15 October 2018

Canberra’s iconic Diplomat Hotel celebrates $2 million renovation by helping with emergency accommodation

| Glynis Quinlan
Join the conversation
3

The iconic Diplomat Hotel in Griffith has undergone a $2 million refurbishment. All photos supplied.

The iconic Diplomat Hotel in Griffith has undergone a major refurbishment at the cost of $2 million and is celebrating its relaunch by supporting a local initiative helping those needing emergency accommodation.

After 18 months of work, the ‘Diplomat – a Roundside Hotel’ was relaunched at an event last Thursday night (October 11) – becoming the latest historic Canberra hotel to be substantially renovated.

“Diplomat has become part of the movement of renovating and revitalising Canberra’s heritage hotels,” said Hugh Cooke, Managing Director for Roundhouse Hotels.

“We were very proud to have the professional expertise of Blainey North who provided the design and inspiration for the refurbishment and assisted us in implementing her vision at the highest possible standard.

“Once again we have a beautiful iconic boutique hotel that fits with the quality service we will continue to provide.”

The renovation of the 67-room hotel included a refurbishment of the foyer/reception, bar, restaurant and all the accommodation rooms including a refresh of the bathrooms.

The hotel’s conference room, the Attaché room, was also refurbished. Mr Cooke said that this intimate conference space is much loved for both day meeting and evening events.

For example, it was recently chosen by the Malta High Commission as the venue for the Malta National Day celebration.

The relaunch also provided an opportunity for Roundhouse Hotels to pledge its support to those experiencing a different kind of need for accommodation – involving medical treatment.

“In addition to the launch of the Diplomat, we are thrilled to provide support of the Rooftop Foundation, a fantastic local initiative which assists people in their time of need by providing emergency accommodation,” Mr Cooke said.

Rooftop Foundation’s mission is to support regional families with affordable relief accommodation at times of medical need. The Foundation offers support to families when they are away from home due to a loved one having medical treatment.

Roundhouse Hotels is raising money for Rooftop Foundation to provide 100 room nights in a year via free and discounted accommodation.

Guests to last Thursday night’s launch were invited to purchase a pillowcase for $50, with the money going directly to the Rooftop Foundation.

“Our guests can sleep easy knowing they’ve helped others to sleep a little easier,” said Mr Cooke.

Marc Wilson, Chair of Rooftop Foundation Inc., said this is the first time Rooftop has received this type of support, and that Diabetes NSW/ACT will be one of the first direct beneficiaries.

All funds raised on Thursday evening are going directly towards benefiting Diabetes NSW/ACT patients and their families.

People coming from regional areas for treatment in Canberra can stay at one of the Roundhouse Hotel Group’s well-appointed and centrally located rooms.

“We need more hotels like Roundhouse that include social responsibility at the core of their brand,” said Mr Wilson.

Join the conversation

3
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.