is an art-inspired concept of leading five-star boutique hotels positioned in the hottest locations in Melbourne, Australia’s cultural and major events capital.

With three properties now open and a further three in development, each hotel is unique, taking design inspiration from Australia’s artistic greats; Charles Blackman, Adam Cullen, Jasper Knight, David Larwill, John Olsen and one yet to be named.

Offering the ultimate in luxury and sophistication, Art Series Hotels are unique experience and truly committed to Australian art and design.

Each location provides the highest standard in personalised service and quality, making Art Series Hotels the destination of choice for business or leisure.

Situated among Melbourne’s finest restaurants and iconic shopping precincts, Art Series Hotels are swiftly joining some of Melbourne’s great landmarks.

April 2010

The Olsen officially opens today

March 2010

The Art of the Hotel - Rowena Robertson, Australian Design Review

While the idea of an ‘art hotel’ has been explored to some extent in the past, there have been various hotels around the world to feature in-house art collections such as the Mondrian in Los Angeles named for that artist and once featuring a nine-storey homage to his work on its exterior. However, Australian developer Asian Pacific’s first Art Series hotel, The Cullen in Prahran, may be the only hotel in the world to revolve solely around the work of one artist, in this case the 2000 Archibald Prize winner Adam Cullen. more...

January 2010

Culture clubs - Susan Skelly, Qantas Magazine, 13/01/10

Waking up to muscly minotaurs, crossdressing bushrangers and bedraggled horses might not be everyone's cup of tea, but hotels are increasingly banking on provocative and high-profile art to entice custom. Last month saw the official opening of The Cullen, in Melbourne's Prahran, a boutique establishment that boasts nine original art works – seven paintings and, in the foyer, two embellished fibreglass cows - by Adam Cullen, with dozens of prints of Cullen's robust paintings hanging in halls and rooms (no sign, though, of the David Wenham portrait that won him the 2000 Archibald).

It's the first of six Art Series Hotels planned for Melbourne; each profiling the art of an acclaimed Australian artist. (The Storrier opened in Sydney in 2007, but was hived off to the Quest operators a year later.) The Olsen and The Blackman will follow in the first half of this year, with another three in the wings. It is the concept of property developers and art collectors David and William Deague, chairman and CEO of Asian Pacific Building Corporation.

Art hotels are popping up all over the place. Notable locally have been the Henry Jones Art Hotel in Hobart, showcasing the work of Tasmanian artists, and the glam Qualia on Queensland's Hamilton Island, whose rooms boast the work of Indigenous artist Dennis Nona. New Zealand's Otahuna Lodge near Christchurch commissioned 28 art works from local artists, while further a field are establishments such as the Byblos Art Hotel in Verona and the Claris Hotel in Barcelona.

December 2009

Art Series Hotels unveils first property
World Leisure News Online, 09/12/09

Independent operator Art Series Hotels has opened its first boutique hotel in Melbourne, Australia - the first of six artist-themed properties planned for the city over the next two years.

The Cullen Hotel, a new AU$48m (£26.3m, €29m, US$43.2m) property inspired by Australian artist Adam Cullen, has been unveiled in the suburb of Prahran, which boasts 115 bedrooms and two restaurants.

Facilities at the six-storey Cullen Hotel - incorporating a selection of Adam Cullen's artwork - also include a hair salon, a rooftop gym and retail outlets.

Two further Art Series Hotels are expected to be rolled out in early 2010 - the group's flagship Olsen Hotel, a AU$90m (£49.4m, €54.3m, US$81.1m), 239-bedroom property inspired by artist John Olsen is set to open in South Yarra in February.

Meanwhile, the AUS$80m (£43.9m, €48.3m, US$72m) Blackman Hotel on St Kilda Road - influenced by Charles Blackman - will open in April 2010 within the heritage listed Airlie House and provide 207 bedrooms.

Other hotels planned by Art Series Hotels include The Larwill, Prahran; the Knight on Glenferrie Road and a sixth property on Daly Street, although the artist to influence its design is yet to be named.

The Cullen Opens In Melbourne
Mice.Net, 08/12/09

The new fwe-star boutique hotel, The Cullen, opened in late October. Located on Commercial Road in Prahran, the property has been named after controversial Australian artist Adam Cullen. The Cullen Hotel is said to offer guests a fve-star experience with the best services, facilities and connection to the wider Melbourne arts and culture community. The Art Series Hotel concept is the brainchild of Melbourne businessman Will Deague, with The Cullen Hotel the first in a number of art hotels set to open in Melbourne over the next 18 months. Following The Cullen, The Olsen will open in March 2010, named for Australia's greatest living painter John Olsen. Offering the best in accommodation and guest services, The Cullen management have engaged former Hawthorn football stars Shane Crawford and Ben Dixon to offer guests personal training sewices through their business Corporate Release. A state-of-the-art gymnasium on the rooftop of The Cullen will offer guests the best views in the city during a workout, with Shane and Ben offering to run training sessions both in the gym and in surrounding parks.

Artbreak Hotels
Conde Nast Traveler, 08/12/09

Expect raised eyebrows at The Cullen, Melbourne's first Art Series Hotel, in the edgy suburb of Prahan, with art by Aussie enfant terrible Adam Cullen - his comic-bright images have featured road kill and zombies. "The style and location of the hotel suit Adam's personality and art - It's a bitout there," says 31-year-old CEO William Deague (61-1-800-278-468; doubles, $150-$370). Next up: The Olsen, with abstract landscapes by John Olsen.

