Melbourne Place

Melbourne is celebrated as the culture capital of Australia and a serious contender on the global stage. The city’s legacy is evident in its art institutions, thriving hospitality and music scenes, and world-class festivals and events that dot its calendar.

There was, however, a conspicuous absence in the city’s skyline. For a city that typically attracts 10–11 million domestic overnight visitors per year and 3–4 million international tourists, no local hotel offered a signature Melbournian experience.

Until now.

A new place for Melbourne

Born from an ambition to shape a place that was uniquely of and for the city it calls home, Melbourne Place is more than a hotel. Encompassing accommodation, ground-plane hospitality offerings and a rooftop bar and restaurant, Melbourne Place is shaped by – and contributes to – the city’s cultural fabric. Engaged in an active dialogue with the spaces and places that surround it, this is the hotel Melbourne needed.

Working closely with architects Kennedy Nolan, we shaped a strategy which recognised that to be celebrated by locals and tourists alike, Melbourne Place needed to capture the cultural gestalt of the city that surrounds it. Bringing together local makers, designers, hospitality the precinct is a love letter to the city that both formed and informed it.

An evolving space

Employing our experience philosophy framework, we defined and described a service culture for Melbourne Place that was both intuitive and egalitarian. We wanted to shape an in-the-know, guest-focussed service culture. We then looked at the signature experiences guests could expect from Melbourne Place, focussing on creating a fluid atmosphere that – like a city – breathes and evolves throughout the day.

The public face

At a precinct level – inclusive the ground-floor tenancies and rooftop restaurant – we intended Melbourne Place to function as a creative platform for innovators and tastemakers in food and beverage, culture, and retail spaces. This was our bold face, the extrovert who leads with a smile and warmly welcomes visitors. Charming and gregarious, this is Melbourne Place, and by extension the city itself, at its most vivacious.

The inner self

In contrast, we wanted the hotels interior experience to retain a sense of mystery. While still engaging and charismatic, this was the quieter, more reflective side of Melbourne Place. One that piques intrigue and invites guests to discover more.

At times, it would be bold, colourful and expressive – while elsewhere it was enigmatic, alluring and captivating. Think of it as the shift between the musician on stage, filled with swagger and bravado, in contrast to the songwriter alone, engrossed in their notebook and impervious to the world around them.

Throughout the hospitality experience, visitors can expect to encounter these twin personas. From grand architectural gestures – like Kennedy Nolan’s ‘eyes’ that frame the city skyline from the rooftop – to the small details – like the messaging on the complimentary toothbrushes – each touchpoint immerses guests in a fully realised experience.

This duality – and at times, the tension between these facets – became the animating source that informed our identity and art direction. Our goal was to create a visual identity that would make Melbournians proud – and make visitors pay attention.