Art Series Hotel Open for Business in Box Hill as Melbourne 'Room Boom' Continues

The Melbourne suburb of Box Hill will welcome the latest Art Series Hotel on Monday with the opening of The Chen, named after Chinese-Australian artist Zhong Chen.

It is the eighth art-inspired hotel from Art Series Hotel Group and will be dedicated to the "Art of Joyful Journeys". The Chen will reflect and celebrate the ethnic diversity of Box Hill, with Chen’s bold art showcasing his own transcultural identity.

Chen’s art marries Western expressions with Chinese traditions as he negotiates his mixed heritage portraying childhood memories and Chinese pop culture as his inspiration.

The Chen, located at 850 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill will with 100 hotel suites, features spectacular views of Melbourne’s CBD and surrounding suburbs from the rooftop pool and entertainment deck, with multiple onsite restaurants and cafes set to open later this year.

The Chen, located at 850 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill will add 100 hotel suites to the nearly 5,000 new rooms under construction or planned in Melbourne.

The city is currently experiencing a small hotel "boom" thanks to surging growth and a vibrant tourism economy.

Cbus Property will open Melbourne's first W Hotel in 2020 when the mixed-use luxury precinct Collins Arch opens. W Melbourne will offer 294 guest-rooms across 15-storeys, including 40 suites.

The luxury five-star Shangri-La Hotel is expected to reach completion in 2022 at 308 Exhibition Street and will feature an estimated 500 guest rooms with three levels of amenities for guests.

In Southbank, construction is underway on the $60 million Peppers Southbank which will comprise 162 rooms. It is expected to open in 2019.

Mantra Group bought the Art Series Hotel Group in August with the transaction settling this month.

On being chosen as the Art Series Hotel's newest namesake, Zhong Chen said: “I have lived and worked in Box Hill for nearly a decade and I am really proud of this community and its emergence as a powerful fringe suburb of Melbourne.

“To have an Art Series Hotel open in my name is truly an honour.”

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