For Art's Sake
Virginblue Voyeur, Shane Conroy, December 2009

Australian artist Adam Cullen is not an easy man to define. After all, this is the bloke who as a controversial young art stundent, chained a rotting sheep's head to is ankle and dragged it around for weeks as part of an art project.

He left his chains at art school and found mainstream fame when he won prestigious art competition The Archibald Prize in 2000 with his portrait of actor David Wenham.

But it wasn't long before he was the subject of controversy once again when he teamed with ex-con Mark 'Chopper' Read to work on a 2002 kig's book titled Hooky the Cripple.

It's therefore surprising to learn that a hotelier has spent $30 million on a hotel inspired by the - let's say eccentric - artist's work. but that's exactly what will Deague, CEO of The Art Series Hotel Group, has done. The Cullen Hoetl opened on Melbourne's Commercial Road in the Prahran fashion district last month and is the first of several artisit-inspired boutique properties that Deague is planning for the city.

So what does a hotel inspired bby Cullen look like? If you make it past the lime-green facafe and the two life-sized fibreglass cows (handpainted by Cullen) at the entrance, you'll find an impressive glass spiral starcase dominating the foyer.

Beyond that, the hotel's 115 rooms each feature a share of the 450 original artworks by Cullen that adorn the property. The monochromatic colour scheme with highlights of bright orange makes these interiors a fitting canvas for displaying the artist's work.

The hotel employs in-house art curator Jane O'Neill, who runs tours of the property for guests, providing insights into Cullen's art. Having worked closely with him, she can possibly eve shed some light on that burning question: seriously what was with the sheep's head?

The options: Choose between open-plan studtio suites with king or queen-sized beds or the sightily larger deluxe studio suites. If you feel like treating yourself, go for the big daddy and shell out for the Cullen suite, which comes with a separate bedroom and private balcony.

The design: The artistry is not limited to your room. In-house restauarant Hutong has a moody antique Chinese feel with contrasting dark wood and silver bricks and red lanterns. The dumplings aren't too bad either.

The details: If you're feeling athletic you can hire one of the hotel's brightly coloured bicycles to explore the surrounding areas or work out in the rooftop gym run by retired AFL football stars Shane Crawford and Ben Dixon.

Art Series Hotel open The Cullen in Melbourne
Conde Nast Traveller UK Online, Emma Lundin, 07/12/09

The Art Series Hotel Group has opened its first property, The Cullen, in Melbourne's inner-city suburb Prahan. The $48-million luxury development is named after Australian artist Adam Cullen and has 115 rooms that feature more than 450 of his artworks, including two life-size fibreglass cow sculptures in the foyer. The hotel is home to two restaurants: the all-day New York-style bistro Terrace that serves seasonal Mediterranean-influenced fare, and Huton, an Asian-fusion restaurant and bar. The rooftop is the perfect chill-out zone with a garden, private bungalows and a cocktail bar with uninterrupted views of Melbourne's skyline.

The Cullen is the first of a number of art hotels set to open in Melbourne over the next 18 months, including Art Series Hotel's flagship property The Olsen, which opens on Chapel Street in February 2010.

The Cullen
Qantas, 07/12/09

New from the innovative Art Series Hotel Group, The Cullen is as eye-catching as the art made by the six-storey boutique hotel's namesake. In keeping with the Art Series concept, 450 works by Adam Cullen adorn the 113 rooms and the latest art and design tomes decorate in-room bookshelves. Not to be outdone, the luxe bathrooms and stainless-steeltopped kitchens stand out in front of Cullen's vibrant backdrops.

Nod to art luminaries
The Age - Collins & Spencer, Mark Hawthorne, 07/12/09

The great and the good gathered for the opening of The Cullen, Melbourne's latest boutique hotel.

More than 450, ranging from retired AFL footballers to artists to property developers, turned up for the launch of the $48 million, fivestar hotel opposite Prahran Market.

The project is the baby of William Deague, son of property developer David Deague, and a battle is looming in Melbourne's boutique hotel market.

The Cullen is the first of six of the Art Series Hotels being built by the Deague family, which is sinking more than $300 million into the sector.

This year Australia's first boutique hotel, the world-famous Adelphi in Melbourne, underwent a renovation, its first since it was built by the original owners and designers, global architect firm Denton Corker Marshall, in 1992.

The Langham hotel has muscled in on the Adelphi's territory in recent years, but now the Deague family plans to take on both. Each Art Hotel will be named after an Australian artist. Adam Cullen was on hand at the launch of The Cullen. The artist is best known for winning the Archibald Prize in 2000 with a portrait of actor David Wenham, and he was almost lost for words in describing his emotions. Just two - "thank you" - rolled off his lips more than once.

The Cullen includes original works by the artist in the foyer and digital reproductions in rooms and corridors.

The Cullen will be followed by the opening in March of the $80 million Olsen, in South Yarra, named after contemporary artist John Olsen, and then The Blackman, after Charles Blackman - an $80 million, 207-room hotel in St Kilda Road.

Will Deague, in his speech to open The Cullen, said negotiations were in play to naive the biggest hotel in the series -in Daly Street, South Yarra - after Brett Whiteley. Stay tuned.

The Tao of the cow
The Sunday Age, 6/12/09

A life-sized silver cow, the work of contemporary artist Adam Cullen greeted us on Thursday night aw we arrived at the opening of the Cullen Hotel in Prahran. But this was no blah bovine; it was a cow with a message. Written on its side were the solemn words "Endurance is more important than truth", though for the man himself the truth was ever-present. How do you feel about all of this, we wondered, a hotel named after you and featuring you work? "It's as if I'm looking down on it," Cullen mused. "It's an affair that I'll have to review in hindsight, its pretty overwhelming. I am awfully honoured, I'm glad its worked."

