Melbourne Cup – the Race That Fills a City

Metro Hotels

February 16, 2011

They call it "the race that stops a nation" but for the hotel industry, it is also a race that fills a city!

The famed Melbourne Cup horse race held on the first Tuesday of November every year, is one sporting event that is proving to be a consistent winner with Melbourne hotels and accommodation providers.

"The Melbourne Cup never fails to see our Metro Apartments operate at 100 percent occupancy for up to four days over the race meet." explains Mr. George Bedwani, COO of Metro Hotels and an avid follower of horse racing.

According to Mr Bedwani, the Melbourne Cup has maintained its popularity with the sporting public year after year while other major annual events in Melbourne fluctuate in popularity and the impact they have on the city's hotels.

"We have found that the Australian Open Tennis is only very popular if there is an Australian who does really well or if the top seeds are playing it out in the final," he said. "This years final between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic just didn't have the pulling power despite the quality of the two players."

The same applies for the AFL Grand Final, according to Mr Bedwani. "When there is one or two interstate teams involved in the Grand Final then our occupancies and demand for accommodation soar."

While the 2010 Grand Final (both of them) between Collingwood and St Kilda were great spectacles to watch, they didn't generate the same demand for accommodation from interstate or regional Victorian visitors coming to watch.

"And that's where the Melbourne Cup is different," says Mr Bedwani. "It is not just a sporting event but a complete day out - a real social occasion." he continues.

Metro Hotels manages a boutique serviced apartment, the Metro Apartments on Bank Place located in the "New York" precinct of Melbourne CBD.

The Metro Apartments on Bank Place offers 55 studio, one and two bedroom apartments along with a small number of hotel rooms. The location of the apartments make it the ideal base for both corporate and leisure travelers visiting Melbourne.

If you are one of the many people heading to Melbourne for the 2011 Melbourne Cup on Tuesday 1st November then book your accommodation now at www.metroapartmentsmelbourne.com or call the property direct on 1800 00 5433 (for callers within Australia only) or +61 3 9604 4321.