Tennis greats Novak Djokovic and Angelique Kerber weren't the only winners at this year's Australian Open in Melbourne as the city's hotels were also served an ace off the back of a stellar 2015 for the sector, nationally. 
The two-week Grand Slam tournament boosted city occupancy rates to an average 90.4 per cent, an increase of 16.3 per cent from the week before the event, STR Global figures show.
With so many high-profile tennis stars lobbing into town, average daily room rates also rose dramatically, up 36.3 per cent to $238.13.
"The Australian Open brings business to Melbourne during what would normally be an off-peak month," STR business manager Matthew Burke said.
"Meetings and normal business travel activity usually kick in around the beginning of   February, as most people in Australia take longer summer holiday vacations during   January."
The off-peak boost followed a stellar 2015 for Australia's hotel sector where tourism, a low Australian dollar, increased air travel and greater business confidence delivered record occupancy and room rates across most markets.
International and domestic visitors and large-scale events in particular boosted the sector, Mr Burke said.
Sydney and Melbourne's five-star hotels attracted a surge in travellers, boosting occupancy rates more than 2 per cent in both cities.
Hobart recorded an average occupancy rate rise above 80 per cent off the back of the agenda-setting Museum of Old and New Art's success. However, mining-dependent states were less fortunate as rates fell in Perth, Darwin and Adelaide.
A key metric - revenue per room - showed the strongest growth among Sydney's five-star hotels, up 14.9 per cent. The same sector in Melbourne rose 8.9 per cent.
Revenue per room across all hotels rose in Sydney (12.7 per cent), Melbourne (10.6 per cent), Hobart (11.3 per cent), the Gold Coast (10.4 per cent) and Cairns (6.7 per cent), JLL figures show.
JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group's chief executive, Craig Collins, said last year's strong performance on the eastern seaboard was expected to continue.
Sydney's metropolitan sub-markets such as Ryde, the airport precinct and Parramatta were picking up the spillover from the tight supply in the central city.
"The stand-out performer was the airport precinct with RevPAR growth of 10.3 per cent to $140; a figure that's now above a number of capital city markets," Mr Collins said.
The sector's strength has prompted one of Australia's largest hotel franchise groups, Choice Hotels Asia-Pac, to form a strategic alliance with a boutique luxury brand, Adara Hotels Apartments.
The tie-up will expand Choice's upmarket Ascend Hotel Collection by including the Adara Collins, Adara Richmond, Adara East Melbourne and Adara Camperdown.
The four properties will expand Ascend's premium network to 11 as the new offerings sit alongside the likes of Balgownie Estate Resort in the Yarra Valley and Oceans Resort in Hervey Bay.
Choice's Trent Fraser said the relationship would enable the four Adara properties to maintain their local identity as part of Ascend, while utilising Choice's global reservations and distribution systems and property management system.