Palazzo Versace Australia

Palazzo Versace
Palazzo Versace logo
General information
Location	94 Seaworld Drive, Main Beach, Queensland, Australia
Coordinates	27°58′01″S 153°25′33″E / 27.966991°S 153.425939°E / -27.966991; 153.425939Coordinates: 27°58′01″S 153°25′33″E / 27.966991°S 153.425939°E / -27.966991; 153.425939
Opened	2000
Owner	Nanbai Australia PTY LTD
Technical details
Floor count	5
Design and construction
Architect	DBI Design
Developer	Sunland Group Ltd
Other information
Number of rooms	200
Number of restaurants	3
Number of bars	2
Parking	300+
Website
www.palazzoversace.com

Palazzo Versace or Versace Palace is a luxury 5 star hotel located by the Southport Broadwater, and Marina Mirage shopping centre at Southport Spit on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The hotel was constructed by the Sunland group on the site of the former Fisherman's Wharf complex, at a reported cost in excess of $200 million. Opened on September 15, 2000, the hotel features 200 rooms, 72 privately owned apartments, 600 seater ballroom, bars, restaurants and Versace retail store. The design and furnishing of the hotel was overseen by Versace in Milan, Italy, and the design and architecture were intended to be a homage to the styles of the French Riviera. The building itself was created by Gold Coast architect Desmond Brook of DBI Design.

Soheil Abedian of the Sunland Group visited the House of Versace in 1997 to propose the idea of a Versace branded hotel. He claims Palazzo Versace Gold Coast to be the first fashion-branded hotel. On his reasons for approaching Versace, Abedian says "Gianni Versace was a lover of architecture in the first place, a person who used in his fashion all the elements of the Baroque style. ... Also, Versace was the only fashion house at the time that had a home collection and everything that a hotel needed from the porcelain to cutlery, pillows to fabric." The main building was designed by chief architect Rocco Magnoli in Postmodern architecture style in a broad interpretation of Neoclassical architecture. In September 2000, Palazzo Versace opened its doors and created a new luxury address on a historic site in Southern Queensland on the edge of the Gold Coast Broadwater.

In 2005, Emirates International Holdings acquired 50% of Palazzo Versace Gold Coast at the same time entering into a joint venture to develop a chain of hotels including a similar hotel in Dubai. It is the only 8-star Hotel in the world. In September 2012 a conditional contract was entered into to sell the hotel complex to a Chinese consortium for A$68.5 million, with settlement expected 30 November.