By KATH GANNAWAY
MARYSVILLE will have its long-awaited conference centre when VIBE Marysville Hotel and Conference Centre opens on Monday, 9 February.
Premier Daniel Andrews had a preview of the $28 million facility in January, saying it provided a new anchor that would bring more jobs and tourism to the town devastated in the 2009 bushfires.
The 100-room, four-star hotel with conference facilities for 300 people and associated recreation and spa facilities is built on the prominent site of the former Cumberland/Keppel’s hotel site.
The project was hailed by local business and tourism operators as a huge plus for the town when it was announced at the end of 2012 and the view that it will drive tourism and other business investment was reiterated by Mr Andrews.
He said 80 people had worked on the project during its construction and that it had created 42 ongoing jobs which could be expected to grow to more than 60 as the business became more established.
“This is going to be one of the biggest employers in the Marysville community,” he said.
Hotel manager Phil Wilmot has been with TFE Hotels group for 14 years and described VIBE Marysville as an aspirational job.
“I’ve been aware of this project since the beginning and been interested in securing a role here since it was announced,” he said.
Mr Wilmot said he and his partner were now Marysville residents and had received a very warm welcome from the Marysville community.
Some of the key team members had been on-site since before Christmas, he said, with others coming in in January in preparation for the big reveal!
He said while VIBE Marysville would provide the conference facilities that Marysville needed, there would be flow-on benefits to the region.
“We will cater here for three quarters of the conferences that come in, and the other quarter will be spread around,” he said.
“It’s about bringing more people up here and we have been working closely with other operators in the town.
“I believe that everyone sees the benefits of VIBE being here, and we’re looking forward to opening day and beyond,” he said.
