Hotel brand with Hollywood origins opens Melbourne’s coolest new stay

A couple of legendary hotels along West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip that were unique in their day have spawned families of properties branded in their likeness.

One of those is the Mondrian, a Philippe Starck-furnished model magnet in the ’90s, now the proud parent of a growing number of Mondrians around the world, including one soon to open on the Gold Coast.

Fitroy’s StandardX … Raising the bar.

The other is The Standard. Begun in the late 1990s in a mid-century low-rise on the Strip by a consortium of celebs and movers and shakers (including Andres Balazs, the current owner of the mother of Hollywood’s celebrity hangs, Chateau Marmont), hotels bearing the name of the mid-price, edgy pad with DJs at reception and all manner of shenanigans in the hallways have proliferated globally.

The StandardX is in the perennially cool suburb of Fitzroy.

Though the original in West Hollywood closed in 2021, The Standard Hotels company has just opened an offshoot in Australia, The StandardX, Melbourne. It’s in inner-city Fitzroy, one of the Victorian capital’s most perennially cool enclaves.

The X marks the spot of The Standard’s new sub-brand – and differentiates the hotel from the 160-year-old pub called The Standard Hotel a few blocks away.

Cool, understated interiors … Rock’n’roll it may be, but it’s also comfy and homey.

The hallways might be shenanigans-free – unlike the late ’90s, this is the era of the phone camera, after all – but the avant-garde style and rock’n’roll vibes of the original continue in a Woods Bagot building bearing an exterior that’s rusted like a pair of designer jeans that were pre-faded and ripped to look well-worn – an homage to the industrial past of the area.

For the lounge lizards … interiors by Hecker Guthrie.

Taking design inspiration from Fitzroy’s music venues, street art and funky cafes, The StandardX, Melbourne has interiors by Hecker Guthrie that speak of playfulness, quirk, local flavour and individuality, proving that franchising a name doesn’t have to mean forsaking uniqueness.

Roast duck leg curry... a wealth of eating options.

Rock’n’roll it may be, but it’s also comfy and homey – perhaps the home of a rock star who has gorgeous MCM custom furniture curated by someone with exquisite taste – and who has invited you to a sit and chillax on their sumptuous leather sofas.

The 125 rooms are understated, with blue and terracotta overlaying a neutral base palette. Even the smallest have made clever use of space, and there are city views through windows that open.

And, though Melbourne’s north side is blessed with the city’s finest array of eateries, The StandardX has entered the fray with the Thai-inspired BANG on the ground floor, overseen by Melbourne-born chef Justin Dingle-Garciyya, whose CV includes Aman Resorts.

Soon to come, the guests-only Mercado Medellin on the rooftop, serving Mexican food and drinks.

See standardx.com