One destination, three ways: Melbourne

MELBOURNE is the hottest destination for sport lovers this season. The Ashes Boxing Day Test kicks off festivities, before the Portsea Polo and Australian Open take over by mid-January.

Melbourne: The hotels keeping things fresh for summer.

MELBOURNE is the hottest destination for sport lovers this season. The Ashes Boxing Day Test kicks off festivities, before the Portsea Polo and Australian Open take over by mid-January. Luckily, there’s been updates to the city’s most popular hotels, making a stopover just the ticket.

The Chen, Box Hill

The eighth boutique in the Art Series Hotels group has opened in the cultural melting pot of Box Hill. Just as their popular Melbourne hotspots The Blackman, The Olsen, The Cullen and The Larwill pay homage to a namesake contemporary artist, The Chen takes its design cues from Chinese/Australian painter Zhong Chen.

The crowning glory of The Chen is an architecturally impressive rooftop pool and entertainment deck that offers panoramic views of surrounding suburbs and the CBD, some 14km off in the distance.

The hotel’s 100 open-plan apartment-style suites have original and digital archive pieces from Chen. From $159 per night; artserieshotels.com.au/chen.

QT Hotel, CBD

This buzzing hotel only marked its first anniversary a few months ago, but already QT Melbourne is upping the ante on the food front. They’ve just appointed Andrew Harmer, one of the city’s hottest culinary stars (having worked at Vue De Monde and The Point in Albert Park) as their new executive chef.

QT’s Andrew Harmer is known for his passion for native ingredients and seasonal cuisine. He is now in charge of overseeing all food offerings at the hotel, starting with the Pascale Bar & Grill.

Rooftop at QT continues to rule as one of Melbourne’s hottest spots for a summer soiree. Pull up a stool to sample its brand-new open-air cocktail menu; qthotelsandresorts.com/melbourne.

Crown Hotels, Southbank

Guests wanting the convenience and proximity of Crown Metropol, Promenade or Towers can now book directly and save 15 per cent off the best daily rate. The online offer, Crown Direct, has other perks too, like drink cards on arrival, in-room amenities and sneak peeks at sales; crownhotels.com.au/crowndirect.

Combine your stay with a two-course champagne lunch at Bistro Guillaume, featuring flowing Moët and classic French fare. Priced at $99 per person; [phone].

Crown Towers’s Long Chim has also come to the party with a new bar-snacks menu and outdoor dining on the terrace, where you can sip their own Little Red Fish beer in the sun.

TRAVEL NOTES

Airbnb has chosen Melbourne as its first Australian hub to launch the Trips feature. Visitors can select from 60 activities designed by local experts — such as exploring laneway street art or a guided tour of the MCG; airbnb.com.au/experiences.

Originally published as One destination, three ways: Melbourne