The Ascott Limited has expanded the Australian footprint of its Oakwood brand with the opening of Oakwood Epping Melbourne, bringing 122 new hotel and serviced apartment rooms to Melbourne’s rapidly growing northern corridor.
The opening makes Epping the second Oakwood location in Australia, joining Oakwood Premier Melbourne, with Oakwood Premier Wright Street Adelaide due to open in 2027 and further Australian growth planned for the brand.
Oakwood Epping Melbourne offers contemporary studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments designed for short and extended stays, supported by onsite food and beverage, a gym, secure onsite parking and an upper-level alfresco terrace with BBQ facilities.
Located on Cooper Street, the property sits within one of Melbourne’s north’s major employment and commercial corridors, close to Northern Hospital, Melbourne Market and Pacific Epping Shopping Centre.
The area supports significant activity across healthcare, logistics, fresh produce, manufacturing and construction, creating accommodation demand from corporate travellers, project teams, relocating professionals, healthcare workers and visiting families.
City of Whittlesea Mayor, Councillor Lawrie Cox said: “The City of Whittlesea is one of the fastest-growing areas in Victoria, and with this growth comes a need to ensure our city, and in particular our economy keeps pace.
“Developments such as this support our Council’s goal of boosting employment opportunities, while catering to the growing demand for accommodation in the area for both corporate and leisure visitors, as well as families wanting to stay close to the nearby healthcare facilities.”
David Mansfield, Managing Director of The Ascott Limited Australasia, said the opening demonstrated Ascott’s strategy of matching different brands and accommodation formats to the needs of individual markets.
“Business and extended-stay demand is increasingly being generated well beyond traditional CBD locations, particularly in major employment corridors like Epping. Oakwood gives us a premium hotel and serviced apartment product that is well suited to corporate, project and longer-stay guests, while offering the flexibility to accommodate shorter visits as well.
“As our second Oakwood in Australia, Epping is another important step in growing the brand locally, with Adelaide to follow in 2027 and further opportunities ahead.”
The opening also strengthens The Ascott Limited, Australia’s existing presence in Epping, joining sister property Quest Epping nearby across the Cooper Street precinct.
Mansfield said having two Ascott brands operating in close proximity reflected the depth and diversity of demand in the market.
“Quest and Oakwood have distinct propositions and serve different guest needs, which is one of the strengths of Ascott’s multi-brand approach. Rather than applying the same accommodation model everywhere, we can look at the characteristics of each market and bring in the brand that best suits the demand.”
Oakwood Epping Melbourne is part of a $100 million-plus mixed-use development by Centreland Group, led by Managing Director Peter Wu.
The project continues an established relationship between Centreland and Ascott following their collaboration on Quest Collingwood, and reflects growing developer confidence in accommodation demand across Melbourne’s suburban employment corridors.
Oakwood is built around the idea of “Home + Beyond”, combining the warmth and familiarity of home with the services and reliability of an international hospitality brand.
The Epping property joins Ascott’s broader Australian portfolio across brands including Quest Apartment Hotels, Citadines, Oakwood and lyf.
Oakwood Epping Melbourne is now open and accepting bookings at www.discoverasr.com/en/oakwood/australia/oakwood-epping-melbourne.