Worked? It has.

Those there to celebrate included Country Road's Sophie Hold, Dirty Laundry's Dean Cherny, all in readiness for his New Year's Eve nuptials, Camilla Deague, in a covetable high-low mix of Topshop dress, Christian Louboutin boots and Alezander McQueen clutch, Shane Crawford, one of the hotel's personal trainers, and Sam Newman in a palette of pink.

Remembering the words of the all-knowing cow, we wondered if the man behind it all, property developer Will Deague, was tired or excited. "Excited," he said. "There's no time to be knackered, we need to roll these hotels out."

Indeed, the Cullen is the first in a series, each one focused on a different artist, that Deague will be opening.

Endurance? Got it. "We had 100 per cent occupancy on the third night," he explained, "and we've had some celebs stay too; the Pussycat Dolls... and K-Fed." He paused before smiling. "But he's not really a celebrity." Truth? Got that too.

November 2009

The Cullen Hotel Melbourne
Starryeyed Chameleon, 26/11/09

It has been a long time coming for a stylish boutique hotel to land in Prahran. Inspired by daring and unconventional contemporary artist Adam Cullen, The Cullen is the first of a handful of upcoming Art Series hotels to impress not only Melbournians but business travelers and visitors after accommodation that is set to impress with its modern fittings, collection of art books and art gallery home to Cullen’s original works.

More than $300 million will be spent on the six hotels in Melbourne honouring great Australian artists, including painter Charles Blackman, landscape artist John Olsen and the winner of the Archibald Prize in 2000, Adam Cullen.

With The Cullen having opened its doors only this month, ambience and vibrancy is far from dead. Akin to Jackson Pollock’s ‘drip’ technique which broke the ice for the Abstract Expressionist Movement in America, Adam Cullen’s trademark fluorescent drips and rainbow smears line the entrance where the mosaic life-size cow greets you.

This $48 million, 115-room boutique hotel boasts ever-so-friendly staff and an in-house curator, Jane O’Neill who has worked with Cullen between 1996 and 2000 and curated his work in three independent contemporary art exhibitions. Roadkill, ghouls and violence and mostly tamer pieces are some of the controversial subjects that inspired Cullen’s 450 works of art (including original paintings) that line the hotel walls.

Although bustling Prahran Market is across the road and busy Chapel Street is metres away, the hotel offers a relaxing art exhibit kind of feel that is quiet but ever so enthralling. But this is not where the excitement ends.

For your added convenience, each hotel room is equipped with a small yet compact and useful kitchenette complete with stove and microwave and filled with goodies from Prahran Market. Kartell Ghost armchairs, iPod dock, art books that smell new and plasma TV with dedicated Arts Channel are some of the features that definitely set out to spoil you.

And if that wasn’t enough for the design conscious, forget about a solid dividing wall between the bathroom and where you lay your head to rest. Cullen has treated you to a frosted glass bathroom screen that is watermarked with an original design. Forget light being totally blocked out when the bathroom is used during the night – such sacrifices are made in the name of art and design.

In keeping with the art theme, the hotel has bikes and Smart cars decorated with Cullen’s work for guests to hire and explore surrounding areas. The hotel also has in-house personal fitness advisers: former Hawthorn footballers Shane Crawford and Ben Dixon. Merkas Health provides guests with a relaxing and therapeutic massage within the privacy of their own room. And for guests in need of some TLC for their hair, let Nathan Weymouth from in-house Ornate Salon style your tresses.

The Cullen’s ground floor, Euro-designed The Terrace has already drawn in coffee-goers that appreciate a good bean and put in a little unpretentious effort into dressing as if they were holidaying at a resort town. Next door, the much anticipated Asian dumpling restaurant, Hutong will please foodies with gastronomic delights with its restaurant and bar.

The enfant terrible of the art world, Adam Cullen has definitely made his mark in Prahran as an exciting contemporary artist who shows no fear in breaking boundaries through art.

The Cullen hotel - New & Cool Architecture
Lost At E Minor: For creative people, 24/11/09

Ring the bells, the first of the long-awaited Art Series Hotels has arrived. The Cullen, in trendy Prahran, Melbourne, is five star luxury with a twist: each room is plastered with prints and art inspired books. Dripping with artist Adam Cullen’s work, The Cullen offers the opportinity to experience the Art of Living Fearlessly. It’s the first in a series of Art Series Hotels, which will include The Blackman and The Olsen.

Boutique hotel has artist in the frame
Kaate Bruce-Rosser, Stonnington Leader, 17/11/09

PRAHRAN'S newest hotel is a work of art.

The Cullen, a six-storey boutique hotel, opened in Commercial Rd last month, was named after controversial artist Adam Cullen.

It boasts 450 of Cullen's works as well as an in-house curator, Jane O'Neill, to guide guests in their appreciation of the collection and Melbourne's art scene generally.

The Cullen is the first of a series of six new luxury hotels, each one focused on a different artist.

The $300 million Art Series Hotels group is the brainchild of property developer Will Deague. "The idea came about from the Deague family's extensive travel through Europe, staying in boutique hotels, combined with our love for Australian art," Mr Deague said.

Four of the hotels have Stonnington addresses including Chapel St flagship, The Olsen, which celebrates painter John Olsen.

The $90 million hotel, due to open in March, claims to have the world's largest glass-bottomed swimming pool, planned to hang over the bustling retail strip.

