The verdict on Melbourne’s luxe new hotel with knockout dining

The hotel

Melbourne Place, Melbourne

Check-in

City skyline views from Mid Air on level 12.

Not everyone was thrilled when the heritage Theosophical Society and Bookshop on Russell Street was levelled to make room for yet another CBD hotel. Probably least of all (though, for different reasons), QT Melbourne, directly across the street.

Like many pandemic-born developments, Melbourne Place’s build hit some turbulence – in late 2022, the $155 million project went into forced administration, pushing the finish date out a year. The luxe property finally launched in November 2024 with 191 rooms and suites, and a formidable suite of hospitality offerings fronted by hatted chefs and multimillion-dollar fitouts.

The torn-down 1920s pale heritage facade has been replaced with a handsome rust-hued high-rise, emulating aspects of the street’s heritage splendour through the clever blending of familiar red-brick and masonry with modernist design.

The look

The perfect al fresco dessert: Mid Air’s strawberry and olive oil sundae with Honey Joys.

The 1980s called, and it wants its Jarrah back. But seriously, those well-oiled woody, reddish tones are a beautiful base for lead architecture and design firm Kennedy Nolan’s bold Australian-inspired palette of gold, green, pink and blue.

The firm has tastefully summoned some such retro details throughout the property, though perhaps nowhere more masterfully than the rooftop space, Mid Air. Soft golds and spectrums of red, from dusty pink to crimson, create a warm and deeply inviting space to linger in the sun over a mezcal cocktail – or perhaps one of their ultra-Instagrammable strawberry and olive oil sundaes, sprinkled with Honey Joys in another nostalgic nod. White-and-gold tiled floors and oversized circular windows, that peer across the city, steer into the Mediterranean aesthetic. There’s no rooftop pool to complement the resort vibes, sadly, though this might be a stroke of genius – every inch of al fresco space is humming with diners on the Saturday we visit.

The room

Compact but comfy: Melbourne Place’s Everyday room.Credit: Sean Fennessy

With a sprawling terrazzo bench and yawning alcove window, our Everyday King room feels slightly bigger than its compact 21 square metres. It’s the most affordable room category, but touches like Leif amenities, Frette linen, free minibar (excluding alcohol) and an enormous, beautiful doorless shower, which coils around to a bronze rain shower and porthole, are still very luxe. Tech includes tablets, electric blackout blinds and lighting master controls (on both sides of the bed – huzzah!), and a large TV with free-to-air channels and casting available – though our devices don’t detect the TV. There’s room for improvement on the lighting front, too – the vanity features two unflattering downlights, and two boxy red reading lamps stage a full retina assault when lying directly below.

Food + drink

The piece de resistance, the sizzling arroz de marisco. Credit: Kristoffer Paulsen 

Hospitality power duo Ross and Sunny Lusted (Woodcut, Sydney) have opened Marmelo (meaning “quince”) at street level, and basement bar Mr Mills, inspired by the cuisines and old-world elegance of Portugal and coastal Spain.

With soaring ceilings and a wash of reddish brick and marine hues, it’s an elegant space to snack on spanner crab celeriac nata (a savoury take on the classic pasteis de nata), or the wafer-like “bikini” sandwich of jamon paleta with sheep milk cheese. The piece de resistance, the sizzling arroz de marisco traditional rice dish, is a highlight for seafood lovers, as is the freshly wood-fired Basque-style olive oil cheesecake for two.

Best-of-the-Med snacks and lofty views from the 12th floor.Credit: Kristoffer Paulsen

Mid Air on level 12, the hotel’s glam 150-seat rooftop restaurant and bar, is in good hands with Good Food Guide’s 2023 Young Chef of the Year, Nick Deligiannis, at the helm, serving a best-of-the-Med line-up. Among the many standouts is the smoky Brisbane Valley quail, char-grilled and served on a bed of sheep’s yoghurt with blistered guindilla peppers.

Out + about

The light rail and Flinders Street Station are within easy strolling distance. And this is Melbourne’s trendy Paris end, darling, so expect a maze of heritage arcades, graffiti-clad laneways, new-wave cafes, and elegant diners at every turn.

Stroll to the nearby National Gallery of Victoria (ngv.vic.gov.au) to catch the blockbuster Yayoi Kusama exhibition, until April 21, 2025. It’s one of the most comprehensive retrospectives of the artist’s work ever displayed globally, featuring a record number of immersive artworks.

Worth a visit is nearby Maison Batard, the opulent new hospitality precinct of Lucas Restaurants group – think French classics, lavish seafood towers, chocolate mousse trolleys, and a supper club and rooftop terrace. Bookings essential (maisonbatard.com.au).

The verdict

Indoor and al fresco spaces at Mid Air.Credit: Kristoffer Paulsen

Melbourne Place may not have a prized pool, but with standard rooms from $300 a night, this glamorous new build offers sensational value, not to mention knockout drinking and dining.

The essentials

Rooms from $300 (Everyday King), suites from $380 (Urban), with 10 accessible rooms with wheelchair access. 130 Russell St, Melbourne. Phone: [phone]. See melbourneplace.com.au

Our score out of five

★★★★

Highlight

Those sweet hoodie-style bathrobes, available to buy for $145, are so cute.

Lowlight

Even from the 10th floor, Melbourne’s nightlife hubbub creeps into bed with us. If you’re a light sleeper, BYO earplugs.

The writer stayed as a guest of Visit Victoria, National Gallery of Victoria, and Melbourne Place.