New lifestyle accommodation venture, The Leisure Accommodation Collective  (LA Co), officially launched its first property,  (LA Co), officially launched its first property, following its takeover of The Village hostel portfolio in 2022.   

The relaunch and ribbon cutting event was attended by over 150 guests, including representatives from the Victoria Tourism Industry Council, key travel partners from Dutchies

Travel, Welcome to Travel as well as LA Co’s Chairman Bob East (current chair of Australian Venture Co, and former chair of Tourism Australia and CEO of Mantra Group), and LA Co CEO Luke Moran (25 years of hotel leadership experience across Lancemore, Mantra Group and The Langham). 

Located at 78 Howard St, North Melbourne, The Village North Melbourne underwent a six-month refurbishment in 2023, reopening in early December with 300 beds across interior styled private suites, bunk rooms featuring plush privacy curtains for each bed, as well as female only dorms.   

The Village North Melbourne features an abundance of lively communal areas including a new 360-rooftop overlooking Melbourne, a wellness space, cinema room, games area and guest kitchen space.   

Melbourne based designers, Anthology Studio, were tasked with the North Melbourne project and will also work on delivering additional The Village refurbishments throughout 2024.   

With an ambition to elevate the hostel experience in Australia through vibrant, contemporary design and experience-based programming, LA Co currently owns and operates eight properties under The Village brand. 

The Village hostels are located in Byron Bay, Surry Hills, Bondi Beach, Glebe, Canberra, Cairns, Melbourne CBD and North Melbourne with all set to benefit from the multi-million-dollar refurbishment project. LA Co is also actively looking to expand this footprint citing increased demand for an elevated offering in the hostel sector.  

Image above right: LA Co CEO Luke Moran said:“Globally, there’s been a reset of travel and accommodation expectations amongst leisure travellers with a significantly higher demand for design focused venues with greater communal amenities and experience lead offerings The Village North Melbourne is LA Co’s first step to meet this demand, and it's already proven, we’re heading in the right direction.

“Since reopening in December, The Village North Melbourne has seen exceptionally strong demand, and is trading above 90% occupancy and has already achieved the number one status on Hostelworld in Melbourne as rated by our customers. This demonstrates there is huge appetite for enhanced hostel experience that’s more than just a bed to stay in. 

“The roll out of our refurbishment project and new programming across all The Village locations will deliver this elevated experience and redefine hostel stays in Australia.” 

In addition to The Village portfolio, LA Co is introducing a new hybrid hotel hostel brand, Drifter, to the Australian and New Zealand markets with properties in Christchurch and Byron Bay opening mid 2024.