The Cullen Hotel
Grazia, 16/11/2009

Dubbed the enfant terrible of the Australian art world for his controversial paintings, the irony of a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door of a room filled with Adam Cullen artwork is not lost on the guests of Melbourne's newest luxury hotel.

The $48 million, 115-room Cullen Hotel is the first in a series of six art-themed boutique hotels in Melbourne.

Created by prominent developers the Deague family, the independent Art Series Hotel Group was inspired by their frequent European travels and passion for collecting art.

The venture also includes hotels named after artists Jasper Knight, David Larwill and Charles Blackman. Launching in early 2010, the group's flagship hotel will be named after "Australia's greatest living painter", John Olsen. There are whisperings the sixth will be a Whiteley.

The hotels occupy central sites across Melbourne, with each artist linked to a location corresponding to their style. The Cullen has been matched to busy, alternative Prahran.

Prahran's famous produce market is across the road, shopping mecca Chapel Street is nearby, and the culturally inclined will love the in-house curator offering hotel tours and information on Melbourne's galleries.

While the subjects of Cullen's works - roadkill, ghouls, violence - are not exactly the stuff of chocolates-on-your-pillow dreams, tamer pieces grace the hotel. A life-sized cow grazes in the foyer; glass screens in bathrooms are watermarked with an original design.

The interior is a riot of vibrant paintings featuring Cullen's trademark fluorescent drips and rainbow smears outlined in wobbly black brushstrokes. Each room is furnished with a kitchen, iPod dock, Kartell Ghost armchairs, glossy design books and plasma TV (with dedicated Art Channel).

It’s the perfect blend of glunge: sleek and minimalist with Cullen's disturbingly beautiful grunge style.

In-house curator appointed to the Cullen hotel
The Sydney Morning Herald "Traveller", 14/11/09

The Cullen, the first of six Art Series hotels planned for Melbourne, has opened in Prahran. The 115-room hotel on Commercial Road features works by Adam Cullen, including seven large acrylic canvases in the foyer and 33 digital prints. There are two sculptures to come.

Jane O'Neill is the in-house curator for the hotel and possibly the first person in Australia to hold such a title.

O'Neill, who has an extensive background in the art world, worked with Cullen between 1996 and 2000 and curated his work in three independent contemporary art exhibitions. She is finding working within a hotel invigorating.

"A hotel is a wonderful environment for art. It means you get to live around the art," she says. "Cullen, with his absurdist sense of humour and his shrewd observational take on Australian culture, is the perfect choice for such a project."

O'Neill's role, now the hotel is open, is to introduce guests to Cullen's work and to the wider art scene.

"IF someone says to me I want to learn all I can and get to know the young up-and-coming stars of the art scene then that's what I will do," she says. In keeping with the art theme, the hotel has bikes and Smart cars decorated with Cullen's work for guest to hire.

The hotel also has in-house personal fitness advisers: former Hawthorn footballers Shane Crawford and Ben Dixon.

Rooms from $172 see artserieshotels.com.au

Boutique hotel group paints a different picture
Mark Lawson, Australian Financial Review, 11/11/09

The trend towards boutique hotels, already established in Europe and the Untied States, is spreading to Australia with the Asian Pacific Building Corporation controlled by the Deague family launching a chain of art hotels in Melbourne.

Each hotel will be named after a famous Australian artist and feature many of that artist's works. The first to open is The Cullen, a $48 million 115-room hotel in Commercial Road, Prahran.

The six-level building, with a rooftop cocktail bar and several restaurant spaces, was open in time for Melbourne Cup day.

Adam Cullen is best known for winning the Archibald Prize in 2000 with his portrait of the artist David Wenham, and he is considered one of Australia's most collectible artists. He has a studio in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.

The hotel features an estimated 450 works of art, including original paintings from Adam Cullen, which are to be cared for by an art curator. There is also an in-room art television channel, telephone messages from the artist and even art themed menus.

Standard suites start at about $240 a night and the penthouse goes for $450, so The Cullen is no place for the budget-conscious, but aims at the high-end business market.

The flagship hotel of the group, the $90 million Olsen, is due to open in Chapel St, Prahran, in February. Four more are planned.

Boutiques tend to be smaller affairs with the staff no required to wear distinctive uniforms. Instead they may wear smart casual clothes. Also, staff may switch between jobs so, for example, the accountant might sometimes check in guests, and the sales manager could make the coffee.

David Deague is chairman of Asian Pacific Building Corporation and son Will is chief executive.

Will Deague says his family saw the trend towards boutique hotels in European and the US and thought that Australian corporate travellers wanted something different.

Competition in the hotel industry is benefiting from the global financial crisis, which put plans for building more hotels on hold, Deague says.

Despite the downturn and the rise of boutique hotels, conventional hotels are opening their doors, with the Crown group recently opening the Crown Metropol, a $300 million, 659-room hotel in the South Bank district of Melbourne.

The publicity material for the Metropol, the group's third hotel, says it has a "Manhattan boutique style feel.”

The old Highways building by the Torrens could be in for a high-brow makeover
Artistic dream for dour tower
Renato Castello, The Sunday Mail, 8/11/09

ONE of Adelaide's ugliest buildings could be transformed into South Australia's first art themed hotel at Walkerville.

The Melbourne based Asian Pacific Building Corporation has revealed it is looking at turning the old Highways building (now Transport, Energy & Infrastructure), by the River Torrens, into a five star hotel named and designed in honour of a prominent Australian artist.

The project would feature the artist's original works in the hotel's foyer, digital reproductions in the rooms, a merchandise store, in-room art channel and an on-site arts curator in a first-its-kind development for the state.

The estimated $40 million project would consist of 100 hotel rooms and 100 apartments, gym facilities and a pool.

