One of the region’s most eagerly anticipated hotels makes its debut this spring (their autumn), when the 1 Hotel Melbourne opens on the Yarra River—steps from the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC)—in May.
In keeping with this southern Australian city’s focus on sustainability, the 1 Hotel Australia—the country’s first 1 Hotels-branded property—is being crafted from reclaimed and recycled materials; and not here and there, but everywhere. Headboards in the guestrooms, for example, had previous lives as sleepers in trains from New South Wales.
“This hotel has been 80 percent repurposed,” said Libby Escolme, the hotel’s Director of Marketing, during a recent hard hat tour Prevue attended. “Our compass is set to do all we can to be a platform for change. The more we do as an industry to drive sustainability, the better.”
To that end, the development is part of a newbuild adjacent to Goods Shed No 5, one of Melbourne’s oldest heritage-listed sheds and wharves, which also includes the city’s original electric crane dating back to the immediate post-war era. A community gathering and work space, the Aussie “shed” is an iconic piece of the country’s architectural identity.
Also part of the neighboring wharf is the Mission to Seafarers Victoria, which has has operated from its heritage-listed building in Melbourne’s Docklands since 1917.
Wine Making and Gin Tastings
With 277 rooms and 114 branded residences, the 1 Hotel Australia—in keeping with the 1 Hotels tradition—will feature biophilic design principles and an extensive art program along with a Bamford spa, an indoor pool and several destination dining options.
However, “you don’t just have a passive stay at 1 Hotels,” noted Libby Escolme. “Everything will have a participatory element, from wine making and gin tastings to keynote speakers.”
In addition, the hotel will offer a suite of five meeting rooms on the second floor overlooking the Yarra, with an attached bar that can be shut down for the group. Meanwhile, event and pre-event space will take over part of the first floor, while the hotel’s restaurant will offer chef’s table group dining experiences.
This is all just a footbridge away from the MCEC and the restaurants and shops lining the riverfront, not to mention the Polly Woodside, an 1885 cargo vessel turned museum ship offering guided tours.
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