Renovations to Metro Apartments Bank Place Nearing Completion

Metro Hospitality Group will shortly complete major renovations to its boutique Melbourne property, Metro Apartments Bank Place, in a bid to maintain its reputation for providing stylish yet affordable inner city accommodation.

Commencing in September 2012, with completion towards the end of May 2013, the renovations include the installation of new kitchens and bathrooms in all apartments as well as new lighting, carpeting and furnishings.

According to George Bedwani, Chief Operating Officer of Metro Hospitality Group, this particular property continues to defy the economic climate, maintaining strong occupancy despite a downturn in leisure and corporate travel to Melbourne over the last few years.

“The Apartments are very popular and enjoy significant repeat business, largely due to their central location and competitive rates,” he said.

Metro Apartments on Bank Place attracts leisure and corporate interstate visitors, as well as the regional Victorian leisure market. The Apartments also appeal to Melbournians looking for unique weekend accommodation for the opportunity to experience the vibrant soul of their own city.

The Apartments are located in a unique 100-year old Victorian building complete with rough hewn bluestone façade, in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD.  The chic exterior and surrounds are complimented by the interior’s understated style, quality furnishings and fittings.

The 46 studio and one-bedroom apartments all feature Queen sized beds, contemporary furniture and sleek grey and glass ensuites.  The suites include a fully equipped kitchen and laundry so guests can self-cater.

A hallmark of all Metro Hospitality Group properties, a popular central city location ensures guests are within easy walking distance of Melbourne’s attractions and business districts. Nearby trams and train stations allow guests to easily navigate Melbourne’s outer suburbs.

View Metro Hotels News

André Rieu to Tour Australia - The Waltz Tour Goes On

Violin master André Rieu, one of the best-selling live acts in the world, is delighted to announce he is returning to Australia with a brand new show in October 2013. Called "And The Waltz Goes On Tour", the tour is named after his successful album on which he collaborated with Sir Anthony Hopkins. Rieu will perform in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Billboard ranked his 2011 tour as the 9th highest grossing tour of the year, just behind Lady Gaga. He has broken all classical concert records, packing stadiums and arenas with more than 700,000 adoring fans each year. Rieu has sold over 32 million albums globally and received 330 platinum awards for his albums. With his natural charisma, Rieu conducts his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra and plays his 1732 Stradivarius violin to create a celebratory atmosphere.

"Every night when I play around the whole world, I see with my own eyes what the waltz does with the audience. People get out of their seats and waltz in the aisles spontaneously. They sing, they smile and for a moment they forget all their worries and are happy. That is why this tour is an ode to the waltz!" says André Rieu.

As always, the maestro and his orchestra will perform beautiful waltzes on this tour, but the concerts are much more than that. From famous Viennese operettas to film scores, spirituals to musicals, and from folk songs to marches; Rieu's concerts are a perfect mix of thrilling, romantic, festive and emotional melodies combined with surprises, balloons, beautiful soloists and of course Rieu's great sense of humor.

So far, 2012 has been a hugely successful year for the violinist. Rieu gave a record breaking series of 30 sold-out concerts in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He won a Classic BRIT award for his album "And The Waltz Goes On" and is nominated for a prestigious Mexican Luna award. With his first tour in Brazil Rieu reached the #1 position in Pollstar’s Box Office Chart of highest grossing tours in July. Leaving behind artist like Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, Coldplay, Celine Dion, The Black Keys and Pearl Jam.

TOUR DATES*:

Sat 12 Oct - Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Wed 16 Oct - Allphones Arena Sydney
Sat 19 Oct - Rod Laver Arena Melbourne
Wed 23 Oct - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Tue 29 Oct - Perth Arena
*Ticketek is selling for the above venues only.

Supafest 2013 - Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne & Perth

Chase Records is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated line-up for Supafest 4.

Garnered as one of the biggest urban music festivals in the world, Supafest has successfully delivered over 25 international urban and hip-hop superstars over the last 4 years. 2013 sees the legendary TI performing in Australia for the very first time, along with R&B icon Ne-Yo, Supafest favourite Akon and hip-hop legend 50 Cent.

Joining them are J. Cole, Young Jeezy, Waka Flocka, DJ Unk, Mindless Behaviour and Kevin McCall, who are all making their Australian debut for Supafest.

Supafest Tour Dates:

Perth Arena 25th April

Sydney ANZ Stadium 26th April

Melbourne Flemmington Racecourse 27th April

Brisbane RNA Showgrounds 28th April

Buy tickets HERE

Liverpool FC v Melbourne Victory

Liverpool FC will make history this summer by visiting Australia for the first time as part of their 2013 pre-season tour presented by Standard Chartered. The Reds will take on Melbourne Victory, one of the most successful clubs in the A-League, on Wednesday July 24 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

To follow Liverpool FC and receive ticket news and tour updates, visit www.lfctour.com
Ticket Limit is 10 per customer.

Liverpool FC KOP / Active Area is available to Liverpool supporters only and must be purchased during the presale.

Melbourne Victory FC Active Area is available to Melbourne Victory members only and must be purchased during the member presale.

*Important Information regarding Active Areas: Active Areas are designed for active supporters who are extra passionate and vocal in support of their team.

By purchasing in the active areas, you should already be familiar with active support from Melbourne Victory home games and that standing and prolonged chant participation is expected.

Advance purchase available today here

Sydney and Melbourne Compete Over Musical Theatre Tourism Revenue

 

Musical theatre is big business in Australia. Significant revenue from international shows has created fierce competition between the New South Wales and Victoria state governments to host the premieres.