It would be the latest in a suite of similarly themed hotels the company is building or planning, the rest being in Melbourne. The project is dependent on the company successfully bidding for the Warwick St building, which was put on the market in October.

APBC chief executive Will Deague said a team of consultants would be visiting the site and meeting real estate agents on Tuesday to firm up an offer before expressions of interest close on November 19.

He said that under the plans, the nine storey building would not be demolished, but refurbished.

"It seems a particularly good property, compared to what we've done in the past with refurbishments and developments," Mr Deague, 31, said. "It will have a point of difference to other hotels, and the corporate (sector) will get another choice other than traditional hotels.

"This will be our first foray into South Australia and the views from the building are amazing."

He said the company would "probably" design the hotel after a South Australian artist, adding there were "plenty of artists" putting their hands up to be involved.

The company is spending more than $300 million on six similar hotels in Melbourne honouring great Australian artists, including painter Charles Blackman, landscape artist John Olsen and the winner of the Archibald Prize in 2000, Adam Cullen.

The Cullen, costing $48 million, opened its doors last week while The Olsen - featuring the world's largest glass-bottomed swimming pool, which will hang over trendy Chapel St - is to open in March.

While Mr Deague said the company did not know the Adelaide market that well, he was "pretty confident" there would be demand for the project.

The old Highways building was put on the market on October 6, with the Transport Department's 800-plus workforce expected to move into the former SA Water headquarters in Grenfell St. city by June. Holcon Investments, which is behind a controversial $55 million, five-storey residential and shopping precinct on land next to the multi-storey Highways building, has previously indicated it wanted to buy the property for an apartment complex.

Melbourne No. 1 for overnight stays
Best city for quick look-see
Angela Saurine, The Herald Sun, 7/11/09

Melbourne has overtaken the Gold Coast as the No. 1 place for overnight stays for Australian travellers.

A survey found more than 20 percent of people chose the southern capital as the place they would most like to go for a quick visit in the next two years.

Queensland's holiday playground was second at 19.5 percent, down from 22 percent eight years ago.

The Sunshine Coast was third at 13.5 percent (down from almost 16 percent) and Sydney was fourth at 10 per cent (also down from 16 percent).

Roy Morgan Research's international director of tourism, travel and leisure, Jane Ianniello, said Melbourne had built a strong profile as a holiday destination.

"It is renowned for its shopping experiences, would-class restaurants, and thriving cafe society," she said.

"In addition it offers quality theatre and major sporting and cultural events.

"Other domestic destinations such as Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Sydney have not been able to compete with Melbourne's popularity."

Melbourne has established a strong events calendar, stating with the Australian Open tennis in January, followed by the F1 Grand Prix, the International Arts Festival, the International Comedy Festival, AFL finals, Spring Racing Carnival and the Australia Motorcycle Grand Prix.

The Australian Hotels Association's spokesman for Victoria, Darryl Washington, said Melbourne had a wide range of hotels, with the Hilton at South Wharf opening a few months ago and the third Crown hotel, Crown Metropolitan, set to be one of the largest in Australia when it opens in April with almost 700 rooms.

Art Series Hotels is also opening six boutique art-focused hotels named after Australian artists such as Adam Cullen, John Olsen and Charles Blackman.

Mr Washington said Melbourne was an easy city to walk around.

"Sydney is a very pretty place with the harbour but everything is very spread out," he said. "We have hotels right opposite Melbourne Town Hall and from there you can walk to the MCG."

Hidden Secrets Tours owner Fiona Sweetman said cheap flights and cheap apartments and hotels made Melbourne very attractive for a weekend visit.

She said big musicals, such as Wicked and Jersey Boys, also helped pull travellers.

Mary Poppins and Cats will also open next year.

"There's an opportunity to do a lot in a short space," she said.

She said visitors loved exploring city lanes and trying new eateries such as the recently opened Code Bar and Restaurant, MoVida Aqul and Izakaya Den.

Hollywood actors Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise have been in town for the filming of Holmes' new movie and she has been photographed exploring the city's attractions, such as the Melbourne aquarium.

Rooms with a View
Rachel Farnay Jacques, Jetstar Magazine

Melbourne is set to be abuzz with colour when The Cullen, the first of six new Art Series Hotels, opens its doors in November. Guests will be confronted by 450 of Adam Cullen’s original works and prints in all facets of the hotel, with the showpieces being two life-sized painted fibreglass cows in the foyer. The brainchild of Asian Pacific Building Corporation CEO Will Deague, other properties due to be rolled out are The Olsen, the group’s flagship hotel due to open on Chapel Street in South Yarra in March 2010; The Blackman on St Kilda Road in mid-2010; followed by The Larwill on High Street, Prahran; The Knight on Glenferrie Road; and a sixth hotel to open on Daly Street, the artist of which is yet to be confirmed. Only Melbourne is scheduled to get Art Series Hotels at this stage, but that could change, fingers crossed.

The Deagues' Development of Six Boutique Hotels Celebrates the Lives and Works of Australian Artists
The Australian, 5/11/09

A move by the Deague family to spend more than $200 million on six boutique hotels named after Australian painters keeps nicely with their tradition of being linked to artists.

Eight years ago, David Deague, art lover and founder of Melbourne's Asian Pacific Building Corporation, took 15 artists to the middle of the South Australian desert on a noexpense spared bush bash.

The purpose was to create an Australian landscape art collection in which each artist produced 10 paintings that were initially hung in the family's Toorak mansion.

Now, the company has launched its Art Series Hotel Group, a chain of six Melbourne artist-themed boutique hotels honouring Australian artists.

