The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne hotel occupies the top 17 floors of a skyscraper.
Photo / Supplied
The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne hotel occupies the top 17 floors of a skyscraper.
Photo / Supplied
Neil Porten stays at The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne, where sky-high splendour and eagle-eye views of the city impress.
Location: 650 Lonsdale St, Melbourne. This is the Docklands, where development of the western fringes of the city is expected to place the hotel in the heart of the CBD in the next few years. The hotel occupies the top 17 floors of the tallest of four skyscrapers in the new West Side Place precinct. The ground-floor lobby and the ballroom and conference facilities are on the first two floors of the building, but reception is all the way up at the top, on the 80th floor.
The ground floor arrival lobby at The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne hotel. Photo / Supplied
Style: Classic understated opulence - marble, gold and bronze in double-storey public spaces and dark wood and Art Deco details in the guest rooms. The Melbourne-based architects Cottee Parker and designers BAR Studio have realised a deluxe hotel that captures a sense of place with the use of local artists and historical references. For example at first instance, a cast-bronze floral necklace by indigenous artist Maree Clarke, a traditional welcome-to-country gift, forms the handles on the doors into the arrival lobby. Dry-coloured sculptural flowers are centrepieces in the restaurant and in the downstairs lobby. Terrazzo flooring echoing the city’s historic arcades leads into Atria restaurant. Tiny mother-of-pearl tiles cover the bar and the pillars in Atria, connecting the sky-high space to the bay shimmering out the window.
The luxury style extends to the respectful and warm service: the doormen in the lobby, both named George, delivered my luggage and showed me how the blinds and lighting worked; the woman at reception was happy to give me a late check-out; the restaurant servers made dining a delight; the maintenance man, who’d come to activate my room safe then offered to take my bag to the lobby when I was checking out.
Perfect for: A luxury retreat into the city from where you’ll be reluctant to leave.
First impressions: Uniformed doormen open the heavy bronze doors into an arrival lobby with quiet sitting areas, muted gold window frames and balustrades and views to the street through double-storey glass. Photographic and sculptural art from local artists, including from the Wurundjeri people, traditional owners of the land, adorn the walls and lift lobby. Climb a few steps up the wide, angled staircase to be wowed by the chandelier of hand-blown glass suspended over the frankly remarkable marble installation by French artist Mathieu Lehanneur; the circular green surface undulates like a choppy sea, defying the solidity of its carved rock.
Via the high-speed lift, the best is yet to come. Stepping out into the sky lobby on floor 80, the view beyond the reception desk is a pilot’s-eye panorama of the city, harbour and even the distant Dandenong Ranges to the east. You get this view from restaurant Atria, the casual eating and drinking Lobby Lounge and Cameo bar, which are all on this level.
Cameo bar at The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne hotel. Photo / Supplied
In this “upside-down” hotel, the guest rooms are all on floors below reception, so in order to leave the building from your room, you first have to go up in the elevator to then take the express lift down to the street.
In the neighbourhood: The Southern Cross train station is across the road, connecting to regional rail services and the city loop underground, which will get you around the key sites. When the retractable roof of Marvel Stadium is open, you can look down on to the green turf of Melbourne’s second-largest sports and events arena.
Rooms: I stayed in premier king room 7711. I didn’t want to leave the generous, calm space with its floor-to-ceiling windows framing an eagle-eye view of the city below. The dark wood contrasts with the muted herringbone-patterned carpet and the bronze and gold detailing. The toilet, with its own handbasin and mirror, is on the left as you enter, followed by the walk-in wardrobe and make-up room, with a lighted mirror, shelf and stool. In the lounge, books, ornaments and art fill shelves and walls; the highlight is an enormous black-and-white photograph of a misty park scene by Fabrice Bigot. A solid wood table and two chairs, for working or dining, sit under a suspended strip light. Other furniture includes an extra-long chaise, an easy chair, a coffee table, and a bedside unit with a large mirror. The bed proved to be a cool white oasis of crisp cotton and goose-feathered comfort. The air con was easily adjusted and quiet. The mood lighting and automatic blinds and curtains took only moments to figure out. Streaming from my phone to the large TV was easy, and there are a bunch of subscription sports and entertainment channels to enjoy for free. The turndown service laid out a mat and slippers beside the bed and instead of the traditional chocolate, there was a petite spray bottle of essential oil “pillow mist” to aid a restful sleep.