Musical theatre is big business in Australia, with international shows a significant source of revenue for both Melbourne and Sydney. Not surprisingly fierce competition has developed between the New South Wales and Victoria state governments to host the premieres.

Theatre Producer Rodney Rigby says regional and interstate tourism to shows accounts for up to 40 percent of ticket sales to some shows such as Jersey Boys, which opened in Melbourne and is opening soon in Perth.

Rigby is premiering an Australian production of the broadway show The Addams Family in Sydney this week: “It's a great deal to have it here in Australia and opening here in Sydney. The timing when shows open is so complicated. It's got to do with the availability of theatres, creative teams."

“Sydney is the home, we are number one for first run musicals in Australia,” says Sandra Chipchase, CEO of Destination NSW, the State government bidy set up to attract major events. "Destination NSW has a very unique strategy to the way we package musicals."

Victoria is downplaying the rivalry.

"For us, it's getting the biggest and the best of the available musical productions that are coming to Australia," says Brendan McClements, CEO of Victoria Major Events Company. "To be perfectly frank, we don't spend a lot of time thinking about Sydney, for us it's really how do we work best with the producers in the West End or on Broadway."

And in the musical tales of two cities, there are plenty.

Melbourne recently host the Australian premiere of the West End's War Horse, heading to Sydney this week, and it will stage the global premiere of King Kong in May; while Sydney recently premiered Legally Blonde the musical and has secured the world premiere of Baz Lurhman's Strictly Ballroom, to open in 2014 or 2015.

Next week, the musical Grease will reveal where it will launch in Australia.

Hosting an internationally renowned musical generates around $3 million a month for the State. The two biggest states, almost head to head in revenue, are NSW with $102 million in ticket sales and Victoria at $91 million. That's in a country that brings in $250 million every year in musical theatre.

Rick Elice, writer of The Addams Family Broadway show, in Australia for the premiere, says "Competition always brings out the best work I think, as long as it's a healthy competition between Melbourne and Sydney. The real winner is the vast numbers of people who have the opportunity to come and see the theatre."

Lloyd Webber's Superstar to be Resurrected

ANDREW Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's smash-hit musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, is returning to Australia for another arena tour in May, starring a comedian, a Spice Girl and a reality TV talent show winner in the lead roles.

In 1992, when the musical toured Australia's arenas for the first time (the show made its Australian premiere at Sydney's Capitol Theatre 20 years before, in 1972), John Farnham, then one of the country's biggest pop stars, starred as Christ, sporting a glorious blonde mane. Flanked by Kate Ceberano as a sultry Mary Magdalene and Noiseworks frontman, Jon Stevens, playing the treacherous Judas with a mullet to rival Jesus', the show became one of Australia's most popular ever, selling almost 1 million tickets over 16 weeks and grossing more than $40 million. The original cast recording soundtrack went platinum four times.

Twenty years later, after a record-breaking opening run in arenas across Britain and Ireland last September, a contemporarised version of the musical is returning to Australia and will debut in Perth on May 31. The three leads from the British production are reprising their roles here, with Perth-born comedian, singer and actor Tim Minchin playing Judas, former Spice Girl Mel C as Mary Magdalene and newcomer Ben Forster as Jesus, who won the role after appearing in Lloyd Webber's British TV talent show, Superstar.

Stevens returns to the cast for the Australian production, this time playing Pontius Pilate, while Andrew O'Keefe, host of TV game show Deal Or No Deal and nephew of '50s rock star Johnny O'Keefe, makes his major debut as King Herod.

The musical will travel to Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in May and June. Three dates at Rod Laver Arena have been announced.

The story traces the last week of Jesus' life, beginning with his arrival with his disciples in Jerusalem and culminating in his crucifixion. In the updated version, the musical is set in the midst of a global financial crisis, inspired by the London riots and Occupy movements. The set is accordingly modernised, as are the costumes - Forster, as Jesus, evokes a brooding Johnny Depp, while Mel C's Mary Magdalene has dreadlocks and piercings. Reviews for the British leg have been largely positive, with both The Telegraph and The Times giving the show four stars. The Guardian was less impressed, describing Forster as having "only two facial expressions: (pained, or faintly smouldering, like a bit of damp kindling)".

Jon English.

More than 100 people will come to Australia from Britain for the show, which tour promoter Michael Gudinski hopes is the first in a series of collaborations with Lloyd Webber.

Aussie F1 Stars Look For Home Race Success In Melbourne

Australia's two Formula 1 drivers, Red Bull's Mark Webber and Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo, are looking forward to this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.

Webber occupies the second Red Bull alongside multiple world champion Sebastien Vettel and believes his team to be one of four who could take the top step at Albert Park.

“It’s difficult to read, and in general we do have some quick teams,” Webber said in Melbourne this week.

“Mercedes can certainly pull a single lap out that’s pretty strong. Ferrari will definitely be there and they’ll be challenging for victories, as will Red Bull, as will Lotus, as will McLaren. But as the course of the season goes on, I think that will close down a little bit and the teams that are more organised and develop well will be stronger.”

Ricciardo is lining up for his second AGP for the Toro Rosso team, having scored points on his Albert Park debut in 2012.

“Points and ahead of my teammate would be a decent start to the season,” Ricciardo said.

“The perfect start would be on the podium, but I think I’d be pleased if I do get more than one point and he’s behind me.”

On Tuesday, speaking at a Red Bull press event, he went a step further, saying he wants to "blow apart" his French teammate, Jean-Eric Vergne.

Webber lines up for his twelfth Australian Grand Prix which kicks off the nineteen race 2013 Formula One World Championship.

Watch TMR for a full race wrap-up on Monday.

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