It is potentially its largest development, with an Adelaide property already in the planning.

"We think the average traveller is sick of standard corporate hotels and wants something different,'' said the company's chief executive, Will Deague.

"We could have given our new hotels fluffy names, but because of the family art connection, decided to name them after artists."

The company these days is run by David's oldest son, William Deague, 31.

He is a builder and father of two, who in his spare time pilots aircraft and helicopters.

David Deague is the APBC chairman and still loves the arts almost a decade on.

William cut his teeth on APBC's residential apartment and student accommodation projects.

Among them is the former Preston and Northcote Community Hospital that is now home to Eydges, Bell City Hotel at Preston.

APBC, also a strata office developer, has completed various accommodation projects, among them Quest-operated properties in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.

For its Art Series Hotel Group, William Deague concedes that not every hotel guest will know, or want to know, about the artist and his works.

But for those who do, original paintings will hang in foyers and digital reproductions will be in rooms.

As well as an art curator for each hotel, there will be an in-room art television channel, telephone messages from the artist, art books and even art-themed menus.

Some of the original artwork from the 2001 bush odyssey will hang in the hotels, the first of which is the $48m Cullen.

The 115-room hotel opened its doors last week ahead of the influx of visitors to Melbourne for the Spring Racing Carnival.

The Cullen, in Commercial Road, Prahran, is named after 2000 Archibald Prizewinner Adam Cullen.

Next will be the $80m Olsen, a 241-room South Yarra hotel due to open in March.

The 15-level Olsen, named after Australia's most famous living artist, John Olsen, will have the world's largest glass-bottomed swimming pool that will overhang trendy Chapel Street near the Toorak Road intersection.

A giant 5.5m-long Olsen painting, Yellow Sun Over the Yarra, will also hang in the hotel foyer.

The Blackman, named after Charles Blackman, is an $80m 220-robm hotel being built behind the heritage-listed Airlie Mansion at 452 St Kilda Road, and will follow in June.

A project started three weeks ago on the former Hawthorn Court House and Police Station will honour Jasper Knight, a highly regarded artist who is nevertheless little known outside art circles.

Similarly, a hotel earmarked for 118 Commercial Road, Kew, will be named after David Lawill.

The largest hotel, a 426-room property in Daly Street, South Yarra, will be named after the late Brett Whiteley.

Mr Deague said negotiations were continuing with Whiteley's widow.

October 2009

Building The Arts Into The Arts Into The Picture
This hotel developer is following a new trend in travel, writes Philip Hopkins
The Age, 28/10/09

WILL Deague, a fifth-generation property developer, didn't have to look far when searching for inspiration for his next project.

"The family had seen the explosion of boutique hotels around the world, so we decided to get into the hotel space."

Mr Deague, 31, is chief executive of Asian Pacific Building Corporation, the Deague family's private company. His father David is chairman and brother Jonathan looks after sales, leasing and marketing. APBC already runs a big corporate hotel, Rydges in Preston, but chose a different tack: the construction of what they dubbed Art Series Hotels, a $300 million project.

"We thought the 'boutique' concept was a great idea, and because we are passionate about the arts, we thought to name each one after a great Australian artist, and educate the guest at the same time," Mr Deague told businessday.

The first in the series is the $48 million Cullen, a 115-room, five-star hotel in Commercial Road, Prahran, opening today. It is named after Adam Cullen, the "grunge artist" best know for winning the Archibald Prize in 2000 with a portrait of actor David Wenham.

The Cullen will be followed by the opening in March of the $80 million Olsen, in Chapel Street, South Yarra. Named after contemporary artist John Olsen, it will have 239 rooms and luxury shops. Then comes The Blackman - after Charles Blackman - an $80 million, 207-room hotel in St Kilda Road, due to open in April. More hotels will follow.

APBC is confident the upmarket boutique concept will be a success. "This fits in with trends overseas," Mr Deague said. "The corporates are moving away from mainstream corporate hotels and want something a bit different."

The New Artists' Quarter
New Melbourne hotels set to paint the town... white.
Australian Courment Traveller, 28/10/09, Edited by Emma Ventura

MELBOURNE The venerable Australian artist John Olsen showed no hint of irony at a recent lunch when he compared the Deague family to the Borgias, the infamous art patrons of the Italian Renaissance. By developing a range of art-themed hotels honouring major local painters - and spending vast sums on collecting local talent - the Deagues were single handily fuelling a renaissance in Australian art, Olsen suggested: Judge for yourself this month by visiting the just-opened Cullen hotel in Melbourne's preening heartland of Prahran. Named after the Archibald winning Adam Cullen, the 113-room hotel will be decorated with the artist's paintings and sculpture.

In March, the flagship 239-room Olsen hotel will debut around the corner in Chapel Street near Toorak Road. Architects Rothe Lowman have swathed the exterior of the 15-storey hotel with opaque white glass, like a blank canvas. The Blackman is set for a July launch on St Kilda Road, with others including The Knight and The Larwill to follow, all in Melbourne. artserieshotels.corn.au KENDALL HILL

Artfully yours
Harpers Bazaar

Opening this month is the first of Melbourne’s fashionable new Art Series hotels, six unique places to stay which heave with original works by their creative namesakes.

Enfant terrible of Australian contemporary art and 2000 Archibald Prize-winner Adam Cullen is the inspiration behind The Cullen in Prahran.

And true to form, the hotel’s style is as bold as a Cullen canvas, with two fibreglass cows painted by the artist guarding the foyer and further 450 Cullen pieces featuring throughout.