Enjoy the luxuries of a Deluxe King room at The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne hotel. Photo / Supplied
Bathrooms: The sliding door into the bathroom has an Art Deco-style glass panel, matched across the hall on the walk-in wardrobe. You can choose soft or bright lighting. The walls and floor are black marble, with a zig-zag panel of white marble above the bath and in the shower. You can administer bath salts with a dainty bronze spoon into the deep, wide tub, and choose to keep the sliding partition to the bedroom open to admire the view as you soak. The vanity is white marble, with a double sink, a lighted mirror, a marble tissue box and a gorgeous shiny amenities box. The shower has rainfall and wall-mounted showerheads. Lotions and soaps are French brand Diptyque Philosykos. I practically lived in luxuriant beige, terry-lined Frette bathrobe.
Food and drink: The highest standards are on display in the highest hotel restaurant in Melbourne. Atria, named for the brightest star in the southern triangle constellation, will become a destination eatery, for breakfast and for dinner, not just because of the impressive view and the chic setting, but also because the food is terrific. Executive chef Michael Greenlaw loves free-diving locally for seafood and uses his contacts to source many of the ingredients that star on the menu.
At dinner, I ate a multi-course feast of fine food, matched confidently with local wines by sommelier James Tarkasis. He suggested the 2018 Yabby Lake Vineyard Cuvee Nina sparkling wine from the Mornington Peninsula for my seafood-heavy choices. The gnocco fritto is a cute crunchy crescent filled with a scallop sauce. A seasonal smoked eel pie, with its crisp lid topped with caviar followed. The main course was a pair of fine flounder fillets with a sauce spooned on to the plate at the table. I chose the shallot coated in chickpea flour and spices as a side and it arrived looking like the poshest onion bhaji. The brandy baba dessert was submersed in liquor - wonderful - and served with a smooth creme diplomat and fig jam.
I enjoyed a post-dinner drink of local Starward whisky in the Lobby Lounge as the rain clouds cleared and the city lights came into focus far below. The adjacent Cameo, an intimate clubby bar, is a prime corner spot for a cocktail.
Breakfast in Atria, where the moody darkness of the night gives way to a bright sunfilled space, is just as enjoyable. Sit at the 19m-long Victorian ash counter in front of the cold bar and watch as each fruit platter is made to order, while the mile-high view continues to distract.
Atria restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne hotel. Photo / Supplied
Facilities: A very grand ballroom. The day spa and the heated pool are on the 64th floor. The infinity pool is a cool sandstone retreat with a living green wall and cabana-style double loungers; when you’re in the pool the water’s edge merges into the blue expanse of Port Phillip Bay below. There’s a gym, sauna and steam room. Valet parking is on-site and there is an electric vehicle charging point.
View from the infinity pool at The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne hotel. Photo / Supplied
Family-friendly: You get the feeling the staff would have no problem making children just as welcome as any other guests. Make an adventure of exploring the hotel’s artworks: the wall of water with its suspended copper leaves outside the pool on the 64th floor is a highlight, and there’s a different ink stretch by Robert Scholten of a Melbourne landmark outside the lifts on each guest floor. Cots and infant beds are available.
Sustainability: It was great to be offered filtered tap water as a first choice in the restaurant at dinner and breakfast. Most of Atria’s food is sourced from Port Phillip Bay and the Victorian hinterlands of Melbourne, and 75 per cent of the restaurant’s wines are local. Spa products are Australian, with one of the two brands, Salus, is made in Melbourne from recyclable Australian ingredients. Ritz-Carlton is a partner of IMPACT 2030, a private-sector initiative to help achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Accessibility: The hotel has accessible rooms on all levels and has lift access to all areas. A water wheelchair and a pelican hoist are available for access to the pool. The hotel is service-pet friendly.
