Book direct for the best rates & perks!
Book direct for the best rates & perks!
Book direct for the best rates & perks!
Veri comes from the Latin word ‘verus’ which means true & genuine. We are focused on our guests’ experience and our name is the true definition of this. We create spaces that allow our guests to be themselves, to find what they are looking for and to enjoy our neighbourhoods their way.
We are a bespoke collection of hotels, each unique, all designed to connect our guests with the true character of the local neighbourhoods they inhabit.
When we undertake any new project we are thinking about the relationships between guests, inhabitants, community and culture. What can we bring to the local area and how can we tap into the uniqueness of the neighbourhood and its people?
In 2002, before Airbnb and online classifieds, Furnished Property opened its doors to its first apartment in Bondi Beach. Advertising was ‘old school’ with newspaper ads and street advertising. Founders – Alex and Rhys gave customers a personal tour of all available properties. What service!
After renting a spare room in their apartment, school friends and Co-founders Rhys Williams and Alex Thorpe identified a gap in the extended stay furnished accommodation market.
During the early years, Furnished Property continued to build its beachside portfolio of furnished apartments and shared rooms for travellers wanting a ‘home away from home’ without having to start from scratch. The team grew from two to four and a small office was established in Bondi Junction.
By 2005 Furnished Property had 100 rooms across Bondi Beach, Bondi Junction and Coogee Beach. 2006 saw Furnished property expand to furnished apartments in Sydney’s CBD and shared accommodation in Surry Hills. Their portfolio by then had over 200 rooms.
“We could see an increasing demand for extended stay furnished accommodation as there were simply no furnished apartments available to cater for global working professionals – this was at a time when the internet had not fully evolved so we simply built a portfolio one apartment at a time to meet customer demand”
Rhys Williams – Co-founder
2008 marked a significant shift into the hotel space with the first hotel in Redfern. Recognised as a market leader in short-stay accommodation, Furnished Property had reached over 400 available rooms.
“A move into hotels & serviced apartments was very natural for us as we leveraged our operational efficiencies and existing real estate networks to create desirable city fringe products”.
Central Railway Hotel was established in the then gritty suburb of Redfern. This set the tone of establishing a presence in fringe locations in the midst of transitioning into true cultural hubs in close reach of the CBD.
Furnished Property worked with capital investors in 2012 to acquire Central Station Hotel. The group successfully developed a 3.5 star, 114 room hotel with three restaurants. All within a short stroll of Sydney’s busiest transport interchange and the ‘hip’ suburb of Surry Hills. Quite a significant milestone that cemented their place as genuine hoteliers.
Based on the huge success of Central Station Hotel, Rhys & Alex recognised the shortage of quality accommodation in the Randwick district and partnered with a local developer to deliver Randwick Central Suites to the market. This was a comfortable return to the thriving Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, with Hospitals and Universities only moments away.
A new development of 39 fully-serviced suites located at the gateway to urban Sydney was the beginning of what is now known as the Veriu brand. Veriu Randwick was launched in 2016. A joint venture was also established in 2016 between Folkestone, launching the Folkestone Green Square Hotel Fund to develop a 144 room hotel.
In 2017, Veriu Broadway opened. In less than 12 months of opening its doors, Broadway hit a top 10 Trip Advisor ranking, putting it alongside Veriu Camperdown as top 10 ranked out of 196 hotels in Sydney. This put Veriu firmly on the Sydney map. In 2018, Central Station Hotel completed its refurbishment to become the latest to join the Veriu collection as Veriu Central.
In February 2018, Veriu acquired Punthill Apartment Hotels. Another 13 hotels joined Veriu’s portfolio; cementing their footprint on the Australian East Coast. In early 2019, the Veriu brand crossed state boundaries with the announcement of Veriu Queen Victoria Market and Veriu Collingwood to arrive in 2022.
In 2022, we marked two major milestones in our growth, opening our first Punthill hotel in Sydney, Punthill Norwest, and unveiling our first Veriu in Victoria, Veriu Queen Victoria Market. As our flagship property, Veriu Queen Victoria Market embodies the spirit of our brand, innovative, locally connected, and designed for the modern traveller.
In 2023, our growth continued with the opening of Punthill Essendon North, our second Veriu property in Victoria, Veriu Collingwood, developed in partnership with luxury property developer Gurner, and our second Punthill in Sydney, Punthill Parramatta. Each new opening strengthened our presence across key Australian cities, offering design-led, connected accommodation experiences with a focus on quality and style.
2024 was a milestone year for us, with the opening of four new hotels. We began with Punthill Maitland in regional NSW, our first regional property, followed by Punthill Sunshine in Victoria, our largest Punthill to date. Next came Punthill Tuggeranong, marking our debut in Canberra, and Veriu Macquarie Park in Sydney, our largest Veriu property yet.
2025 has been all about laying the groundwork for what’s next. We celebrated sod turnings for Punthill Epping, Shepparton, and Albury, preparing to bring new hotels to more communities across Australia. And 2026 is shaping up to be a big year, with three new openings, including Veriu Adelaide, marking our first step into South Australia. We’re excited to welcome more guests and continue creating comfortable, connected stays across the country.