Next up is the series flagship, The Olsen (after painter John Olsen), whose draped-canvas-style façade and huge glass-bottomed swimming pool will dominate South Yarra from February 2010. Hospitality is indeed an art form.

September 2009

Much ado about dumplings
Matt Preston, The Age Melbourne, 25/9/09

RIGHT, let's call to order this quarter's meeting of the Melbourne Association of Dumpling-lovers - MAD for short. Those of you who are regulars here will know that this is a haven for lovers of dumplings, be they steamed and sweet, or fried and savoury.

We've played here with fluffy beauties poached in golden syrup and sung hymns of praise to a special dumpling shop in Hong Kong. In this supportive environment can I share the rather exciting news that dumplings may well be this year's zeitgeist item in Melbourne's restaurants.

Gyoza, pierogi and har gow have been perennial restaurant favourites when dining at places with names written in Japanese, Russian or Chinese characters. As have funkier modern versions which are their own hagiographies, such as those at Ichi Ni or Verge.

Forget the previous trend for hot pots, the Chinese way with pastry and fillings is where the smart money is going these days. We've always had a bit of a thing about them whether served from a yum cha trolley or sold by the plate from such sticky-tabled delights as Camy Shanghai Dumpling House, where the low prices have you overlooking a number of sins.

New dumpling restaurants are popping up all over Melbourne seemingly faster than our highly trained team of reviewers can keep pace. We've seen Auntie's Dumplings in Carnegie and are now on the trail of a new place in Glenferrie Road. I have also been hearing delicious dumpling tales from the flash Red Pocket in Victoria Street in Abbotsford, which opened with an original reaction from this paper that was more of a whimper than a bang.

It is, however, about HuTong in the city that I would like to talk today. If HuTong was in Sydney it would have a Good Food Guide hat, for it is more than a match for that city's much lauded branch of the Taiwanese dumpling phenomenon, Din Tai Fung, which was recently toque-d by our friends in the north.

I've eaten at, and enjoyed, both. But I think HuTong is superior in a number of ways. First, its smaller two-tier design makes it feel intimate. Secondly, the option of following dumplings with Sichuan or Shanghainese dishes such as plates of soft gelatinous Dong Po pork belly (OK, I have to admit I really just like the bell-like rhythm of the name), Shanghai-style pork ribs in a sweet vinegar sauce, or juicy fried chicken wings tossed with loads of dried chilli, is a big plus. Even the dumpling-obsessed need a little variety occasionally.

Outweighing both of these reasons, however, is the chance to eat their shao-long bao, the famous soup-filled dumplings that should be the city emblem of Shanghai. I have eaten these miracles of culinary engineering from Shanghai to Springvale and I'm jiggered if I can think of a better example than the ones at HuTong. The juicy kernel of meat inside the dumpling floats in a broth loaded with flavour, and leaves you wondering how you fill a dumpling with soup. (The secret isn't the nifty use of a syringe but what happens to great stock when it goes cold). But here the real wonder is how they make the dumpling wrapper so thin and silky, yet strong enough to hold a tablespoon of hot soup and the meat filling without it splitting and letting that rich stock ebb away.

I have found after some disastrous and shirt-wrecking experiences that the best way to eat shao-long bao is to pick them up carefully with your chopsticks and rest their base on your spoon, close to your mouth. You then nip the skin near the neck of the dumpling and suck out some of the soup, leaving a little in there to lubricate the meatball filling and pasta sheath when you pop the partially drained dumpling in your mouth. If you don't do this, you don't know how hot the soup inside is. As a shao-long bao novice, many was the time I'd greedily ram a dumpling into my gob only to find the soup inside scaldingly hot. Painful, for when the dumpling burst it would turn the skin on the roof of my mouth into bubble-wrap.

So go, try and enjoy and question whether these could become the dumpling emblem of Melbourne to replace the South Melbourne Market dimmie, a dimmie that has long been as uniquely Melbourne as trams, good coffee and a universal dislike of the Hawthorn colours.

I only ask this because disturbing reports have reached me from the taxi and limousine drivers' arm of MAD that the dimmies at South Melbourne Market have lost their shine. It's a serious accusation but delivered with the sort of gravitas that normally greets the news that a much-loved, gin-soaked member of the royal family is dead.

While the sincerity of the source leaves me no room to disbelieve, we still pointed the meter south and discovered that he speaks the truth. While it's too early to declare that the mighty have fallen, they are looking distinctly wobbly. The South Melbourne dimmie is not the crunchy, meaty brute it was even a couple of years ago.

It's a sour moment alleviated only by the hope that, like a dough-covered phoenix the size of a fat toddler's fist, these iconic dimmies can rise again from the ashes in my mouth. Regular updates from MAD members would be much appreciated. In fact do your fellow man, or dumpling-loving woman, a favour and file your favourite place for a dimmie to me.

The art of luxury
Club Marine Magazine

A new chain of independent luxury hotels is set to open across Melbourne. The Art Series Hotels are each set to be named after, and inspired by, a famous Australian artist.

Six of the new hotels will be rolled out from 2009 to 2011, delivering a $300m injection to the Victorian jobs market and State economy.

The Asian Pacific Building Corporation – the firm behind the new hotel group – says the project will provide some 1500 jobs during the construction phase and create hundreds of permanent jobs once they open for business.

The network will comprise The Cullen (Commercial Road, Prahran), The Olsen (Chapel Street, South Yarra), The Blackman (St Kilda Road, Melbourne), The Larwill (High Street, Prahran), The Knight (Glenferrie Road, Melbourne) and a sixth Melbourne venue, yet to be named.

No two hotels will be the same, and each has been designed to appeal to both the corporate and leisure markets. The first of the six to open, The Cullen, will begin operations this November, followed by The Olsen in February and the Blackman in April.

The inside stories from the restaurant world. Double the dumplings
Larissa Dubecki, The Age Melbourne 08/09/09

CITY dumpling house HuTong is set to launch an outpost at 160-164 Commercial Road in Prahran when the Cullen Hotel opens in two months. The 140-seat restaurant will replicate the formula of its always-jumping Market Lane joint, with a small army of dumpling makers, as well as the talents of a Peking duck specialist imported from the renowned Quanjude restaurant in Beijing.

The Cullen has also signed restaurateur George Rizk (Toscani's, Cafe Florentine, Elsternwick's Simmer) for a 140-seat Med-focused all-day cafe, to be known as The Terrace. Head chef will be Milan Cushway, previously at Simmer and France-Soir.

Another two hotels in Will Deague's Art Series hotel group, due to launch in the next 18 months, promise further ambitious hospitality ventures: the Olsen Hotel, on Chapel Street in South Yarra, is negotiating with potential operators for a 300-seat traditional Argentinian steakhouse and a 60-seat Japanese restaurant; while the Blackman, on St Kilda Road, has plans for an upmarket restaurant.

August 2009

The Art of Building Hotels
Sydney Morning herald 29/08/09

BY THE time all of the Art Series Hotels are opened in two years, the Deague family's art collection might be depleted.

Through their property development company, Asian Pacific Building Corporation, the Deagues are building six hotels in the inner suburbs of Melbourne named after and featuring the work of eminent Australian artists.

Some of the art on display in the hotels will come from the family's private collection. The family patriarch, David Deague, has been collecting for 30 years and in 2001 spent more than $1 million taking 10 artists to William Creek, in South Australia, to paint. In return, they delivered 150 paintings to him.

John Olsen and David Larwill were among the painters and will have Art Series hotels named after them. Tim Storrier also went on the expedition and the hotel bearing his moniker, The Storrier, opened in Potts Point in 2007. (It has since been sold and renamed Ouest Potts Point.)

The first Melbourne hotel, The Cullen, named after Archibald Prize winner Adam Cullen, will open in Prahran in mid-October.

In March, the group's flagship property, The Olsen, will open on Chapel Street, South Yarra. Rather than plunder their own collection, the Deagues commissioned Olsen to paint a six-metre mural for the lobby and there will be original Olsens in the penthouse suites and public spaces. The entry-level rooms will have to make do with prints and Olsen motifs woven into the carpet and embossed on glass walls.

The exterior, rendered in an opaque white glass to evoke an artist's canvas, and a glass-bottom pool overhanging Chapel Street, are likely to provoke comment.

Hotels named after Charles Blackman, David Larwill and Jasper Knight will open in St Kilda Road, Prahran and Hawthorn respectively next year. The Whiteley, located in Daly Street, South Yarra, is expected to be ready by December 2011.

A limo service taking tours of the art will run between hotels. Merchandise featuring the artists' work will be available, with proceeds returning to the artists. "It seemed a natural fit for us with our strong connection into the art world," says chief executive Will Deague.

June 2009

Art & Hospitality align to inject $300million into Victorian Economy

Asian Pacific Building Corporation is giving Victoria a combined cultural and cash boost, with the roll out of independent luxury hotel group, the Art Series Hotels. The group will open six hotels across Melbourne from 2009 - 2011 under dynamic CEO Will Deague giving an injection in excess of $300 million to the Victorian jobs market and economy.

The hotels will provide the guest with a unique visual experience, with each hotel named after and inspired by a famous Australian artist, no two Art Series Hotels will be the same. The Cullen (Commercial Road, Prahran), The Olsen (Chapel Street, South Yarra) and The Blackman (St Kilda Road, Melbourne) are the first hotels under construction. Other hotels in the group include The Larwill (High Street, Prahran), The Knight (Glenferrie Road, Melbourne) and a sixth hotel to open on Daly Street, artist to be confirmed.

Appealing to both the corporate and leisure market the hotels will provide the city with much needed accommodation during major event periods. The project will also generate a much needed boost to Melbourne's lagging construction sector generating over 1500 new jobs for the construction phase of the first three hotels. Upon completion the hotel group will also lead to 100’s of new, permanent jobs in the hospitality sector.

First to open in the Art Series group is The Cullen, a $30 million dollar, 115 room boutique hotel and entertainment precinct opening on Commercial Road in November 2009. Named after controversial artist Adam Cullen, the six level establishment will boast a roof top cocktail bar and multiple restaurant spaces.

The flagship hotel of the group, The Olsen ($60million), is due to open in February 2010. Named after Australia's greatest living painter, John Olsen. Set within Melbourne's premier shopping hub, Chapel Street, is a 15 storey building, constructed by architects Rothelowman, a draped, canvas like facade encloses 239 rooms and an enormous luxury retail space. The hotel even claims the world's largest glass bottomed swimming pool, planned to hang over Chapel Street.

The Blackman ($65million), planned to open in April 2010, will reside within and above the heritage listed Airlie House, recently acquired by the group. The 1880's Italianite mansion will be complemented by a tall slender building, together housing 207 rooms. Blackman, born in Sydney in 1928, is best known for his haunting images of women and girls in his whimsical Schoolgirl and Alice in Wonderland series.

For all media enquiries please contact The Mint Partners:
Genevieve Taubman Campbell
p. 02 8354 0702 m. 0414 472 665
e. genevieve@themintpartners.com.au

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